*HP ENVY 14 & Envy 14 Beats (1XXX series) Owners Lounge, Part Deux*

When creating the recovery disks, does it save... windows updates installed, programs installed, programs uninstalled, etc?

or does it only create the disks from whatever is on the recovery partition?

I haven't created the back up disks yet, cause I wanted to test the computer first before creating the disks. Now that I've tested it out, I plan to start from scratch, and reinstall all the programs I'll be using.

So should I go ahead and create my restore disks now? or wait till I do the restore and create the disks when the computer is at factory settings?

I guess I don't understand what exactly the recovery disk creation software is backing up.

 

The recovery disks are basically making a copy of everything on the recovery partition so that in the event of a hard drive failure or other problem you can restore the computer to the state it was in when it came from the factory--sadly for HP, with all the bloat that comes with it.

I generally make the recovery disks as soon as the computer is unpacked and up and running. The recovery disks don't save updates, programs you've installed or uninstalled, your music, pictures or anything else.

There seems to be some question at this point as to whether the recovery disks will even work with the new bios versions but at least if they are made then they will be around should you need them.

My suggestion would be to make them as soon as possible in case of some type of hardware failure. After they are made the recovery partition can be deleted to regain hard drive space if you need it. In my case with the SSD I needed the hard drive space back so deleted the partition. You may not need to.

 

are you sure it's active? A lot of stores say active but in truth it's really passive.
You should see the price tag.
Here in holland a good active is anywhere above 40 euro's.
passives are somewhere above 10

So check the prices and for these adapters it pays to buy a good brand for a few extra bucks (like accell) then a cheap one.

 

yeah, I'm pretty sure this $70 adapter I got with a usb power tail is active. same for the $100 ones apple sells.

I haven't tried the bizlink/sapphire version yet, but if I order one and it doesn't work then my my return period for this computer will probably be over by then ;_;

 

Envy 14's are $300 off today for cyber monday.

supposedly this code is for $300 off also (only today)
NBJ549154

 

Im planning to use displayport monitor, do I need adapter for that?A minidisplay to displayport cable would work?

 

Sorry for quoting myself but I really would appreciate some insight on this issue, whether it be help/suggestions or at least the affirmation from someone who did a clean format of Windows that they got the Fn + Esc and Fn + B functionality to work by using the file mentioned above (the current version of HP Quick Launch on both Hewlett Packard Technical Support - select a country or region and the current version of the drviers thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-drivers-software-forum/496027-drivers-hp-dm4-dv5-gen-2-g32-cq32-envy-14-intel.html)

So, any suggestions about this issue? Since the post above I have tried uninstalling the newest HP Quick Launch Software, installing the original HP Quick Launch stuff from my original SwSetup folder which I saved prior to doing a clean format, and reinstalling the newest HP Quick Launch Software on top, but to no avail.

In fact, as far as I could tell, reinstalling the new HP Quick Launch Software on top of the old simply resulted in uninstallation of the old and fresh installation of the new.

Either way, just to reiterate, my dilemma is this:

With HP Quick Launch Buttons installed (the most recent version that was posted on the first page of the drivers thread prior to being removed and replaced with HP Quick Launch Software) the Fn + Esc and Fn + B functions both worked. After uninstalling this and installing HP Quick Launch Software instead (supposedly the newest and now replacement software for the original Quick Launch Buttons), neither of them work.

Any help or ideas?

Thanks!

EDIT: I have also found that I can get the System Information window to be displayed and the Beats Audio icon to appear and the bass change to happen by opening the applicable files from their location in Program Files. But as noted, the Fn + Esc and Fn + B key combinations do nothing.

 

You might want to check the services section of administrative tools to see if the HP hotkey service is running (Not sure what the exact name is). You also might want to check in the msconfig tool and see if it is set to start up when the computer starts.

 

Thanks for the reply zman420,

I checked in Services and tracked HP Quick Launch down to HPWMISVC.exe and found confirmation as such online.

Based upon the info found in msconfig, not only does it start up automatically when I start my computer, it is also currently running. Yet still, Fn + Esc and Fn + B do nothing.

I admit that I'm pretty baffled. The earlier version of HP Quick Launch Software which came preinstalled on the Envy works with the hotkeys (although it is buggy which is the reason a newer version was released) and the version of HP Quick Launch Buttons that I had installed previously also worked. But for some reason this latest version of HP Quick Launch Software doesn't do anything when using the hotkey combinations.

Any other ideas?

 

I guess all I can say is maybe it's just buggy HP software. I haven't tried using it because I ran into problems with it on the HP installs. They don't seem to be too good at making software.

There are numerous complaints on the internet about their volume control software and taking you out of full screen games and applications. They haven't updated the MediaSmart SmartMenu software to stop it from happening.

Maybe you can get the original version to work again somehow? Check on their website for some other software. They have some kind of HP software framework download under the same section you are downloading the quick launch software.

 

I really don't know. All of these new ports seem to be picky about everything, it's hard to say.

I need to get some kind of adapter to try it out.

 

Yeah, I'm at the point of chalking this up to buggy HP software as well. I don't understand why previous broken or semi-compatible versions would work and yet the newest version won't. I've looked into the HP Software Framework before but decided to avoid it due to the sheer ambiguity of the description given for what exactly is in that package and I guess I'd be pretty surprised if that was the key to Quick Launch working simply because previous versions have worked without it.

At this point I'm planning to leave Quick Launch uninstalled. Even though its functionality is sheerly gimmicky seeing as its easy enough to open System Information without it and as the Beats thing just changes the bass settings which can also easily be changed elsewhere, I admit that I enjoyed the hotkeys simply for their novelty value. Maybe when the next update comes out I'll try installing it then, but I'm certainly not going to have it installed if it doesn't work and have no desire to keep the old Quick Launch framework installed if it is no longer going to be supported. Not to mention that installing Quick Launch also installs other weird stuff like the HP Messenger Service (whatever that is) and an HP screen rotation tool.

Anyway, enough rambling. Thanks for the suggestions. If anyone else has any additional insight, please post.

Thanks!

 

On my envy 15 I got fn+b working by using the hp tone control program, you should be able to find on the hp download page for your model. fn+esc still does nothing for me though. Actually didn't realise it wasn't working until I read the posts here. Shows how much I need the program I guess.

 

Pls note the link to the wireless driver I got from HP support.

Intel PRO/Wireless Drivers for Microsoft Windows 7 HP ENVY 14-1016tx Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

 

I bought a Lenovo W510 ($1,390.00)

Win 7 64 Pro
INTEL CORE I7-820QM
8GB RAM DDR3 SDRAM, 1333 MHz (Upgradable to 16GB - 4X4GB)
500GB 7200RPM
15.6" FHD Display (95% Gamut, 270nit) with LED Backlight - (1920x1080)
COLOR CALIBRATION HUEY PRO CALORIMETER BY X-RITE
PANTONE COLOR SENSOR
NVIDIA QUADRO FX880M 1GB
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
9-Cell Battery

3 YEARS LENOVO DEPOT WARRANTY ($95.20)

LENOVO THINKPAD 15W CASE SLEEVE ($14.39)

 

Does anyone know how much a repair/replacement for the display would cost? I current have the 1600x900 Radiance display. I dropped it the other day and I'm really worried about the cost. I looked into the parts store but I can't find the part # for the radiance screens.

 

Presently there are not any Radiance screens available from the Parts Store. See the posts a few pages back.

 

I just got mine back this afternoon - cost $425 to fix as a non-warranty repair. I also have a spare 1600x900 screen since I ordered through the HP Part Store at the same time I submitted the laptop for repair. Both came in supply at the same time, it seems.

As for the screen, it is $338.20 plus tax and shipping. It will set you back about $380 or so to do it yourself. The part number I ordered was 608366-001 - SPS-DSPLY 14.5 LED HD+AGWVA WBC MI. The kit build date was 11/26/2010.

The regular screen is 616270-001 for reference. I was just on the Partsurfer site and was able to add the item to my shopping cart. Anyone try to add the radiance screen in the past two days?

 

I just got my envy beats today and was expecting the screen to be just horrible from all that i have read. I really am surprised at how nice the brightview screen really is. Granted i never have seen a radiance in person but the fact that they no longer are an option i'm very happy with this screen. It's very bright and the quality looks much better than my dv6000 that's 2 years old.
That being said if the radiance was an option i would have gotten it. If they offer it down the road i'll buy it and toss this one on ebay. my point is only that the radiance is gone and the brightview is a very nice screen. i've played games on it and watched a few videos and am very happy. For the average user i'm sure this screen is more than adequate.
I love this computer. I have been looking at my order status 5 times a day waiting for it to ship. I bought on the 23rd with an estimated build date of dec 8th. I got the 2 day shipping and it shipped the 30th and got here today.

 

Glad to hear you like it! Just like you, I had to order the ENVY 14 (non-beats) with the Brightview screen. I was pretty disappointed that I really had no other option, especially considering Radiance was once available. However, I'm happy to hear that the quality of the Brightview is good. The fact is that no laptop company's are offering the coveted middle ground of 900p at a reasonable price in the 14" range. I'd rather have a nice laptop with a bad resolution than a bad laptop with a bad resolution

I ordered mine on Sunday, can't wait for it to get here! I'll post impressions of the screen as well when I receive it. Crossing my fingers for no CPU whine (I got an i5-580).

 

I too have the i5-580 no whine so far but haven't gone too crazy with this thing just a little cs source.
Also the fans aren't loud at all although it does get a little warm when playing games but after an hour and half of counter strike i was still able to have it sit on my lap. Makes me wonder if thats a reason the bottom is plastic?

Hands down the sexiest computer i've ever seen.

 

I ordered my beats 14 on sunday as well, but went with the i7 740qm option. Tried calling today to switch to the i5 580 but apparently it's already been sent to factory to be built. Guy told me to wait for it to come in, and immediately exchange it for the other model so I don't lose the discounts/coupons that I applied to the total cost. Hopefully they don't charge much for returns.

 

spencerp, you should give me your user name on CSS I love that thing, especially the jailbreak map! I usually play on the WD server...anyway, let's play sometime...enjoy the laptop!

P.S. I go by Killa Joe there too!

KJ

 

I ordered the i7 at first and called when mine was in production and was able to get it changed. do not take no for an answer. They will offer you up to $200 not to cancel but the xtra battery is worth it. Call again and if you can't reach someone with a brain i'll give you a number to call and person to ask for. I'm not at my house or i'd post it now.
I ended up getting a hundred off the what the i5 would cost me for all the s$#% i went through to get it changed.

 

I've had my beats edition for about two months now and love it, no problems with the machine so far and the screen is fine enough for me. Much better than the old laptop it was replacing.

I really do wish that HP gave people outside the US the option for the i5 though. I live in Japan and ordered it direct from HP, but the only processor option was the i7. It's not away from my desk that much so it's not a big deal, but it would be nice to have the extra battery life the i5 provides.

 

The problem is I used a 300$ off coupon in my order, so if I cancel for the i5 I think I may lose that coupon on the new order. He told me my best option was to let it ship, and immediately return it in the same box. Should I call and threaten to cancel it anyway?

I don't want money off, I just want to change the i7 for the i5 before it gets here (hasn't shipped yet). I said I don't want money off, but I do want my 300$ coupon to stay honored.

 

It shouldn't matter, i'll give you this sweet woman's name and the hp number she is at. She really was a blessing to me and i'm sure she'll work it out for you. I'm in class for another hour but i'll be be home soon enough and i'll pm you.

 

That would be excellent, thank you! My order is currently in production like yours was, and was only ordered on sunday, so hopefully it'll work out.

I really do dread the idea of waiting a week to get it, possibly pay to return it, wait a week for them to get it, then wait a week for the new one. By that time a new technology will be out and the laptop will be outdated lol.

 

I believe the whine occurs when the laptop is in 'power saving' mode or when you have a device plugged into a USB slot. So if you don't have the whine now, you probably don't have it Makes me hopeful!

 

YAY finally got filled in with Envy 14 information....... 206 pages later.... good information ~

 

I had my zune plugged up usb and on power saving. no whine that i can hear.

 

Hey i PM'ed you the name and number. hope everything gets cleared up.

P.S.- always say you will take the survey at the end of the call

 

Just making sure i read this right.. you got the radiance screen today ordered buy itself? did they send you the entire lid and all? I am curious if you think i could put one on a beats down the road or does it look like taking the screen itself off the lid is impossible.

 

Hi guys,

I was wondering if this cable will be functional if i connected it from my Envy 14's mini displayport to a projector whic uses VGA?

Thanks in advance!

Regards.

 

The BrightView panel isn't bad by any means; it's still loads better than 75% of the screens available in notebooks this size. The Radiance panel was just a rare gem, and hence all of the disappointment when it disappeared.

 

yes i tried with the stock IDT drivers ,newer ones with different vs. of quicklaunch . no combination seems to work

 

Function Key ; scancode;


F1 ; 57435 ; Works without any software ; HP Help and support c:\windows\helpane.exe uses HP support Assistant ||
F2-F3 ; No ; Driver Dependent ; Decrease Increase Brightness , Keys dont work elsewhere unlike XPS 16
F4 ; No ; Works without any software ; Win+P Effect
F5 ; No ; Works without any software ; Backlight
F6 ; 57394 ; Works without any software ; Default Browser
F7 ; 57390 ; Works ; Decrease Volume . Use 3rvx if you want graphics of the volume levels . HP ones brings you out of the game.
F8 ; 57392 ; Works ; Inrease Volume
F9 ; 57376 ; Works including light ; Mute
F10 ; No ; Works including light ; Turns of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth . To control them individually use HP wireless Assistant
or Use Win Mobility Centre to turn off Wi-fi and the Blutooth Tray Icon to turn of Bluetooth.




Fn+b ;57345 ; The hotkey is supposed to work with HP QuickLaunch ,HP Tone Control . It doesnt even work on minimized restore . Also tried with
the stock IDT drivers . I use the Hpbeats64.exe shortcut located in the Quicklauch folder to turn ON-OFF beats audio.

I thinks its safe too to disable and remove all HP software and process except :-
HP MediaSmart for using webcam
HP Quicklaunch (disable services and use the HPbeats64 shortcut)

*HP 3D Guard works without any HP software if you have updated Windows.The HP software lets you only disable it(useless) or view when the head
has been parked in the windows Mobility Centre



*It also safe to disable the service AMD External Events Utility "C:\Windows\system32\atiesrxx.exe " if you dont plan to switch graphics often
Restart it again to switch graphics

 

Thanks for all of the information aBs0lut3z33r0.

As for now I plan to leave HP Quick Launch uninstalled. When the next update is released I'll probably install it just to see if it will function properly, but I admit I'm not too optimistic.

 

I tried calling again and they were willing to let me cancel on the order. They offered me slight discounts but nothing like the money I saved for the weekend. I would have lost more money ordering the new one or letting the i7come in, and then shipping it back (not to mention not get the i5 till jan probably) so I went ahead and cancelled the order.

Going to look around for a different laptop in the meantime, maybe just pick up the core2duo alienware since it's on sale starting at 599.

I only need to have portability for classwork, like a netbook, but the ability to play WoW and maybe a few steam games at work, the m11x may be a better choice for me at this point.

Edit: Right now I'm looking at the beats 14 for 1271.15, the NON-beats 14 for 1174.85 (sleeve not included, it already shipped, both would need a 4gb memory upgrade) or the m11x r1 for $715.93 (that includes buying a new sleeve, needs 4 or 8gb memory upgrade). Obviously I always select cheapest memory option and upgrade it myself lol.

Not too sure if the envy's are worth 300$ more than the m11x right now, especially for what I'll be doing on it. My loss for clicking i7 stupidly when I first ordered it, would have had 300$ off those prices above... damn.

 

Hi spencerp,

Can you tell whether envy 14 beats bright view screen really good compared to regular envy 14 ?
I just want to know whether bright view screen exactly same in regular envy 14 and beats envy 14 or beats version screen is better ?.

Thanks

 

The envy is such a nice computer i really hope you are able to get one. The build is so solid and looks alone warrant the extra money. Do those prices reflect hp academy which is like ten percent off.

 

They are the exact same screen wise. The beats is such a sexy computer since the radiance isn't available i'd go beats for the looks.

 

Yeah those prices represent both HP academy as well as the EPP from dell, prices are also with tax.

HP's would require me to grab a single 4gb ram stick from newegg, the m11x would require 1-2 4gb sticks. I already have the HP neoprene sleeve in the mail, which was like 20$, I'll probably have to return or Ebay it since it probably won't fit the m11. The price for m11 includes the orion sleeve, which was 25. So if you consider that, the alienware is another 25$ less.

I'm just thinking for what I do with it, if the m11 is a better buy for me at that price. Looks like I can get the 3year ADH warranty from squaretrade on the m11 for 170 as well.

 

Call one more time and tell them you are going to get the dell if they can't price match your cancelled order. make sure you are talking to a us rep that has some sense first. i can't imagine they'd so no. if they do then ask to speak to the supervisor and keep going up. its definetlely worth the shot.

 

I tried that actually lol, and got the supervisor.

So it's decision time between portability and 400$

I really do appreciate all the help though, it was definitely worth trying. My phone bill might hurt a bit, think I racked up near 1.5hours on the phone with them.

 

Okay my first post to this forum after reading for months. I finally couldn't take it anymore and broke down and bought a refurbished envy 14 with radiance, 160 GB SSD and 6 GB ram. This is my first laptop ever and my first time really using windows 7 or wireless internet - don't laugh I may be the newbiest of all newbies.

Its a beautiful machine and I love it. I am able to extend the warranty with my Visa card even though its refurbished. I've had a few problems since it arrived so I want to know I should do to test it before the return period is up on Thursday the 9th:

It froze once and I had to do a hard shutdown with power key (ctrl alt del didn't work)

It failed to complete the recovery disks, and gave me an error after the first disk. I used fujifilm dvd+R disks. I did update the bios first from vs 2 to the latest. I could try a thumb drive, but they are more expensive than just ordering the disks from HP.

It doesn't see my parent's wireless verizon GT704WG modem. At the same time, it sees several wireless networks that I assume are their neighbors. I have tried wired internet (at work) and it works. They have windows ME (shudder) so I don't know if there is some incompatibility inherent; however, I was able to quickly and effortlessly connect my brother's new HP DV??? a few months back.

I'm dying to install office on this computer (but don't want to waste my time if I end up sending it back). I didn't get the free trial period, i guess because it was refurbished.

Thanks

 

I love my beats, I do have a problem with it though. Sometime when I turn it on, the screen is artifacting and wont load. After a while it would load saying Windows recovery. At first I thought it was a hardware problem but now Im thinking its a driver problem or software.

 

Just my opinion but the core2duos are old as of right now. spend the extra 400 and get something that will last. what is the battery life on the dell? mine gets 4:30 surfing web and doing school stuff. no clean install just stock. Thats pretty good for a top of the line desktop replacement.

 

Hello sjr14228,

First of, let me say that I am by far not the most knowledgeable person on these forums when it comes to the questions that you have asked. But, that being said I do have some suggestions and some questions for you which, when answered, might be helpful in further addressing the issues you've experienced.

As far as the one time freeze and the need to do a hard shutdown, a one time occurrence wouldn't bother me very much unless I could pinpoint that it was connected to a specific action which should otherwise be performed flawlessly. Do you remember what you were doing when it froze? If so, I would suggest trying to replicate the conditions under which the freeze took place in an effort to pinpoint the possible problem. If you don't remember, the freeze has only happened once, I would take it with a grain of salt. My Envy (which I purchased new) although never freezing completely has certainly done some strange things since I purchased it, but nothing reoccurring or tied to a specific issue, so I haven't worried over it.

In regards to your inability to burn recovery disks, did you update your system BIOS before or after trying to burn them? You noted that you have been reading these forums for a while, so I imagine that you have come across people mentioning that after updating the BIOS they are no longer able to USE the recovery disks. Although I haven't heard mention of it before, I would hazard to guess that updating the BIOS may also prevent one from BURNING recovery disks. But of that I am not certain. As far as the specific type of disks that you used, I burned mine with super cheap DVD-R Sony disks and everything went fine. I know very little about the quality of specific brands of disks, but I do know that DVD+R is a higher quality format. I would be surprised if the disks you used caused the problem. Although I personally don't ever plan on using my recovery disks, it is nice to know that I have them and that they work, so if something abnormal is wrong with your machine and it refuses to make them, this might cause me some concern. I would consider the BIOS issue though. If you did update it prior to trying to create the recovery disks, that very well may be the problem. I know that some other forum users have rolled back their BIOS to previous versions. I never updated mine, so I'm no expert, but I believe that there is a guide of some sort somewhere on the first post of this thread. If you're interested in doing that but can't find a guide I'd be glad to help you track it down if no one else offers.

Concerning the modem issue, are there other wireless devices that can see the wireless signal being broadcasted by your parent's modem right now? If it is just your Envy that isn't seeing the signal, but it can see other signals, I am at a loss. However, if other devices can't see the connection either, then I suppose that the wireless radio may be turned off entirely, or the modem may be set not to broadcast the network name. I know you said that you set up your brother's laptop on the network a few months ago, but if your modem settings have changed since then that could potentially explain the problem.

As far as other tests that you could do, I would suggest, if you haven't already, at least testing every device in every capacity that you plan to use it for in the future. If you haven't tested every port to make sure that it works and you have the connections at your disposal to test them, do it. If you haven't used the webcam yet, give it a try just to make sure it does what it's supposed to. Try a movie in your DVD drive. Install a game and test out the graphics card. If you haven't yet done it, but know you plan to in the future, make sure that it works now if you possibly can. There are also some very useful programs for testing your system listed on the first post of this thread. I have tried a few, but not all of them. It may be useful to check them out as well, although personally, I would just make sure that it does all of the things you know you want it to do. If you have any doubts about the hardware in the machine in may be wise to run a diagnostic with the software provided and preinstalled by HP. I believe that you can access it by hitting Esc during startup, but it may be an f-key. I haven't done it in a while.

Anyway, sorry for all of the text. I hope that at least some of it is useful to you. Again, I am hardly an expert and a lot of people who frequent this thread know more than I do, so if the things I have suggested are worthless, please ask again and I'll give someone else a shot.

Good luck!

 

Hi spencerp,
One more question regarding beats envy 14. Does the red color hp logo is bright to distract while looking at the LCD ? In photos the red color hp logo looks very bright . How is is looking in real beats envy 14 ?

Regards