HP DV5000--The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Please share good and bad experiences with this Notebook. I am planning to purchase it in about a month.

 

so far so good. my laptop came in last friday and it works great. battery life with wifi doesn't seem that good, but i would imagine 4-5 hours is good enough.

 

Cyndi, just curious, why are you going with the dv5000 instead of it's replacement, the dv6000?

Is it simply a matter of $$$?

 

no 6000t yet if he wants an intel computer

 

Shel, I've looked at the different series of the HP. I actually started out going to buy a DV 1000, then the DV 2000, etc. I honestly don't remember now if I saw the DV6000 and it was too pricey or if there was some other reason. I'll go back and look again.

Thanks for helping me keep my options open.

 

Okay, I went back and looked at the 6000. I chose the 5000 because I think it looks nicer, it has intel core duo, and it's less expensive. The 6000 doesn't do anything extra that I would need.

 

My dv5000 works great. I have no keyboard problems or anything like that. It's a great laptop.

 

More bad than good here.

Sticky keys. USB 2.0 speed problems due to the southbridge chip, terrible battery life, sound clipping/distortion, ATI driver issues, wireless takes too long to get an IP address and sometimes fails, the memory card reader randomly corrupts my Smart Media and SD cards, the optical output is fixed at 48KHz with no option for 44.1KHz, and finally, the DVD drive doesn't always open when I press the button.

I have the DV5030US. That's the DV5000z. HP is completely giving me the run around on this POS. Fry's, the store where I bought it from, is giving me a run around too. Making it clear that I'll have to make a 120 mile round trip drive 8 times if I want my system replaced under their extended warranty.

 

Beaches, I just read your whole story in another thread dedicated to this subject. I've got a lot to consider!

 

Nothing but good here... so far.

I purchased my dv5000 based on what I needed. I wasn't going to wait for the dv6000 or buy a better model with extras I wasn't going to use or performance that would remianed untouched.

I have the dv5218nr (celeron M 410). The only thing I'd want is a faster processor which I'm about to do sometime in the next few months. I'll be going from the Celeron M 410 to Core Duo 2gHz

Only thing I hate is that when my GF is using my laptop and is palying some simple games she downloaded, the laptop freaks out when I try to exit the game and go back to the OS. It's something I'll address with HP support after I do some upgrades to see if it fixes that problem.

Aside from that, no problems with keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS, wireless, or anything else anyone describes. Very sturdy notebook for a first time buyer

 

Cyndi the issues people are having could be like one in 1000 laptops. If you listened to every bad thing people say in THIS forum I am suprised anyone buys computers. Every manufactor has downfalls like look at dell their computers blow up or start on fire.

HP is a good company but people like to nit pick their faults so no one will buy from them.

Don't let some of the posts scare you away from getting the laptop you want. I read the posts about the dv5000 but I still got one cause it was the laptop I wanted and I like HP(never had any problems with them).

There is my 2 cents on this issue.

 

To be perfectly honest with you, I entirely regret buying this laptop. I wish I had tried to use USB 2.0 before my 14 day return period was up.

I know I'm just goingto sound like a disgruntled customer, but this system was honestly a waste of money. Not only because of the major hardware problems, but because of Windows too. I watched the Keynote address from the Apple WWDC yesterday. And after watching Mac OS 10.5 in action, I have to tell you that I feel like I'm using Windows 3.1 again. OS 10.5 made Windows Vista look like Windows 95. It's amazing how far behind Microsoft is.

I would honestly recommend getting a Mac. You'll never have to worry about viruses or spyware, software compatibility issues, stupid hardware issues that should never make it into production (like the USB speed problem), all of that.

The thing I regret the most is that I might be stuck with this system for awhile. Honestly, if I could sell it and even make back 60% of what it cost me, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Then I'd be at the Apple Store buying a Mac mini.

Except that the major problem I'm having, the USB speed problem, isn't nitpicking. This affects EVERY model HP ships with an ATI Xpress 200M.

I guarantee you that the reason more people aren't coming forward with this problem is because they don't notice it due to lack of experience with USB devices, or they blame the device and not the computer. Because, you know, the computer does claim USB 2.0 after all.

 

Actually, IIRC, the same person that told you about the faulty USB, also said that ATi fixed it in the newer revision, and that everyone uses the newer one now, including HP. cyndi is getting a 5000t anyway, so that won't matter.

The keyboard problem, on the other hand, is a problem. It's more known on the DV8000, but it can exist on the DV5000 as well. It's unfortunate how you can't get a working product, and I understand why you never want a PC/HP PC again (although Macs have their faults too), but that doesn't mean Macs are for everyone, and no one should get HP.

I'm not an HP fanboy either, please don't view me that way. Heck, I wanted a Mac Mini at first, because I had a very limited budget, and couldn't afford anything else. But then I saw my budget grow. And so I looked at HP, MSI, Clevo, and Asus. And I'm still not sure which to get. So, I'm not biased to HP in anyway.

 

My DV5000T works great and I don't have any of the problems (keyboard, USB, etc.) described. Been using it nonstop for about 2 weeks now.

 

You say that because no offense, if you actually took care of what you bought and tuned it properly, it would run just as good as Mac. Mac OSX is a powerful OS, but some people need windows(yes I know about Boot Camp) and when properly taken care of, it works fine.

 

DO NOT BUY AN HP LAPTOP
I am the owner of a dv5140us laptop. On paper, it looks like a great laptop. In reality, it is unstable and practically unsupported by HP.

I bought it about two months ago and was initially extremely happy with it. After a few weeks, conveniently right after I mailed out my UPC tag for a rebate, I tried to plug in headphones into the headphone jack and was unable to insert them completely. Around that time I also noticed that the audio skipped randomly.

After communicating with HP through their online support I arranged to have the laptop sent in to be serviced. After a week I got it back in the mail. The headphone jack was usable, but it just didn't feel right compared to the microphone jack. Also some of the ports on the other side were out of alignment with the case. The audio skipping issue hadn't even been addressed.

I sent it in one more time to have that issue fixed. They managed to do that, but in the process DELETED MY RECOVERY PARTITION (I didn't notice this until later).

After a few more weeks I noticed that my QuickLaunch buttons, the ones that start the laptop up to a DVD or media program and control volume, didn't function. Instead of doing their assigned task they printed characters on the screen, such as +*-.

I contacted HP support and they were absolutely no help with that issue so I decided to just reset the computer. That's impossible when HP has taken it upon themselves to delete the recovery partition. They hadn't even informed me that they had done that, so I kept on restarting the computer and hitting the F11 key like an idiot until I checked on the partitions.

When I called up HP support to see how to fix the problem the support person kept on saying that I was in the wrong and that I should have created recovery discs before sending the laptop in for repair. He told me that if I agreed to upgrade to an extended warranty he would mail me the recovery discs for free. Another option he gave me was to pay for recovery discs. So HP deleted my recovery partition and then tried to make me pay for recovery discs.

Eventually I got him to connect me with a Case Manager who was actually very helpful and was able to ship the recovery discs for free overnight.

It turned out that the discs I received were not able to restore the recovery partition. I am currently on hold with HP support, hoping that I will be able to get them to resolve this issue. I have been on hold long enough to write this entire post.

Do yourself a favor, DO NOT GET AN HP LAPTOP. Maybe your laptop won't have any of the issues that mine has had, but if you ever have to deal with HP support you'll regret ever having purchased an HP product. I've heard good things about Lenovo, and a friend of mine just bought a Dell Inspiron that I like a lot.

 

Totally opposite experience for me. Around 6 months in, V2000z's processor fried. Emailed, got info, 2 days later received shipping box, shippied in, got it 2 days later, with the problem fixed. That means they fixed it in 1 day, and sent it back via overnight. They even cleaned the screen for him... And HP does tell you to burn the recovery CDs ASAP. Besides, the CDs you got are better than the partition. Not only will you hace more HDD space, but you won't have preloaded junk slowing down your computer.

And I have heard horror stories about Dell support as well as HP's. Horrors like this exist for any company, as well as support miracles such as mine.

 

In that same thread that person pointed out that HP had the choice of going with the newer ULi chip or the older, and cheaper, SB400 manufactured by ATI. CPU-Z shows my system as having the SB400. Which would be consistant with the problems I'm having, and the USB 2.0 write speeds as low as 1.8MB/sec that I've experienced in benchmarks with Sandra.

On another note, I spoke with a different case manager yesterday. I was asked to email them, directly, my entire experience, all links with information I had, basically everything. And I was told I would be getting a call back. Even this morning I received an email stating I would be receiving a call. Guess what? No call. If this were Apple, I'd be able to walk and they'd swap my system out for a new one.

But when Macs do have faults, Apple fesses up and fixes them. For example, if you were a dirty person and didn't wash your hands and had your new MacBook change colors, Apple will replace it under warranty. Now compare that to HP, which wouldn't even fix the keyboard problems for most people.

I don't understand why Macs can't be for everyone. Who wouldn't want a solid machine with a secure, and modern, OS?

Well, first, I DO take care of my systems. And any "neglect" on my part wouldn't have any affect on the USB problem I'm having. That is entirely a chipset problem. A problem that would not exist if HP didn't have to save 2 cents on every notebook they made with this chipset.

Secondly, this is 2006. I shouldn't have to worry about "taking care" or "tuning" my system. This isn't 1995. I shouldn't have to do any kind of maintenance or anything like that. My system should come in tip top shape out of the box. Not only that, it should be almost completely secure out of the box. The OS manufacturer should also fix security holes BEFORE they go public, not on a once a month basis after the hole has already been discovered and exploited.

I shouldn't have to "take care" of my system by doing things like running anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, firewalls, none of that. Modern operating systems, like Linux and OS X, don't require this kind of nonsense. Why should I have to worry about it Windows anymore? There was even a story on digg or slashdot or engadget, I can't remember which, that showed that Vista STILL runs unsigned code without the users knowledge. Not only that, but Vista can still fall victim to the same rootkits that Windows XP can be affected by. Windows is so poorly written it's terrible.

Besides the virus/spyware issue that plagues XP and will continue to affect Vista, head over to apple.com and watch the WWDC keynote from Monday. Watch the Mac OS 10.5 demos. After watching that, Windows XP looks like Windows 95 and Vista looks like Windows 98. I can say with a straight face that I feel like I'm using an antique OS. The only thing slightly modern about Windows MCE 2005 is MCE. But it doesn't support any ISO standards, like MPEG-4 AAC or H.264, without buggy plugins that only half work, and it also adds DRM to certain TV recordings.

I don't understand why people need Windows anymore. It is literally an antique. It's so far behind OS X, and even very far behind Linux in security. People really need to ditch MS and tell them to take their outdated software and shove it.

 

Sorry, but I just have to question a post by someone blasting an entire company, who uses a fictious user name, and it's the 1st and only post.

Hey, GM has built some junk cars, I wouldn't go and tell everyone to NEVER puchase a GM (or Toyota, or Porsche, or whatever) vehicle.

Microsoft has some dog programs, and some that are industry standard. Same story, I wouldn't tell everyone to NEVER buy anything from Microsoft.

 

What exactly is a fictitious name (I'm assuming you meant fictitious)? And I apologize for not having as many posts as you, Oh Mighty Shel of the Notebook Review Forums.

That's fantastic that you feel that way. But if someone is asking for opinions on HP dv5000 laptops, and I have one that I want to share, I'm going to share it.

You pick horrible examples. Another bad example: If someone had an uncomfortable bowel movement, telling them them not to move their bowels anymore.

You can yap all you want about how much you love HP and how you worship them, but that won't change the fact that they sold me a faulty laptop and have been very uncooperative through customer support.

Edit: For the record, I have that sticky shift key problem on my laptop too.

 

Welcome to the "HP Screwed Us Over" Club We should all get jackets or something.

 

beachesandmusic, I've just read some of your posts and your idea of getting an Apple instead sounds very appealing. In the past when I had trouble with my iPod they were very accommodating and willing to make an exchange on the spot.

As an update after being on hold for what seemed like forever, I finally managed to get through to the Case Manager I had been assigned. On the voicemail he had clearly left a phone number and extension to contact him at (invalid extension.) Once I got in touch with him by leaving a message through the support people in India I asked him to repeat his contact information and the extention. Needless to say, it was a different extension. I can't help but feel like that specific Case Manager intentionally gives out bad contact information so he has less work to do.

He was extremely uncooperative and it took me forever to convince him to send the correct discs that (he claims) will restore my recovery partition. At the end of our conversation I was asking questions to clarify that these discs would in fact restore the partition and he disconnected me.

In my first post I may have made some general statements about HP support. I now feel like there are some truly dismal HP support employees, a few great ones who do their jobs well and make customers feel like they should stick with HP because of it, and a ton of them who just don't care and don't have any motivation. If the entire customer service department is reflected poorly because of the few bad exceptions, then that's an issue for human resources to deal with. I'm not going to pretend that they don't exist just because there are other better workers at HP.

 

Just because your dv5000 sucks as you said doesn't mean HP as a whole company sucks. HP has very good products.

I hate Dell but you don't see me going to dell forum and posting crap about them.

BTW: Most of the parts that go into HP laptops are NOT even made by HP. So now you can go cuss out Toshiba and all those companies.

 

This is by far the most entertaining thread I've read since I became a member. I especially liked the bowel movement bit. I happen to be a happy owner of a 2-yr. old HP laptop (see my sig). I was considering a DV6000 or DV8000 (only for the better GPU option) to replace it. But I've read enough here to reconsider and got a Toshiba instead. Whoever decided to put the ATI Xpress 200M in these notebooks should be publicly flogged. I was duped into buying the ZV6000 last year because of this worthless GPU. The low price should've been my first clue. I guess you get what you pay for. But to loosely paraphrase beachesandmusic you shouldn't have to perform ritualistic sacrifices to get your OS and/or your notebook to run flawlessly right out of the box.

 

Just because you own a few shares of HP stock doesn't mean they have "very good products."

Just because you gush about them in some Internet forum doesn't mean their stock price will go up.

Just because you hate Dell doesn't magically give you credibility with me.

And BTW, if you don't own HP stock and just gush about them because there's something wrong with you... that's just sad.

LongRifle: Happy to amuse, and good luck with your purchase.

 

Well, well, well, look what I started!

Eric, it is very interesting that you should say that. I just said almost the same exact thing to a friend of mine--that if I relied on the posts in this forum, I wouldn't buy any laptop.

I have read posts for numerous laptop brands and there are always people who hate them and always people who love them. Always people who've had a major problem and always people who had no problem.

That being said, I will continue to read all the posts because they are interesting and because I learn a lot. And at least this way I can be on the look out for certain problems. Like with the DV5000, there does seem to be a prevalent keyboard issue. But I still plan to buy it. Can't help it, it's just what I want. However, I will type the heck out of it in the first 21 days to make sure there are no problems.

I appreciate the posts--the good the bad AND the ugly. Keep it coming.

 

Cyndi, if you're really bent on buying the DV5000 then I would strongly recommend you get it from Costco. If you're not a member, the $50 fee would more than make up for the potential aggravation of dealing with support people. Costco has an easy-as-hell return policy of 6 months!!!
Compare that with the normal 14-day with Bestbuy or Circuit City. If you're not happy with it or in the next 6 months you see something better for less (welcome to tech reality) simply pack it up and say, "adios."

Plus, where else can you get a 5-gallon tub of toothpaste and a whole side of beef!?!?!

 

Good idea. I will look into Costco. Can never have too much toothpaste.

 

Be nice But seriously, I don't think I could show as much restraint as you have if I had to go through the kind of nightmare you did. I should have my new Toshiba by this time next week. I'll report in the Toshiba forum and maybe start my own "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" over there.

 

Hmmm, I wonder laptopstudent if you could think for a moment and see that if there is a problem with the notebook, try to solve it than saying people are a bunch of HP lovers and such(I know I dont own one, and I have no HP stock). I myself have had many fun things with HP. My boss swears by them and only buys HP workstations and Laptops. Many people I have talked to have reffered me to get HP notebooks for college. Ive taken care of two HP notebooks at work (nc8440, and a dv5000) and they have been flawless in terms of capability and support. Im not saying HP has its flaws(dang printer cable, not enough support) but if the problem is this bad, maybe you should switch over to Dell and go from there.

 

I would love to do that if it were possible. The Case Manager I spoke with kept on giving me a line about me only having a "repair-based warranty."

Actually, this was the same Case Manager who claimed there was no overnight shipping option from their main distribution center, so he was probably full of bull.

Maybe tomorrow I will try to get a refund through the technical support people in India; they were more helpful than HP's so-called "Quality" team.

 

Is that more sad than someone who registered here just to bash HP products?

 

Apple customer support is great. And thats the most important thing when it comes to such an important investment. Espicially a laptop. Because, you know, theres very little the user can do to service a laptop. You can replace the HDD, the optical drive, the RAM. But that's basically it. It's not like a desktop where you can do a motherboard swap. So you need a company with good customer support. If this had been a desktop I was having USB problems with, I would have much rather spent the $60 on a new motherboard than even try to deal with HP customer support!

But thats the great thing about Apple. they have awesome customer support. And if you buy AppleCare for your equipment you get the royal treatment. They'll have absolutely no problem trying to fix whatever is wrong. They won't give you the run around or anything like HP. Even if you don't have AppleCare and you're just under the one year warranty. You still get amazing treatment.

Not like HP at all. I haven't even heard from my case manager since July 18th!

Even if Windows XP was stable and secure, and Windows Vista a real upgrade and not an antique compared to OS X, I'd be buying a Mac anyway. Just for the customer support. Apple appreciates their customers loyalty. HP doesn't. I would have expected at least slightly decent treatment from HP, considering this household has spent nearly $2000 on HP products in just a little over a year. But they just don't care. If this were an Apple system, I would have already had it replaced.

Sounds like the second case manager I spoke to. He was extremely uncooperative and not helpful at all. And even had an attitude that I was making up the problem.

Apple doesn't make a lot of the parts in their laptops either. So what? It's up to the seller, in this case Apple or HP, to make sure the parts that go into their systems are high quality. HP not making them is no excuse. It is THEIR JOB to make sure the parts are of high quality before manufacturing the entire system.

Just like the Ford/Firestone tire thing from a few years back. Ford obviously didn't make the bad tires. But you know what? It was Ford's fault for not having any QA process for the tires and making sure they were well built before putting them on their vehicles.

HP is entirely at fault here. They should have checked the component quality before building and shipping the systems.

Exactly! And customer support shouldn't be telling you to install versions of Windows other than what your system came with just to diagnose a problem either. I shouldn't have had to go through any of that. The system should have just worked.

I think the customer service horror stories here should be enough to turn anyone off to purchasing an HP system. Not just the faulty hardware, but everything we've had to go through and been put through as a result of poor customer service. I haven't heard from my case manager in almost a month! The other case manager I spoke to had an attitude that I was making up my problems. HP has the worst customer service I've ever dealt with. Downright terrible. Even Sony has better customer support! I had a pair of Sony headphones that had a faulty cable. I didn't have the receipt anymore and it was close to 1 year since purchase. But you know what? They still repaired them anyway. Where HP acts like I'm making up a problem, despite the fact that I've provided them with ample proof from many online sources.

Forget the hardware issues. Look at how HP treats their customers. Customers that have spent hundreds, or even thousands of dollars with them in a very short amount of time. If you read that dv8000 thread about the sticky keyboard, you'll find a couple of people in there who were basically told that they were SOL and to shove it by HP customer support.

I honestly can't blame anyone for bashing HP products. As bad as laptopstudent's experience has been, and my own, I can't think of a single positive thing to say about HP right now.

 

There's nothing wrong with posting a bad experience with a company here, especially if someone is requesting feedback. I have no doubt this guy got screwed and that sucks for him.
But to register on this forum for the purpose of bashing HP products (pretty much what all of his posts are about) is just... sad.

Obviously everyone on this HP subforum does not represent every HP owner in the world. If their products were honestly that bad their business would be declining. People would know to stay away from them. Sure they have factory duds out there, but who doesn't?

It gets annoying when you see the same post from the same person where he has to put down another's comments with "Don't buy HP", "They're horrible", "Look what happened to me", "You love HP and you're sad", "They suck", so on and so forth...

Hope you see what I'm getting at. If this guy wants to post his bad experience with them, fine, by all means go ahead. But don't degrade other's comments and call them loyalists and sad followers just because they have a product they are happy with and didn't go through whatever horror story he (or you) did.

 

Thank you. Well said.

 

This exactly a repeat of what goes on at the Asus board. These Apple fans like to stir up ****.

 

.77: I shot down eric06 because he was trying to make it seem like HP is a great company despite having sold me, and others, faulty products. I haven't done that to anyone else. Plus anyone who has a big company logo (any company, his happens to be HP) as their avatar is just weird. Please don't tell me you disagree with that.

HomeSkillet: If you're calling me an Apple fan... then basically you're like Rainman except not good at math.

 

Let's get this straight. I support HP because all I have had is their products and I NEVER had a problem with them. When I call support they are FRIENDLY and help me get my issue resolved. I know from other support agents(my cousin) if you are asses to them they will be asses to you and wont care if you get your pc fixed--so maybe that is why they don't help you.

So the people in this forum that have a Linux or Apple type logo on their profile are weird right?

I would rather have an HP pc then a Dell becauses theirs blow up or just start on fire. That is personal preference.

 

Nobody is stirring up anything. And if you'll actually read my posts, you'll know that I chose this dv5030us OVER an iBook. Which was a huge mistake.

But anyway, as I said, nobody was stirring up anything. I was just simply stating the truth that if this were an Apple system it would have been replaced, with an apology, MONTHS ago. But seeing as how it's an HP system, their customer support team accuses ME of making up the problems and puts way too many people through hell just to get their system serviced.

And theres nothing wrong with pointing out the truth that Mac OS 10.5 makes Windows Vista look like Windows 98.

 

And as a quick update, STILL No call from my case manager. What a surprise! And he's left for the day already. I'll have to call and speak to the "other" case manager.

 

FYI, HP isn't a sports team, they're an electronics company.

That sounds like a great policy they have over there at HP. But apparently in my case they chose to extend it to someone who was extremely polite and patient, even in the face of one of their employees' astonishing condescension and general rudeness.

Yep.

Aren't you the idiot who was complaining that I was bad mouthing HP because of a few bad notebooks?

 

Linux and OSX works just fine on any PC (including HP which is linux certified). OSX has been hacked to run natively on PC for months now.

But please, stop whinning, get yourself your wonderful little mac, and go join their board. Enjoy yourself.

 

I am rubber and you are glue. BTW, you aren't the forum god.

 

Amusing response. Funny you made no comment about the OS war you have made this thread into.

 

It doesn't run natively on all PCs and there are still major issues with running it non-Apple hardware.

Furthermore, running OS X on PC hardware is not only piracy, but a violation of the DMCA. I personally don't feel like breaking the law. Espicially not to put it on a poorly built piece of hardware that can't even function right with the software it was "designed for", according to the little sticker on my system.

Don't even bring Linux up. It won't even run the hardware I purchased from HP, my TV tuner. Not to mention you truly get what you pay for with Linux

I'll happily take a Mac once Leopard comes out. And I'll have a nice modern OS, while the PC fanboys are stuck with an OS that is so outdated it should have been released in the previous decade.

 

That just shows that you are illiterate. When have I even mentioned ANY operating system?

By the way, this is an Internet forum. It is impossible for a thread on an Internet forum to be an "OS war."

This is not the real world. You can tell it is not the real world because there are people here who think it's a big deal that they have a lot of posts.

 

rofl Couldn't have said it better myself. Post counts are pathetic was to judge people.

 

This thread has gone way off topic. Since both sides have had their say on the dv5000. If you want to discuss anything else start a thread in Off topic.

Closed