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

North of 20GB.

No. But you can download the media for free. See 1st post.

No. But instead of making the recovery DVDs, you can ghost/image all the partitions on your drive. Then delete all partitions of the drive and do a clean install with actual install media.

 

Wow, only 91GB free, is that out of the box from HP? or have you added a lot of stuff?

The 160GB intel will give you 149GB of usable space. My last clean install of Win 7 pro and all drivers used 8.7GB with 140GB free, this is with removal of all partitions, reducing page file size, turning off hibernation, reducing restore point allocation to minimum and 0 HP bloarware....

Edit: 2.0 beat me with a reply, I believe his estimate is a conservative one while mine is a very aggressive attempt to gain back maximum space; you'll probably end up somewhere in between.....

 

I looks like I have a stuck battery cover. The latch that holds it in is stuck!

 

2 monitors would likely cost significantly less than this computer.

 

Hey Guys, Just got my laptop and its been sitting at "Starting Windows" for about 10 min now. Is this normal for windows 7? if not, let me know what i should do!

 

Definitely not normal...

I'd probably shut it down (pulling the battery) and restarting. I'm not sure what else you could do.

 

Also, is it normal for my 160 GB SSD Envy 14 to not have the "BD-ROM Drive"? I have a BD-ROM drive on my 320 GB Envy 14 with the same exact specs, only difference are hard drives..

 

You definitely shouldn't have a Blu-Ray drive in your Envy 14, there aren't even Blu-Ray drives small enough to fit in the Envy 14.

Are you sure you don't have a program that creates a virtual drive (such as Daemon Tools) installed on the Envy 14 listing the BD-ROM drive?

 

envy 14 doesn't come wiht bd-rom drive...

 

Yeah, its out of the box...unforn. I won't be able to do a clean install, but after creating the Recovery DVD's, can I delete the "Recovery Drive/Partition"?

 

Don't pull battery. Just hold the power button down for a good ten seconds or so. It should power off on its own. Start it up again, then if that doesn't work, power down again (holding the power button), then pull the battery out for about 30 seconds, reinstall the battery, and try again.

 

I GOT MY ENVY 14 in Norway!! 3 day shipping from US with UPS )

i5-450m, SSD disc, 4GB ram 1slot

Everything in order, alittle scratch underneath but hardly noticible. Now im gonna try do a fresh windows install. Alot of bloatware on it.

Gonna do some tests later on. Btw.. The fan is constantly on, can hear it, but not very load. It is normal when im in internet explorer right now ?


I bought it via ebay with opal for those who are int.

 

It will be virtually the same effect. Holding down the power button for 10 seconds forces a hard shut down, which cuts power to the system regardless of what the system is doing.

 

Right, but you shouldn't pull battery unless the system is already shut down, unless the machine absolutely won't turn off.

 

Thanks guys! I powered off (holding power button) and rebooted and it started normally. I was getting a little worried cuz the fan started blowing out hotter air and was spinning faster.

 

true.. but you still have to buy a laptop in that case... also external screens aren't portable so i still need a decent screen on the laptop

how much was customs if you dont mind me asking??

 

500$ was the transport value. So its 25% of that. But I havent heard anything. Maybe I get a bill later from UPS ?

Its so damn cold. I feel cold steel after 1 hour on my hips. With my old acer that would be like 60-70c.

 

Have any other ENVY 14 owners tried to use the e-sata port? Should e-sata on the envy support port multiplier function? So far it doesn't seem like it does...

 

I've used the eSata port on mine with a Seagate GoFlex 500GB external.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...ate-goflex-500gb-mini-review.html#post6484765

Sorry I can't be of any help with the port multiplier function but I'm guessing no.

 

so im burning recovery disk 1 and i hear the drive sounding like it needs oil. imagine spinning a wooden wheel. anyone else have this?

 

I'm really thinking about doing a clean install then to get more GB on my SSD. Would it be possible to do a clean install using the Student Discount Windows 7 (the $30 one)? There any guide on what/how I should do it? I haven't bought the OS yet, but I'm getting really close to.

 

My drive makes a screeching noise when inserting or ejecting a disc but is usually normal sounding the rest of the time.

 

All the guides are on the first page, you don't need buy a copy for a clean install, it can be D/L'd. Read the guides.....

 

Does anyone know why my laptop's battery discharge rate is so high? I'm using BatteryBar and my discharge rate is around 18000mW. This apparently seems accurate since my battery barely lasted only 3 hours on a single charge. What's going on and how is everyone else getting 4.5 hours? Someone please help me! I'm using 2nd to lowest brightness and i'm on intel GMA and I am running my second battery run right now.

 

Does it make this noise "vzvzvzvvzvzvzzrrrrrrtttttt."

I hate that noise. lol.

Seriously, I think people would love it there was only an external drive. As long as they included it and you couldn't remove it, I'm pretty sure its cheaper and easier to configure to distribute weight/heat

 

they tried external only last envy.


people were like "what the hell, where's my dvd drive"

so.

hey there dvd drive

 

yeah, its nothing major since i won't use the drive much but the sound is like a spinning wheel hitting a certain spot.. and the sound repeats. i don't know how to make out your sound, lol.

 

Come on you know, vzvzvzvvzvzvzzrrrrrrtttttt with the ffffffpshhhzt-zt-zt-zt, vrvrvrvrrrr

 

ooooooooooooohhhhhh i know! the 2nd part is when you put in the disc!

 

Hmm, but does it work? I'm downloading the "3 Files" right now, and I just used the ABR program to backup my current key/validation.

So how does this work exactly? I burn the 3 files to an ISO, follow the procedures, boot from CD, then use ABR program to re-validate Windows 7 Home Premium?

(BTW what version of Windows 7 are the files I'm downloading? Windows 7 Home, Pro, Ultimate?)

 

Does Envy 14 have HDMI output, or HDMI input? Or both?

 

Hey i'm a student who has lurked around these forums for quite some time, and has finally decided to pull the trigger on an envy 14. My budget is not too much of a factor in this decision, but I am footing the bill so the more reasonable the better. I intend to use my envy for school (business so not too program intensive), media (a bit of music, probably less than 10gb), and some gaming (sc2 and the like). I can afford the SSD but does it fit my profile?

So far the options I'm planning to splurge on are an i5 processor, 4gb ram 1 dimm (not so certain on this one), and maaayyybee a 160gb ssd hard drive.
Reasons why i'm reluctant to jump on the ssd include: apparently the boot time isn't much quicker than a mechanical hard drive which makes me worry that the acclaimed "snappiness" of sdds is overhyped, intel hard drives apparently aren't top notch, and the overall lack of memory could be an issue. The reasons why i'm attracted to this upgrade include better performance, less heat and noise, more sturdy etc. etc.

Any input would be greatly appreciated, and I apologize in advance for my novel.

 

Just got mine in, has a pixel that is always black, so I guess I have a stuck pixel. Gonna try and fix it though, as I really don't want to wait another 2-3 weeks and lose $350 BCB.

 

hi i know this has been asked before, but how do i get my fans to turn off? when i turn it on the fans run at full power and do not stop. i already turned off the "always on" feature in the bios an otherwise my machine is perfect.

 

That sounds like a bad battery, ask HP for a replacement. You shouldn't be getting 3 hours on a charge.

Do you have 2 batteries? If so check if the discharge rate is high while using both of them. Also check that you haven't messed with the msconfig processor settings, that causes unnecessary stress on the system. Also make sure you don't have an intensive program running in the background.

 

If budget really isn't a problem, get the standard drive if you are going to be storing alot of music, movies, etc. If only a bit of music and a few games, get the SSD. Also what do you mean by "lack of memory".

SSDs basically make anything that requires accessing the hard drives alot faster. And your computer accesses the hard drive...alot. So basically any program startup will be instantaneous or very quick as will be browsing through files on your computer. As for games, it does nothing except decrease loading times a little bit, sometimes not even that.

 

Nope, i only have 1 battery and i did not do anything in msconfig other than to stop some startup programs from starting up like itunes, aim, etc.
My CPU is under idle and i dont know why my discharge rate is randomly fluctuating around 16000mW-18000mW

could anyone post their discharge rate? I want to know if mine is abnormal or not

 

Got mine Woot! So far initial impressions are very good. From what I can tell, excellent fit/finish. One thing that bugs me already though is the status lights on the side. I like to know when or if or how hard my hard drive/ssd is working.

I'll be toying around with it quite a bit I'm sure, but gotta pick my kids up from daycare in an hour so probably won't be able to play much until tonight!

 

i thought it was dead (not stuck) pixels that are usually black?

 

Yeah, I meant dead, my bad, although I just found a stuck pixel that was red in the bottom left,lol. Trying to decide if this would drive me crazy or if I could just grow used to it and not notice it. Anybody have any ideas on what I can try and do to fix the dead pixel besides running the flashing color programs and gently massaging the spot with a microfiber cloth?

 

What you can do if it is indeed a dead pixel, (it's what I did but with physical scratches) is to call HP and describe your problem to the service rep, and ask her if she can price match the new envy you want to order. If she says no, ask to talk to the supervisor. Explain to them that you paid a premium price for a laptop, and had delays (if you did, i had delays), and the laptop you received was defective. The only thing they will offer most likely will be to exchange it, but for me I have summer school starting aug 1 so i could not wait 5 days for them to receive my laptop, then another 3-4 weeks for it to be delivered. Demand to talk to the manager, if they assure you the manager will say the same thing, dont listen to them just keep demanding. Once you have the manager on the phone, he/she will do pretty much accommodate your request if you have a legitimate reason.

As of now, I still have my first envy on hand, and have another envy ordered (due to ship out on the 30th), and once it ships, I will be receiving my credits that were given to me, including the student discount.

You have to put the blame on them since it was their fault in the first place. Idk if this will help you, and might be in the wrong thread and if it is, I'm sorry in advanced.

 

Wow, all the problems with dead/stuck pixels. I sure hope when mine arrives today it doesn't have one.

 

Just got mine, so I'll give my initial impressions:

Plus:

+Build quality is great. I love the finish feels.
+Keyboard is great to type on. LOVE the backlight.
+Screen is amazing. Very bright and crisp.
+Very quiet. The fans aren't loud at all.
+Love the track pad too. I've had no trouble getting used to it. I don't use it with a thumb resting on the left click button though.
+Speed. WOW this thing is fast. Applications are done loading before the color pulse on the taskbar is done animating.

Minus
-Don't like the power adapter. I like the apple ones more which are compact and roll up nicely, or the dell ones you can roll the cord around. This is basically a brick.
-Battery compartment door feels a little cheap.
-Return from sleep is a little long. However, I've seen video of one of the German Envy 14s returning from sleep and it's instant. Probably fixable.
-The bottom edge of the track pad isn't flush with the casing. Probably fixable, but I don't mind either way.

As for some of the issues people have noticed, here's my checklist.

I see the keyboard flex people have pointed out. I see it mostly around the P key, but otherwise it's fine. Even around the P region, I have to apply more than standard force to see it.

No CPU whine.

Slight buldge at bluetooth module. Not very noticable.

Slightly raised track pad.

In all, I'm VERY happy with this laptop, and for $955, I can't beat the value. A comparable (but still not equivalent) MBP costs over $1000 more. The issues I've noticed with it are so slight, and over the lifetime of the device I know they'll become even more negligible.

Next up is to test the battery life and do a fresh install of W7 Ultimate.

Full specs:

• Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-450M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)with Turbo Boost up to 2.66 GHz
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 160GB SSD

Windows Experience Index:

• CPU: 6.8
• Memory: 5.9
• Desktop Graphics: 6.7
• Gaming Graphics: 6.7
• Primary Disk: 7.6


EDIT: After pushing down the track pad a little, it seems to have fallen into its rightful place, flush with the casing.

 

Questions about clean install:

Hmm, but does it work? I'm downloading the "3 Files" right now, and I just used the ABR program to backup my current key/validation.

So how does this work exactly? I burn the 3 files to an ISO, follow the procedures, boot from CD, then use ABR program to re-validate Windows 7 Home Premium?

(BTW what version of Windows 7 are the files I'm downloading? Windows 7 Home, Pro, Ultimate?)

 

smooth.

just go grab the iso that is below those three files.

then run that thing near them to remove what limits the iso to only one type of windows.

 

@ Kazbaeden -

My thoughts are very similar to yours.

My machine: i5-520m, 256GB SSD (Samsung), everything else stock. ~$1300 with BCB.

Pros:
+ Fit/finish and build quality in general, at least out of the box, is great. Metal looks great and pattern isn't nearly as loud or annoying as it looks in photos
+ Keyboard is awesome. There is a little flex, but so far doesn't constantly miss keys like it does on my Sager.
+ Screen isn't as impressive as I thought it would be. It seems a little washed out with a slight pinkish hue. But it looks great. Wish it had matte though.
+ Trackpad is HUGE. I don't use one much but so far it's been pretty friendly.
+ SSD is nice so far. Haven't had the chance to do any in depth testing yet, but we'll see once I do a fresh install
+ Speakers are phenomenal, at least compared to the tinny stuff I'm used to. I'm not much of an audiophile, but it's clearly above anything else in a laptop
+ Graphics switching is painless. Although CPUZ and GPUZ don't detect the GPU speeds and such after switching back and forth. Need to reboot for that.
+ NO WHINE! Trackpad is flush, and battery cover isn't stuck either.

Cons:
- Heat out the side is more annoying than I thoght. My hand is right there with the mouse. Heat out the back is pretty much blocked by the screen and yo can feel it running up the screen. It's not a huge issue for me, I'm just concerned over time if it will cause any warping of the screen or other components.
- Status lights on the side. I just like to see when my HDD/SSD is doing something
- location of network cable could be problematic too considering it's right in the way of the mouse. I'll use wi-fi primarily but at my desk I'll plug in.
- power plug comes straight out. Best design practice is for a right angle plug, less stress on the attachmet and less likely to get yanked out.
- Memory scores low in WEI, not that it matters much but I have DDR3 533MHz in my Sager that scores higher than the DDR3 667MHz in this Envy, timings for both at 533MHz is the same.

That's about all I've got at the moment. But bottom line so far the negatives are nitpicking. If you are lucky enough to get a decent build, it's a mighty fine machine out of the box. We'll see how it fares here when I get done putting it through some torture tests and benchmarks.

Initial run of Prime 95 for ten minutes ran the CPU up to 74C in an ~ 74F room temperature. I'm curious to tear this puppy apart and install some IC Diamond.

My first test though will be to run Bad Company 2 since that is my current game I play most. I will probably also play that on battery to check out battery life when GPU is taxed. Then I'll do a fresh install and write a guide on how to do it. It should be pretty straight forward but just in case someone is leary about doing it themselves.

 

I'm virtually in your exact situation: I'm a Business student as well, and I also paid for the laptop out of my own pocket. I opted for the SSD because my main desktop rig (see sig) has a ton of storage for media, so 160gb is more than enough for my mobile use.

I've been using my Envy daily since I bought it, and I'm absolutely thrilled with the performance of the SSD. I feel completely safe telling anyone that believe it or not, an SSD is the best bang-for-the-buck upgrade you can do to an already well-equipped computer. If you spent an extra 300$ on a better CPU for your Envy you wouldn't realize nearly the level of performance gains as you would had you spent the same money on an SSD.

To see just how good the drive is, I put my E14 up against my far more powerful desktop system in a file install test. I put the same 500 meg installer file on both systems and initiated the install at the same time. To my surprise, the Envy finished installing the program in at most a quarter of the time that my desktop system did. The same trend shows when I tried copying large files and other similar tasks. So yes, the SSD is -much- faster than a platter drive, even if the platter drive is in a 'faster' system. Add to the speed the fact that the drive is silent, barely gets warm at all, and is more durable than a platter drive, and I really can't imagine ever having my OS and other progams installed on a platter drive again. I'll be putting an SSD into my desktop rig as soon as I have the money...it's completely worth it.

But hey, don't just take my word for it. The following articles from Anandtech are must-reads if you're still on the fence about the SSD upgrade: THIS article is on the 1st gen Intel drives and explains in good detail why SSDs are so good and why the Intel X-25m in particular is one of the best you can buy. It also has a good review of the performance of the drives. THIS article is a performance review of the 2nd gen X-25m's, which is the 160gb drive found in the E14.

 

Just got mine! I'm at work, so I couldn't play around with it much, but initially it looks great. No CPU whine when running, there was a small amount of black goop on the outer edges, but it easily wipes off. The track pad seems flush and there's no other scratches or marks or issues with the connectors that I can see. My only complaint is that there is a good amount of keyboard flex near the Q and Tab key, I will make sure the keyboard was installed correctly, it's not a big deal to me though. Looking forward to removing HP's bloatware with a fresh install

The screen justifies the price! I haven't had a chance to look carefully yet for dead pixels, but nothing stood out.

 

Would it be very difficult for me to slap in a SSD in a year or two? Is it even possible?

 

oh no messed post... sorry