Envy 17 3Dsuper sluggish with loads of stuttering

Hi guys,

I've been struggling with my envy lately. For the last two months, performance has been so sluggish on ordinary stuff like multitasking web browsing, music, and photoshop/dreamweaver.

I also experience stuttering even when processor isn't under load. Like just typing this I get moments when machine locks up for a few seconds and then the text shows up.

Please note I've been getting a 3F1 Hard Disk error on startup but after runniing every HD diagnostic tool from HP's to windows CHKDSK to Seagate tools, none of these gives me any harddrive errors.

I'm stumped. Any ideas? Is my hard drive the issue or is it likely something else?

Thanks guys

P.s I have the Envy 17 3d first generation with 8gb ram and 640gb hdd.

 

Sounds like the hard drive. I imagine that HP's diagnostic is a bit more comprehensive than Seagate. Another issue you want to check on is your memory...

Run Memtest

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

You can download the .iso and burn to a CD...or use the new Flash drive version. Let it do at least two complete runs...if no errors...we can rule memory out.

Keep us posted

 

The error indicates a failed hard disk, but given the pervasive nature of this issue, it could be transitory when power is first applied to the hard disk. For example, if it takes longer to spin up, the bios may issue the error but by the time you run the test, the spindles are already going.... or this could be a BIOS issue that some people are reporting on various forums (google it). Are you at the latest bios? Do you have a second hard disk for testing purposes?

 

Cam121,
thats an interesting hypothesis. Sounds right. But when you say transitory does that mean the hd is going to fail eventually or it wont?
I'm using latest Bios F.1D had tried the previous bios and was still getting the error. Interestingly, I don't get the error when I completely shut down the laptop. It seems to only happen when I leave it on standby or hibernate for long periods without a reboot.

Now what about performance? Why the sluggishness? Driver conflict? Ideas please.

THanks

 

I really don't know but it would worry me enough to try to fix it or find out if the problem happens with another HDD. I personally have other HDD's lying around so I would use process of elimination to make sure it's not the laptop having issues. Given your performance problems, I would lean on the side of (imminently) failing hardware versus aesthetic displeasure.

If your drive is "skipping" like a record, that could cause your OS to appear to freeze up every so often. Windows pretty much requires access to the HDD (or SSD) at all times so a reset on the storage bus can cause performance degradation. As far as drivers are concerned, for troubleshooting purposes I would make sure I was at HP's latest posted drivers. Use Windows update to apply all windows-centric patches.

Seriously though, if you have an extra HDD lying around, install it and perform a system restore from your DVD media. Then patch it via windows update and HP support assistant. Then check for the stuttering and error messages.

Good luck.

P.S. Check your windows system logs for error messages.

 

Ok, I've checked everything. Services, drivers, windows error logs, done several harddisk integrity tests and I'm not getting a single error anywhere yet the machine operates like it's running on a 500mhz processor.

I'm getting sick of this and I don't know what else to eliminate. I can't just buy a new hdd without knowing for sure that this is the problem.

Help guys.

 

Just something else to be aware of. Killa Joe hasn't been around for quite awhile...but he had the same issue...when he confronted Tech support...they could tell by the tests that he had a bad data path on his motherboard. Call Envy Concierge and see if they can determine the cause of the issue. If bad hard drive, they will send you one...bad data path...you may or may not have issues, depending on your length of ownership. If under 90 days, you may be able to order an entirely new machine. If over 90 days, you may have no option other than to send the machine in for repair.....

Look back in this thread to April / May and look, in particular, for Killa Joe's posts. He ended up with a new machine...

 

I only recommended trying another hard disk because I personally have a few lying around in external cabinets and what not from my purchasing USB drives... these are perfectly fine for testing. Would I want to run my laptop off a 4200RPM drive that probably came in that external WD passport? No, but for testing purposes it's perfectly fine.

If however you have no way to test yourself, then your only recourse is to send the laptop into HP for repair (unless you purchased the additional support @home option). If it's a bad motherboard, then only HP can fix that. A bad HDD is easier to repair though.

 

actually i know exactly what problem your experiencing, its something to do with Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver. since i did a clean install of windows, i figured installing all the recommended drivers from hp would be a start to getting everything running.

so then it didn't take long to notice after completing that task, that my clean system (even with nothing even really loaded yet) was acting like a Pentium 3 with a 1GB 4200RPM HDD. (and btw it should be important to note if your HDD light is solid during these lockups)

Turns out the stupid Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver was the damn culprit. I uninstalled them in place for the default Microsoft drivers. Now my system no longer locks up.

P.S- i still recommend installing the updated Intel INF drivers from intel.com though.

 

I did a clean install of Win7 Ultimate as soon as I got my Envy. I installed the driver directly from Intels site and haven't had any issues.