*HP Envy 15 (11XX / 12XX series) Owners Lounge!*

HP has their own recovery software (not windows) that reverts everything back to how the computer was shipped from factory.

Type 'recovery' in start search bar > select 'recovery manager' > if you get a warning dialog for 'cyberlink' allow or yes > select 'system recovery' > follow on screen instructions. You will lose all data / apps you have installed. Not sure if the language will be same as how it shipped.

 

I can't believe how crappy the cheap bezel is. It scratches like crazy even with a pro cleaning terrycloth.

Has anyone noticed that the lid doesn't close very nicely? If they just made some thinner pads I think it would be much better. If you remove the lower pads (on left/right) it closes much nicer. But then you have glue stuck inside those holes. Maybe if someone sold some super thin pads you could swap them out for the original and that would be much better.

 

I like that there is a bit of space(not too much). I've seen too many other people's laptops where when they are compressed the screen rubs against the keyboard.

 

Had the same problem on both of my gen2 computers. When I changed internal memory on one, I really torqued down on the hinge screws and it has worked so far.

On the other one the front edge does not fully close onto the base. I've found that if you give the back edge (when closed) a firm squeeze over either end of the hinge that it will allow the front edge to close fully. Not an ideal solution but seems to work.

 

Thank you, I'll check the BIOS setting. I should be more precise, the fan isn't always on but I was very surprised to hear it run full speed for 15 minutes just during regular everyday tasks.
This system runs very hot! (not that I'm surprised, given all the usual sayings about HP)

Thank you! I did this and now everything's back to basics. I ran 3dmark06 and got a score of 8000, which looks decent based on this comparison chart:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

The CPU test still looked abysmal though, 0-2 fps. I really don't understand this at all. Has anyone had similar experiences with 3dmark06? Is this normal?

Also, I seem to recall reading a few excellent posts regarding which programs to keep and which to uninstall to maintain a relatively tight system and get rid of the bloatware.
Can someone please point me in the direction of a guide that's well suited for the Envy?


...
gnnnhff, dust on the bezel... The dust just sits there and laughs at me, at my inability to keep the bezel dust-free..

 

The slow FPS on the CPU test is normal, it is processing all the graphics using the CPU only to test it's capabilities.

Check here for the guide your looking for; http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?&p=5496472#post5496472

And a lot of good info & links about halfway down page 1 of the envy 15 owners lounge part 2; http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=455493

 

Excellent, thanks so much for your guidance.

 

$3299AU for the HP Envy out here. Jesus we get ripped off down under. The stores and HP still refuse to say the refresh model has the 5830 and USB 3.0 out here lol.

The stores all have ATI 4830 written on the specs sheet, but when you go into the actual laptop, it clearly states 5830.

Even HP out here say that the refresh model is not being launched for another few months. Seriously, they need to get their sh@t in order...

 

I have just done a clean install,how do I get back my Beats layout for audio

 

For those who are tired of waiting for the new Mobility Modder tool to come out, here is a way you can install desktop drivers manually.

1.) Download the drivers from AMD but download the driver and CCC separately. Run the .EXE to extract the drivers to a folder. Then quit the installer, as the installer will fail.

2.) Browse to where the driver was extracted, by default it is in "C:\ATI". From there, go to directory:

Code:

Support\10-1_vista64_win7_64_dd\Packages\Drivers\Display\W76A_INF\

3.) Edit file "C7_94918.inf"
Under section"[ATI.Mfg.NTamd64.6.1]"
Add this line anywhere in that section:

Code:

"ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5000 Series" = ati2mtag_Evergreen, PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_68A1

4.) Now install the driver manually by going to:
Device Manager -> Display Adapters -> Mobility Radeon -> Driver -> Update Driver -> Browse my computer... -> Let me pick from a list... -> Have Disk
Then browse to the modified .inf file. If this gives you a large list make sure to select "ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5800 Series"

That is it. You should now see driver version 8.690.0.0. You can now install CCC from AMD website as well.

 

That's a real good look, thanks it worked as stated above. Good work.

 

I have a question regarding recovery disks: I've created the 3 recovery DVDs, then re-arranged the partitions, removing the recovery partition. now I'm trying to use the recovery DVD, and see that although it has multiple recovery options, they are all grayed out.

how come? how can one actually make the recovery DVDs work? (and otherwise, what are they good for?)

 

Make sure you keep the front vents clear. If you're using it on your lap it can be easy to block them with clothing or whatever, and since air flows from there over the CPU/GPU and out the back side vents that may be what's causing it to heat up so much so the fan really starts going.

 

You have to insert Disk1 and boot from it then follow on screen instructions. Be ready the process might take hours to finish restoring the computer.

 

this is what I did: booted from Recovery Disk 1, and then what happens is what I described above: I get to a menu, where most of the options are grayed out, including System Restore. there's only one option that is available, which basically takes me to a DOS prompt...

 

ok so when i get my 2nd gen envy, what things should i download/install on it after installing the envy 15 drivers i got from a member on this thread. I've heard stuff like silverlight, MSwebcam and stuff and it's a little too much for me to comprehend lol. I was wondering if someone could tell me what stuff i should install to get the most out of the envy 15 and why i should install them.
This would be so helpful, any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

I just got my Envy i5. I'm not doing a complete reinstall, but I was removing some bloatware with Revo uninstaller. The sound was working fine when I opened it, but now it's not working at all. I checked the settings, nothing is muted. Any ideas?

 

double post...sorry

 

Thats odd because thats exactly what I did. I even deleted the recovery partition and started from scratch. Are you sure you properly created the 3 recovery discs with no error in the creation process?

 

You know, the only thing I found that won't scratch the cheap acrylic companies use these days is pretty much a lens cloth (microfiber cloth).

Otherwise, I am pretty much also pulling a trigger on a ENVY 15 Gen 2. I am getting mine off of eBay (new of course and it is an i5 variant), the thing is that I was curious about is I am getting the 1366x768 resolution screen (for my own personal reasons that I opted for a non-1080p screen). The thing is does that resolution comes with matte or glossy standard? I prefer matte but if it is glossy, then I will live with it. I know that there was only one option available for the 720p option on the customization builds off of HP website anyways but yea, is it glossy or matte standard?

 

Try reinstalling the audio drivers found here

 

Here is a copy of an email I just recieved from Tech support regarding the 90W adapter and how it should work without throttling for the i5 eny's. As you can gather this was after the first reply that said the 90W would be throttled, but he was 'confused' about which processor I had, even though I gave him full details in the original request I sent. I responded to his inquireies about how throttling was measured etc...

Think we had already confirmed that the 90W will work for the i5's but at least this is confirmation from HP.



" Hello again xxxxxx, sorry for yet another lengthy delay!

I cannot guarantee the functionality of 3rd party or aftermarket adapters; naturally I am not going to recommend their use.

It appears I got slightly off topic and misunderstood; my apologies xxxxx! For some reason I was thinking about the quad core i7 versions of the Envy 15, which, as you mentioned, have a higher TDP. Therefore they require a higher capacity power adapter (120W) to run at full speed. Regarding the i5 versions of the Envy 15, 90W is sufficient for full speed. From the specifications and information I have, the i5 system should not be throttling when the 90W adapter is in use and the system is not idle. The CPU may throttle down when the system is idle, so as to save power. However, once the CPU is engaged again by the user or some software that may be running, it will be running at full speed. As I mentioned before, the system will throttle if used with a lower wattage adapter, or when running on batteries. Forgive my misinterpretation and going off-topic.

Just to make sure we are on the same page, did the Envy 15s you received ship with 90W or 120W power adapters?

I’m interested in knowing what methods you (or others that you’ve heard from) are using in measuring the CPU clock speed and/or multiplier setting; how throttling is being monitored. As well, if the CPU is being engaged during said monitoring.

Thanks for the feedback on your experience with the support team, the SSDs, and your experience with other models. I’ve passed this information on to the respective teams.

GEORGE GUEORGUIEV TECHNICAL LEAD & SUPPORT MANAGER
Hewlett‑Packard · Mobile Computing Division

voodoopc.com · hp.com "

PS; names and direct email addresses have been removed.

 

I have the following annoyance. My Envy won't connect via ethernet after being on wireless. I turn off wireless, plug the cable in, nothing. The only fix is to reboot. After reboot, connectivity is normal. Is this a driver issue? It doesn't seem to detect the cable is plugged in.

Does anyone have any idea what I could try other than rebooting. Perhaps a way to "reset" windows network settings or something. Even though rebooting is fast, most times it's not practical due to the number of applications I am running and shouldn't be interrupted.

 

You don't need to turn off wireless before plug cable in. You can set priority of connections in windows.

 

I have not seen this kind of problem before. So, the only suggestion I can give you is to reinstall your Gigabyte LAN driver. Try to remove the driver Via windows Safe mode, and then update to the latest driver.

 

This is great new!

However, I am confused... JJB, you previously mentioned that using this travel adapter, the CPU was never at full power?

I just ordered a 180W charger, and if you can confirmation (ASAP) that with the 90W charger you can get your i5 at full power, I would change my order.

Please let me know,

Thanks

PS: for those interested, the HDMI-VGA adapter is now available.

 

Microfiber is all I use anymore. You can usually pick up a decent pack of 5-8 Microfiber Towels cheap in the Auto section of places like Walmart/Target. Its all I use on my TV Monitors and ZuneHD.

I'm pretty sure the smaller screen is basic glossy. You only get the option for matte or Ultra Brightview with the 1080p screen.

 

I tried and it's still not working. I think uninstalling some of that bloatware somehow killed the sound.

 

Well, since a 120W will work with an i7 system and not lock the CPU, it would seem to me that a 180W would be overkill but looking at HP's site it seems the 120W Smart and 180W Smart are both the same price. You could save $30 if you go for the 90W Smart but, since I take a pinch of salt with anything I get told by HP now, its hard to say. They tend to ship things like accessories out almost as soon as you hit the order button so it may be too late to cancel which means you would have to do an RMA/return no matter what. You could always order a 90W version let them both arrive and first try the 90. IF it does what you want then ring up HP and have them issue you an RMA/Return for the 180W. If it does lock your CPU then you will have the 180 on hand and can just have HP RMA/Return the 90W, no harm no foul.

 

That is a shame then, really missed matte, but I will live with it since my current HP laptop has a glossy screen. By the way, I just pulled a trigger for one via eBay. Will take a week to get here from a bloke down at Minnesota. Can't wait to try it! I hope I don't get a lemon one right off the bat...

 

Out of curiosity. Was there a big savings going by going Ebay over HP store? I guess my concern would be whether it has the same warranty and if you're sure that what you bought is a 2nd Gen edition with a 5830 and USB 3.0 and not a 1st Gen with a 4830 and USB 2.0.

 

So I think I've totally fubared my laptop by following this guide:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=432564

I used Revo Uninstaller to remove the HP mediasmart junk, and I've got lots of issues. No sound (not even after multiple driver installs). Media Player doesn't work and some other wierd issues. I would be very wary of following that guide evidently HP's intertwined with a bunch on important stuff.

Now I can't even get windows update to work.

 

Windows 7 is totally ignoring those priorities.. FYI.

 

I missed this. I followed your method step by step and it works now, thanks.

 

Played with my friend's 2nd gen Envy today, it's brilliant.

The matte screen is absolutely perfect and the whole laptop is beautiful. Also, he has the i5-520M, which I thought was odd since he's pretty cheap and it's a $100 option right now on HP's website; was the i5-520M the first option a while back with the coupons?

I gotta also say, my god this thing runs COOL. Used realtemp and it did not get past 60C once and idles at 30C. My MBP hits 75C and idles at 55C.

I just can't emphasis how cool this thing runs. My goodness does 32nm matter.

It also runs Mass Effect 2 at max perfect, though had some problems with Dirt 2 on max. World in conflict was pretty crappy at very high - min was 3, max was 40 avg was around 17 fps.

Man I wish I had jumped on this when the coupons were available. This thing is deff not a max every game type of laptop but for the form factor - damn it does a good job of running games at high settings with low temps.

 

Yeah, I did the same. If you saved a restore point, you can restore. Otherwise, you'll either need to format and reinstall or try to manually reinstall all the programs you removed.

 

FYI; the 5830 O.C's quite well. Should be able to get near 10K 3DMark06 scores (stable) and it still runs very cool. Max I've seen is 73C CPU and 69C on GPU OC'd to ~567 / 1133.

Also, if your not aware, do not plan on hardcore gaming while on battery since the CPU is automatically throttled to 9X multiplier or 1.2Ghz.

 

I decided to exchange mine after some more issues came up:
1) It's is freezing randomly. Sometimes it locks solid. Other times the mouse pointer moves, but nothing else does. I can't get to Task Manager.

2) The lid started making a popping noise when I opened and closed it. Then it seemed as though the alignment of the lid was getting worse. I also noticed that one of the rubber pads on the screen bezel is out of place. It looks as if it was glued in sideways. I don't know if it was like that when I got it, but I babied this thing so I think it's a build quality issue.

3) The right side of the palm rest seems loose and makes some noise.

After finding out that a replacement would not be built until after they received my current Envy and the estimated build date for the new one is 3/5, I was pretty pissed. I don't think it's acceptable to have to go without a laptop for 1 month. Charging my credit card for another Envy is also not acceptable.

I was about ready to just give up and order a notebook from another company and return the Envy. However, after filling out the survey at the end of the call, I said it would be ok for an HP rep to try to call me to work out a solution. I got a call from someone that actually seemed to want to help. I was offered a $125 credit, but I said that I would rather just make a configuration change to the 160gb + 250gb hard drive option like Kamzu did. I'm hoping this will speed it up a bit and extend the battery life. Hopefully this will all be sorted out tomorrow morning. Either way, this lady salvaged me as a customer for now.

I should mention, I absolutely love the laptop aside from the issues! I hope the next one is perfect.

 

I have a similar story -

I ordered the i5 model first and later got to know that it doesn't have USB 3.0. Then I placed another order for the i7. My i5 was delayed like everyone else and I got the i7 first. Its touchpad was coming loose near the upper lefthand corner which forced me to send it back for a replacement. Yesterday I got the replacement and its front left rubber feet doesn't touch my table and the battery seems to be loose (the regular one and not the slice).

Has anyone else noticed this issue? Are there any fixes that we can make - though I think it has to do with structural issue with the chasis.

Now I am torn between the i7 and i5 - I can't get another exchange on the i7 and I liked the i7s USB 3.0 and the ability to take more memory. i5 runs really cool - I ran Dirt 2 on both i5 and i7, and the difference in temp in noticeable.

What do you guys think?

 

I am using Envy i5-520, 500GB HDD, 4GB Ram. After using it for two weeks, the biggest issue to me now is that:

Envy gets HOT easily even doing jobs merely as surfing the web. Both my left and right palm feel the hot surface when typing. I usually lay the laptop on my knees(thigh), with the front rim against my belly. This again prevents the heat dissipation through the front ventilation. Sometimes, the bottom of the notebook can be as hot as to burn your skin.. I am not a computer-gaming guy, so I have not tried other computing-intense programs, which I believe will make Envy feel even hotter. This makes me feel uncomfortable when using Envy in summer.

Other issues like: touchpad locks easily, screen cannot back any far, short battery life(6 cell) do not mean that much compared to the temperature issue as stated above.

 

Is there any way to configure this damn smart menu? I HATE the overlay that shows up when I turn off the touchpad. I don't mind the other smart keys, though.

 

The heat issue makes me think something is wrong with yours, because mine is very cool unless I block the vents. Are your fans on/working? If so, maybe something is in contact with the case that should not be and it's conducting heat. Or maybe one of your components is overheating.

The only time I've ever noticed warmth when the vents were not blocked is when I'm doing hard drive extensive stuff. Then the right palm rest seems to get warm.

 

You should download Realtemp of something to make sure you're note at 80C or something like that.

After 4 hours of using my friend's envy and installing/playing 80gbs of games.......it barely got warm. Same CPU as your's.

 

I would choose i7, because the AES-NI on i5 is also wasted due to lack of tpm.

 

Thanks for the info. I just tested, it doesn't work as I thought. Win7 always use whatever worked last time.

 

I turned off 'Fan Always on' in bios.

When I use Envy on a table, the hot issue becomes less severe. Temperature goes down gradually.

But as long as I put it on my knees, it becomes hot. Just because the front vent is blocked?

I used a Thinkpad T61 before. It barely got hot no matter on a table or on my knees.

 

anyone know if the screen quality is really as bad as it says it is in this review?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-HP-Envy-15-Notebook.22272.0.html

 

I am sure I got a Generation 2 (It has a Core i5 inside) and it is brand new, never used one. It also comes with HP's 1 Year Warranty (unused). I got it with Bing's Cashback for $1170.00 + Free Shipping + No Tax. I know what I was doing there in terms of what I should expect from the seller (who is a power seller and sells lots of HP Products).

For the money, it is basically a base Envy 15 but with a Core i5-520M, 500 GB HDD and a standard External Optical Drive. Not bad of a price if you think about it.

Here is the link if you are interested.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=280461489541&Category=177&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2

 

That is a good price if you like the low resolution screen. The same config at hp.com is $1500 + tax.

 

yes, I'm sure. the process itself verifies the disk, and it verified them OK. I also read up the disk ISO images for backup purposes, and there were no read errors. the checksums for the ISO images are:

3538472b81db821c47ff2aa67b3ff35d hp_rescue_1.iso
9a3d5268e66719df858e91a16e6d50a9 hp_rescue_2.iso
0eb76ff5aa2a6df2feb2dfc9a0678c95 hp_rescue_3.iso

the ISO image sizes are:

-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4515987456 2010-02-11 07:36 hp_rescue_1.iso
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4487348224 2010-02-11 08:07 hp_rescue_2.iso
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 4245389312 2010-02-11 07:51 hp_rescue_3.iso

on the first disk, there's a SetInfo.log file, with the image sizes as well, it says:

[SetInfo]
SetID={3657A057-899A-4CBE-819F-1913C37273B9}
SetCounts=3
SetSize1=4514262613
SetSize2=4485865266
SetSize3=4243855905

which could be the raw data sizes for the disks. also, when it boots, it does not report any read errors.