*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

It's a hardware problem.
you can see the lines even when you are not in windows. try booting into the Little linux thing (forgot the name hp gave it). the lines will still be there.
Since not all laptops have these lines I decided to return mine. meanwhile the SSD option appeared so I am torn.

 

Found the proper menu for the touchpad. Here is how I got to it:
1. Double click the Synaptics icon on the taskbar
2. Click the Device Settings tab
3. Click Settings

A TON of options! Got my 1 finger circle scrolling on and it is very nice! I also turned on Momentum which seems pretty cool, just taking some fine tuning to get the glide right for me. I really like the touchpad... now that I have found all the settings

 

If you're opening up your Envy, I would recommend checking out the maintenance and service guide... That's what it's for.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01911053.pdf

 

Intel is apparently providing a utility that can accurately display the realtime CPU frequency of the mobile Core i7 CPUs (i.e. so one can see that Turbo Boost is indeed functioning as advertised).

Does anyone know the name of this utility, and/or where it can be downloaded?

 

hi guys. my friend ordered an envy for me and it will arrive friday. however before he sends it to me, i want him to check first, the heat and noise. just the one's i get to read here in most of the complaints. but im quite concerned with the lines complaints here.

to those who are having line problems on their LCD. can you please post a photo where to check on it? thanks in advance.

 

here you go:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5521504&postcount=2437

was only posted 17 pages back, dunno how you could have missed it

 

I believe this is the tool (sidebar gadget): Intel Turbo Boost Technology Monitor

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18353&lang=eng

 

I have a quick update for you guys. I sent my laptop in for repair of the Horizontal Lines that I have been seeing on the screen of the Envy 15. I sent the laptop in on the 17th and they received it on the 18th. I checked the status and the laptop was expected to arrive back at my house on the 25th. The next day I checked the status again and it then said that the Repair Facility was needing to get in to contact with me and that the estimated day for me to receive the laptop back was now Dec 1st. So I called HP Customer Service and found out that my Laptop was listed under NPF ( No Problem Found) and that they didn't see anything wrong with my laptop. So I told them that there ARE indeed lines on the screen and to please not send it back unless it is fixed. So I am just waiting to find out the outcome of this mess. I am pretty much guessing that I am going to receive the laptop back just as I sent it to them with the horizontal lines across the screen especially since so many other people that have the same laptop have the same issue with the Horizontal Lines as I do.

 

Sorry to hear that lugnut

I have an update as well... I am hearing what sounds like something hitting the cooling fan under my creaky right palmrest occasionally. When I pick up the laptop and face the keyboard toward me it gets worse. This is not making noise all the time. Its kind of random. Guess when i open it up to install the ssd I will find out what is occassionally rubbing on the fan and hopefully fix the creaky palmrest.

 

i did notice your post but it seems a little vague for me. which part of the screen does it show? is it on the edge? i can see that its on top of the screen though.

 

that was lugnut's post, who as above has returned his Envy to get this repaired. (with what seems to be no luck)

screen cap shows a window prompt, with the black/grey title bar, having lines through it.

 

does it show only on command prompt window?

 

No, they show at all times. Look really close and you will be able to see them if you have them. You can even see them when you are in the bios. I can see them the most when I am watching a HD movie or looking at a High Quality photo with a bright blue sky.

The lines aren't even a mm apart and go all the way down the screen.

 

oh ok..i guess i'll have to check mine when it arrives

 

It sounds like it's the isolation tape under the keyboard, the same problem I had. Serg put it up on post #4 in this thread. See the picture at:

http://s583.photobucket.com/albums/ss278/Sergium/?action=view&current=attachment-1php.jpg

I have sent my Envy back for replacement since I didn't want to remove all 3 cables, rip up the tape, straighten it out and glue it back on. Still waiting on the replacement to ship, and I'm hoping that the new laptop won't have those air bubbles.

 

how do you do that if you want your envy to be replaced? do you need to call the customer service then tell them you want it replaced? whats the process involved in getting it replaced?

 

so Smedis, opening the keyboard did not void the warranty?

supposedly HP is not selling the 1.8" hdd adapters as to install you have to open the keyboard and doing so voids the warranty so they cant sell a item that voids warranty.

 

If you find a factory problem you can either send it in for repairs (probably takes forever this close to launch) or get a replacement (still takes a very long time). If you want the replacement, they email you a FedEx label that you print out. You pack up the laptop and take it and the label to a FedEx drop-off location. Save the receipt with the tracking number. Shortly after it's in the FedEx system, they will start building a new laptop for you. Your return and the new laptop will show up on the HP order status online. It doesn't cost you anything except time.

From the HP web site: http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/return_exchange.do

 

I called them first before opening and they said it's ok as long as you don't break anything. From their warranty statement, the warranty is broken only if you do "improper maintenance or modification" or "unauthorized modification or misuse". Basically, you can do everything that's in the official maintenance and service guide at:

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01911053.pdf

However, I wouldn't recommend trying to open it if you're not used to building computers or messing around inside noteboooks.

 

Thanks for the updates. Will get to work on it to move them to the OP.

Hope you dont mind some major formatting in some cases.

Thanks.

 

If anybody's interested in changing the cursed calculator quicklaunch key into a control key (or whatever), run KeyTweak:

http://webpages.charter.net/krumsick/

Just go into Teach Mode, then Full Teach Mode, click "Begin Teach mode," hit the calc key, then hit Ctrl (or whatever), apply, reboot.

I can't get it to work for the Print key, because it apparently sends multiple codes; so even if you remap the initial code, the others still get sent and things get screwed up. I think Autohotkey might be able to deal with it, but I can't figure it out yet...

 

My Envy 15 does have the horizontal lines issue on the display, at least for some colors (blue, green, grey seem to be the worst). According to Everest, my display is made by LG (LGD01FB). I know of at least three stores that have display models close to me, so this weekend I'm going to check all of those to see if all of those Envy 15s have this issue or not.

 

Format away

I am cloning the hdd to the ssd today. I will then install the ssd and take some interior pics and an opening video. I will then be removing alot of the HP software once the ssd is in place and booting up properly.

 

Quick question:

Does anyone know what kind of SSDs are in the Envy 15? (what controller specificcally)

Also, anyone test out the laptop with SSDs? Any benchmarks for them?

I'm trying to decide--before purchasing the Envy 15-- whether I should go with HPs SSDs or buy an Intel one myself and put it in.

thnx

 

HP is using the Intel x18-m. No one is sure if they are g1 or g2 yet. My guess is that they are g2's. The g1 will not support TRIM. I think it would be stupid for HP to use the g1's but, HP doesn't portray the epitome of intelligence. We can only guess what HP will do.
The performance of the SSD in the Envy is less than ideal atm. Very poor 4k write performance, as reported in this thread. With SSD's being put in Envy, HP will likely release new drivers that will resolve this.
The price they are charging for the dual ssd's is amazing. I would definately upgrade to this if I were purchasing a Envy now. For me I will just be installing my 160gb x25-m G2. In the future I will get another x25-m, strip both drives of their cases, and rig them in the Envy somehow RAID-0.

 

YAY

I am joining the ranks of those that are Envied!

I just couldn't wait any longer with Dell after they sent me another delay noticed (which would have put me at 65+ days of waiting). While waiting, I noticed this thread and started following it just in case Dell still screwed things up. Well, here I am. Yesterday I canceled, walked into Best Buy, ordered an SSD, and here I am.


After using my Envy for a a few hours last night and today, I must say that I'm a lot more impressed that I thought I would be. Some of the posts in here have been pretty disheartening to read...but many of them are rightfully so (melting keyboard thingy, lines on the screen, etc).

Hopefully that won't be the case for me later on down the road...but for now, my only super minor gripes is that the screen doesn't open far enough and the lack of a back-lit keyboard. That's it. Thankfully I have a BB around here that carries one of these and I was able to see that the screen is amazing and the viewing angles are far better than average...so that overcomes the screen opening issue.

As of right now, this thing is very snappy...I love it! Although there isn't that much bloatware (which is surprising in itself), there is still enough. Once my SSD arrives, it's going to be so sweeeeeeeeeeet!!! I haven't run any tests since I've been updating and installing stuff, but I'll get there.

Initial impressions:

-As I said, the screen is beautiful. I stuck with the Dell Studio XPS 16 order for so long because I wanted a good screen and Sony didn't come out with a i7 laptop yet. I saw Dell's screen and was in love. If I had not seen this screen in person, I would still be waiting for the Dell...This screen really is great.

-This laptop is not even close to being too hot for everyday stuff (watching videos/pictures, streaming stuff, browsing the internet wirelessly). The slice is still cool in some areas! The Asus was warmer than this one is. Of course, I'm only talking about the above stuff...not gaming, etc. Who would do that on their lap anyways? I need a flat surface and a mouse for that.

-SO FAR, no issues with my slice disconnecting...but I have been feeling the edges of it a lot to make sure it doesn't slowly start shifting. I don't keep my laptop on a desk that much...so it's constantly moving. This is probably going to be my biggest concern while I own this laptop...

-It is heavier than I thought it would be when the slice is attached, but I doubt I'll keep the slice attached while around the house...just use it while out on trips.

-As I said before, this thing is amazingly fast. Can't wait to load a few games and other programs to really test it out. But everyday use is still a wow!

-The chassis is amazing! It looks great...subtle, yet it also stands out (not like a gaming rig usually does). I love how thin it is even with the slice!

-I like that it doesn't have a optical drive. My Asus had a removable bay and I almost always left the secondary battery in the bay instead of the DVD drive.

-I like the external drive. Sleek looking and has the added USB ports when needed. For me, it was a bonus since I have an old laptop drive that I could have slapped into a new external drive...but not with this style and functionality!

-The Keyboard is extremely nice to type on!!! I used to think that the Dell's keys were a bit mooshy to type on...the Envy's perfect though.

-I, for one, like the extra buttons on the left. To each his own i guess. I also like how the media keys are the focus instead of the F# keys.

-I immediately installed the new touchpad drivers, so I can't comment on any improvements, but I do like the new functions a lot. Although I did select the 1 finger scrolling (while keeping the 2 finger scrolling also checked...I will make an attempt to try it out for a bit).

-Even though the E2E looks very nice on the 13 and the Dell (plus, it is a heck of a lot easier to clean), I really don't mind the omission of E2E. Although I doubt it saved much weight to warrant a change in design, this design came out very nice. (Thankfully, I don't have those tiny scratches on the bezel...yet).






After I finish finals and get some time off for the holidays, I will give you guys an update on my impressions. By then, I will have broken it in and gotten comfortable with it...hopefully issue free (still).

Cheers!

 

Sorry to hear that Lugnut. I don't know why it's difficult for some people to see these horizontal line. I noticed them right away on mine and returned the notebook to HP.

It's also frustrating that it's almost impossible to take a photo of these lines.
I hope your laptop will be fixed. Please keep us updated. I may order another envy but I need HP to acknowledge this problem.

I

 

Congratulations on you purchase and welcome to the Envy 15 owners community.

I have one question though, "I saw Dell's screen and was in love. If I had not seen this screen in person, I would still be waiting for the Dell...This screen really is great."

I dont quite get that. BTW, do you mind If I update that on the OP? Can you take some pics?

Thanks!

 

Thanks Serg.

Sorry. I was trying to state that I was in love with Dell's RGBLED screen. Other than Sony, who also has very nice screens but no i7 equipped systems yet, the Dell screen was the only one that I liked/wanted. Thankfully, I was able to see the screen on the Envy in BB and was then I sold because the screen is great (as you all know).

I don't mind if you add my notes to the OP, but I'll work on a better review once we've had time to really bond. When i do that, I'll try to get some pics when I get home in a couple weeks. The family has the camera while I'm away...



EDIT:
Thanks for keeping that post up to date, Serg. Your first post is what ultimately caused me to get this system (so do I curse your name if it gives me headache later...j/k) But your info is what pulled me into this thread. All the useful and good info provided by everyone can be easily buried. But as I waited for my system, I kept checking back here to see how your guys were fairing.

 

Thanks, the OP is (as scheduled) under rewrite right now.

If you do the review, please, let me know so I can put it on the OP, as I did with Genryu's detailed review, and I will do so with mine as soon as I can (havent gotten mine yet grr ) Anyways, good to know the OP helped you, bad to know I am the guilty one hahahaha

Keep me posted and I will update.

 

First of all, Serg this is one of the best Owners Threads i've ever seen on this site!! +Rep

Ok, in this insanely long thread was anyone brave enough to try and overclock the GPU?

 

Agree with ^

Serg's really been doing a great job with this thread and keeping it organized on the OP.

I definitely cannot risk overclocking anything until the ambient temps start to drop down a bit more.

On a more anecdotal note, after using my envy for a while I've started to take notice of some things (both + and -).

1) I have the graphics driver supposedly fail, have the screen go blank, and then give a notification saying it has just recovered happen at least once every few days. It becomes more frequent if I'm watching any video or playing any games. I'm hoping it's something that can be solved with an updated driver.

2) I've gotten a lot better at typing and making use of the extra width really helps with putting 2 windows side-by-side. For any other college students out there this is a huge boon when you need to look back and forth between anything.

3) I'm getting better with using the trackpad over time, and I've noticed that mac users naturally use it a lot better than I can without issue. Still have issues with the pointer suddenly jumping away, and highlighting is annoying when I have to do it. Thankfully I have my mx revolution to help get around this when I'm at a desk, but just something I noticed.

4) My overall battery life now is pretty much clocking in around the 2hr mark rarely going above it so long as I keep my usage within normal limits (screen dimmed down, wifi on, bt off, web-browsing & typing in word). Just worried about the long-term implications since if the capacity goes down it'll undoubtedly get shorter. I'm hoping HP might offer an energy efficient battery like they have for some of their other models to take care of this.

5) Game & application performance has been nothing short of excellent. I feel that a lot of reviews (such as more recently with cnet) tended to focus heavily on the physical characteristics over the raw power under the hood. If you're comparing this to a macbook pro be aware that this will smoke it undoubtedly and by a healthy margin at that. This is based on side-by-side tests I've run with a friend on his recent mbp purchase (with a 3.06ghz core 2 duo). The numbers are all out there for anyone interested.

6) There's definitely some creaking noises around the right along the front edge and along the left side alongside the quick-launch keys. It's not very loud, but you can hear it a little. A bit disappointing considering the price, but a small inconvenience compared to how light and solid it feels whenever you actually move it around. Everyone who's lifted it up have commented on how light it feels (even those with 15'' macbook pros).

7) If you're going to be mobile at all be sure and have a backup solution to get files. I've already run into a few cases where a cd hasn't been essential but I'd be pretty out of luck if I didn't have my flash drive and external hdd on me. So be sure and have a backup in place if you don't feel like carrying around an external optical drive --> this is mainly an issue for college students such as myself.

8) Blu-ray playback has been absolutely flawless so far, and really any HD source really shines on the panel. If you plan to download or watch HD in any capacity definitely do not settle for anything less than a quality display such as this one.

That about sums it up for what I've noticed so far over the last few weeks. If you have any other questions feel free to ask me and I'll post up some updates.

 

I will soon be joining the ranks as a proud owner of an HP Envy 15 within the next 3 weeks.

I could use some help deciding on what hard drive (HDD) configuration I should get.
After careful review of this Blog, I’ve realized that a faster processor is not worth the extra money $400 and l’m leaning toward settling for the standard i7-720QM with 6GB memory.
However, I can’t figure out if I should go with the upgraded 410GB Dual Hard Drive (SSD 160GB + 250GB) or stay with the standard single 500GB HDD.

I believe I’ll get faster application load and start up times and an overall quicker operating system with Dual Drives, but wanted to ensure that the extra $270 is worth it.

NOTE: I use my Laptop everyday….for business and pleasure…so running multiple apps and browsers is important. During the down time streaming movies or TV shows and occasionally I like to play a few games (Command & Conquer/Modern Warfare 2)

Any feedback, suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated and welcomed.

 

Hey, I am trying to deal with the pics, but I cant seem to put them side by side on the OP...suggestions?

 

Well the pros are exactly what you've given. The thing you should also consider is the convenience of not having to do it yourself (adding in a 1.8'' drive, buying one at a good price, getting another regular drive to fit along with it). I think that for $270 its worthwhile so long as you don't mind spending the extra which it looks like you aren't.

On a day to day use for what you're doing, I think you'll come to love the benefits that the SSD brings. I couldn't go for that option when I ordered mine, but if I could I would have. The extra hdd space on the regular hard drive that you lose with the SSD option can be easily made up for with a external esata drive (which have dropped a lot in price). Plus realistically adding in an SSD is probably the biggest upgrade you can make that'll provide a good overall improvement in your usage. 6gb is probably more than enough, and adding in an extra ram (2gb module) isn't that pricey at all. The processor is something that's unlikely to bottleneck significantly for you considering your usage so sticking to the 720 makes sense (I made the same decision for that reason myself).

So to sum up, yes I think the option is worth getting.

 

Thanks guys. I try my best here. (fighting with picasa trying to sort out how to organize itbaggedurmac's pics.

I hope you dont mind Genryu but your follow up was added...sorry

 

Announcement:

UPDATE TO 22/11/2009 2:36 AM GMT+1

The OP has been rewritten completely (still trying to sort out some things with several pics) but in general that is how it is going to be now.

Some feedback would be greatly appreciated, and some updates even more.

Thanks!

 

Well I bite the bullet yesterday and picked up and Envy at BB. I've been fairly impressed so far with the machine. The one hang up that thought I would have issues with is the touchpad, and so far it's been the only thing that has caused me some grief. I have a Macbook Pro with the superb multitouch touchpad, and the Envy pad out of the box needs some help. So I'm sharing with you one of the more interesting things I've discovered so far.

One of the more annoying problems I have with the Envy touchpad are the relatively small areas at the bottom of the pad for the right and left button click functions. On the Macbook Pro the entire touchpad can be used as the left button when clicked. If you have two fingers on the touchpad when the pad is depressed you get a right button click. Well I found a registry key that enables that function on the Envy. Normally, the key is set to 0 if you change it to 1 then the whole touchpad is treated as a button. It seems to work fairly well for me. Just fire up the registry editor (if you don't know how then you may want to stay away) and modify that one key. Log out and log back in and give it a try. FYI, these are the latest drivers from M$ via software update ... also available at the beginning of this thread.

 

With Google Chrome, you can right-click the Picasaweb images and "Copy image URL". Use those URLs to put his images side-by-side. (I think you need URLs straight to the .jpg files.)

 

Have you checked out all the billion settings you can change for the trackpad? I can't check myself (on order still) but I would be surprised if this setting wasn't exposed there.

 

The Envy 15 is using the G1. According to a member of the Envy Design team, it will be some time before the G2s are implemented in the Envy. One thing to note however.. even if they were equipped with G2s, you'd still not be able to take advantage of the TRIM feature.. it is NOT supported in RAID configurations. Hopefully, Intel will support this soon.

 

Nope it isn't there.

 

PM'ed code should work... i think..

 

What an awesome little gadget! It's neat to see this in conjunction with the " All CPU meter" so you can see when it's going turbo or when all of the cores are going crazy instead. What fun...

 

Click the device tab then click settings.

Got the SSD in and I am finishing up the cloning process. The Envy is very easy to disassemble. The glue on the rubber feet did not come off well. I should have used a heat gun on them for a few seconds to keep the glue more intact. I got a video of installing the SSD(with better lighting ) and some pics of the internals. I will work on uploading them tomorrow.

 

Awwweeee cripes! I wanted G2. Seems you never get what you want in life.....

 

you'll get it for sure. if your willing to wait. lol..

 

nice.will look forward for that video..

 

Thanks thebranded, the OP has been fixed and it is now properly displayed.

iTBaggedUrMac, let me know about the vids and pics to upload them too.

 

Would you guys say this machine is not good to use if you are looking to run games, or use for long periods of time, due to how hot the system gets?

Also, those horizontal line issues on the screen - have they been resolved?