*HP ENVY 17 & 17 3D (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

hello everybody,

Can someone tell me if there is a feature on the Envy 17 that allows you to disable battery charge while the battery is in place and the laptop is plugged in? I think the Dell Studio 17 has this feature, and it may be a smart thing as I believe battery life is reduced if it's always being charged. thank you.

 

regarding my display on this machine, decided i wouldn't be satisfied with the 1600x900 res, so i called HP Parts and ordered the 1920 display....should be an easy swap out because it comes preassembled.

also put in an 80GB X25-M intel SSD today... reinstalling windows took about 15 mins....that's insane. all together with all my software & OS the installation came out to 23GB and took less than 2 hrs.

 

I am LIVID right now.

I have been trying to swap the 500GB Hitachi drive that came with my E17 for a Seagate Momentus XT, also 500GB, for the past week.

Here is the script for each futile attempt:

Boot to internal DVD, start Win 7 recovery, run through DVD's 1-5. Promoted to take out last CD and hit enter to reboot and start the installation/unpack phase. Hit Enter, reboot, "No operating system found"

Nobody, and I mean nobody, know what the $#@& is going on!!!

I spoke with 60 keyboard screws woman, who after putting me on hold, swore up and down that the Seagate was supported by the BIOS. So I sent the first drive back thinking is was DOA. I got a replacement yesterday and the same damn thing is going on. I spoke to another HP agent who flat out refused to help me citing warranty issues with "non HP hardware".

And, don't even get me started on Insyde and their garbage HP neutered BIOS. The BIOS, as locked, is worthless! It's good for changing system time and boot order (and enabling VT). No HDD screen, no auto detect, IDE modes... NOTHING!!!! #@$%$ garbage.

I suspect that the HP Recovery DVD's are only meant to work with the same exact HP drive a 500GB Hitachi. I'm not sure if the NAND portion of the Momentus makes for a different size signature. I don't know. This theory can only be proven by going out and purchasing a commercial win 7 install.

I'm going out of my $#@& mind and everyone I speak to at HP is a moron, the Insyde BIOS is frustrating me to no end.

I was just able to load Seatools (Seagate's defacto diagnostic utility) and test the drive OK.

WHY CAN'T I REBOOT AND FINISH THE WIN 7 INSTALL!?!?!?!!?!?

WHERE IS THE DVD PAYLOAD BEING COPIED TO????

Woe is me.

Metril, I believe it was you who suggested that I clean install onto OEM Hitachi and then image/clone over. Can I get this done without the second drive caddy and associated cables?

 

if the back part where the battery is does not get hot, i would leave the battery in. if it does get hot and you plan to mostly keep the laptop on a desk, then i would remove the battery and set it in a cool place. take a look at batteryuniversity if you need some tips on maximizing battery life. i have a 9 cell battery that i discharged to 40% and stuck it in my refrigerator. if it stays there for one year, when i take it out it will still have 98% charge.

 

did you make sure the connector is seated properly ? sometimes a little wiggle or not sufficient contact may cause faults.
which bay have you used for this new drive ? the disk0 designation goes to the drive that sits in the caddy with the rubber feet (the one that comes out without unscrewing).
lastly, if you have a second hdd, remove it. when you start win7 setup, pick the partition, delete it, then create a new partition to install in.
make sure you are working with disk0, and that you have no external usb drives or hdd's plugged in....

hope that helps

 

Thanks zero.

To clarify: Hitachi is disconnected and on table next to me. Only Momentus is hooked up in the rubber caddy Drive0; I presume since the garbage BIOS won't identify or tell me this.

I booted to command prompt using the recovery console (DVD1) and I have a drive C and X, but C does not show as 500GB and the only file on there is Hp Envy Installation Guide (approx 1020MB).... so it looks like the DVD's are dumping something... somewhere...

And lastly, "when you start win7 setup, pick the partition, delete it, then create a new partition to install in."

I never make it that far. That's the issue. It copies the payload from the discs, partitions and then wants to reboot to get into the install shell but gives me no OS found......

Update: I was able to boot to command prompt through DVD recovery console (DVD1). Found drive C:, chdksk has it as 79.6 million KB's, with 55.0 million KB's remaining. Weird. There is also a Users, Windows and Programs directory structure on the drive...

 

not sure where the problem might be ... is this drive new ? if it's not defective, maybe try installing ubuntu on it. ubuntu installs on almost anything. if ubuntu can't show you the entire drive during setup, maybe the drive is bad.

otherwise, have you tried selecting 'repair' in the windows setup ? there's an option there to drop into command prompt, where you can do things like bootrec /fixmbr (restores the mbr), or use fdisk. i am not too familiar with fdisk tho.

 

Just trying to figure out why you're using the recovery disks and not Windows 7 ones? I started with the recovery DVDs with my SSD and it wouldn't work, kept giving me the "no OS found" as well.

And then I had the issue where during Windows install it couldn't detect/see the drive, but that turned out to be because the recovery disks had dumped files onto the SSD. So a quick format fixed that then I was away laughing.

 

Yes!! Got it to work. Suck it Bill.

bootrec.exe /RebuildBCD

Scan for windows installations, press Y to add to boot list....

Tremendously satisfying. Evening wasted, but I got it to work.

 

excellent, what's the rebuildbcd switch do ?

 

The point of the recovery discs is to easily return your machine to factory state.

It's designed for the non-tech savy user or anybody who does not want to go through the trouble of using generic Windows 7 discs & install all the specific drivers & stuff. It's useful if you mess-up your drive or replace a drive or want to return the machine to OEM factory state when selling or passing on the unit.

It should work by simply inserting the disc #1, reboot and insert the other discs when asked. If it does not, something is fishy.

 

@Joe Bleau

I know what the recovery disks are for, but it seemed as though NAZ VEGAS was trying to do a clean install of Windows on his Momentus with recovery media.

At first I tried doing this with my SSD but it just didn't work, so I thought the way to do it was with the Windows 7 DVD. And it worked fine after that.

Maybe I didn't understand what he was trying to do. Was he trying to get the HP 'out of the box' OS back on his Momentus drive?

 

Alien Swarm: 60+ FPS



Left 4 Dead 2: 50-60 FPS, seemed to average just below or just above 60 (aka extremely playable for that game)



Team Fortress 2: 70+ FPS

the stock Amazon.com Envy 17 absolutely rips Source games. up next: Crysis+Warhead, Metro 2033, Mirror's Edge, Anno 1404 and the Penumbra series. the last few should be no problem, but I'm curious how it tackles the Crysis series and Metro.

 

This is my first post, however I have been following this thread since its beginning and have more or less read every posting.

The SSD topic has been mulled over again and again in this thread and the question of whether or not the SSD is an Intel G1 or G2 drive has been much debated with many conjectures, inferring based on price to retail drives, and inconclusive pictures, but to my knowledge no one has yet to DEFINITIVELY say "The Envy 17's come with intel G1 SSD's" or "The Envy 17's come with intel G2 SSD's"

This can't truly still be unknown now with some users having had their machines for well over a month. Some where else on the world wide web I remember someone claiming it was a G1 but then they finished their statement with the dreaded "...but im not positive."

If someone could confirm one or the other that would be greatly appreciated.

Also, one final question for those who have recently ordered directly from HP and received your laptop already:
Has HP finally shaped up their supply chain? Are they hitting their original build and delivery estimates or are people still getting delayed orders? As a student, I want to know that I can receive my laptop before I head back for classes.

 

I think the reason it does this is because I dont think the recovery disks rewrite the boot sector. I think they are meant to overwrite a pre-existing installation, where the boot sector is already in place.

 

@sgnhh Thanks for the benchmarks. I'm looking forward to trying out this laptop when it arrives Tuesday.

 

HP is strange in that their build date and delivery date are listed as the same day. So my date was July 21, and I'm receiving mine on July 27 to give you an idea.

 

@ LennonMOBILE

That's exactley what I thought. So if it's a blank/brand new drive then it will need to be done with a Windows 7 DVD, the recovery media will not work. Once Windows 7 is installed I suppose you could then boot back to factory settings with the recovery media couldn't you?

 

No, the recovery discs should work with a blank replacement drive.

HP_Support: Three ways to recover the PC to the original operating condition.

 

Yea, I believe so. But I also believe there are methods of making a drive bootable without installing a full operating system.

 

Sorry if this was mentioned before, does anyone know what type of adapter I need for the mini-DisplayPort? I remember reading that a mini-DP to DVI does not work and that a mini-DP to VGA is recommended.

 

does anyone here have issues with burning DL DVD's on this laptop ?

 

Hey Kiwi.... Thanks for the great answer it all makes sense to me now.

What do you think about removing a lot of the preinstalled HP stuff.. is worth removing or is it noth worth it?

Thanks!


-LDG

 

Thanks. OK, but this didn't answer my question. Does the Envy 17 have a feature that allows you to turn on/off battery charging? I would much rather do that than have to take the battery in or out. Thanks.

 

Well, I received my Amazon order. The wobble is so much worse on this one. Even with the screen closed, the thing rocks like a ship on the raging seas. Furthermore, it seems like the chassis itself is twisted. The screen doesn't even close down flat. The left corner of the screen is lifted up at least 3mm.

Jumping ship guys. Good luck with your Envys.

 

i would suppose no. i think these batteries have smart charging systems, when it's full there is no charging/discharging. if windows reports it keeps charging at 99%, there may be something wrong with the battery. or windows. hard to say.

i know some laptop batteries have an indicator on them that allows you to see the charge level. for the 9 cell battery on this machine, you press a button on the battery and led's light up to give you a charge state readout.

 

FYI, BIOS update released two days ago to address a display issu that sounds similar to yours.

Good luck.

 

Guess we're in the same boat! Can't wait to get at it on Tuesday.

I just hope it actually gets here. Watching tracking info concerns me a little. (Unless it's going to ORD airport [Chicago]) Fedex tracking is crappy anyways... I shouldn't even worry myself over it.

 

Hey guys!

I got my Envy 17 in the mail a little over a week ago. Here are its specs:

17.3'' Full HD Brightview with Infinity LED
6 GB DDR3
500 GB SATA Hard Drive
1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon 5850
Intel Core i7-720QM
DVD Writer

I ordered it June 6th and it came in on July 14th after they delayed it once. So far it has been amazing. Theo only problem was that HP sent me a defective battery but I called customer service and got a replacement shipped within minutes. The screen is beautiful, keyboard is responsive and the flex is pretty neat. It can get a little hot on the left side but only when I play video games like Red Alert 3 and Fallout 3, both of which run on ultra settings without any loss of frame rate. The highest my CPU temp ran was 72 degrees Celsius. The metal etched exterior makes it look really nice and sleek. Mine did not have any spaces in the frame like some other here have stated. Well, thats about all I can seem to muster up right now. If you have any other questions for me let me know!

 

See my earlier post - but to recap, you have to save the color profile in one of your Catalyst profiles.

Then, to load on boot, create a shortcut for the profile and put it in your Start Menu -> Programs -> Startup folder.

I combined the color profile w/ my "Performance" and "Max Battery" power profiles so that color is always calibrated.

 

metril I'm grinning a little but it really isn't funny I know, actually very ridiculous. How can someone order 4 notebooks and they're all wobbly? You should really sue HP at this point if you had the money.

 

Just curious: what are you jumping ship to? Dell Studio 17?

 

What I'm getting at is a scenario where you plug your laptop in often, but also use it on battery at times. What I want to avoid is using it on battery until it's 80%, then plugging in, charging to 100%, then next time discharge to 90% and plug in and charge to 100. That's how I would be using it mostly, meaning the battery would often be charging way before it was fully discharged. To avoid this, I would have to take out the battery every time I plug the computer into an outlet, to avoid the battery getting charged before it's fully discharged. That's a nuisance. Makes sense to be able to disable battrery charging with the battery in place. So does the Envy have this feature? Anybody know? thanks.

 

So I searched around and I have not seen anyone posting this...correct me if I'm wrong.

Newegg got the ENVY 17-1011NR @$1,499.99, same config as Amazon...sounds to me like a SWEET deal!!

Here's the link Newegg.com - HP ENVY 17-1011NR NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory 640GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850

 

That's a deal.

 

Damn it. I don't have my Envy 14 yet but I'm really thinking of returning Envy 14 after looking at the price and specs of Envy 17.

 

I'm giving HP corporate a call on Monday. We'll see what they say and do.

I'm looking at the Sager NP8690. Going to ask whoever I order it from to do a thorough burn-in and send me the HWMonitor graphs for an hour test with both OCCT and Furmark running at the same time.

One thing I didn't like about the Envy 17 was that the CPU down clocked to 1330 MHz when both the GPU and CPU were fully loaded and plugged in. I could repeat this over and over again with OCCT and Furmark both running. A problem because I planned to run some simulation software that would tax the CPU and CPU. Not a that big of a deal, but still something.

 

WARNING: You will not get the slice battery, instead you'll get the normal 9 cell battery. Look at those pictures on Newegg.com's product page.

 

I wish HP would make slice batteries for the 17" model. :\

 

It should... I think. From what I know, every HP Envy has optional slice battery.

 

I don't think they make a slice for the Envy 17.

But damn that is a great deal - $147.00 cheaper than Amazon.

 

There is no slice battery for the E17.

 

Yeah, I edited my post before it would show, but I changed to "I wish ..." Haha.

Quick question- Is it possible to upgrade the CPU yourself?

 

It is basically a better deal than Amazon...suxs to be on the waiting list until I get the funds to get this badboy...

 

Hopefully, their units were built better too.

 

Metril

Can you take a couple of photos and post them here? So sorry to hear you had no luck with your orders.

 

That deal on the Newegg Envy 17 is sweet. It just so happens to be the exact specs as the $1900 ($1400 after 30% bcb) except I only added (1) 500 gb drive.

Too bad there's no refund policy.

 

@divertankado

Sorry can't. I packed it all up as soon as I saw the wobble. Had it open for 30 minutes max.

 

Thanks, although it would be nice to have thumbnails in windows explorer.

 

Placed my order through NewEgg. I'm glad I waited to save $140~
I hope no build issues!