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

edit: double post sorry

 

F itunes without the noise. I hate it.

 

yea i guess it sounds like those..it really sucks
I can't believe the problems i'm having with this laptop...i want to love it...i love everything about it...i just want it to be silent (besides fans), is that so much to ask for? It's driving me nuts. Even more, when I open itunes, the loud high pitched sound starts up!! ?! that should not happen.
I leave for college tomorrow and I really can't like send it in to get fixed, and then still have the problem like you, or frickin get a 2nd replacement!! That would be ridiculous...I knew i should have gotten the 450 on this one...why did I get another 520...stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid

Edit: I would ditch itunes, but I've got an ipod and it's just convenient..I've got no problems with it either

 

what's wrong with your i5-520? I dont hear anything from mine.

 

I think the sound he posted is what other people reported as "Cpu whine" isnt it? i get similar sounds too but i dont mind that much.

 

Thanks Mike415 and zman for your responses.

I tried the passive option on the processor management, but the fan still hums. Any other suggestions from anyone? Or is this just how the Envy is?

FYI, I called HP tech support this morning. Nice rep, although he couldn't resolve my issue. He did theorize, though, that because the Envy 13s and 15s had such bad heat reps that the engineers on the 14s decided to set the fan initiation thresholds really low for the 14s so that the CPU would stay as cool as possible (and so folks wouldn't complain about the heat).

I'm still puzzled by why I can't adjust this stuff using SpeedFan. Anyone have other recs?

(Original post: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...l-hp-envy-14-owners-lounge-part-deux-328.html)

 

I think its still a CPU whine but somewhat different maybe worse or better i guess. Mine is like urs too. More cpu usage the pitch gets higher. There is certain amount of CPU usage that it disspears. By opening itunes, u use more cpu therefore that sound become more high pitched.

 

How is it that Apple gets away with tying iPods and iTunes together anyway? I remember years ago when I updated Win XP to SP3, iTunes lost ALL my **** tons of music, the complete first season of Lil' Bush, I know I should have backed up, but at that time I was younger with no $ and not really many clues about that kind of thing anyway. It wasn't till probably last year that I realized it was actually iTunes that lost the data, not Windows and SP3 (yes, I blame manufacturers of apps, not Microsoft) But didn't everyone have a cow about MS and IE? It just seems like a double standard to me...(gets off soapbox...)

 

You should have gotten a lojack "card" with your computer, you need to just call the number as directed and they walk you through the process, very quick and easy....

 

What is the acceptable temperature range for the radeon 5650 in this laptop? Mine goes to 70 degrees after ten minutes of starcraft 2...

 

70C is normal I get 70C in 1v1 matches up to 83C in 4v4

 

Could a clean install fix usb issues or should I just get ready to ship this thing back? I would just go ahead with the clean install but im out of blank dvds to make a windows disk and a minimal recovery didn't fix it so im having my doubts that a clean install would fix my issue.

 

I would at least try to update the BIOS if you haven't already.

 

I had another HP computer. Speedfan never would work on it either... HP must block that so people can't screw around w/ the fans. OEM's think we don't know anything. Plus they prolly don't want a bunch of people's machines going bad overheating and having to replace the hardware. Is it spinning a lot on integrated gfx or is it just on the dedicated? I could swear that passive keeps my processor fan from spinning up too much on battery... the fan on the side dosen't really stop though. You say hums. Could the fan/heatsink maybe not be screwed down too tight? is it like a vibration type thing?

 

I really wish that these "engineers" didn't put a vent on the back and put it somewhere more convenient so nothing blocks it. A lot of heat comes out from that vent when gaming...

 

What are these:
-HP ENVY document card reader,
-HP Mediasmart Webcam.

and is it ok if I delete them?

 

so i've read the last couple of pages and you guys seem to be figuring out how to install the new hp ati drivers...how'd that go? were you guys installing off of the 10.7a hotfix?

from a clean install envy, would it be easier/better to slap on the 10.7a hotfix or the new envy ati drivers?

and what's up with the bios update problems? is that only for clean installs?

 

Not sure what the document card reader is, but you can delete the Mediasmart webcam unless you want the webcam effects that it offers.

 

What are these effects you speak of?

 

They're actually pretty cool IMHO. They are to the right when you launch the mediasmart webcam software. They have distortions and avatars... open up the program and play around with it, see if you like it. I do, you can make yourself look kinda silly with them...

 

Yeah, I kept the Mediasmart webcam because it seemed like it'd be fun to use.

 

Looks like the Radiance Display is back in stock, at least for the moment. But it's now going for a $300 premium over the Brightview!! And no Envy 14 coupons in sight.

 

WOW! HP is really trying to make a buck... Every time it runs out and they get it back they up the price $100. Makes me glad I bought early, only $100 extra and the only display option when I bought.

 

Wow, I don't care about the minor flaws in the Envy now that I realize how great of a deal I got on this thing now.

 

Interesting. I'm guessing you're right about HP blocking it, which is indeed too bad. Makes sense, too, if the engineers are freaked out about Envy 15 The Sequel.

My fan: it's the fan on the side, right by the delete/home/page up keys. "Hums" is probably the wrong word. It's just on all the time. Very quietly. In my kitchen I can't hear it when the refrigerator kicks in, just in a quiet room. Doesn't sound like anything is wrong - it's just on and I had hoped for a perfectly quiet laptop. Sounds like it's just how it's built, though... Oh, well. Perfection was too much to ask for?

EDIT: and the fan is on no matter the graphics card. Discrete or integrated, AC or battery, the fan is on.

 

Try to set the fan setting from "always On - Enable" to "always On - Disable" in the BIOS.

 

Does anyone know why it says this now
"8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (standard) - Up to 3.75 hours of battery life +++ "

Does that mean it gets 3.75 hours in HP's "perfect" conditions, or of actual use. If that is of HP's test conditions something is up.

 

How are you guys getting such a low discharge? Im on powersaver and its discharging at 17,300 mW...

 

this (10char)

 

Yup, tried that. No go. Did that work for you? What BIOS version are you using? Mine is F12.

 

It seems like the threshold is 30C for the fan. If the CPU hits under 30C, the fan stops spinning, but 30C threshold is TOO LOW. This causes the CPU fan to go on and off because the minimum CPU temperature I recorded in a 75F room is like 28C. HP needs to increase the threshold to like 40C.

 

Hopefully they're starting to be honest about battery life. I get about 4:30 worth surfing the net constantly. That 7 hours statement might have come back and bit them in the ***

 

Not really sure why it's so high, the people in the battery life log forum may have some tips (I'm currently reading through the forum for any tips). I constantly run at lowest brightness to conserve battery as well as having integrated graphics running in max. battery life mode. I don't run a whole lot of programs or anything on battery.

Edit: Oh... I see you have already been there, sorry.... I also have Granola installed...

 

I wish someone could finally decipher the BIOS updating issue. I did a clean install but left all the partitions intact and still had to use shaolinx's method. I tried downloading the HP BIOS EFI update utility but it didn't seem to install anything new. Some of the settings in shaolinx's config make me a bit wary like updating all the ROMs but it worked with some tweaking.

 

Sorry for asking again, but has anyone tried updating the 160GB x25-m firmware?

 

probably not and you probably can't if it's using custom HP firmware

 

im doing a complete clean install for the first time, do i delete any other partitions besides the main one? like the system, recovery and HP_TOOLS?

 

you can delete recovery if you made recovery discs.

HP_Tools ehh...apparently HP is trying to make a usb stick version of it but I dunno how effective it is.

and HP_Tools should be only 100mb, so I'd leave it alone.

 

what about system? total size: 199.0 MB free space 166.0 MB. i want to do a complete clean install but not get rid of anything i shouldnt

 

Anyone know how to set the Intel Wireless Card to monitor mode?

 

The system partition is created by default by Windows 7. It contains all the necessary boot files W7. It's not visible in explorer because it's hidden. You can delete it, but if you delete that "system partition", Windows 7 won't boot. There is a way to get around that system partition and force Windows to put the boot files in the main OS partition. If you are clean installing Windows 7, delete EVERYTHING but HP_TOOLS.

 

Well...sending my laptop in for repairs. Hopefully they will be able to fix it. The hp tech guy seemed confident they will be able to but I still have my doubts.

Anyone know where hp does their repairs?

 

whats wrong with it?

 

it doesn't detect mice.

usb ports are screwy or something. still didn't detect 'em after a minimal reinstall.

buck they detect other stuff, right?

 

eh just about everything doesnt work through the usb, ipods, mice, flash drives. the only thing i was able to get to work was an external hard drive and even that i had to replug 3 times to get it recognized.

did a full clean install as well and still no dice.

 

Mine got sent to Hildago Texas. Apparently that's where all the Envy repairs happen. They have another one in Fremont CA (about a 20 minute drive from me), but apparently mine HAD to go to TX.

Be forewarned!!!:

2 Things:

- Upon coming back from the repair center, I heard a rattling noise coming from inside the computer. After shaking it for a bit and twisting it all around trying to see what it could be, I tipped it over and a little machine screw fell out. That didn't exactly instill confidence.

- Mine was lost in the warehouse for 6 days after repairs were completed. They sent out a shipping confirmation on the 7th stating that it would be here by the 9th. Well, when the 9th at 3:30PM came around and there was no computer, I checked with FedEx tracking to see what was up. Tracking still said that they were awaiting the package from HP. Called FedEx and they said it FOR SURE wasn't in their warehouse. Called HP and they confirmed that it had left the warehouse and was on a plane. I said, fine, it's an extra day, whatever. Next day arrives, and at 3:30 I still have no computer and the FedEx status hasn't changed. Called HP to say what the heck was up with the shipping and they said they would check on it, but that the repair center was closed by that point so they would have to check in the morning. She also said it was most likely FedEx screwing up the tracking and that it was, indeed, on a plane to me. Another day goes by and no computer. I'm livid, I need it for school (which had already started, and they had no idea where it was. Upgraded to Tier 1 and then TCO, said they'd look into it. Finally, on the 13th, 4 business days later with no one knowing where it was, I get it. I saw that later on during the 12th (about 4:30) they gave it to FedEx from the warehouse and it was overnighted. I couldn't believe it, especially since every single CS rep told me "everything's fine, it's on the way." Someone somewhere in that warehouse used as a tablestand or something.

The kicker was that the problem STILL wasn't fixed (whine?) and the screw fell out. Oh, and they threw out my original packaging, so now all I have is a cardboard box and some foam to hold it in there. Not too great a situation for returns or if I should want to sell this thing in the future.

Word of the wise: don't include ANY of your original packaging if you don't like it. You will loose it. Instead of sending me a box, HP told me I could take it to FedEx and they would deal with the packaging. The gal there told me that the packaging I brought it in (the original shipping box as well as the retail packaging) looked mighty good to here and that I shouldn't worry. Last I ever saw of that box.

With all the stuff that sounds like it went wrong with your computer, I'm betting that they'll have to replace the mobo. When they do, it'll most likely come with F02 as the BIOS, so make sure to update it. If you're working off a clean install, the .7z way worked for me without a hitch (extract "winflash.exe" into the folder and make sure ForceFlash "All=" is set to "1" instead of "0", minus the quotes.)

And make sure you keep on top of that shipping. People will lie to you.

I sure hope your experience is better than mine was. Good luck.


EDIT: Oh, and BTW, the whole reason that I sent it in, the whine? It's now gone after updating from F02 to F12. Totally awesome, but I sure wish I could have just done that instead of going through that nightmare.

 

I want to update my BIOS, but the link on the first post is dead. Anyone have an updated link?

 

Just go to support.hp.com and search envy 14 and go from there.

But here's the Envy 14 page:

Software & Driver Downloads HP ENVY 14t-1000 CTO Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

 

Thanks for the reply, but I meant that I already ran the BIOS update, but it didn't work, so I read the first page with the "Trouble Updating BIOS" section. I had F06, and tried going to F12, but after it ran, it stayed at F06

 

Ah, did you delete your HP Tools partition? If that's gone then it won't work. I guess you're supposed to be able to do it from a flash drive or whatever but I haven't tried that yet. I just kept the HP Tools partition.