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

Hmm as someone who just ordered an Envy with 12GB I'm very interested to hear what others say about this as well....

I haven't heard anything negative about it though and I hope that it isn't the case (of course).

 

it would take a pretty specialized app to even matter, if at all, it seems to me. I mean, maybe some serious virtualization (requiring the 2820 instruction set) -- 3 multiple virtual machines each consuming 4GB ,for example. By the time you get to the point where you notice or can measure the impact, the price for 8GB sticks will likely have dropped and you could always replace the 4 GB stick with an 8GB stick!

 

Hi Hawk - I saw that on a recent post of yours, which started me thinking about what I had read re: 12GB RAM. I'll wait with you until someone can school us...

One big issue so far with the Envy 3D I received today is that Windows doesn't seem to recognize my two internal drives properly. I'm supposed to have a 300GB SDD and 750GB HDD, both of which I can see when I check System Information in the BIOS, but when Windows starts I only have C (539GB) and D (recovery - 18.6GB) listed in My Computer. When I run the WEI, I get good scores on everything, except for hard drive performance (5.9), which is the same as what I had on my old non-SSD Envy.

Does anyone have an idea as to what happened here? I was thinking about doing a System Recovery from the DVDs I had them include with the order, but does this stand a chance of fixing things? I upgraded the BIOS from F15 to F16, but this didn't do anything.

One more thing: in Device Manager, under drives, only "RAID 0" is listed. There is no specific make or model listed there. Might this mean that they once again configured an SSD and HDD in RAID?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Sound like they may have set your system to RAID 0 but Bobmitch and dlleno would have to double confirm that for yah.

When did you order this Envy?

 

ugh ugh ugh it looks like HP factory has slipped back into old habits. yes I do believe they have once again configured the SSD+HDD in RAID. ugh. The key evidence here is :

1. RAID 0 is listed
2. your total space is equal to twice that of the smallest drive in the pair, i.e. the 300GB SSD.

NBR member bobmitch has written up a guide on how to correct this yourself. it involves 'breaking the RAID', repairing the master boot record, and re-installing windows. If you are interested in tackling that, the procedure is quite doable, although not for the faint of heart.

your other options range from sending it back to HP to fix, or returning yours and ordering a new one on the hopes that the problem is fixed. I don't recomend the latter unless there is someting wrong with your Envy other than the RAID. for example, have you checked for dead pixels using the dead pixel buddy (software download)? if you find a dead pixel, thats a reason to send her back and order another one. Have you checked for cosmetic blemishes? if so, send her back.

If she is perfect in every way except the RAID foolishness, then I would not send her back, or you risk getting a less than perfect laptop the 2nd time around. instead I would correct this yourself, by using the bobmitch guide.

 

Couple of things. Sounds about right on the RAID 0. Basically what you get is double the size of the smallest drive...so you (with C and D) are around 600 GB of total space. Your setup is wrong, and my guide to breaking up RAID will allow you to get the 300 GB SSD as your C, the 750 GB HDD as D and Recovery as E (although by breaking up RAID, you are going to lose the recovery partition)...so MAKE SURE to make your recovery disks...before you do anything...

BTW...RAID 0 with the SSD and HDD...defeats the speed of the SSD and no longer allows TRIM to work, so as time goes on...the SSD will get slower and slower...

Here is the guide for you to follow. I suggest keeping a copy handy on another computer as you do the work...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...ay-fix-hp-envy-17-3d-pavillion-notebooks.html

You get a .pdf file from Megaupload...which will walk you through each and every step. If you have questions...I am around here alot...don't hesitate to ask...

 

Thanks for confirming dlleno.

Didn't another member call HP and ask them NOT to setup the RAID 0? And they actually followed thru? I'm thinking if he sends it back and asks for a replacement (rather than a repair) they may honor his request....

That sucks tho that they went back to that old habit.

 

I agree with dlleno...if the machine is all good, except the RAID issue...DO NOT send it back. The guide will help you through the entire situation. It is going to consume some time on your part, but when done...the machine will run properly and you will see the benefit of the SSD. I cannot say it enough...before you undo anything...

1. Make Recovery disks...
2. Under tools...create a system repair disc...in case the methods in the guide don't work (they normally do...but this is also an easy way)
3. Get a dual layer disk and copy the entire SWSETUP folder
4. If your Envy 17 is a 3D model...copy the C:\Program Files (x86)\TriDef3D folder...this contains your Envy 17 3D license for the 3D software

If you do all this...you should have no problems getting the machine back to "Out of the Box" condition. Mind you if you do a system restore off the DVD's and choose FULL...everything will be restored for you including all included software like: TriDef, Adobe Premiere and Photoshop Elements, MS Security Essentials, Cyberlink PowerDVD and DVD burn suit, and the whole ball of wax. If you do a minimal install...you get the OS, and drivers and will have to install TriDef from their website and license it with your key...Photoshop Elements, Premiere Elements, Cyberlink PowerDVD, DVD suite and most are in the SWSETUP folder with the machine's drivers. Again...we are here to help

 

its possible that, via the support and/or resolutions departments, one can make a personal request and get HP to fix this. so billfark if you are adverse to going through the fix-it-yourself process AND your Envy is in perfect cosmetic condition with no dead pixel, that would be the best approach to take. it will take some persistance but truthfully the way HP set up your machine is not officially supported by HP! So if you prefer to have HP fix this, you have plenty of ammunition and you should be succesful.

on EDIT: to clarify, the only "send it back" approach I am suggesting is to send yours back in for repair, and that is when you choose not to fix it yourself.

bobmitch another thing I've soliified in m mind, during the process of discussing this with TheAtreidesHawk . to preserve your adopbe software licenses, run Belarc Advisor, which will report (display) the adobe license keys (serial numbers) before you break the raid. write these down or print the Belarc page. then, when re- building everything, re-install the adobe software from swsetup or download from whereever (even adobe) and type in the license keys to complete the install.

 

I did! I have a contact in Customer Relations...and he got the situation remedied. I will let him know it is happening again. This is the first time in four months that this issue has re-surfaced...

OK...I am back...just fired off an email. He gets into the office at 7AM Mountain time...he knows what to do...This should stop pretty quickly...

 

My order's been "Dropped to the Factory"....YES!!!!

Come on baby. Lets get this show started....but of course I want HP to take all the time it needs to build it perfectly. I'd rather they take extra time to ensure excellent build quality and no defects rather than build it in 1 day and ship it out 4 days in advance....

Still I'm excited knowing how great the last one was (aside from that minor issue on the left side).

 

Thanks Bobmitch, I guess I learned it the hard way. The screen is back again after system restore.

About the heat, it's a real issue now. Last night the Envy just just shut down because of "thermal" issue even after Coolsense is on "Performance Mode." I was playing COD WF2 at the time, so maybe it was too a hardcore game for the Envy 17 to handle? (I shouldn't think so).

So I turned Coolsense to Coolest mode, and turned down the graphics on MW2. So far so good.

I'm thinking about asking HP to repair the system because of the heat, as it's still under warranty, but it's not technically "broken."

Any advice?

 

Make sure that the intake vent on the bottom left of the machine isn't blocked when you are gaming. I learned long ago to either elevate the machine to allow air underneath, or actually game with it in my lap...never gets that hot. By setting to coolest mode, it should disable turbo boost, which will let the processor run at rated speed...this will keep it cooler and plenty of power as well. Turbo boost can certainly generate more heat.

As for getting the system back to normal...always keep a copy of "Driver Sweeper" on the hard drive. It took me a few tries to clean up the mess...but Driver Sweeper was a great help to me. Boot to safe mode and simply uninstall AMD graphics drivers...reboot. Reinstall your HP drivers and things should be back to normal. Mine got a bit more complicated, because I installed Catalyst 11.8 drivers over my HP drivers to keep the AMD card up to date...and I think it may have messed with some registy settings. I had to finally clean up two or three things there to get it all back. Reinstalled the HP drivers (CCC failed), but when I installed the Catalyst 11.8's again...switchable graphics was configurable again and CCC worked fine...go figure! Love the Envy...wish there was an Nvidia option for video...AMD always complicates things...although when their cards work well...the video is beautiful...as you can see...

 

Hi Hawk - I just ordered this about 10-15 days ago and received it today via 2nd day shipping. Hopefully they do you right on the one they just sent to you!

Thanks to you, DL, and Bobmitch for confirming this for me. I thought RAID would show only 300GB, but your explanations make sense. I long ago saved a copy of BM's guide, but I was hoping not to need it. Looks like I have some homework to do!

Since I'm within the 21-day period, I will try the steps in the guide, but if I have any problems and brick the Envy it's going right back due to the RAID being set up in the first place. Hopefully since Bobmitch notified his contact that this is happening again I can get some leeway if I need it.

There aren't really any major cosmetic defects, including no dead pixels that I can see, but I will run a check to make sure.

I'm sure I'll be back with questions once I get started with this after work tomorrow. Gotta remember to get some blank DVD+Rs. It's good to know there is help if I need it. This is greatly appreciated!

Kevin

 

Hi Bobmitch - While reading the previous posts about how to do the steps in your guide, I always wondered what I should do if I have the system recovery DVDs (with Windows 7 Home Premium) that I ordered with the computer. Should I just not use them and do steps 1-4 from above, or will they replace any of the items on your list, especially if I just do a FULL install? I'm not concerned with bloatware, as I think this system ships pretty lean to begin with.


Again, many thanks to you, DL, Hawk, and others who have made this thread required reading for any Envy 17 owner. In fact, they should make folks read this thread in full BEFORE buying an Envy!
-Kevin

 

Use the ones you purchased...they should definately work

 

This week mine started overheating while playing TF2. It's sitting on a desk in a room that's like 72 degrees. I'll try elevating it more, but hopefully this isn't a bad sign

 

I used Bobmitch's guide to fix the RAID issue last night and everything looks good now. WEI now shows a 7.6 for hard drive performance, up from 5.9. I have three drives: OS (C), recovery (D), and Data (F). The OS and recovery partitions are on the SSD and the data drive shows 100% free space on the HDD!

Two questions for Bobmitch:
In your guide, you say to make a bootable floppy or CD with the HDDErase software. I made a bootable flash drive with the software, but I didn't see any mention of what to do with this drive in the guide.

Also, after I did the system restore (from the DVDs that were included with the Envy from HP), I didn't get the "No bootable OS detected" message. I did not do the two "bootrec" commands, but since I'm able to boot into Windows, this should not be an issue, correct? When I set up the HDD in Administrative Tools\Computer Management, there was a dialog box that had "MBR" as an option, so I chose that. I forget what the exact question was on that box (sorry, it was late), but since everything is working I'll assume this is OK.

Bottom line: I now have the SSD/HDD combo that I paid for. I will install the Intel SSD toolbox and the other fixes/tips that I've saved from reading this thread. If anything looks odd, I know where to come! I had issues with my old Envy freezing when downloading/trasferring large files via wireless, so I may start by installing the 6300 card I just got.

Thanks again,
Kevin

 

nice work Kevin. Your outcome is interesting, and suggests that the recovery disks that HP produces are CORRECT, at least with regards to the disk expectations and master boot record, and that the magic MBR fix for the SSD is not necessary anymore. I do wonder why the recovery partition is on the SSD though. that just consumes space there where it is not needed. However, since you have the recovery disks, and proven them to be succesful you can delete the recovery partition entirely as it is not needed anway. For additional amusment, you could even produce a second set of recovery disks to compliment those shipped from HP.

be sure to flash the SSD firmware by following HP's instructions. the process involves downloading an ISO file from Intel and burning the bootable optical disk using windows, via right-click, burn, then booting from the optical's own free-DOS environment.

other happy optimizations to consider include moving certain files to the HDD. IE Temporary Internet files and firefox cache are high on my list, as the write activity is high and the performance of the SSD isn't really beneficial. Incidently, on the controversial topic of moving the page file to the HDD, I elected to keep it on the SSD as Microsoft recommends. I also disabled hibernation which freed up a few GB by eliminating the hiberfil.sys file.

 

There you are...answers above

 

Dlleno...

Know what's odd. I have the Intel X-25M SSD that HP shipped with in April. When I try to update the firmware, tells me no disk installed. Something to do with the way HP has the SATA ports configured. I think the only way for me to flash is to remove the disk...put it in my desktop and flash it. Then put back in the Envy...

Sometimes HP really makes me scratch my head...

 

Thanks Bob and DL - Yes, I'll probably delete the recovery partition if it's not needed. This will also free up "D" so I can set up the data drive on it. Call me a little OCD, but I'd like to have C (OS), D (data) and E (Bluray). It was getting a bit late last night to be messing with this, though.

I'm not sure on whether to set up the page file on SSD or HDD, but I would prefer the option that would lead to longer life for the system in general. To avoid too much writing on the SSD, I'm leaning towards putting it on the HDD. With 12GB RAM I don't expect too much page file activity anyway, but I recognize the need to have it there so I do not plan to remove the page file completely.

While reading this thread all the way through, I saved a list of tips, updates, tricks, tests, etc... that I will try. For now, I will probably just do Windows Updates (except the video drivers, of course), update the SSD firmware, check to see if AHCI is enabled, install the SSD toolbox and just enjoy having a great new computer.

I'm intrigued by the possibility of viewing regular 2D movies and games in 3D, as I've seen some folks mention on this thread. I also need to learn how to properly maintain an SSD, since I've never really used one in a system before. Plenty of time to do this, and I'm sure I'll be back with questions.

-Kevin

 

My pagefile is on HDD, not SSD. As far as watching regular DVD's in 3D...only works if the copy protection isn't present on discs. If you also have movie files on your HDD...those should play back in 3D. Games are a different story. For those games with TriDef profiles...unbelievable!

 

@billfark

Is this your first laptop with an SSD? If so have the improvements been truly noticeable in your opinion?

 

wow. and you and I probably have the same 160GB SSD. in my case, the firmware update worked without a hitch using the bootable disk in the DV7 . don't that beat all....

 

Well all I have decided to join the community and see what my new HP Envy 17" can offer. The down side is that after shipment it arrived with a fault HDD and is being replaced hopefully today. I am glad to have found this community and will definetely be looking over all of the suggested changes/apps from others.

I do have a couple of questions; since my original HDD was faulty I am curious if my HP Quick Web feature is gone? How do you normally access this or was it something stored on the drive itself that needs to be reinstalled? Also has anyone else purchased an Envy 17" from HP.com recently and not received a 2gb SD card containing electronic documents?

Thank you beforehand regarding any follow-ups to these questions and I hope to be enjoying my Envy shortly.

---------------
HP Envy 17": Intel Core i7-2630QM | ATI Radeon HD 6850M GDD5 | 6 GB DDR3 System Memory | 750GB 7200RPM HDD| 17.3" Full HD | Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner

 

@Bobmitch
Thanks for the info re: 3D and page file. I'm not sure if it's copy protected, but I'll check out my digital copy of LOTR and see if I can see some 3D Hobbits! I'll probably put the page file on the HDD, but I welcome any suggestions from others on why they would keep it on the OS drive.

@Hawk
I finished the RAID fix at about 2AM, so I haven't really done anything on this machine yet. It's here with me at work, but I can't do much with it. Boot time is about 35 seconds, which is better than the 1:15 I was getting on the non-SSD Envy I had two weeks ago. I'll eventually get to some benchmarking, but probably not until this weekend at the earliest.

@Vanyun
Welcome aboard! I did not receive an SD card with the Envy I received yesterday. I think they stopped including these a while back.

-Kevin

 

here's why I left the pagefile on my SSD.

Should the pagefile be placed on SSDs?

Yes. Most pagefile operations are small random reads or larger sequential writes, both of which are types of operations that SSDs handle well.

In looking at telemetry data from thousands of traces and focusing on pagefile reads and writes, we find that

•Pagefile.sys reads outnumber pagefile.sys writes by about 40 to 1,
•Pagefile.sys read sizes are typically quite small, with 67% less than or equal to 4 KB, and 88% less than 16 KB.
•Pagefile.sys writes are relatively large, with 62% greater than or equal to 128 KB and 45% being exactly 1 MB in size.
In fact, given typical pagefile reference patterns and the favorable performance characteristics SSDs have on those patterns, there are few files better than the pagefile to place on an SSD.
​

Support and Q&A for Solid-State Drives - Engineering Windows 7 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

 

I was trying to enable AHCI, but the guides I read say to first make sure this is enabled in the BIOS. I checked through all the BIOS screens, but I don't see anything showing what mode I'm currently in, nor are there any options to change this. I have a list of what to do in the registry, but I don't want to mess with it if I'm supposed to change this first in the BIOS (f.16).

EDIT:
I found an old post from Bobmitch that indicates there is no setting in the BIOS, so I think I will proceed. His post is listed below.

The motherboard has ICH10 controller...which contains AHCI. There is no setting in the bios...but that is because I believe it is running by default. On my desktop...once I ran the HDD's in RAID...AHCI is a given.

That should do it...

Thanks,
Kevin

 

yea same for the DV7 -- you can check the registry to make sure msahci is allowed to start, but odds are it is. even if the BIOS allows the change, one should enable the service in the registry prior to telling the BIOS to use it!

..imagine forcing AHCI in the BIOS, and then when Win7 starts, it won't allow ahci to run . brick.

 

Got it. I enabled AHCI in the registry and all seems to be well. Thanks for the info on this and on the page file. Still not sure what I'm going to do with that, but I will think about it. I will definitely put the temporary internet files on the HDD though.

-Kevin

 

Thanks for responding about the SSD billfark. I hear what you're saying about it all being relatively new but just from the initial stuff you posted I'm quite hopeful....

On average guys does a 5400 RPM HDD run a lot quieter than a 7200 RPM HDD?

 

No worries. I think they made yours around the same time as mine so you may be set up with RAID. If so, don't sweat the fix from Bobmitch's guide. It took about 2 hours, but most of that was just the computer doing its thing.

My only mistake was starting it at 12AM...

 

No I actually will be buying my own SSD and installing it myself so I won't have to worry about RAID. Especially since I bought the Envy with only 1 HDD.

Now I'm just deciding whether or not I should return this WD internal HDD and get this new Samsung single platter one that I've been hearing so much about lately....Since I'm just using the HDD in the 2nd slot does it truly matter if its 7200 RPM or 5400 RPM? I'm just as concerned with having a quiet drive in that slot with lots of space.

I ran across this in another thread on NBR
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SpinPo...dp/B0053YLTBC/

And this is what I currently have in my possession.....
Amazon.com: Western Digital WD Scorpio Black 500 GB SATA II 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM 2.5 Inch Mobile Hard drive - WD5000BPKT: Electronics

But now I'm thinking I may be served better by the Samsung HDD...it looks like it has new tech as well?

 

what are you guys observing for Coolsense behavior? on my DV7 I'm noticing the following:

1. performance optimized appears to allow the i7 to turbo but will shut down turbo mode if needed, apparently to keep temps below the mid 90s on my tests. This is testing with prime 64. when I add furmark on the 6770 to the mix, she throttles back to 1700. I suspect CoolSense is still trying to prevent temps higher than the mid 90s, as I cannot achieve anything higher. I found it impossible to run all four cores at 2000 while furmark was running on the 6770. Overall this is not a bad approach for a consumer laptop such as the DV7 anyway. It was also amusing to see furmark run on the IGP, at 3fps. the i7 throttled back to 1700 and temps stayed below the mid 90s

it appears coolsense has really been dialed in to protect against high temps, and will do whatever it takes, including CPU throttling, even in this mode.

2. coolest mode is also amusing to watch, and very effective. it prevents turbo mode and even throttles the i7 back to 1700 or even further (lowest I saw was 1200) if needed to keep temps in the mid 70s with the fan running full tilt. most of the time I could run all four cores at 2000 and still keep things cool. thats without furmark of course. Really, this could be useful for general purpose work just to maximize laptop life.

3. quietest mode is silly, to me, but she does throttle things waaaaay back so that the fan can whisper quiet.

no cooling pads in use. just used a hard surface with the back propped up as if I had the 9 cell battery in there (which I don't).

 

Lol thanks for that information. I don't think I'm gonna install after I've done the fresh install...

 

Mine was also Raid 0 with the SSD & HDD so I called HP and after some negotiation got them to offer a check for $150 to compensate for having the repair done at a local computer service firm. I accepted the offer and it is being repaired to the proper configuration right now....due to be compled on Monday.

 

Hi Al - Good on you for getting them to send you some money in return. Hopefully you didn't pay too much to have this fixed, or maybe the next person can pocket the money after doing the steps in Bobmitch's guide for free! Hmm... where did I put that HP customer service number?

It's disappointing that they didn't learn from their mistake from a few months ago. I'm thinking that the recurrence of this issue may have to do with the newer 300GB SSD drives they are offering. Maybe they fixed it for the 160GB SSD machines from that time, but not for these. I don't know how many recent orders with SSD/HDD combos have been affected.

-Kevin

 

Thats excellent work man. Congrats. Did they actually require you to show them documentation or some kind of proof that you had to take it someplace like say Best Buy's "Geek Squad" (lol) to get it fixed?

Or did they just take your word and just give you the money rather than risk you sending it back?

 

I put the service tech on the line at the service company office to explain what he would do and the charges. The first HP cust. service person just kept repeating that I should send it back but I explained that I didn't have time to do that and needed the new laptop right away to replace a failed old laptop. At that point she elevated the call to another person who asked for the reason again why I didn't just send it back. I stated that I was going to go ahead with the local service and would appreciate their covering the cost. They then stated (after a long wait) that I could just pay for the local service and they would mail the check directly to me. I accepted and thanked them for the help.

 

HP 17 3d (SB) stuck CD: just inserted a CD, and it won't play, and indeed, on trying to eject it, I get whirs and stepper motor noises, but it won't eject at all.

How do I get the CD out, given I can't see any "manual eject" holes on the outside ?
I havea sinking feeling this will end up going back to HP, despite being only a few months old

 

wait how did you enable AHCI in the bios?

 

Hi Alf - I wasn't able to find a setting for this in the BIOS, but an older post by Bobmitch (below) and a newer post from Dlleno (pg 623) confirmed that AHCI should already be enabled in BIOS. Just do the steps below and you should be all set!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobmitch

1. Startup "Regedit
2. Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlset / Services
3. Open msahci
4. In the right field left click on "start" and go to Modify
5. In the value Data field enter "0" and click "ok"
6. exit "Regedit"
7. Reboot Rig and your SSD and HDD are in AHCI mode

On the Envy...item 5 is defaulted to 3 (which means off). Put the 0 in and follow the rest. Because our SSD / HDD combo are running off the Intel Storage manager RAID drivers...AHCI drivers are already installed...

also...

The motherboard has ICH10 controller...which contains AHCI. There is no setting in the bios...but that is because I believe it is running by default. On my desktop...once I ran the HDD's in RAID...AHCI is a given.

That should do it...

 

when the "as shipped" configuration does not include an SSD, its prudent to check the registry for this value. Win7 msahci should be enabled even in the HDD confiuration but as bobmich points out this is not always the case. better safe than sorry...

 

I have been watching this forum for the last few weeks, debating whether or not to get the envy 17. Well I finally purchased Aug 30 and was so excited when it shipped faster than I thought, with the labor day holiday, I got my new Envy 17 3D on Thursday the 8th.

I didn't have an opportunity to play with it much on Thursday, so Friday I really delved in. Well thats when I had my first blank screen issue. All of a sudden my entire screen went blank and wouldn't come back on during normal mode, only in safe mode. I think I saw on this forum that you should do a system restore, so I did since my computer was brand new and I didnt have anything that I would have lost.

So over the weekend i finally was able to get all of my files transferred from my old desktop, install all my programs, etc. Then last night it did it again. I was on the phone with customer service for about an hour, and had to do another system restore.

I'm just really annoyed and I don't even want to put my files and programs back on this comp if I'm just going to have to keep doing a system restore.

I guess my reason for posting is just to vent and to see if anyone had these problems more than a few times.

I think I'm returning this comp. I just can't keep restoring the comp and losing my files.

 

Sounds like the infamous "Windows Update" issue, where AMD drivers written by Microsoft get installed. After you restored the system one more time, go into Windows Update and change the settings. Use "Check for Updates, but let me choose which ones to install" Then when you see one for AMD drivers...choose "Hide this update" Don't ever let Windows update install video drivers for ANY card...they are the biggest problem you will ever have. You can update drivers by going to your product page and downloading updates for your machine (Hardware related) from HP. Windows updates are for security updates and the like...

See if that keeps the blank screen from coming back

One more thought: IF the blank screen returns...shut down and get into Safe mode. You hold F8 on bootup and that should get you into safe mode...If you get into safe mode with video...then you know it's the video drivers. To assure that they are removed properly...get driver sweeper here:

http://www.phyxion.net/Driver-Sweeper/Driver-Sweeper/

Make sure it's installed BEFORE you run windows update again. Should you have the issue...just uninstall AMD / ATI drivers in safe mode and reboot...this should cure the blank screen issue. Then just reinstall the driver release from HP.

The blank screen issue has become a problem only after Windows updates that contain AMD driver updates...I don't believe that anyone has had "Hardware" related issues that cause this

 

I'm glad to know that I wasn't the only other person recently who had the blank screen issue. It came right after my faulty HDD was replaced (it's been really bothersome to get this laptop up and running for me). I also would suggest disabling the video driver updates from MS as it corrected my blank screen issue.

I am a little concerned though with my power adapter now. I noticed the other night while gaming on the Envy (finally it seems) my power supply would make a soft buzzing sound and then a few seconds later repeat that sound (but only while the laptop is powered on). It continued to do the buzzing after closing the game (at the desktop).

The adapter does charge both of my batteries along with it's able to run the laptop without a battery installed. Functionality-wise it appears to be fine but should I be concerned with this buzzing or is it normal for adaptors to do this?

I'm hoping it's normal as perhaps it's "trickle charging" the laptop battery. Keep in mind folks, this is my first laptop purchase in 10-11 years so my first laptop charger may have never trickle charged and perhaps I'm just not used to the sound of one that does. Also I swear I hear things some people cannot as my wife cannot hear a buzzing sound from our Wii's wireless charging dock that occurs after the remotes are fully charged. I'm starting to think I'm a dog...

---------------
HP Envy 17": Intel Core i7-2630QM | ATI Radeon HD 6850M GDD5 | 6 GB DDR3 System Memory | 750GB 7200RPM HDD| 17.3" Full HD | Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner

 

Chances are it's normal. I have exceptional hearing too and I can hear a similar buzzing sound coming from other electronic chargers but I've never heard it from my Envy's. Then again, my Envy charger is on the floor which might be far enough away to be noticeable. The Belkin power tap + USB I purchased makes a similar sounding buzz that my girlfriend cannot hear.

 

Hmmm, I wonder if anybody can help me out here. I've been using my Envy 17 mainly connected to my external keyboard, mouse and monitor. I have the monitor connected via HDMI. The laptop is "hidden" away in a drawer, thus there isn't any easy way to turn it on other than to open the drawer, open the lid and hit the power button. I've since become very familiar with using the sleep function and hitting a key press to wake up the laptop. However, while the laptop wakes up, it won't display any graphics until I open and close the lid. Is there anyway to force is to output to the HDMI connected display without having to open/close the lid?

Do we know if the envy supports power on from keyboard press? I haven't checked the bios recently but one of my old computers supported this and then I could turn off the device instead of putting it to sleep. Just wondering... I can live with sleep mode but opening/closing the lid is getting on my nerves.

 

Bobmitch -

Thank you so much for your helpful information! That makes a lot of sense, because the first day I had the blank screen I had installed the recommended updates and then I did yesterday as well!

I really hope that is the issue - I love the computer so far so I would have been sad to see it go.

Thank you again.