*HP ENVY 17 & 17 3D (2XXX series) Owners Lounge*

That's good to hear. AMD drivers always seem to be finicky, but when they work they usually produce results. That puts it pretty close to the 560M score wise.

 

I am realizing the longer I have the Envy that the 6850M is no slouch of a video card...pretty nice for a laptop. And I am an Nvidia guy all the way...

 

I just ordered the new Microsoft Touch Mouse, it will go really well with my Envy 17 3D!

Check it out at Amazon.com

 

Alright, so after going through some reading about asynchronous NAND flash memory, SanForce controllers, compressible data, and so on (mostly on OCZ forums), I did a benchmark with Crystal Disk Mark and compressible data (Fill 0x00) and here's what I got:



So it seems my Agility III is not that bad as I thought it was, actually. Still some of my scores are somewhat a bit low with incompressible data (compared to what they should be - I looked at some other benchmarks), so I keep digging on about what may be slowing my drive a bit down. But anyway, the Agility III seems to a good deal in the end.

 

Hi guys, long time no post. I just want to type this as a warning to any new or future Envy owners.

I bought the new 17 3D when the SB first came out. At first it seemed fine, aside from a few minor physical defects. Granted it shouldn't have had those given the price I paid, but that's another story. Within a few days it started BSODing on me, shutting down randomly, overheating, etc. I keep this at all times on a large cooling unit, as well. There was also a problem with some dead pixels, diminishing Wifi (which the tech explained was probably due to the overheating), and some weird graphics card error. I called HP, told them about the problem. They happily let me send it in for repairs. All defects were reproducable, and they sent it back, "fixed".

Now when I opened it up, the first thing I noticed was that there were several large dents on it. The thing still BSOD'd, and the graphics driver issue was still there. I called and they apologized and took it again. At this point I was dealing with a case manager, by the name of Donald. After two weeks and no updates, I called Donald to find out what was going on. He said their techs determined that the dents were from the computer being DROPPED, and that they were waiting on parts. It was another week and a half until I got it back, bringing this to almost a month that they had it. When I opened it up, what did I find, after a month? The thing still BSOD'd and the graphics problem was still not fixed. It had been sitting there for nearly a month and they didn't bother to fix most of the issues. But hey, at least this time it didn't come back with more problems than it left with. That's something, right?

I called Donald again. He said that as this had been sent in many times before, and was not fixable, they'd be lemoning it, and sending me a new one. Need I mention I also had the 3 year extended warranty. Anyway with that I was satisfied and waited the new computer to arrive. Arrive it did, again, a few weeks later. Wonderful news! No graphics driver problem! No BSOD! And...wait, what? Why can't I hear the lectures I need to stream for my review course for my medical boards? I...no... NO... The speakers don't work! I call up HP again and speak to a regular tech, as they seem both more helpful and more competent than Donald, the case manager. She tells me that this has been a problem reported lately, and walked me through all the steps they had to. She said that because this was within the 21 day window, they could take this computer back, and send me a new one. Again. I was sent to Donald, and he said I needed to send the first one back, first. I politely told him that not only had I already reinstalled my necessary files multiple times because of not receiving a working computer, but that I could NOT be with a computer without speakers. I asked them to send me a shipping label for the second computer without the speakers and I'd gladly send that back, but that I needed a computer and could not be without one.

He said that was fine, and not to worry about sending the computers back just yet, that their main concern was getting me a working computer. I was annoyed by the entire thing, but that answer was about as good as you could ask for, so I thanked him and went on my way. More weeks passed, and I heard nothing from HP. I called again and Donald assured me they were working on it, and again not to worry about the shipping labels or the second computer just yet. More weeks passed. Now a delivery man came to my door, saying that I had a package for him. I asked if he had a shipping label, and he said no, just that he was told we had a package. Now I hadn't been informed of this at all, and as I had no shipping label (I had been told by Donald I could not use the shipping label for the first computer for the second one) I just said I was sorry and that I didn't have a package for him to pick up.

I called Donald to ask him what was going on with my computer, he told me he was unable to access any information about when it would be ready to ship, but that it should be soon and he'd be in touch. That was last week. I just called again, and this time Donald was much, much less polite. To be fair, so was I. I hadn't shown even an ounce of anger or aggression in any of my calls, over the last 4 months or so, but this time I explained that I was a VERY patient man, but that my patience was wearing thin and that I needed a definite date on when I'd be getting my computer. He started interrupting me saying how I needed to send back the FIRST computer, and asked me "Why do you even need speakers, anyway?". So I explained to him that I need them to stream videos for a course to prepare me for my medical boards, and that it doesn't matter anyway, as I had paid a premium for a computer and still have not received a fully functioning model, and that it was unacceptable. He then continued to interrupt me, saying how they had sent out a shipping label, and that I had missed the pick-up. I corrected him saying that no shipping label was provided, and asked him to simply e-mail me the shipping label, like he has in the past when I sent it in for repairs the previous times. He then said he wasn't sure if that was possible, and that I needed to send the computers in before they'd move any further, or else I was out of luck.

Now keeping in mind that this was not only a breech of contract, and that he blatantly lied several times about not knowing the time frame, how I shouldn't worry about the replacement when I had asked several times for the shipping label, and lied about sending one in the first place, I said to him that I needed to speak to a supervisor.

Clearly this was very, very bad to Donald. He started raising his voice in a dramatic, egotistical style saying how HE was the supervisor, how there was no one above the case managers because they were RUNNING THE COMPANY. I then told him that I needed to speak to someone right now, or it would not be a good situation, and expressed my doubt that there was no one I could speak with above him. Finally he acquiesced by saying that there are indeed executive case managers, and that he'd get one for me. After leaving me on hold for awhile, he said none were available and that they'd call me back. Still waiting on that. If I don't get a call back by tomorrow I'm really not sure what to do.

Anyway this is the end of the road with me and HP. I just wanted to share this information so that any current or future owners could know. I've always said HP's customer service was the best, but this incident has severely soured the company's image in my eyes. I do hope none of you have anything similar, but if you do, just try to stay away from Donald.

 

does the sandy bridge platform have sata 3 (6.0GB/s) interfaces for the hdds and optical drive ?

i've got a 1011NR and i think the sata connection to the optical drive is only sata 1 (1.5GB/s), which is slow as a snail at transferring several GB files from disc to hdds

 

Disaster!

So I got my Envy today...with a nice big crack down the middle of that beautiful display . I'm shipping it back tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I am going to get another one. I'm kind of nervous about the screen quality now, or playing return roulette with HP like I did with the first gen. Oh well, time to update my sig...

 

Might be worth one more try. Killa Joe went through one first gen and and one 2nd gen. Third one was perfect for him. I would get them to send one more. If you can get in good condition...the Envy is a hard machine to beat

 

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered an Envy 17 when the 30% off Geekweek coupon came out (I was waiting for SSD options to return, but it was too good a deal to pass up), and I received my computer on Monday a few days ahead of when it was originally expected. Everything looked fine out of the box until I tried to transfer files from my old computer over my wireless network or tried to download large files or stream content. I then began experiencing multiple freezes forcing a hard restart. I vaguely remembered reading on these forums about an issue with the drivers for the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 adapter, so I tried to update the drivers. This didn't fix the problem so I called Envy support. After doing a system restore and trying again to update the driver for the 6200, the support person decided to send me a new wireless card. It's supposed to be here by Monday, and I assume it will be another 6200.

Last night, I searched the forums again and found that some people had success in fixing their freezes by going back to the 13.0 driver. I tried this and it seemed to work at first (managed to watch a couple shows on Netflix), but then the freezes started again. Has anyone else continued to have this problem after going back to the 13.0 driver? Is there any chance the new 6200 that HP sends me will fix the problem? Could it be my router? I have a fairly new Linksys E4200 Maximum Performance Dual-Band Wireless-N Router that works great with 3 other computers, a PS3, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV.

It's extremely frustrating to have a brand new "high performance" laptop that can't be used for anything due to constant freezes. This is the second time in a row that I've been burned by HP. The computer I was hoping to replace is a Pavilion "Elite" 9180f which had a faulty motherboard right out of the box (first HP ignored the issue, then pretended a BIOS update would fix it, and finally lost a class action suit for selling these defective machines to thousands of people). I guess if the new card doesn't solve the problem I'll return the Envy since I'm still within 21 days. Say what you will about Apple, but my new Macbook Air is working flawlessly!

 

This could also have been the fault of the shipping company and not necessarily HP. Unfortunately for you, it was just some bad luck.

 

I thought the driver that fixed this problem was even older than v13 but since my Envy 17 never had a problem I had no reason to downgrade it. I'm on the standard Motorola router that Verizon FIOS used to install (I heard they went to a newer model though in the last year or so).

I agree, but to be sure it's the wireless card, you should disable it and use wired Ethernet for a day or so to make sure the laptop doesn't freeze up. After that, the balls in your court. Some people spent the $50 on a 6300 card to avoid the entire issue completely. Personally, HP should have moved to the newer version after this problem was discovered. Even though they simply OEM the hardware, Intel obviously has no interest in fixing it and have moved onto greener pastures with later revisions... I think HP should do the same.

Honestly, if the Envy is everything you wanted, don't let a simple OEM part ruin your entire experience. I understand the frustration, but before you act, do some research to see how many people returned the laptop on principal and bought a competitors product only to be soured by the lack of aesthetics and perks they liked in the Envy. Then find out how many of them had to pay a restocking fee to go back after they realized that a mere $50 investment would have been worth it in the first place.

Then again... if you don't care about the Envy's strong points, send it back and good luck with your next purchase.

And of course your Mac works great... Steve sells a positive customer experience, not specifically hardware or software; it's just a means to an end. They charge more in order to ensure you are satisfied.

 

Sorry to hear about that... good luck though... sucks when one bad apple ruins the bushel.

 

I have the same router and also have an Envy 17 SB and i downgraded to the version 13 driver (i posted a link in this forum). I have no issues. I'd make sure you have the latest bios and video driver from HP. That seems to be the issue with most here.

 

Thanks for the info. It's good to hear that my router should work with the version 13 driver, and it did seem to be working for a couple hours. I'll try again when I get home tonight. I'm starting to suspect that maybe Windows Update overwrote it when I wasn't paying attention (I did shut down and restart before it started freezing again, can’t remember if there were any updates). I do have the F15 BIOS. That was the first thing I checked when I started it up out of the box. HP has already shipped a new wireless card to me, so we'll see if that makes any difference when I get it.

 

You make a good point. The Envy was pretty much exactly what I was looking for in terms of performance/aesthetics/value, and returning it to go with a competitor (that charges a restocking fee) has its own risks. We'll see if the new wireless card that HP sends me or some other driver makes a difference. If not, maybe a $50 upgrade to the 6300 would be the best option. It just would be nice at this price if the thing worked out of the box!

And I completely agree with your comment about Apple. I got the Macbook Air and Envy for two different purposes, and I wouldn't expect the Air to be able to do a lot of the things that they Envy does. Then again, I thought I would be able to watch a whole Netflix movie on the Envy without freezing.

 

Has anyone managed to install Mac OS on HP's Envy 17 Sandy Bridge ?

 

on a personal note----well its been a great run here in the Envy lounge, but once I carefuly analyzed my own needs converging with the latest refresh, along with the 30% off coupon I couldn't resist pushing submit button on dv7t-quad. Since I began looking to replace my aging dv8000t, these important developments have taken place:

1. The Dv7t ships with the same (optional) 1080p panel found in the std Envy, as verified by folks peaking in device manager. This means 72% color gamut, which I will verify upon receipt and send her back if its not there!

2. The new trackpad/imagepad that has just debuted in the Envy 14, and rumored to be coming on the next Envy 17, hasn't been the resounding slam dunk I was hoping for. So I am going back to the standard clickable button touchpad.

3. The new color scheme for the dv7 is quite attractive. My wife even likes it better than the Envy, lol.

4. The refreshed dv7 has two usb3 ports, and supports SATA III internally as well, so it is well-positioned for SSD.

5. The muxless switchable graphics issue has been resolved in the dv7. morever, with the 6770 switchable, battery life on the dv7 is really quite attractive even with the std 6-cell.

So -- While the Envy still has some clear advantages, I decided not to pony up the $$ for them. The 6770 is good enough for me since I rarely game, and ultimately 3D is not important to me either. The lack of Wireless A is ok with me as well. I will miss the slot-loaded optical drive though... and the backlit keyboard... and 120Hz display...

but for a bit north of a grand, I got:

2630 i7
8GB RAM
1080p display that is the same as used in the std Envy 17
1GB 6770
2x7200rpm 750GB drives, configured separately (no raid)

yum. and when she is built and stable I just might replace one of those 7200 rpm drives with an SSD. it will be great to compare notes with you Envy guys from time to time. cheers!

 

I have had my Envy 17 3D for about four months now...no complaints. Last month, I did purchase a dv7T QE for my son. 2630m, 6 GB of SDRAM, 6770m, Intel 1000 Wireless, HD screen, 9 cell battery and the works. His is the burnt umber version...I must say that the Pavillion line is pretty close to the Envy. Yes...my screen is 120 HZ for the 3D. I do watch DVD's in 3D, plus some moderate gaming with Tri Def. But if you are going to purchase the straight up Envy 17 without 3D vs the Pavillion 17.3 inch...go the Pavillion...no question about it...Envy does 6 GB/s SATA as well. Most features of the non 3D Envy are in the Pavillion, now.

You have a nice machine, there...

 

Hello from a new Envy 17 owner. With the geekweek30 deal it was too hard to pass up. I am unfortunately in the "my computer freezes when trying to download if using the wireless card". I have emailed HP, the response was to reset Internet Explorer. I've emailed them back letting them know I have isolated it to the wireless card (I can download using an Ethernet cable just fine).

In the event I can't come to resolution with HP, is this the correct card to purchase to replace the 6200 ( http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Ultimate-633ANHMW-802-11n-Adapter/dp/B0038A9HSK). I've tried drivers from intel via a link from this forum, going through Intel and using their recommended driver and even using the driver from HP's website. I turned off the option that allowed the computer to turn off the wireless card. All have resulted with frozen computer.

Thanks for all the great help I have already received and any I hope to get.

Dave

 

Dllenno I'm also considering the same thing you just did. Only thing holding me back is the backlit keyboard, the graphics card, and the design of the Envy.

When you say color scheme do you mean the black coloring of the dv7t vs the metallic silver of the Envy with the weird swirls.....

Cuz I def was in best buy the other day looking at the dv6 and dv7 Quad Editions and they look very sexy from a design perspective. In fact I think I like it better than the current l
Envy

 

Sounds like you're in the same boat as me. I tried again with the version 13 Intel drivers last night and updated my router’s firmware, but still had multiple freezes in a row when using wireless (and no freezes at all with ethernet connection). Have you tried calling the Envy support number yet rather than emailing regular HP support? Although they didn't admit that this was a known issue when I called, they at least agreed to send me a new wireless card. It should be here early next week, and I'll post if that fixes the problem. Though I suspect they will just send another 6200, so I don't have high hopes

 

Just something to test. The issue is with certain router chipsets. If you disable N in the router and leave only B/G, does the freezing stop?

Here is another thought....for those with and without freezing...what type of Router and chipset do you have

Mine: D-Link DIR-655 Atheros chipset...no freezing all modes

 

I will admit that my router is a 7 year old Linksys so that could be the problem and that will be different beast to deal with. I still will need to be able to connect to older routers when visiting family, so even if I replaced my router with a new one, the computer still won't work for me.

I will try disabling the 'N' part of the router and leave only B/G, good idea.

HP is also sending me a card and at the same time I am ordering a 6300 today as like tr7372 I think it will likely be the same card and have the same issues. I really want to like this computer, first new laptop for me in 7 years, but it is a bit frustrating that I have to stay connected via ethernet to use it.

I'll keep the board up to date to see if disabling 'N' works. May attempt to unistall the drivers totally and try the link posted back in April works.

Router - Linksys WRT54G.

Thanks All.

 

I came from a dv6t and bought the HP Envy 17 3D with the Geekweek30 coupon.

I have had this computer for about a week and I have yet to have any problems. There's only one thing I dislike about this computer and that is that it is glossy and not matte.

I like the slot load CD drive, displayport, better graphics card, backlit keyboard (that bleeds, but whatever). As for the screen, it's better than the one on the dv6t but I had the old 220 nits AUO version w/ 60% gamut, not the dv7t's 72% gamut 300 nits version. The dv6/7t series is noticeably cheaper in quality, just straight out from the packaging which is not as impressive as the nice box on the HP Envy. For the price I paid for this envy 17 3d, 1119 before tax, you can't beat it.

Either way I'm mostly satisfied with this computer. 120 hz is a great feature. Don't really care much for the 3D but it's a nice screen, 400 nits and very good viewing angles.

Maybe I wish there was thunderbolt?

So far I have not encountered any problems and I hope that the issues posted on this forum are just isolated cases.

 

From what I remember...the Linksys and Buffalo routers (G) had the Broadcom chipset.

 

I like it better too. When I saw the dv7 in costco the other day, in brushed al ("dark umber") and silver I had to tip my hat to the pavilion team. What the Envy has done for "clean desktop" ( not much bloatware and no stickers on the palmrest) the DV7 has done for the case. frankly its simple and elegant and I prefer it because it makes no attempt to show off a design. I'm "ok" with the Envy its cool and many like it, but the DV7's dark umber just speaks to me, lol.

As one who has been Envying the Envy for some time now, I had to do some serious needs analysis, and came up with the fact that I don't need the 6850 and I can live without the backlit keyboard. But If one is the least bit tuned into frame rates and optimizing game performance in a laptop, you'll want the 6850, in my view. I'd hate to see someone settle for the 6770 and risk being disapointed, especially if gaming performance is important. Moreover, the backlit keyboard might be quite useful if you need instant confirmation of where the right keys are in the dark. for me, I type without looking at the keyboard and only rarely do I have to tip the display down to light things up to find "f10" or something.

I do admit that some design aspects of the Envy are still very attractive. for example, the slot load optical drive is just the bees knees. I don't much appreciate seeing a premium laptop with wireless radio problems and having to revert back to old drivers, but they'll fix that in time -- generally the market is pushing mfgs to such frequent release cycles that almost nothing is solid/perfect right out the door on day one, Witness the sandy bridge chipset itself, and of course the Dv7's switchable graphics and Envy's throttling, to name a few examples.

So for you I'd say you gotta know what kind of gaming or graphics intensive work you intend to do, and let that drive your decision. Then, if you watch the keyboard alot and use the laptop in the dark, you will really benefit from the backlit keyboard! good luck we are anxious to see how it turns out for you.

on an interesting side note, within HOURS after I placed my DV7 order, hp suddenly brought back the SSD option! arg. I might ship it back and get HP to configure the SSD for me, but the IT in me suggests that there are faster SSDs on the market than those Intel 160s. So I still might just put in an OCZ myself down the road. SSD technology is still emerging, and I think I'm going to watch things for 6 months to see where things go.

 

I have a Linksys E4200, only a few months old and works great on N with other computers. Not sure about the chipset. A quick Google search suggests Broadcom BCM4331.

On another note, I just got an email from HP support this morning apologizing for "the possible delay in delivery" for the wireless card they are sending me. It's Friday, and I'm feeling optimistic, so for now I'll assume they realized the 6200 has issues and are going to send me a different one By Monday, I'm sure I will change my mind and assume they are purposely delaying it so that I have the computer for more than 21 days and can't return it.

 

Thanks for your analysis. I'm gonna mull over it a for a little bit. While I'm not at all a heavy PC gamer I would like my machine to perform effortlessly during those few times i do choose to boot up SCII...

God IF only the dv7 QE had the backlit keyboard i'd buy it without hesitation....

 

thats indeed a great price jaguare3. I'm invested about the same in my DV7t, but I have 2 yr warranty and dual 7200 rpm disk drives. Right now the Envy quick-ships have 5400 rpm drives and have only 1 year warranty.

 

The SSD that is going to become the "big" thing is the new Kingston HyperX series with Sandforce controller. Seems that it is faster than most and price point is interesting

Kingston HyperX 240GB SSD Review | KitGuru

 

Tried overclocking it for the first time and I hit 90 C in about 6-8 minutes (at which point I shut it off) with 675/1000 mhz core + mem clocks

Gonna try 3dmark 11 at those clocks

 

nice. here's the Kingston press release. good thing I decided to hold off. I'll spring for an SSD when I'm ready, but this Kingston puppy looks attractive, and comes in two sizes, both bare and packaged with bracketry

Kingston Technology Company - Press Releases - Kingston Digital Ships SandForce-based HyperX SSD

 

I completely agree. It would be nice if everything worked out of the box like the MBA, but then you'd probably have to pay as much for the Envy as you did for the MBA. Generally speaking though, if you got an almost flawless Envy and the only major problem is the incompatibility between the OEM wireless card + current drivers with your home router, then that $50 is worth securing your investment into this laptop. I personally would not have to think twice about upgrading the card if I started to have problems.

However, I also wish I had bought a cheaper Envy and did post upgrades myself like Fiver did. But alas, I did get a good deal on my Envy so I'm using what was given to me. I'll monitor the future Ivy bridge to determine if I'll buy a new laptop in a year and pass this one down my family; or upgrade it if the price is right compared to a new laptop.

 

90C isn't that bad. The clocks you set are the desktop settings for 6850

 

If I upgrade from my Intel X-25, that is what I am going to upgrade to. I just want to monitor what prices will be like between now and end of the year. Kingston's price point seems better than Corsair or Intel. Right there with Crucial

 

yea post-purchase upgrades are a great idea. I decided on a balance (ugh. sorry no political reference intended)-- I configured my DV7 with dual 7200rpm HDDs for great performance now, allowing me to replace the primary HDD with an SDD later. At the last minute I almost sprang for the 160GB Intel that HP is now shipping with the DV, but in the end I decided that the market has leap frogged those and will continue to improve in coming months. Thanks bobmitch for the Kingston pointer I get EPP there...

 

dlleno, Bobmitch, and cam121, nice to see that you guys are still here. I've lurked a bit, but have not posted in a while. I'll have to catch up this weekend on the posts and contribute. Still loving my Envy! <3

KJ

 

GREAT to see you. Look forward to catching up!

 

great to hear from you KJ! I've jumped ship to the DV7 so I hope you guys don't dis-own me I still like it here

 

So I've gone on an overclocking rampage today

Judging by the temperatures, overclocking is not very feasible for an actual game as the temperatures reach as high as 93 C in Crysis 2 DX11 (short playthrough ~ 10 min).

However for benchmarking you could probably max out the clocks and if you wanted to, increase voltage, because the 3dmark11 tests are very short and the GPU is only stressed enough to reach around 78 celsius.

Here's my 3dmark 11 score with an overclock of 725 core and 1000 memory

P2377, graphics score 2140 - greater than a GTX 470m and 560m

AMD Radeon HD 6850M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor,Hewlett-Packard 159B score: P2377 3DMarks

I intend on maxing out the clocks at stock voltage and running it again

 

Update on the wireless card issues.

Came home from work and turned off 'N' using the 14.0.1.2 firmware. No luck. Would freeze computer pretty quickly.

Had a little trouble removing 14.0.1.2 and finally successfully installed 13.5.06. Turning off 'N' allowed me to download the same file that has been freezing the computer. I do not have the Intel WiFi ability though. I ran Pandora for a good two hours with no Freeze's and will try downloading on it later tonight.

HP has sent me a new wireless card. At the same time I have ordered a 6300 WiFi card from Amazon, so if the problem is fixed with HP's effort I will return the 6300 card otherwise I hopefully will have all the features the computer was meant to have AND internet connectivity.

 

I went for the maximum overclock of 750/1170, and my processor apparently throttled. I got a 3dmark score of 1948, which is well below what I got yesterday.

However, my graphics score improved to 2205.

AMD Radeon HD 6850M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor,Hewlett-Packard 159B score: P1948 3DMarks

Edit: Realized I put HP CoolSense on, which may have throttled my processor.

 

I've had my HP Envy 17 3D for around 5 months and is anyone having problems enabling the Aero effects? I dont know why but my laptop has been having trouble with that and I know my laptop is capable of using it. I have all the requirements for Aero . Help?

 

A screenshot or more details about what exactly is going wrong would be useful

 

Hey everyone. New Envy 17 3D owner here and new to the forum. I also have freezing issues. The freezing only happens when I'm on my router at home (Netgear WNDR3700) and not on the one at work (Linksys E1000) so I know it's the Wifi card. I checked out the Netgear website and the new WNDR4000 router info says it works great when combined with a intel 6300 card. Thinking about going that route. What do u guys think?

 

Wireless card update:

I was supposed to receive a new wireless card from HP today to address the freezing issue, but I did not. When I called the Envy support line (after waiting on hold for 45 minutes), all the rep could tell me was that my order was pending and that "there was a shortage for my particular unit". He could not say if I would receive another 6200 or some other card, and he could not say when it might be shipped. He also apologized for their system being slow due to the rain they're having tonight As the clock ticks down to 21 days, I'm starting to lose faith in HP's customer support. The person I talked to on Friday was convinced that she was one hour ahead of me because she's in the central time zone and I'm in the eastern time zone (she eventually figured it out after I told her what time it currently said on my computer). Though I will say that the first person I talked to last week (the one that promised the new wireless card that hasn't shown up) seemed on the ball.

So I'm left wondering if there is a shortage because they're waiting for more 6200s, or because they're going to send a different card as a replacement.

 

Update on wireless. I recieved a paid for by me Intel Centrino 6300 yesterday, uninstalled the old drivers, turned computer off, swapped cards, turned computer on and let Windows install new drivers. I do hope I am not jinxing myself, but everything now works.

The bit of humor (and I feel bad for tr7372 on this) is I ordered this card an hour after HP said they were going to send me one. The first email I recieve when running on the new card is I have a card on the way from HP. I'll likely laugh less when if 6300 card arrives, but the $35 was well spent.

tr7372, I am with you on the 21 days. I was getting worried about that and had decided that at 20 days I would return the computer and start looking again (if the geekweek30 discount is over).

 

Thanks for the update. I don't want to jinx you, but I'm glad to hear that the 6300 seems to be working. An update to my last update: about an hour after I talked to the Envy support line last night and was told the wireless card they were sending would be delayed due to a shortage, I received a voicemail from HP saying that it wouldn't be shipped until August 22nd. Needless to say, I was very annoyed by that because that meant it would arrive exactly 22 days after delivery of my Envy. Then an hour after the voicemail, I received an email with a tracking number indicating that my wireless card will be arriving today. So we'll see what it is tonight (the parts description only says “802.11 A/G/N WLAN HF minicard”, and if it's another 6200, I think I will be ordering a 6300.

 

HP will extend your 21 day limit if you are in the process of waiting on repairs due to delays on their side. You just have to ask nicely and generally an extra week or two can be granted. However, to be sure, you should get this extension prior to the initial 21 day expiration being met. If you waited too long, you can request an RMA on the 21st day and then you have 48 hours (i think) to print out the label and another 3 days (I think) to drop the laptop off. However, I wouldn't try to float the RMA process in case something prevents you from meeting the various deadlines.

Glad to hear the 6300 worked. The forums are full of people who switched and never had a problem after that. Sure it's sad that the Envy didn't work for everybody right out of the box, but a simple $35 oem part today will ensure you enjoy your Envy in the years to come. I'm considering buying one myself if Verizon replaces my older router.

 

So I got the new wireless card from HP yesterday, and it was another 6200. I installed it, and used my Envy for 3-4 hours (including streaming Netflix and Pandora) with no freezes. Maybe I did just have a bad card initially? I ordered a 6300 anyway. It seemed like a good $35 insurance policy.

I do have a total newbie question about the 6300. It has posts for 3 antennae, but the Envy only has 2 wires. I know you can use the 6300 with 2, but if I got a third, how do I install it (i.e. where does the end not attached to the card go)? I'm not terribly comfortable poking around inside laptops, but if it's easy to add the 3rd antenna, I could do it.