*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

I am trying to create a usb recovery disk with the tool HP has provided on their site and I am getting this error message - the recovery media for your system has been created before

Has anyone seen this message and is there a fix for this one?

 

Your only allowed to make one set of recovery discs. If you already made the DVD recovery discs then you can't make another set or USB version. It warns you quite clearly when you make the first and only set.

 

Ok, update on my heat issues...when the laptop came in yesterday it was crazy hot even with the fan always on. When I wiped the HD and did a fresh install I also disabled the always on setting for the fan and the machine was still incredibly hot. So I followed JJB's suggestion and re-enabled the fan and it has made all the difference in the world. Still hotter than I feel it should be for just browsing or typing, but nothing like it was yesterday on the top and bottom. Now I only have one major grip left that's keeping me on the fence, but I'm moving that to the Gen2 specific thread. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!

 

guys, i need a little help understanding my lappy's issue.

this month, i sent my laptop to hp for dead pixels and horizontal lines. and now their sending it back because its "fixed". however when i asked them if they replaced or fixed anything. HP said that they just repaired the motherboard and the thermal paste.

now from what i understand, i don't see any relationship between the LCD and the board let alone the thermal paste.

can you help me guys understand if its any way related? the board and the lcd?

thank you.

 

Dude, you asked this question yesterday on the previous page--you needn't spam your questions just to increase the odds of getting an answer... they probably just swapped LCD panels and called it a day. The last time that happened to me (same scenario with lines lost), my original lid was left intact... so the most they did to your motherboard was disconnect/reconnect the LCD. There was no reason for them to assume anything was wrong with the motherboard itself. The line-loss is usually the result of a careless user smacking the screen-lid (I've done it!)... or from crimped cables and pressure which is also partly due to poor build quality.

More than likely the person you spoke to was simply confused--the CSRs you speak to are NOT from the same groups that actually handle physical repairs. They should have included a print-out of the report the repair techs did, detailing whether or not they could duplicate the failure, if there was a repair, etc. Honestly, I'm not sure why you'd care enough to ask twice--if they solved the problem, it shouldn't matter to you how they did it

Wouldn't a solution be to simply use a program like IMGBurn and rip a copy from the original recovery discs burned?

 

It's copy protected and if you make the USB thumb drive version the HP tool adds something to it so win7 recognizes it to boot as the recovery. Don't know how you could add that even if you could manage to image burn it.

 

Can someone upload their Beats wallpaper

 

I'm on holiday in the USA and you definitely have some good prices over here on laptops; I've been looking for something I can use to play games while I'm over here, and then when I take it back I wanted to take it to university on a daily basis. It seems like the Envy isn't quite ideal for me since I was hoping for something with switchable graphics and a bit more battery life like the upcoming ASUS N82JV or Acer Arrandale Timelines, but then the Envy's 1080p screen and much more powerful video card, at a reasonable price with the $300 off coupon, seems like a pretty good deal.

As such, with the 30-day return policy, it seems like I should definitely give this machine a try. However, I wanted to test my logic on the configuration options.

• I'm probably going to stick with the i5-430M and 4GB of RAM, since that looks like the best value; If I did want to upgrade later I could sell these and buy new ones for less than HP charges for the upgrade.
  
• HP's prices on SSD's seem pretty decent, but as far as I can tell they're G1 Intel drives which would mean no TRIM support - this means the prices aren't so great after all. However, $50 seems worth it for 500GB over 320GB, though; prices on Newegg are more like $70 vs $100 for the two, but buying a 500GB drive separately doesn't seem worth the bother in this case.
  
• With the display, I'm not sure; I definitely want 1080p, but I don't know whether it should be the matte or glossy. I've heard the glossy one is much brighter and looks better but is very reflective. Consequently, I'm edging towards the matte.
  
• HP doesn't seem to be overcharging on the external optical drive; is it okay for $50, or is it lacking in speed or not very slim/light?
  
• Other than that, I've read that the slice battery is very heavy, so I won't be getting that. However, can the extra 6 cell be connected simultaneously with the standard battery to provide uninterrupted use, and will it drain from the extra battery first? Also, the 6 cell only weighs ~0.8 lbs, right?
  
• Finally, according to HP's website, the quick-ship model comes with a 90W adapter, while the customizable model comes with a 120W adapter. I read that the 120W adapter was very heavy, though, so I wanted the 90W. As I understand it, the 90W is enough for the i5 models, but not the i7 models. However, the quick-ship model doesn't offer the $300 discount, so I guess I'd have to call HP if I want $300 off as well as the 90W adapter.

Battery life seems surprisingly good for the Envy, but I gather that this is because of the throttling on battery. It seems to me that the throttling is quite severe - how do you Envy 15 owners feel about it?

 

The 540 is a significant bump over the 430, but the 430 is still good, so yes, you could certainly upgrade later.

It seems that all the recent orders have had G1s. I wasn't able to verify mine (and it's already in the shop for repairs).

I prefer the matte. The glossy is much brighter but ... glossy. I don't like the eye strain or seeing my reflection. I had a glossy screen before and it was by no means 'bad' -- it was a great screen. But my preference is matte. YMMV.

It's fine. Won't be as fast as an internal drive for burning but hopefully you're not doing a whole heckuvalot of burning on a laptop whose DVD drive is an add-on.

You're correct that it will drain from the slice first (IIRC, I don't have the slice, but I think that's what I read here). I think it's quite a bit more than 0.8 lbs though - most posts indicate it's closer to 2 lbs. I'd skip it.

I didn't think that the 120W one was THAT big, but I guess it's preference.

I think all the iX series processors throttle on the battery (that's sort of the point). These days you just need to be careful that you get a laptop that doesn't throttle on AC (the Dell SXPS). As for how much it throttles, I'm curious about that as well. I didn't notice a huge drop-off but I didn't test mine extensively.

 

I would perfer to get a different external optical drive.

My main annoyance with the HP's Envy optical drive is that the USB cable is not removable from the drive, so it can be tricky to pack. I get a smidge worried at times because I PACK stuff down when traveling. I then have to conform how I handle my bag, where it gets placed in the compartment....etc....A removable cable would have been one less thing to worry about, outside of loosing it.

I had one of the $50 Asus optical drives which, IMO, looked much nicer and was a bit more compact. It also had a removabale USB cable that was a smidge shorter than HP's supplied cable. I got rid of it once I got rid of my UL80VT, so I can't vouch for longetivity, but there's plenty out there to choose from.

 

With Turbo on both, the 520M/540M is ~5/10% faster on two cores and ~15/20% faster on one, and has AES-NI. However, that doesn't seem worth $100/175 to me. Later on, if it was, I expect I'd be able to upgrade it myself at a lower cost.

Yeah, I heard the slice was something like 2.7lbs. However, I was asking about the option of the extra 6 cell, not the 9 cell slice.

Thanks for the prompt response, it was much appreciated.

What's the sentiment on build quality/reliability for the latest Envy 15 models? Is it well above average by HP's standards?

 

compared to the DM series and the Probooks, it looks and feels pretty AWESOME.

Reliability, not so sure. My first HP was the Probook 5310m which had an overheating processor (90+C!), and then my first Envy was BSOD'ing every time I was gaming. The replacement I have now is working perfectly and has exceeded all expectations.

 

Thanks for that.

I think I'll call HP and see if I can get the same $300 discount (or more) with the quick-ship model, as well as a guarantee in writing that I'd get warranty coverage when I return to Australia. Hopefully that would be enough leverage to use against HP in Australia, who would probably be pissed off that I didn't pay three times the price.

EDIT: I just remembered about an issue with the SATA controller I'd read about; supposedly the Envy gets poor speeds with SSD. Does anyone know anything about this?

 

An observation from the readme of one of the recent software updates.
ENVY 14 and 17 are clearly mentioned.


==================================
...
SoftPaq NUMBER: SP47421
Superseded SoftPaq NUMBER: SP46549
EFFECTIVE DATE: February 22, 2010
CATEGORY: OS and OS Enhancements
SSM SUPPORTED: YES

DEVICES SUPPORTED :
...
Compaq Presario CQ62 Notebook PC
HP DreamScreen 500
HP ENVY 13
HP ENVY 14-1000
HP ENVY 15
HP ENVY 17
HP G42 Notebook PC
HP G60 Notebook PC
...
==========================

 

Oh, sorry about that! Yeah I actually got the spare 6 cell. It's not very heavy. I didn't weigh it but I'd guess that 0.8 lbs sounds about right. It's identical to the battery that comes with it...thought you were talking about the slice because you mentioned using both simultaneously, which you can't do with a spare 6 cell.

I guess it depends on how you define 'build quality.' Mine had an issue that would've taken 10 seconds to detect before they shipped it to me and so I had to send it back on day one. The materials they use might be fine but if they're assembled in a slipshod manner then it certainly affects the quality.

Having said that, what happened to me could've happened to any laptop from any manufacturer. As a Dell guy, though, it was my first experience with HP and I'm on the fence as to whether or not I'll keep the system after my 21 days are up -- assuming I get it back in short order as they've promised (some people report 2-3 weeks for fairly simple repairs; they told me 3-4 business days).

Just in terms of the physical materials, though, the laptop feels more sturdy than, say, my 2003-era Inspiron, and maybe a cut above my 2008-era M1530. Certainly 'good,' at least.

 

Thanks, that's what I wanted to know. I guess you'd have to shut the laptop down to switch batteries, then? If so, I probably won't bother with the spare.

I'm still worried about the SATA controller issue I heard about, though.

 

What issue did you get?

I miss my XPS15.

 

Honestly, I find the slice to be worth it. A 7lb laptop isn't that big, all things considered, especially with 6+ hours of non-intensive use or 3+ hours of gaming use.

The build quality, mine has been great. I don't know if I just got lucky, but I haven't had any issues whatsoever with it.

As for the SATA controller, I have no idea. No SSD here... check with JJB. I seem to think that most of those issues have been ironed out for some reason, but I can't find any specific posts saying that.

 

I think a slice makes more sense with an i5 dualcore than on an i7 quadcore. With the quadcore battery time is still limited to about 4.5 hours in real-time scenarios (well-lit environment, wifi on, perhaps cafe of corporate presentation) which is not enough to to leave the power brick at home.

 

Enter, backspace, space bar, and up/down arrow keys don't work or transmit garbage. Pinched keyboard cable. Happens in BIOS as well as Windows.

HP tech was great about it, and I got a CSR rep to extend my warranty by one year over it -- I do miss Dell sending somebody out the very next day though.

 

I hear you man.

 

Wouldn't it be closer to 8lb? To my knowledge, the Envy's slice battery weighs almost as much as a VAIO Z! As nice as the battery life figures are, that just seems like too much to carry with me on a daily basis.

It's hard to work out what I'm looking for, but if the Envy's battery life doesn't cut it for me, I'd probably rather look at options with switchable graphics, like the Alienware m11x, Sony VAIO Z, Acer TimelineX 3280TG and the ASUS N82Jv, rather than go to that level of weight.

 

I can't even get 3h with extended battery on school usage ( web, word and music )

 

I don't think the battery life cuts it for most people.

I've probaly averaged around 1.5-2hr doing Openoffice, wi-fi/bluetooth off, full brightness.

 

I guess you'd do better with the brightness turned down; nonetheless, I might not buy an Envy just yet with that in mind.

 

If I didn't have the Envy to choose from, i'd consider the N82Jv coming out.

The battery life on the UL80 was ridiculous. Even though I always have access to power, I felt compelled to try to exhaust the battery. 11hrs!

 

That's pretty amazing, though the N82Jv wouldn't be as good for battery life as the UL series since the CPU isn't ULV.
The N82Jv has basically been at the top of my shortlist for a while; I guess I was just temporarily swayed by 1080p and the HD 5830 on the Envy.

 

You must have some settings wrong or something else running in backround. With just Word open I get around 3 Hrs. I can play an HD movie in WMP full screen and get at least 2Hrs 10 min.

 

Did you have it at full brightness?

I haven't tried it at a different level yet.

 

The brightness does not have a very big effect on battery life, it's an LED, the difference is 2W at min vs. 4W at max for the whole display which equates to about 10% difference in run times.

Full bright actually hurts my eyes on the glossy, I'm guessing you must have the matte screen?

Check Task Manager when your in what you think is your best power saving mode (on battery) and see if the CPU is actually gets to 0% at idle. The factory install never allows full idle, always at 2 - 4% CPU, this uses a lot more power than the LED.

EDIT: also make sure you have 'PowerPlay' enabled in the CCC panel (last item in 'graphics' tab). This throttles the GPU to 99 core / 199 mem at idle and allows max clocks of 299 / 299 to save power.

 

Concerning the Gen1 build quality, how prone are the keys to oil and friction wear? Is it the crappier type that begins to show "shine" after only 5-10 hours of dedicated use? I just got mine today--if the quality is poor I'll hold off on regular use until I can acquire a silicone shield. Immediate input would be greatly appreciated.

Also, same question regarding the trackpad--does it begin to wear and shine after minimal use?

 

After 5 weeks of daily use I have no signs of wear or shiny spots. You do get that from oily fingers but it cleans of easily, just be careful wiping the keyboard down. I popped a keycap off when an edge of the cloth got caught under a cap and they are very easy to damage when trying to 'snap' back in place.

 

Not to be bothersome, but how would you say the keyboard compares to other models? In the last year I've had a Thinkpad SL300 and JUST switched from an DV8t Pavilion--both of them began to show key wear after only 3-4 days of regular use, and it was permanent (wasn't caused primarily by oils either, as I keep my hands clean before using my laptops). Is this keyboard superior in quality and durability, or do you generally not suffer from this issue regardless of the keyboard type (in other words, your fingers don't produce as many oils, etc)?

Aside from my Logitech Dinovo, I've yet to come in contact with a keyboard that hasn't contracted "shiny key syndrome" after several days.

 

Matte.

I am at 0-1% idle. The task manager itself is accounting for that 1% spike.

It's on.

 

Forgot to mention you can tweak power plan settings to gain another 5% by setting the 'reserve' level to 0 and the 'critical' level to 7% (won't let you go below that). Also make sure the 'low battery action' is set to do nothing.

There is a way to disable the critical battery action to 'do nothing' so you gain another 7%, I don't have time to search for that 'link' right now, let me know if you want it and I can check for it later.

 

Don't worry about it. I'm always tied to the brick anyways. Thanks though.

 

Couldn't you order a recovery CD from HP? I noticed that link available on the CTO support page.

 

Aren't they 20$?

I don't know but I tend to just reinstall fresh or load an image made with acronis (or whatever image software you wanna use) whenever I am in a situation where the HP recovery disks would be needed. I dont see anything special coming from those recovery disks except a re-installer of the bloatware I un-installed. It won't do anything a windows 7 OEM disk will do if you just need to recover a broken system.

My 2 cents

@JJB

Hmmm good to know... lets hope my toy doesn't break then.

 

I'm sure you can. I was responding to his issue with trying to make a USB thumb drive set of recovery 'disks' after he had already made a copy to DVD. So ordering new disks won't help him make a USB thumb version....

@Tayeule

Hp in will not offer software support if you don't have the support assistant crap installed. Not really an issue for me but others may want this. Also if you return it for repairs were they would need to load softeware etc. they would not support it with other than the factory software package.

 

Just decided to try out Handbrake for the first time.

CPU hitting 82C. ooooooohweeeeee.

 

Hi, I know some people before were asking about ways to update the firmware of their SSD's, but because they are HP branded Intel's, the Intel firmware didn't allow it.

Saw this and thought it might help.

http://www.overclock.net/ssd/656984-how-get-your-kingston-40gb-ssd.html

 

very cool. Thanks for posting the link. Can't wait to try this. Will post back with results. +rep

 

I do sometimes screw up with the extra line of keys down the right side of the keyboard. Also, I am struggling to get the hang of W7 lol. Played a few games now that seem to run quite well. The big test will be BF:BC2, planning on picking that one up next week sometime.

The fan sounds quite loud. A loudish distinct buzzing noise. Well, its not exactly loud, but quite noticable. Maybe I am just used to my old Dell XPS. And the 120W power brick is tiny when compared to my last Dell one

 

@Pommie

That sounds like the same defective fan noise that I have. Does it only really 'buzz' or rattle at lowest RPM speeds? I changed the fan assembly out with one from another machine and it went away for a week then it started up again, I now have a brand new replacement fan assemble from HP parts that I will be installing soon, if this fixes the problrm I will PM you with the P/N and details since your in AUS if I recall, that's a long way away to send in for repairs.....

This seems to be a problem that has become more common recently, for both the GPU and CPU fans. If you have warranty coverage down their I would suggest you call in the problem and get a 'trouble ticket number' started with tech support. A manager their explained that the only way they would start a corrective action plan for quality issues is when they get enough 'trouble tickets' generated on the same problem.

 

We get full support down here JJB, I didn't order the laptop from the US. It sounds like a small vibration, not exactly loud, but definetly noticable. I need this laptop for going overseas in less than 3 weeks. I will be away in the Middle East for about 3 months. Not too happy with the situation. Honestly am missing the Dell next day onsite tech warranty.

Two of my work friends also picked up the same laptop, I will have to go have a listen to theirs to see if there is any difference.

And thanks JJB for the offer to PM that info, much obliged.

 

Call HP support and explain the situation and see if you can have it sent in for repairs. I've had 2-3 HPs fixed in this manner in the past. They'll put in a request with either Fedex or UPS, and a carrier will stop by on the following business day with an empty box with packing supplies. You box it up, attach the included label, and they come by the next day to pick it up. 3-5 business days later and your laptop is back. The real question is whether or not they duplicate your issue in the lab... and actually fix the problem on the first attempt.

With 3 weeks before you leave, you'll be fine. Just get the process started early so you have the option of sending it in a second time should they fail to address the issue on the first try. If you're really in a bind for time, ask them if they can email you a pre-paid label without playing box-tag with the carrier. If you can provide your own shipping box and give them the dimensions/weight, I'd say it's likely they'd oblige.

 

Got my Envy back. Unfortunately thay zapped the drive and reset it back to facotry settings - but not the ones that came originally with the laptop, a generic installation without any of the programs that came with the Envy series.

So far so good. I have not experienced any problems except for some odd reason the laptop decided it would boot from the USB harddrive rather than the internal.

Time will tell.

 

Check your BIOS they may have changed that during troubleshooting. I do it all the time at work and forget to change it back.

 

They had enabled the smart keys (s!) and disabled virtualisation.

I have upgraded from Home Premium to Ultimate, so I am not too overly concerned, but there was some nice tools from Cyberlink that I liked using.

EDIT: Where is the Webcam software by Cyberlink located? I know it was not the greatest, but it sort of met my needs.

 

Can anyone tell me if they think the upgrade from the i5-430 to the i5-520 is worthwhile. Keep in mind that I've really pushed my budget very far just to get what I already have... So far I've seen one person saying it's a must, and another saying there shouldn't be too big of a difference and I should save my money... I plan to use the envy for gaming as well as school (getting the 9-cell battery as well)

I'm also planning to upgrade the screen, sort of leaning towards the matte 1080p selection, any input on that would also be greatly appreciated.