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

A week an't bad for depot. Dell's minimum turn around is six weeks.

 

Yes, but the HP Technicians down there aren't really nice to your gear. My Envy 15 came back one all cosmetically beaten up due to their neglect. I was fortunately able to get a new replacement but nevertheless, I started to distrust their reliability of service. Dell's warranty lets consumers do some self-repair with just part exchange like the keyboard, but HP doesn't let consumers do that at all and you have the fear of potential neglect at their depot, in addition to lost time.

If it is something like a bad Radiance panel then you will have to utilize their service, but something like the keyboard can be resolved by self repair if you are experienced.

 

Damn it, now you're making me want to cancel my order. I loved my Dell warranty. Eh, maybe I throw the money down for a squaretrade.

 

No, no... not at all!! I ordered from Amazon (guess I should've been more specific!). It took me a month because I'm not from the US and a friend brought it to me. He got it after a couple of days of purchase. Sorry for the misunderstanding

 

Well you can upgrade to on-site. However, before you do. Make SURE you ask them if things like the keyboard is an on-site approved repair. As I said, I don't know if they changed protocols on the Envy 14 in terms of how they place things like the keyboard as a on-site qualified repair or a depot repair. I know for sure it is not qualified as a self-repair. I know my Envy 15 at the time rarely qualified for on-site repairs and most of the time ended up going back to the depot.

 

Seems they are just depot happy.

 

One of the reasons I converted to Corporate-Line HP's.

 

Eh, I'll just do what I always do. Have them diagnose, fix it myself.

 

Hi all, I'm new to the forums. I just purchased a new envy 14, i5-580 Radiance with an extra battery and a slice battery on Ebay. being in Canada our choices are very limited hence the Ebay purchase.
I have a quick question, I just purchased a ssd and would like to know if there are any special procedures needed in order to use it as my primary drive.
I've heard a few words floating around like the need for a bios update and just wanted to make sure. Can I just swap the original HDD and input the SSD, install windows 7 and good to go? its an OCD Vertex 2 180GB. Thanks in advance.

 

What is this slice battery every one is talking about?

 

you need to backup the swsetup folder on a disk or flash drive. Then you can swap out the drives and install your own windows.
SWsetup contains all the drivers you will need to install with a fresh windows.

Other option involves cloning the current drive onto the SSD (using a USB sata adapter), and then swap the drives.

 

connects to the bottom of the Envy to use both batteries at the same time. See pic here: http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportDocument/c01959066/c01963549.jpg

 

Thanks lots. I see you have the i5-580 also. Whats the battery life like on your system with the stock battery alone and performance? can I just copy the swsetup folder to an external HDD? or do I have to burn it to a DVD? For the guy above the slice battery is a extended battery that fits on the bottom of the laptop.

Thanks

 

external HDD will do just fine

 

Small problem with my touchpad. Touchpad locker no longer seems to stop accidental two-finger scrolling. Anyone know why?

 

I think someone started a thread on this.

 

There was nothing special required for me to use an OCZ Agility 2, which is basically the same as your drive. The only thing I had to do was create a set of recovery discs using the HP program that comes with the laptop (so you can restore to factory settings), and also backup the activation of Windows 7 Home Premium so it can be restored once Windows has been reinstalled on the new SSD. You can find more details on these things by checking out the first post of this wonderful thread.

 

I have the OCZ vertex 2 120, and all that was needed to make it my primary drive was to physically swap it with the internal HDD. it was a very simple process, and I backed up all my stuff, like the SWSetup folder on an external harddrive with no trouble what so ever!

 

I was clumsy enough to drop my envy on the floor a few days ago and now it wont boot... It was fine at first but when I closed the lid and opened it a few minutes later i had a bluescreen and the computer shut down.

I can however boot it with the windows cd. It tries to repair the harddrive but I guess its some kind of hardware problem so the cd is not helping at all...

Ordered a Corsair SSD today and I really hope that a new harddrive will fix the problem as I can't see how anything else could have broke since the laptop landed "flat on" the ground and only got a little scratch underneath.

What do you think? Is there any parts that is more vurnerable than the hard drive?

 

Get yee a linux boot CD, and preform the most sacred of act, a memtest. Then, upon doing so goodly a deed, the gods of technology will find fit to bestow upon yee an answer as to the state of your hard drive device.


What, I'm an English Major.

 

Was anyone else surprised by the Envy 14 speakers? I almost always use my Senn. 595 headphones instead of laptop speakers, but I found the Envy speakers to be surprisingly adequate!

 

I'm in the market for a stylish laptop. The Envy 14 cough my attention, but I can only find literary 'one' Envy 14 with Radiance display in my country. Unfortunately it has a Core i7, which is a big minus for me, because I don't think anything above mid Core i5 models are needed in a laptop, since the performance to battery ratio is so unbalanced in models with >i5.

Do you agree, that buying a Envy 14" /w i7 is a waste?

 

Well theoretically yes that I don't really like the Core i7 Quads in terms for a mobile power user. However, Radiance is discontinued and if you want a good screen on a small form factor, I'd still get it even if I sacrifice the i5.

 

But the sub 2h battery life and the constant fan noise really worries me... I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to things like that.

 

Well from years of experience of using laptops, no laptop is perfect. If you are not a fan of noise and you like to be unplugged often, then I guess you will have to forfeit the Radiance (unless you buy one 2nd-hand on eBay or from a fellow NBR member that is selling). However if you really want a Radiance screen and you want it without going through eBay or 2nd-hand networks, then get it. The key is here is what you want from your laptop the most and what you are willing to sacrifice on a laptop.

If mobility and quietness is key to your laptop usage, there are tons of laptops out there that will get the job done well, but you must be willing to sacrifice the Radiance. If you want Radiance and eBay or reseller channels is out of the question, then settle for the i7.

However, I am sure there is still a few NBR members here that are selling their Radiance i5 E14's if you want both, and as I said, eBay might still have a few from resellers.

 

Holy crap. My 2-finger scrolling improved immensely after I finally updated my drivers. Big improvement over the drivers I downloaded back in August.

 

The display is the most important thing for me, since I'm a graphic designer/programmer, and I just can't stand the average displays that are in laptops these days.
I found a perfect match for me on ebay: HP ENVY 14 2.4GHZ RADIANCE 900P ATI 5650 8GB 7200RPM (aukcja 300522171621) - aukcje eBay.pl | Zakupy bez granic!
Unfortunately I have _NO_ experience in buying stuff off ebay (I use a local, Polish auction site). The price seems dirt cheap compared to what I would pay for a laptop like that in Poland (even for a refurb). And on the topic of refurbished... I know it sounds like it's second hand, but it's refurbished by HP, and it has a full warranty right?
There are also some other issues...
1. Will it get to me (in one piece/working)?
2. Is the seller reliable (won't I get scammed)?
And, most certainly I'll probably pay a 22% VAT tax upon arrival, but even with that I'll get it at a bargain compared to EU prices for the same setup.
What do you think?

 

That seller is also a well-known NBR Member. You can PM him on the forums for more detail. His NBR Username is the same as the EBay one. Now in-terms of international shipping, it is better off you try to ask him beforehand before you buy. Overall, he is known to be a reliable seller and NBR veterans knows him.

Also, refurbished HP's gets 90-day warranty that is upgradable to 1+ Years by the new owner. Again, ask the seller the details regarding if you are an European owner if there is any modifications to that rule.

 

Can anyone tell me how long the initial charge takes? My little white LED has been blinking away for 4 hours.

 

Which white led, the one on the power? I think that one only gets a steady orange when it's charging, and a steady white when it's charged. The one that blinks is on the front right, when the computer is on suspend state. Someone correct me if I'm wrong

EDIT: to answer your question: I think the initial charge takes about 3hrs

 

The one by where you plug in the power cable. It's the only LED i see doing anything with the computer off and charging.

 

I need some serious help guys, please. I got a new envy in the mail a few days ago, but for some reason I can't get it to switch to power saving GPU. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

it would not switch even when you plug/unplug the AC adapter ?
Have you installed/updated anything ?

 

Yeah, I can't get it to switch no matter what. I have the latest BIOS version, all the drivers are up to date, and I called HP support and THEY can't even help. (typical)

 

Some people mentionned the inability to switch to Intel GPU after they installed the last ATI drivers (11.1). So i fyou have updated these, that maybe the problem.

Maybe try a minimal system recovery (through the Recovery Manager)

When you right click on the ATI icon in the taskbar do you have the "configure switchable graphics" option?

 

There is no ATI icon on my taskbar, is that a problem?

 

Hey guys, I asked this a while ago, but I think it might have gotten accidentally glossed over.

I want to reinstall windows, but will the drivers and bios stay to their most up to date?

Also, would I be able to use the key under the battery?

 

BIOS is permanent and is independent of Windows. That will stay the same. Drivers will be affected however.

If you are doing your own install of Windows 7 (meaning you are not using any HP Recovery Disks or HP Recovery Partition), the Key under the battery will work. If you are installing with the Recovery media, there is no point in using the key. The OEM key is automatically activated for you if you reinstall with Recovery Media.

 

If I'm mostly going to be plugged in while using my Envy 14, should I take out my batteries? Or is this no longer necessary? In the past, I've heard that it is a bad idea for your batteries to constantly be charging while full.

 

I was wondering the same thing. I use laptops plugged 95% of the time. With my previous one I used to leave it out. Back then, I read somewhere on the HP site that they recommend to leave them between 30% - 50% charge and store them on a cold place. I did that and honestly, that battery still lasts long, so I plan to do the same with the Envy (unless things have changed recently with battery technologies).

However, I'm gonna first use it for a few cycles to let it "adjust". Dunno why, but I think it's a good idea

 

It should be okay, the thing that damages the battery is heat, so its only bad if you leave the battery in while the computer is running hot..if not then it shouldnt be a problem

 

So after my clean install, could I just run windows update to download all the new drivers?

Or would I have to hunt them down in the drivers thread?

Thanks

 

Windows should be able to get all the new drivers automatically, however they might not be the latest versions of them. You still might want to use the HP Support Site to download the never versions of some drivers that Windows updated. All HP Software though needs to be manually installed.

 

Sorry, I'm not so sure about that . Having it a 100% plugged all the time is not recommended. I found the articles I was referring to:

HP Battery Health Center
Remove the Laptop Battery to Lengthen Laptop Battery Life?

HP recommends to remove the battery "if the notebook will be plugged into AC power continuously [...] for more than 2 weeks". They also say to leave it between 30% and 50% as I previously stated.

The one thing I agree 100% is that heat does the most damage

 

hmm thats weird..I saw the thread about this on NBR a few weeks ago and everyone said it shouldnt be a problem and its actually useful because it acts as a power backup in case of failiure..maybe they only say that because it shouldnt be kept at 100%, if we could keep it at about 80%, like Sony notebooks, then I don't see how it would be a problem

 

I used to room with an electrical engineer, who now works for GE testing new battery tech. This is complete and utter bunk. The amount of battery longevity you'll gain isn't worth the work.

 

So I just received my envy 14. Do they come with plastic covers now? I really can't tell is its aluminum but it sure does feel like plastic on the cover.
Also I'm about to upgrade my ram to 8 Gb. this is the 4gb stick I just bought

Lexar 4GB DRAM DDR3 1066MHz Laptop Memory (LD4GN3S139CNA) : Desktop Memory - Best Buy Canada


would this be an issue ? it says 333Mhz PC3-10600 - 1066MHz PC3-8500 on the pack. my processor is an i5-580. kindly advise.

 

Yes it will work, your i5 can only max out 1066 anyways.

 

Haha. I thought the cover felt like plastic, as well. I guess it wasn't just me.

 

It is most likely a plastic base with added aluminum and magnesium alloy finish. I can tell you that the Envy doesn't feel as metallic as it seems, especially when you compare it to an Elitebook (which has a metallic finish and chassis).