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

So I received my second Envy 14 today (first one was RMA'd due to whine) and I was ecstatic to find out there was no whine! However, I did a clean install last time and the whine began and I am afraid to do a clean install again in fear that the whine will reappear. Does anyone know if this can cause whine? Thanks.

 

Is is prompting you this, depending on which order the drives are attached? Meaning that you plug drive "A" in first, then drive "B," and you get prompted at drive "B." Or if you were to plug drive "B" in, then drive "A," you would get prompted at "A."

Basically I'm asking if it is for a specific drive that it is asking you to format? If it is for a specific drive, and not dependent on the order, is it currently formated NTFS, FAT, or something else?

 

Envy 14 actually comes with three USB ports. The one on the right is a combo eSATA and USB port.

Regardless, if you are using a hub that is unpowered then it can't deliver enough power to both of them at the same time. You will need a powered hub.

 

I rest my case.

Awww darn, I just lost about 2.0 points of respect for you. Naw, too bad the 13" MBP hasn't updated to the core i3 platform. It would be a little more appetizing then.

Thanks. They're easy to rebut. Now the likes of NBR I'd have to keep my mouf shut!

 

The whine is not HP issues, its more into intel/microsoft issue. Its true that some people does get worse whine then others. Seems to be the voltage that is used on the BT/USB is causing it. Mine is dead silent when I turned off the BT and dont plug anything to the USB.

BT and USB is controlled by windows, I did a clean install and everything was perfect. I create a backup image after (GLAD I DID THIS!), then I did something with the BT connection, Win7 says connection setting changed, after that the whine is there, no matter if the BT is off and there is nothing on the USB. I restored to my Win7 image, and everything back to normal.

So what I think is windows asking more voltage for specific connection requirements which intel chipset known for making the whine noise if it doesnt like the voltage. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that what I think.

What I did is I use a BT mouse that turn off if I dont use it for a 30 sec or so instead of USB mouse. We all hope that future BIOS that HP make can somehow do the trick in managing those voltages....one day...

 

it may not be the bt/usb voltage and may just be other stuff.

some people don't lose the whine when they do that stuff with the usb and/or BT.


but yeah it is an intel/whoever made the motherboard issue

 

Anyone know what the sim card slot can be used for?

 

Thanks for the info guys! I guess I'll just do the clean install and restore with recovery discs if the whine appears.

 

Anybody know how to get the webcam to record in 720p. The hp program will only let me record up to 480. Anybody know what 4gb memory to buy that will work with the one they put in there?

 

Probably been asked already but...what's a good video capture program to use for the webcam?

edit: wow biggturtle pretty much asked the same question right before i posted haha

 

3G wireless / WWAN

 

So I just ordered my envy 14 today. However, I am now thoroughly terrified after reading all these horror stories about people having to RMA multiple times....what am I getting myself into? Should I just call them up tomorrow morning and ask them if they can cancel my order? Seems like its not worth the hassle and I should just get a gx640 or something. Has anyone NOT had an issue?

Someone convince me not to bail (and get a gx640). Please.

 

So what program would I need to use if I stick my sim card into the slot?

 

Wait...there is a sim card slot?where?

BTW, you need to install 3G module for that, might need to run new antenna.

 

Relax. Initial builds had some issues, but seems latest ones have been in excellent condition. Always the case with new machines. Mine is more or less perfect, and I ordered only a couple weeks after it launched. There is a poll here asking condition of their envy. Last I recall, it was something like 85%+ that said it was perfect or minor imperfections not requiring an RMA. And a lot of the RMA's were for the CPU whine. Some people find it annoying others don't really care or notice. Mine does it occasionally, but either my old man hearing makes it just barely audible, it's not as bad as others have, or I just don't care who knows.

You can't. You would have had to order it with the WWAN option.

Exactly. You can't just throw it in there. You need the hardware for it to work.

 

Anyone know how to make the f keys default rather than the shortcuts like volume up or down

 

Go into BIOS and theres a setting

 

I believe HP has told China to get their act straight. Mine came in perfectly. Aligned HP light, no scratches/damage, no CPU whine, and the trackpack was flush. This was the either the 2nd or 3rd batch I got mine a few days ago and I Love it. The 1st batch was the one that had most of the RMAs

 

How do I do that?

 

Press the escape key when you see the HP logo at computer startup and select the f10 key when you get to the list.
From the Bios screen just arrow through the options menus until you find the fn key menu setting.

On a side note, the cooling system is actually pretty good. I have read some say that the screen is blocking the vent, but when I check out the back vent, it seems there is pretty good spacing for the air to flow. I admit that the vent placement is not ideal, but where else could they put it? When the screen is tilted back, it seems to me to direct the airflow directly up. I haven't done a whole lot of gaming/benchmarks (I don't really run benchmarks) but this cooling system definitely beats the Macbook Pro hands down. And what's up with the name "Macbook Pro"? My spell check dosen't even like that name! Just be glad we didn't have the DV8t's cooling system which totally prevented you from running the computer with the lid shut because of the AWFUL placement of the vents. Not sure how bad the vent out the back will have on wear and tear, but the cooling system gets the job done. This is the first powerful real LAPtop I have ever used. On integrated gfx it dosen't get hot at all to me.

 

Since my replacement E14 was just shipped, I have a question for the NPR community.

Is there any reason to make a second set of recovery disks? I made a set with the first E14 that I had to send back because of the whine. Since each laptop can only make one set of them, are they bound to the individual laptop (stupid question)?

 

So since my computer was running like complete junk on my first boot up, I wiped the computer clean and did a fresh install using Windows Ultimate x64. Sadly i did not save my SwSetup folder, so I reinstalled all my drivers simply by memory/using the forum's Envy 14 Driver page. Everything installed fine, except for my trackpad. After the fresh install the thing has been entirely unresponsive. I've countlessly reinstalled the Synaptics driver, attempted fresh driver installs, wiped the driver clean in safe mode, etc. and yet the device still will not work. It gives me an error whenever I open up my Mouse settings in Control Panel, and the Synaptics device appears in my device manager as a hidden device that isn't working properly. Anyone have advice on how I can restore my trackpad to working order, even with reduced capabilities? I'm willing to try an old driver even, I just need my trackpad working!

 

I think that you may be able to use the discs you already made. I just read a thread that says the discs are tied to a specific motherboard model, so if it's the same motherboard you should be good. But don't take this as gospel, I am not totally sure.

 

Here is the exact quote from HP support forum...


HP consumer class machines come only with Recovery Disk option.You can order from HP and also have software on the machine to burn a Recovery DVD set. There is a Recovery partition on the hdd which can be used for reinstalling which is faster than using Recovery set.

HP Recovery is tied to the motherboard in the machine. Recovery will check for lines in the BIOS which verify if it is being run on the licensed machine.If not, Recovery stops. If you have two machines,same model,the same Recovery set will work on both.

In the past I have found Recovery sets will run on machines of different model ,manufactured during the same quarter.For instance we had two XP Pavilions which were built in same quarter, one with AMD one with Intel, which used the same Recovery set.

As for the license for your OS,it will be on a sticker attached to your tower. Many have used the license to install & activate(sometimes borrowed) retail copy of OS on HP machines.

To use the Upgrade key on a new HP, you would first reinstall original OS and that would free your key to use on another machine. Just be sure to record the key if you use the online purchase option from MS."

 

I just received my 2nd Envy 14 and there seems to be a red tint on the webcam as if I covered it with only the red side of a blue/red 3D glasses. Does anyone know if this is a problem with the webcam or a settings problem?

EDIT: I searched the HP forum and a few people seem to be having this problem and I have finally found the solution! In HP MediaSmart Webcam click on the button labeled "Enhance the current video image," and then click on Advanced at the bottom. A properties window should pop up and on the tab labeled "Video Proc Amp" there is a setting for White Balance. Uncheck the Auto box next to it and slide the balance down to 2800 and the image should appear normal with no Red or Blue tint. So much for HP support knowing anything, I had to hang up on them because they pissed me off so much.

 

I ran memtest and it says my RAM is running at 532 Mhz. I have the 4GB on one stick, is that what everybody else is getting?

 

DDR = Double Data Rate
If memtest reports the clock rate rather than the DDR (2 x 532) you are OK.

 

oh ok, then, phew. I thought my RAM was faulty or something. Thanks.

 

Hi I have a newb question.
Whenever I put my Envy to sleep, the USB ports are still activated. I slightly hit my mouse and my laptop wakes up from sleep. Where do I go to disable USB Devices while under sleep mode? Thanks.

 

Hi,

If i delete the recovery partition, can i create it back? or can i move the recovery partition from the end to the beginning of the HDD.

Basically, i want to partition my C drive but my hdd already has 4 primary partition so windows 7 does not allow me to create another one and also i am not able to create extended partition because the recovery partition is at the end.

Can someone guide me?

Thanks

 

why so many partitions?? triple boot? Anyways, don't hold me to this but if you burn the recovery disks i believe you can delete the partition. I would wait for confirmation on this tho

 

n_n
I bought two yesterday, one for me and another for my brother!
i5-520 (thanks for the advice on the CPU), 160-SSD, 6-GB of RAM, and the Radiance screen. My brother's ridiculously happy to finally be dumping his 13-inch Macbook Pro, simply because he hates OSX. He's clearly the exception to the "Once you go Mac, you don't go back" rule

I'm merely happy to have a working keyboard (and screen hinge) again, and an awesome laptop to boot. And I get to take apart my oooold m15x for fun and profit!

So, has anybody managed to receive their Envy 14 in nine days or less? I'd like to get mine before school starts.

 

Even i dont want too many partition and i dont want to remove recovery partition and HP Tools as of now. May be after couple of months i will remove it. I just need to partition my c drive so that i can backup my data safely in another drive while i play with clean install/minimized recovery/other OS installation in c drive without losing the data.

 

I returned a Macbook Pro 13" because no matter whether it was on battery or plugged into the wall I felt like I was getting voltage from the computer case. I was LITERALLY squirming on the couch. I know it's a "notebook" but if a 13" computer can't be used comfortably on my lap, it's gotta go. It also idled at 50 degrees C. My hp DV8 idled at 50 and it was an i7 620 w/ dedicated gpu. Macbook Pro 13 is just a c2d. 3 days after using it I was like "this is going back to the store"...

The recovery partition takes up an obscene amount of space. 15 GB just seems like a lot to give up for a recovery that can be placed on DVDs.

 

I ordered mine on July 31st and it came August 9th

 

Here's the new Notebookcheck review:

Notebookcheck: Review HP Envy 14-1010eg Notebook

The translations always crack me up:

"The vain Envy naturally doesn't have a securing latch..."

 

I think that's the most comprehensive review so far. Pretty accurate, except I think they ought to have tested the audio more in-depth.

 

Is anybody else getting Windows was not properly shut down messages in reliability monitor despite shutting down windows properly and then windows shutting down properly? Anybody know of any hotfixes or tools to monitor shutdown or anything for these messages? Any time I am completely shutting down my computer it is saying it wasn't properly shut down. It's starting to bug me. I can't find any information to fix it.

 

Try Device Manager, find the device under USB controllers, right click properties, go to power management. At least I think that works, I don't have my usb mouse to test it right now.

 

not getting that issue.

dunno why it would happen

 

is it just me or are the women reps at HP about 1000x more helpful than the men??!

 

I would be worried. I recieved one Envy 14 with the first batch and the track pad was way off centered, I could see copper wiring though the huge gap on the right side.

RMA'd my first Envy and received my secound one yesterday. This one has a really loud clackety, plastic on plastic sound when I tap to click. It happens even when I press just soft enough to activate tap to click and is really annoying. I am now one month out from my inital order and have to RMA this one. My next 14 will probably arrive 6 weeks after my inital order. It better be perfect.

 

Just got my Envy 14, is it necessary to do clean install or does it not make a big difference?

Also what things are a must to do on a new Envy 14? (Update driver? etc)

 

Are you using the aero theme MagusDraco

 

My first Envy was perfect but I have to return it since I bought one with BCB but the second Envy only had one problem. It had a wobble that I fixed by taking off the leg and refitting it thats it. Everything else is perfect. If I had to I would RMA this laptop until I got a perfect one tbh, there is nothing else on the market like this..it literally is perfect for me.

 

Yeah, I love it too, which is the only reason I am now returning a second one and waiting for the third one to be shipped. Seems to me that HP quality control is pretty poor.

 

yeah. using aero.

 

Does anybody get a black screen when the Envy comes back from Hibernation or Sleep?

I get one and I have to close and open the monitor to make it come back. Does it anyone have a solution?

 

For the trackpad, I think all E14 have a slight gap on the left. That's the way it was designed, like a blue print. Even on the reviewer sites, it has slight gap on the left. It doesnt really bother me that much. If you dont use the trackpad or stare at it that often, I wouldn't risk RMA-ing that and getting another surprise.

 

Well the power down, hold power button 30 secs, cleared my wifi light issue. Strange that I can adjust brightness with Intel graphics, but not ATI graphics now. I have a feeling it may be to me screwing around with the graphics drivers a lot. I'll report it to HP though, either way that shouldn't happen.