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

Oh ok, thank you very much for replying. I didn't know if it was normal or just me.

 

nah. it's normal for the envy

 

Actually the IGP is fully capable of outputing full HD with surround sound through an HDMI output. There is a seperate HDMI output driver built into the IDT (beats) driver, the control panel has an option to select it. Since the E 15 does not have an active IGP I don't know if it actually works....

 

I've noticed that the IDT stuff automatically disables the hdmi part if the igp is active.


so *shrugs*

 

Maybe try using the windows 'mobility center' which give basic controls for connecting to an external display.....

I would think there should be a way to use the IGP for HDMI output for those who need to do presentations and such while on battery...

Edit: Maybe it will work in the 'mirror' display mode while on IGP

 

Has anyone gotten the new intel chipset driver (vs. 9.1.2.1008) to actually load the dirvers on an i5 CPU? It goes through all the motions for me but after it says 'succefully installed' device manager still shows everything is still using the old driver (vs. 9.1.1.1022) ??

 

where would I find that in the device manager (also I really haven't updated chipset drivers or stuff for my envy. just using the stock swsetup stuff)

 

Doesn't work on the mirror or any other display mode. I tried.
I also tried pressing Cancel when the Switchable graphics came on board but then it didn't let me use HDMI. No big deal, I was just curious.

And I have yet to update my 5650 or my chipsets.

 

If you mean the chipset driver versions you'll find the drivers listed in various items in device manager under 'system devices'. You'll see a bunch of 'intel' items and the driver versions seem either be generic MS or some have intel versions.

You will also find that when you update the chipset drivers that the driver version does not actually match the 'base' driver version that intel uses, it seems that their updates include versions for all the different chipsets and it only loads the correct ones for the CPU that it finds in your system, these will show as slightly different version numbers.... I guess the newest update had nothing new for the i5's as far as I can tell....

 

alright. guess not.

 

You're not alone mine has done the same. I did think it was a bit strange when watching it install but never mind. Im still on 9.1.1. Anyone have release notes for the 9.1.2 drivers? Just been on the intel site and only found the documentation for the old drivers.

 

Were you able to run it with the '-overall' command as justinkw1 recommends ? It did not work for me that way, I think because it's a .exe file....

Edit: NM I had to rename the file when saving it, then it ran with the -overall command which actually showed it loading a few specific drivers. Oddly they were all the same ones I was already running ( all dated 10/28/09) and after it had me reboot all the drivers I can find are still vs. 9.1.1.1022.... All I can figure is that this update had nothing new for the i5 540M CPU.

Has anyone seen a change in driver versions on an i5 with this new intel chipset driver update ???

 

Yes did run it with the -overall command which I have done with previous revisions. I did cd to the directory of the file and ran it without quotes though, it should work.

 

Hi

so i have been proved a fool, waiting so far on envy 14's price to go down. Now i lost the radiance, price is same if not increased.
there is one envy at amazon now "envy 14-1110nr" it has regular screen any idea how good it is ? is it better to buy from here or HP ? i live in CA so tax is a killer here.
pls help

 

Ok, so I've got a bit of a problem.
I bought a new SSD because NCIX had a great sale on where you got $100 off the OCZ Vertex 2 120gig. The deal was too good to pass up. I bought it and installed it and did a clean install and everything was fine. Untill I noticed today that the ATI Catalyst Control Center wasn't working. Or more precisely, it wasn't even installed on my laptop. I followed the instructions here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6582113-post2587.html

but It didn't work. And when it asks me to use the uninstall client from the control panel, I don't even see it there. I had to use a third party program just to uninstall the stuff.

I'm kind of sad that in the process of upgrading I somehow lost the ability's of my video card the switchable graphics mean everything to me, because I use this for taking notes in school everyday.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

well you got two options.


the more severe and/or possibly easier if the drivers situation is totally totally messed up is to just do another clean install and then follow this method to get the video drivers setup:

Install HP 10.7 (latest hp video drivers). Good now you have switchable. Now install ati 10.8 on top of it, download those here: https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/920...mobile/10-8_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc.exe

assuming it acts like my envy, starting with the latest hp drivers (skipping the original ones altogether) will let you avoid the black screen bug when updating drivers and stuff.



your other option is to just uninstall every video driver you can and then load up in safemode and driver cleaner or driver sweeper your way through everything ati and intel gpu (or at least ati) and get it to boot up in vga mode (like 800x600 or 640x480 or whatever).


windows update will download intel igp drivers. let it do that. then go from what I said for part 1. in fact, when you do part 1 make sure it downloads those intel igp drivers and reboot anyway. I did that for my clean install (that I did two days ago) and everything worked out fine.

ya should have switchable still, etc and so forth.

whenever ATI updates again, uninstall 10.8 and it should auto-default back to the older hp 10.7. then install 10.9 or 10.10 or whatever the next version is on top of the hp drivers again.

 

oh right. when you do this and update and stuff make sure powerplay didn't default to max battery while plugged in.

it did that for me (glad I catched it)

 

Yeah I figured that another clean install was the only way. I've done the other option (pretty much) but it didn't work out for me. Thanks so much for the help.

For the ATI driver, did you install 10.7a beta? thats the only one I have the install file for.

 

no.

I installed 10.7 HP (download it from hp's website for the envy stuff) and then 10.8 ati on top of it (from a direct link...that I probably posted in here like a page ago and I know I posted in the new owner's topic)

 

is that the graphics driver 50027 from the hp site?

 

probably. it's the current driver on hp's website (hp 10.7 or something is what I've nicknamed it since it's like 10.7c if you go by version numbers)

 

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/920...mobile/10-8_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc.exe is ati 10.8

 

Thanks so much!
That worked to much better (and easier) than the method that I tried before. I didn't mind doing a clean install because all my stuff is backed up on my new external (that I made with the 640GB HDD that I replaced )

Everything is working great! Now its time to install all the rest of the drivers haha

+ rep!

 

yw. I did this oh...three days ago and it worked nicely. So much better than the hp 10.3 drivers and their love of getting a black screen mid install (stupid drivers)

 

yeah I find it kind of funny that the drivers shut off the screen. It's pretty hard to tell if your update has finished when all you see is black

 

well it's a bug and switchable graphics is buggier and stuff (it's still first/2nd gen tech for laptops. not all the kinks have been worked out. oh hell no)

 

Regarding BSOD issues; You may want to confirm you are running the most current version of the intel Rapid Storage Tech Driver (9.6.4.1002), version 9.6.0.1014 and earlier had known BSOD issues primarily to do with waking from S3 sleep states and while cycling in and out of S4 states. It may have nothing to do with your BSOD issues but most people are not aware of these BSOD issues since the last thing you would suspect to cause BSOD is the RST drivers.... Look at the read me notes in justinwk1's driver page for more info...

 

Guys any idea on the 720P screen of envy 14 ?? how good is that ?

 

Not as bright, but who cares if you're indoors.

Bump for performance though.

 

Havent seen any tests but looked at in the store next to other computers and since its brightness is around 200 nits its pretty much what every other manufacturer offer?

 

I just had a look at the hp site, seem's like they're not offering the 1600x900 screen anymore.

Anyone want to buy my 1 1/2 month old envy that's probably had 40 hours use max? and with warranty and invoice i5 520m, 4gb ram. eh eh

decided my so called laptop I was going to use everyday for uni/home has been replaced by a little toshiba netbook ahah. so much easier to carry around.

 

You may want to wait before you make that decision. Typing on that little netbook and staring at that small screen will get old real fast.

 

is it true that e14 has an underpowered 5650 ? someone posted this in other thread

 

well it's clocked at 450/800 instead of 550/800 like "normal."


the radeon 5650 can range from 450-650 mhz for the core clock (it's always 800mhz for the memory clockspeed) and is usually at 550.


so *shrugs* kinda but it hasn't really been an issue

edit: I mean don't expect to OC it like crazy like you can with the acer 3820TG

 

I just called HP concerning the new 2-yr warranty and the 500 GB hard disk becoming standard issue, they didn't budge, but after an hour of customer service and a supervisor i managed to get $130 reduced from my yet to be delivered Envy. at first they said your configuration isn't the same so they cant honor the price change. i asked what was different? they said i received "Corel PaintShop Photo Pro X3 + Corel VideoStudio Pro X3" and now its no longer offered.i asked why was being penalized for some bloat-ware i didn't even want? so for the inconvenience the supervisor gave me 10% off. So... 10% student discount + 10% Hp customer service + $50 coupon code. I'm really going to LOVE my ENVY 14!!!

 

Got my Envy back but it's got one small problem. I had to be disassembled/reassmebled to be fixed, but the repair tech ended up leaving a tiny portion of what looks like the black LCD ribbon cable hanging out at the seam near the LCD hinge.

Imma look into service manual...


Unless someone has a disassembly guide I can use. I DON'T want to send it back for this. Not if they're this careless.

I think this is probably the last product I'll ever buy from HP. They really messed this one up. LCD ribbon poking out slightly and a screw that can't be removed. I'm filing an RMA claim again this weekend.

 

Problem with the RMA is that you may not be able to get the Radiance screen on the new one now!

 

Sounds like pretty shoddy worksmanship. After this weird audio buzzing noise that I have been having, I probably won't be getting an HP again either. It's like they don't really care whether they put out a good product or not. Their tech support is well meaning, but not really effective. Forums like this provide better tech support than almost any of the OEM's actual tech support people. There are much better ways of going about producing Windows computers than the ways the OEM's are now. Load it down with software that dosen't work seems to be the install method that OEM's take. Uneccessary software that just does stuff Windows already does more effectively anyway.

They are an obstacle to a good computing experience.

 

You can always build your own laptop if you want.

I remember seeing an article in Computer Shopper (I think) about how to build your own laptop (sort of).

 

id love to build my own, but it doesnt really work the same way as building your own desktop. ive built numerous desktops over the years (some for me, some for friends) and i would much rather do that than get some preconfigured one. I just wish there were more options for laptops. you can configure your own sometimes to some extent, by chosing the parts inside, but thats about as far as it goes. im unaware of any decent barebones laptop cases that you can fully assemble yourself. OCZ tried a couple of years ago, but sadly there wasnt much of a demand for them

 

Its really easy to disassemble. Just remember in the guide it says there are 3 screws under the battery when in fact there are 4. Also, the keyboard wont come off unless you push the button on the underside. Also, you can use a small screwdriver to push thru the holes on the bottom of the unit to pop the keyboard up so you don't scratch the sides. One more tip is there is a small flap under the battery, pull that up and disconnect the trackpad before you pull off the keyboard so you don't break the cable.

If its a fat ribbon cable by the right hinge, I know what one you are talking about. Its coming from the keyboard.

 

How hard is it to replace the entire screen enclosure? Because I was thinking of ordering a 580m system and swapping the screen with my Radiance and selling the other one.

 

I've tried, but can't take out a 4th screw. The plus hole is so worn out I can barely distinguish that it was once a plus hole. It's just a round hole now. I've tried and tried with a screw driver to take it out, but it won't move.


I had to pry that crack open and push the ribbon back in. Some of it is still showing and there are now a few cosmetic scratches created by the screw driver.


The Envy 14 is a fantastic machine. But as a young student I've learned one important lesson about laptops: The quality of the laptop and the user experience that accompanies it isn't limited to just how well the product works; it also includes the quality of customer service. Even though Apple admittedly skimps on adding current generation hardware, their customer service and tech reps aren't known for being this egregious.

I'm really disappointed. It looks to me as if Apple has a new potential customer in me unless some PC company shapes up in 3 years or Apple goes under.

 

Oops, I didn't mean to say RMA. I meant sending it in for repair service again.

But come to think of it, I don't want to see new problems cropping up. I'm going to avoid HP's repair tech people if possible.

 

Not only with HP...I would definitely avoid RMA as much as I can, it happen on most company...cant blame the tech either, imagine how many of laptops they were expected to fix each day by the management? They dont have time to special care your laptop.

When the laptop get send back for another RMA, its just costing the company more $$, however 1st level management dont look at that, they look at numbers and that's determine how much bonus they got. An efficiency gone wrong I would say.

 

A stripped screw is a PITA. These electronics screws are so tiny that you must be very careful or else the tiny screw heads will get stripped so easily. This is one reason I hate to disassemble laptops and small electronic things.

 

Are "HP Software Framework" and "Essential System Updates for Microsoft Windows 7" needed on clean install?

 

UPDATE: On top of multiple scratches I've created as a result of a the bad screw mentioned above, I've now discovered that some at HP's tech depot swapped my 4gb RAM stick for a 2gb. Currently contacting HP. I'm going to demand a moment with the case manager. This is unacceptable.

 

Let's not forget warranty support for those of us who're not so technologically saavy.

 

Ok. I've obtained a service number and I'm told I'll be contacted tomorrow by the case service manager.

Does anyone have advice on how I can get my Envy 14 replaced free WITHOUT LOSING THE RADIANCE DISPLAY??? I don't want a brightview display for what I paid for this machine!


The 2 options I will pursue in order of desirability.

1. New Envy 14 with Radiance Display. Might be a tough sale. I'll give it a shot and make it explicit I want to keep my Radiance Display.

2. Repairs done with LCD (or keyboard?) cable COMPLETELY placed back in, partial compensation for scratches and screw replaced so I can toss in more RAM later. 4GB RAM replaced. Heck. If I can't get money, the least I'll bargain for is an upgrade from 4gb to 8gb of RAM.