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

So how exactly do I connect a microphone (standalone one not a headset one) to this?

I bought this thing
Amazon.com: Headset Buddy: PC Headset to 3.5mm Smartphone Adapter: Convert Dual 3.5mm to 3.5mm, PC Computer Headset to iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, Palm, Samsung, LG, HTC: Electronics
but it only works with the mic on my headset; my computer doesn't detect my separate mic, even if I plug earphones or something into the audio out slot.

Speaking of which what exactly is the point of having a combo mic/audio jack and an audio jack? I can plug headphones/speakers into the combo jack and they work, so isn't it a tad bit redundant...? the combo jacks and audio only jacks have the audio bands in the same exact location anyway....

 

Quick way to get an ideal OS+drivers install on the Envy 14+
ie FAST, EFFICIENT, OPTIMIZED
---------------------------------------------------------

Ideally, we'd open the box, fire it up, and envy would b ready for action. Not the case because of bloatware, non-recent drivers, lack of optimization, and general product cycle lack of attention to detail on HPs part.

Option 1
--------
Uninstall bloatware, unecessary hp software with no benefit, update drivers, optimize, etc

Option 2
--------
Clean install, start from scratch

Option 3
--------
Minimized System Recovery install without 3rd party apps which inc drivers, update the drivers, uninstall hp apps, optimize etc

I haven't done any of this yet, so bear with me (and all the unknowns).

Minimized System Recovery (hit f11 at start)
-does this save any time in the long run? How much uninstallation of garbage is there to do?

Supposedly the "hp support assistant" updates all the drivers for you. Does this work?

Envy owners all appear to want the same things. Fast boot, standby, hibernation, and shutdown times, efficient drivers, minimizing of bugs, minimizing of useless memory resident programs, absence of programs that take up hdd space for nothing, effective SSD setup, maintenance features to keep windows functioning properly without performance loss over time, and support for all hardware features.

It's a challenge to get this all going right. Gotta say that's one advantage of a Macbook Pro. I'll post my experiences once I get everything setup right. I almost wish we could all trade drive images once all the work is done. Ie DL a recently made 3gb image of OS, drivers and basic software such as flash, browsers, 7zip etc, burn to DVD, use some cloning software and get it running within the hour.

Pipe dream.

. l

 

I thought it was to have two separate audio outs for DJing, ie play one song on Stereo Out 1, then monitor second song on Stereo Out 2. This is unconfirmed. I found this on another thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-14-vs-macbook-pro-13-music-production-3.html

"However, the Envy 14 should be able to provide 2 outputs. If I am not mistaken, the internal audio is based on Intel's Azalea. It is supposed to be able to output 2 separate streams to whichever jack you choose. Though it may seem that both jacks on the Envy 14 output the same stream, that is the default behavior. You should be able to change this.

I am stating this based on my experience with the Envy 17, which has the same IDT."

I wish I could PM this guy, but I can't figure out how to send him a message to confirm his statement at least on the Envy 17.

. l

 

Are there any hardware upgrades for the Envy 14 already scheduled for 2011?
If so, when are they coming?
I am looking for the Radiance display to be back on the Envy and also a new re-designed touchpad. I didn't had a great feeling using it, even for just a few minutes.

 

Nope, my radiance display murders all the other Apple displays in my class no competition. It's simply stunning.

 

Once you install the right software and the respective tweaks, it's actually enjoyable to use. Still could use some improvements IMO, but in my mind, it gets an 8.8/10. Apple's touchpad would probably get a 9.4/10.

But I agree. I'm curious about any incoming upgrades. Even though I practically got mine for cheap after cashbacks, I'm still curious.

 

Prediction of the decade: Unless HP starts investing more $ into its software department, it'll soon become irrelevant in the hardware market.


Why do I say this? They've always invested ton of $ into hardware, but they've never gotten a handle on the importance of having a well-integrated hardware/software package that Apple seems to have. Now that they've acquired Palm and have released plans for phones and tablets, it's more important than ever that they (1) figure out how to develop a good OS UI and (2) use any software know-how gained from Palm on future Envy lines.

 

Yeah, they are moving in the right direction with the purchase of the WebOS. It could actually help them out if they do it right, release some compelling products with a unique interface and high ease of use. They could be in a position to give MS and Apple a run for their money.

Their softwares interfaces are actually pretty good. I like the mediasmart music setup and the mediasmart webcam software. Only complaint is that they are super slow and randomly crash. I guess they need to work "under the hood" of the programs to get them snappier and more reliable.

The future could look good for HP if they work on the right areas. Ease of use, customer service, reliability etc. Hopefully we'll get some good competition out there to lower the price and raise the quality of the products.

 

You can get a Radiance Display 1600x900 Envy 14 out of HP Re-marketing for low $$$.

Refurbished business products

. l

 

The problem is that I can't get the i5 580m that I'm looking for.
And also I'm waiting for a newer version of the Envy 14, with USB 3.0.
I hope I don't have to wait more than 3-4 months!

 

The original Envy 14 was released in April. Not to rein in on your gravey train, but I'd be surprised if they were to introduce any major upgrades beyond offering newer CPUs and GPUs. The E14's been getting rave reviews all around the web. They may not be in any rush to introduce any changes to the ports, etc.


Besides, USB 3.0 hasn't gone mainstream yet. Unless you're constantly using flash drives, it really isn't a big deal. I'm planning to shell out a little extra for an eSata enclosure for my HDD as I download TV shows and movies all the time.

Still...I hope you get what you're looking for. The wait almost killed me, but it was well worth it. Loving my E14 right now and hoping they have a display that's even better 3 years from now come upgrade time.

 

It was released in June, actually.

 

Ok, so basically I'll be looking for a refurbished i5 580m/Radiance combo, if it ever existed, on the website and hope for the best.

Is anybody familiar with an international shipping of a refurbished HP?
What can I get in terms of "international" warranty for a refurbished product?

 

I stand corrected.

Looks like it'll be a longer wait.

And IMO, the best value is

(1) Buy E14 new

(2) Get a refurb screen replacement

(3) Get a Squaretrade warranty [Doubt the screen upgrade will void your warranty, they only look at your receipt to see when you ordered it and to make sure you REALLY paid what you claim you paid for your notebook]

(4) Sell the original screen on fleabay

(5) ????

(6) Profit.

 

just to be sure...im getting this laptop soon it does have esata correct? i wanna throw in a 160gb intel ssd and have like a 500gb hard drive with movies and such

 

Nope only a 2-in-1 memory card reader which is just as good

j/k yes it does

 

thats exactly what I did. I bought a 120 OCZ Vertex 2, and swapped the drives, and took the old internal drive, put it into an e-sata external enclosure and it works awesome!

 

That's what I'm hunting for. A nicely priced 120gb (or even a 160gb if there's a hot price) SSD.

 

how many games could fit on to a 160gb roughly?

 

im still skeptical about getting an envy 14....wouldnt i be better of getting a gaming desktop and a cheap laptop? im not sure if i need to go overboard with a gaming desktop since i already have a ps3...if the hp envy could handle medium setting games at 1080p at 30fps that would be ideal. i dont need a super expensive gaming rig, but the better the performance, the better and i need something that will last me in school or when im surfin the net around my house

 

Got it!

Where can I find a radiance screen? On eBay or also on the HP website? Or elsewhere?

 

I managed to get my OCZ Vertex 2 SSD for just over $200 a few months back (I think it was $209 with a MIR) I had some cash on hand and ncix.com had a sale. I was pretty excited, and I have to say, SSD's are amazing.

 

Yeah. Technically I really don't need it, but I figured why not? I do a lot of multitasking and I do encounter lag every now and then. Toss in a 4gb RAM stick and I'm good to go!

 

Ok so I just got my Envy 14 a couple hours ago, and I'm having trouble with AMD GPU clock tool. I downloaded it (version 0.9.26.0) from guru3d.com, and when I tried to run it, it froze my computer. I finally had to do a hard reset, and start it up again. So I uninstalled the program and reinstalled it, and the same thing happened. Is there something I'm doing wrong? Or did HP do something to this thing to prevent the 5650 from being OCd?

Oh another thing, my trackpad straight up doesnt work. I'm going to try reinstalling the drivers in a second. The only way I've been able to use this thing is my connecting my external mouse. The buttons depress, sure, but nothing happens. It also doesnt track my finger movement, and I cant even get the orange light to come on when I double tap it.

 

AMD GPU clock tool doesn't work, it did the same thing to me. Someone said in the gaming lounge that they were using MSIAfterburner to overclock their GPU. You might want to try that program isntead.

 

@Zman420 Ok thanks. Any thoughts on the touchpad issue?

 

If reinstalling the drivers doesn't work you always pop the top and see if it was maybe not plugged in. The service manual on the first page will show you how.

 

New Envy 14 on the way and I have an Intel SSD to install replacing the HDD with a new installation of W7. Has anyone noted if AHCI is the default disk controller setting in the BIOS?

Other than checking for AHCI, BIOS version (and updating if required) and making a copy of swsetup any suggestions on preparation? Thanks.

 

@spencerp Yea I was just thinking about doing that. Thanks.

 

Is there any way to connect the envy 14 to an external monitor that has HDMI, DVI, and VGA ports? WITHOUT using the HDMI slot? I've seen wireless HDMI stuff but it seems like those are using HDMI ports on both sides. Can I use the bluetooth module to transmit data to a bluetooth receiver on my monitor attached to its HDMI cable?

Basically I need to use Linux for coursework and stuff, but the Radeon 5650 doesn't work on Linux, and the Intel HD card doesn't support an HDMI cable for some reason. And I have a monitor and would rather work on that if I can.

I won't be doing any gaming through the wireless connection as I'll be on windows for that which has proper support for the radeon 5650. I don't need any fancy eyecandy or anything like that, just basic stuff and lots of screen space.

Is this possible?

 

Can you please confirm what the hard drive registers as on the eSATA port? SATAI or SATAII?

 

Just got my envy 14t-1000 and I think I have to return it.

Is there any way to take apart the touchpad to wedge the plastic a bit so it's doesn't rattle? Issue as follows:

The touchpad makes this cheap sounding click when depressed which can be heard across the room. Which wouldn't be as bad if it just did this when the pad was pressed down for a full click. Just doing a light tap is enough to make it 'rattle.' Lame.

Secondly, for some reason the sound windows 7 makes when you double click a folder randomly plays twice in succession every 10-15 seconds. Just "click........click...." "click.......click...." As if someone were using it, clicking through folders ad infinitum. UPDATE: after a restart this disappeared.

If anyone knows how to take the keyboard cover off and get access to the touchpad for wedging... would dig that, a lot.

.: pl

 

I literally just finished taking it apart and reasembling it. Follow the guide on the first page (to make finding it easier, it is among two other links, within a box with a red background) and it should be easy. You can skip removing the RTC battery, the RAM, and the L-shaped chip (forgot what its called) just above the battery compartment, if the front of the laptop is closest to you.

 

That depends on the drive you are using. Some 5400RPM drives are SATA I. 7200RPM drives are SATA II.

Yes, AHCI is default and there is no BIOS option to set IDE.

See first page of thread for some pointers.

 

I have a SATAII drive (WD5000BEVT) and a DELOCK eSATAp caddy capable of SATAII, yet Intel RST sees it as SATAI, go figure:confused2:

 

I just received my non-beats Envy 14 today (bought it on 'cyber monday' with the $300 off coupon). As it is a new Envy, I had to get it with the Brightview screen. My initial impressions of the screen are that it's great! It is bright, colorful, and the resolution is not nearly as bad as people say it is.

For whatever reason, most members on this board love to jump at the opportunity to say that there is no reason to buy an Envy without the radiance display. That screen is gone and people are just going to have to deal with it. I'm glad I bought a brand new Envy over a radiance refurb that I was considering.

The build quality is fantastic and unmatched by any notebook out there that I looked at (besides a MBP of course). The touchpad is not as bad as advertised either. I played with a dv6 laptop in the store and that touchpad was absolutely horrific. The Envy is leagues ahead in this department. Everything else is as expected, great keyboard, great looks, no flaws.

If anyone is on the fence about this laptop but is being swayed by the radiance elitists on this board, just buy one, you won't regret it!

 

In college you learn that when things are mass produced a certain percentage will have defects. The goal is to have a very small percentage but it will happen since of course nothing is perfect and its just not feasible to check every single component as it leaves the warehouse. The people without problems are the ones you don't hear about because they are busy enjoying it. Its a very small percentage that will have defects because they cost a company money and clients. Which is the purpose of the company to begin with.

The point is there is a very good chance you'll get a problem free ENVY if you order one and if you are unlucky and get a bad one you just send it back and they'll give you a discount.

 

I agree 100%! I love this computer more and more each day! Its so amazing.

 

Yeah, I just checked it with my eSATA case and it runs at 1.5GB too. Must be the eSATA port on our computer. 1.5GB is still pretty decent.

 

Sure I went to college and while I was there I took a class called Quality Assurance. I learned that within a six-sigma process, one in 99.99966% of the manufactured products are expected to be free of defects.

 

I bet some ppl here got clean ones, but expected perfection and turned a minor scratch into a big deal. just sayin'

 

I'm glad you took the time to google that and yes when mass producing anything you must always take into account error.

 

spencerp, awesome!!! That is how we should all eventually feel about our laptops. We use them usually daily, and it is a big part of many of our lives, so its great when we really enjoy using the product. Its great hearing such praise.

KJ

 

Well, that's because the drive can't transfer at up to SATA II speeds. Only SATA I speeds or 150MB/s. Stick an SSD on that port and it should read SATA II in the Intel RST. But the eSATA in the ENVY is SATA II and transfer SATA II speed capable.

 

Impatiently awaiting my ENVY in shipping that I also ordered during the $300 off deal. Very happy to see that people are pleased with the regular screen. I was also one of those on the fence due to the radiance screen no longer being available and people saying it wasn't worth it.

 

I will say that I am able to hear a very faint, barely audible high pitched noise emitting from the right side of the laptop; however, it doesn't even come close to the CPU whine I experienced on the Vaio EB I bought in October (and RMA'd). As this is my very first laptop, I'm guessing this is just the noise high powered electronics make in a confined space.

Should I just chalk this noise up to typical laptop sound? I listened to the youtube video in the Envy CPU whine thread and mine isn't even close to being that loud or noticeable.

 

had my beats envy 14 for about a week now.
very impressed.

i immediately had to format as i can't stand the HP bloatware, desktop manager, etc... stuff that made the gui impressive looking but just slowed it down.

installed a fresh copy Win7HomePremium x64 from USB stick in record time.
now it really hauls butt...

bootup times are sub 30secs and the screen really is nice for such a small form factor.

i noticed immediately how heavy this laptop was for being so small - and for me that's a plus not a minus. Goes to show how sturdy it is.

i've had Elitebooks, Dv's, and dell latitudes and this is by far the best i've owned.

the screen hinges are interesting - it wont fold all the way back - this came in handy sometimes on other notebooks i've owned.

the touchpad is mediocre (compared to a MBP) but easily fixed with reil's envy touchpad app and the touchpad locking app (while typing - can't remember the name).

next up, remove the useless optical drive and put a new SSD in there.
Use it as the OS drive and then really see how it rips...

all in all very happy with the purchase and the Beats Solo headphones are awesome! Especially as a handsfree.

well done hp - can't wait to see them raise the bar next year with the new chipset, the new synaptics touchpad, and this kick a$$ chassis....

-=c

 

How did you get the beats headphones?

 

Maybe he bought them separately.

I hope XD

 

spencerp, forget the solos, I went to best buy and tried the Beats by Dre Pro's OMG!!! It kicks the crap out of the solos! Everyone go to Best Buy and try the Pros! Too bad they cost an insane amount of money... $400!!!!!!!!! In 2 colors, so wish I could get one...anyone wanna buy me a holiday gift?




KJ