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

Success! Now I am sure my last ENVY was faulty, so glad I sent it back within 30 days and got this one. What I did:

1. Made a recovery USB flash disc (32GB). Only about 17GB gets used!
2. Took out both 500GB RAIDED discs and installed a single Intel 160GB SSD.
3. Booted off the USB recovery and everything installed on the SSD after an hour. (Note until now I had not changed anything in BIOS or RAID settings and RAID menu did not show despite UI being enabled in BIOS). The laptop ran normally with one SSD installed and it created another recovery D drive.
4. Inserted the second 500GB hard drive in 2nd bay from my original RAID configuration. When I booted the RAID UI showed an error and Windows start up hung.
5. Rebooted - deleted RAID from UI and computer booted ok but only showed SSD drive.
6. Went to Computer Management and selected unused drive and formatted it as a second data hard drive.
7. Now I have a 160GB boot drive C with D recovery drive partition and a full 500GB E drive.

Thanks to BobMitch and Gunny for all the tips. In the end I did not need any part of the user guide or MBR fixes mentioned by Bob and it seems the HP recovery USB flash disc handled everything itself besides the hick up in point 4 above because I was using an old RAID disc. I actually tried another old non RAID disc beforehand in 2nd drive and the hang up in 4 never happened and I could see the drive immediately in Windows.

 

Great to hear! Congrats...you machine just got much faster...Use the optimization guide and move the pagefile and the machine should really fly...

 

Register via that web page and keep an eye on your warranty...it should change within a few days

 

You might want to consider adding an extra year with accidental warranty to whatever you purchase. HP's warranty is pretty good. Most retailers have a vendor they deal with if you add warranty. See which is less expensive, my bet...HP...

 

Hello Palatkik ~~ Glad you got her up and running the way YOU want it to be. She is one sweet PC is she not! I told you Bobmitch would come to the rescue after the holidays, he is a true Guru and one of the best on the board! I would have followed your exact steps except I would have done one prior to starting. I would have removed the RAID Array from the disc's and made them normal drives prior, that way you would have avoided the small hiccup and could have even kept what ever you had put on the drive after the conversion. Other than that, sweet! HP will connect to your system through the Internet and update your BIOS warranty date. I don't know exactly when they do it, but they do as you have seen. When mine came back from repair, it was all zero's as well, but now shows 10/03/2011, which is the correct date. If you check your warranty via the HP Support Assistant, I bet it will show the correct date as well, since they normally sync at the same time! I'm really happy that everything has finally got straight and your able to sit back and fully appreciate your Envy! Nothing better than an Envy!!

Hello Robarino ~~ I won't go through a rehash of everything since one of the resident Guru's (Bobmitch) has already done so, as his advice is always sound! I have owned a couple HP's over the years, BUT until you have owned an Envy, you really don't know what your missing! IF the price point is NOT an issue, I would go with the Envy hands down! I game pretty heavily and this baby runs through all of mine on the highest graphic setting with no problems at all! I was playing Skyrim yesterday for about 6 hours and the highest my temps reached was 78 degrees! I use Coolsense technology (comes with the Envy) and use the Performance settings. I also have the 9 cell battery installed and use an Allsop's Aluminum notebook / monitor stand to help keep things running there coolest. If you look at my signature block you'll see my model. ONE of the major reasons why I bought the Envy was for the HP "CONCIERGE" Support! If you ever have an issue with your Envy or any PC, the warranty process can be a true nightmare! So, in order to try and avoid that I went with the Envy! Well as perfect as my Envy was out of the box, on the 31st day, the GPU went out. Mind you the Envy was running warm, but not hot. It was posting temps in the high 80's to low 90's. On the 31st day I was playing Dragon Age II for about 6 hours and the GPU crashed. It never worked after that moment. So I contacted HP Support and was assigned a Case Mgr. To shorten up my story, they paid for FedEx Overnight by 1030am the next day both ways. They picked it up on Nov 9th and it was back in my home on Nov 15th. They had to replace the Mother Board. My Envy came back in the same condition as it was when it went out and is running faster and cooler since coming back. The Repair Depot did a AAA+ job and was so good I took the time to write a letter to their supervisors, something I just never do! It is that kind of service that makes ALL the difference in the world. Plus, no matter where I take my Envy, when ever people see it, I receive compliments about it, they are just blown away by the looks and build quality! I looked at a lot of different laptops prior to buying my Envy (Dell XPS, Toshiba Qosmio, Sony VAIO, MSI and even Apple's MacBook Pro), but when you line up them all up side by side, the Envy wins (in the PC world) every time!

Just my 2 cents worth!

Hello Bobmitch ~~ Glad to see you back from the holidays! Looks like I will be getting home in about 2 weeks if all goes as is! Envy running as good as ever! I haven't seen anything post under my rep yet, will let you know if and when it does... Every time I come here I learn something, kinda like adult education via the Notebook Review, lol!

 

Hey Bob,

Which one of these do you think would serve me the BEST (Leaning towards the Kingston)?

KINGSTON:
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Sand...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322327170&sr=1-1

CRUCIAL:
Amazon.com: 128GB M4 Ssd 2.5" Sata: Electronics

 

What is the purpose of the Windows Diagnostic Performance "Event Viewer"? Also, which entries are important and how would one know to even look here? OR is this just for the repair techs????

I never check this, but today I was roaming around the control panel and checking out many of the various tabs and came across this little gem. Is it common to see a lot of entries in this viewer? Under the warning tab, I have; Warning, Critical and Error, showing up! I have a grand total of 171 entries, all the way back to March 2011 (Mind you I bought it on 10/03/11), in which the Envy was not even built yet. However the Mother Board was built in March 2011 and that is the one the Repair Depot put in. BUT if memory serves me right, I can recall seeing entries like these in every PC I have ever owned.

 

Listening to you all talk, I couldn't wait anymore. Just bought the 2290nr and a ssd, early Christmas present!

 

CONGRATS! When will you be receiving it? You may want to look back a couple of pages, regarding my suggestions on what to do when you first receive your new Envy! I guarantee it will help you in the short and long run!

 

The 30th if I can get the shipping address changed to work. Otherwise the 1st.

Yes I will definitely look at the steps. Looks like it has gotten alot easier than it was. Does using the recovery to restore on to the ssd align the partition correctly?

Anyone know of a good usb3 or esata portable enclosure? (gotta use that extra drive for something.)

 

Gunny...

They are both great drives. I would go with either one. Check out Newegg...their prices are lower...think the Crucial on Newegg is like $204. The Kingston has the Sandforce controller which has a very sketchy history...although supposedly fixed. Crucial uses Marvel, which is stable as all get out. I don't think you can lose with either one

 

Bobmitch, any complaints about the vertex 3?

Other than update the firmware.

 

Once you do that, I really think you're out of the woods! The firmware update for all Sandforce seems to have fixed 90% of the issues. No disputing the speed of the drives...it was stability that was questioned...not sure that applies any more. Not sure how many of you have a Microcenter near you. Vertex 3 is on sale this weekend for $369 after $30 mail in rebate (240 gb one)

 

Well, the time will hopefully go by quick for you, I know time came to a stand still while I was waiting for mine, LOL!

These are the two enclosures I am looking at. I have two HD's from my old desktop that I want to access and transfer some things over to my Envy and than move them to my External 2TB NAS drive. They have some good reviews:

Kingwin DM-2535U3 DM Hard Drive Dock - 2.5/3.5 SATA to USB 3.0 at TigerDirect.com

Vantec NexStar NST-D100SU Hard Drive Dock - 2.5/3.5 SATA to USB 2.0, eSATA at TigerDirect.com

Anway, please keep us informed and have a great holiday season, you sure did do yourself right by going with an Envy! They are a true joy to own!

 

Thanks Bob,

I will check back before I finally pull the pin and buy one, but if I was to do it today, I would probably go with the M4, since reliability is like 99%. A 90% is just too much of a risk, since that 10% is almost guaranteed to find me, LOL! Anyway, since I will be using the Crucial Memory (8GB DDR3 12800), maybe I'll just stick to their SSD's as well. Like you said, I cannot go wrong with either. They both are SATA 3, correct?

 

Ha, It started dragging about 10 minutes after I hit checkout.

 

In terms of the 3000 series do you guys think its more than likely possible that the first wave of them will have issues (whether hardware or software) and that one would be better off waiting a couple of weeks just till they get their quality details in order?

 

I don't think they will have any real issues, since this is the 3rd Generation.. If anything, they have more bugs worked out.. I wouldn't wait if you want it! I think if anything, there may be a longer wait for the CTO's..

 

OK, I asked this before, but no one really spoke up, so... Who will be the "FIRST" person to buy the new 3rd Gen Envy? When will you buy it and which model will you get and why??

 

Suspense is killing me.. lol

I was thinking an enclosure like Amazon.com: Acomdata Tango USB 2.0/eSATA 2.5-Inch SATA Hard Drive Enclosure TNGXXXUSE-RED (Red): Electronics

 

Do you think the caddy that newmodeus sells will work for the 3rd Gen envy bobmitch and others? Or is it possible that HP will totally change that part. It would truly suck if it it didn't work....

 

I would think that it might work with the first series...because the motherboards really won't change until Ivy Bridge...it is just like what HP uses now. My SSD is in that type of caddy now, with the two side rails the plastic sheath and is held in by four rubber grommets. The design works...don't know why they would change it unless the form factor for the mSATA is that much smaller...again...remember the new generation will have to work with normal sized HDD's as well...

 

I have two of those...one RED and one BLACK...excellent enclosures. Question...why wouldn't you go for USB 3.0 Enclosure???

 

Hmm, my understanding, is that you wont see much performance gains with a spindle harddrive from esata to usb3. and the other reason is I didn't look or think about it.

 

You will need a separate power connector for the eSATA. I have tried that. I have to hook up a USB power cable into the Drive's USB port...then eSATA will work. Frankly...way too much work for me...so I use it USB 2.0. I have two Western Digital USB 3.0 1TB HDD's that I use all the time...they benchmark just like a spindle HDD at 5400 rpm...since they are! Put a 7200 rpm HDD into a USB 3.0 enclosure and you should get 7200 rpm benchmarks. USB 3.0 is as good, for me, as eSATA

 

True if I go with the usb3 model, only one cord. That is good. But its not in red

 

Poll, What accessories do you have to complete your envy experience?

 

Not much more you can put in an Envy 17 3D with 300GB SSD and 750 GB HDD...but I bought 2-1TB Western Digital USB 3.0 External Hard Drives. I use one to back the machine up with Acronis True Image Home 2011 and the other as a depository for all my software masters and data files. Also have an Acomdata Tango External Enclosure with 500 GB Samsung HDD in it to backup files on my wife's desktop...

Forgot the following:

Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse 5000
Epson Artisan 810 Printer (connected wirelessly)

 

I have the following:
~ Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard (Has an LCD Panel, so I can monitor different actions to include Core Temp)
~ Razer Mamba Wireless Gaming Mouse
~ Razer eXactmat Dual-Sided Aluminum Gaming Mouse Pad
~ Logitech Z Cinema Surround Sound Speakers
~ CyberPower Surge Protection and UPS
~ HP Envy 110 e-All-in-One Printer (Wireless)
~ HP 6P Laser Jet Printer
~ HP W2207H HDMI Monitor (Screen Rotates to Portrait or Landscape Viewing)
~ HP Essentials USB Port Replicator (5 USB Ports, 1 Ethernet Port, Headphones)
~ Allsop 27021 Metal Art Jr Monitor Stand (Pewter)
~ Western Digital My Book World Edition 2TB External NAS Drive
TBA: HP Envy Laptop {Second Unit}: Either the 14-2160se or 3rd Gen
TBA: Crucial 8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 RAM Upgrade
TBA: Crucial 128GB M4 2.5" SSD with Data Transfer Kit

That sums it up for me.... The Envy is the BEST computer purchase I have ever made, I truly enjoy it!!!

 

I notice my new ENVY 2280NR comes with an HP Support Assistant ver 5.2.9.2.

Does anyone know if this is latest version? I cannot seem to find out where I can check for updates of the support assistant. I access it via a short cut on the desktop.

By comparison my HP Pavilion g4 bought a month or so earlier came with HP Support Assistant ver 6.0.5.4 and seems more user friendly. For example in the help about menu there is a check for new updates option that is missing from the ENVY version. Also it sits neatly in the system try notification area and automatically alerts me to new HP system updates availability. With the ENVY I seem to have to click the desktop short cut and check manually each time?

Have I got the latest from HP for ENVY do you think or am I using it incorrectly?

 

Not a lot as I move around often. But a must have for me is my Logitech Bluetooth mouse as I am not a track pad fan, especially not the ENVY's. Also an external USB3 WD hard drive and USB flash disk completes my carrier bag. I usually plug into someone else s printer or external 1080p screens wherever I can to double up on screen real estate.

 

If only this thing had a half-decent GPU in it...

 

Here you go:

Software & Driver Downloads HP ENVY 17t-2100 CTO 3D Edition Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

It's listed under tools

 

So I got a new router this weekend, one which has a higher purported throughput in real life usage than the $250 business VPN router I was using at home.

It took 20 seconds for the computer to freeze while transferring media wirelessly. The speed was several times faster while it was working but that's just not good enough.

 

The current version is 6.1.12.1. Go to HP Support Assistant and select, MAINTAIN. Than select REFRESH (top right hand corner) and it will enter into HEALTH ANALYSIS. The program will than check for ALL available updates. When it is done, check the bottom right hand corner and press VIEW ANALYSIS. It will display all available updates, one of which will definitely be the HP Support Assistant. You can also manually download the update via the LINK that "Bobmitch" provided. I use HP Support Assistant exclusively for ALL of my HP updates. It works flawlessly!

Glad you have it all working and setup the way you like it! Love the ENVY!

 

My Envy using the ATI HD 6850m is working perfectly in every game I play and I'm playing them all on the maximum Graphic Resolution available! No snags or hiccups whats so ever and the FPS is snappy and smooth. I think it works pretty darn good for my purposes that is!

What Envy do you have and what seems to be the problems your experiencing??

 

Are you using the "N" version router? I'm using the "G" version and have never had one hiccup. What router are you using by the way??

 

Linksys E4200 linksys e4200 now.

Cisco WRVS4400N Wireless-N Gigabit Security Router - VPN v2.0 - Cisco Systems this is the one I had before.

I definitely use wireless N, you need it if you want to use the encryption I use on the network for medical data.... unfortunately.

 

Gunny, as I've addressed previously, Charles is mainly looking for a gaming computer with the style of the Envy (something that basically doesn't exist today). He would prefer a higher end GPU or SLI configuration similar to what you can get in an Alienware. However, the Envy is not targeted as pure gaming so it doesn't have the same video capabilities (and heat dissipation) as an Alienware, Clevo, Sager, etc.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/gam...k-following-mobile-gfx-cards.html#post7547904

 

Can you turn off "N" temporarily to see if your freezing goes away? If it does, then your 6250 is "incompatible" with your router's chipset so you have to either downgrade the driver or upgrade to a 6300.

 

Well, sending my Envy back, bought it from Amazon, and it was missing the 3d glasses. That and I was under the impression it had a 2 year warranty.

Ordered a replacement cto from HP, supposed to ship the 8th.

 

Hi Cam and Alf - I upgraded to the e4200 a couple of months ago, and purchased a 6300 card along with it. I can confirm that the 6300 also freezes with the e4200 in N mode, but I didn't try using G instead. In the short time that I could check before my system froze, I did not see any increase in speed (via speedtest.net) with the 6300, even though I had attached a third antenna. I tried the most recent driver, as well as a few different drivers going back to 13.5.0.6, with none of them fixing the freezing issue.

Since I didn't see any increase in speed, I went back to the original 6200 card, which works fine with driver 13.5.0.6. I remember Alf saying that he needed to use a 14.x.x.x driver to take advantage of... something, but I can't remember exactly what.

I may go back and try the 6300 in G mode eventually. Can anyone who uses the 6300 successfully please let us know what router they use, and post a few speedtest results for comparison?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Sorry to hear about the problems... I unfortunately don't have an answer for why the 6300 misbehaves in your laptop. However, keep in mind that speedtest.net is testing your internet connection. If you ISP is throttling or introducing latency, no technology you place in your house is going to improve (internet) speed.

 

Without tweaking My Heaven Benchmark 2.5 results. Sound about right?

FPS: 14.4
Scores: 364
Min FPS: 6.0
Max FPS: 30.7
Settings: dx11, 1920x1080, fullscreen, shaders: high, textures: high, filter: trilinear, Anisotropy: 4x, Occulsion: yes, Refraction: yes, Volumetric: yes, tessellation: normal

 

Looks pretty good! Do you have 3DMark11? There is a free version from futuremark.com where you can also do some benchmarking

 

Right. I didn't think about that. They show me at 36.01Mbps DL, 5.61Mbps UL, ping 5ms on Comcast, which they rate at a grade "A" compared with other local ISPs. I don't know if my ISP caps me at that speed or not. I didn't compare with the speed via ethernet, which I assume would be faster.

I mainly wanted to see if anyone who uses the 6300 can show a comparison between it and the 6200 while using the same router. Also, maybe having a short list of routers that won't cause the freezing issue will help others.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

3DMark11 Basic : P1777
Envy 17 3d 2290nr, no tweaks, for those late to the game.

 

A couple of things will help. I have the same processor as you...main differences...I have the Intel 320 300 GB SSD as my OS drive (you are awaiting the OCZ). I have tweaked my machine with all the settings for the SSD, and updated my AMD drivers to 11.11a. Then in control panel, I changed the setting on my power scheme so that the minimum CPU for plugged in is 100%. My score was a 1999. Yours is pretty normal for all HP settings. Let's get that SSD in your rig...then do the tweaks I recommended for SSD a few pages back and you should see a world of difference...

 

Awsome, I have to wait for my replacement, est shipping date is 8th.

 

Score: P2338 3DMarks

AMD Radeon HD 6850M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i7-2630QM Processor,Hewlett-Packard 159B score: P2338 3DMarks