*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 2*

you could have a bad ram slot - or just really bad luck with ram sticks. it may take some time, but i would suggest running memtest86+ ( Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool) with the 4gig stick (or whatever size you want) in each slot, one at a time, to see what it says.

 

Ok so I have 4 slots, if I put the ram in 2 of them the laptop wont start, but another slot works fine. I installed memtest86+ on a usb but when I restart the laptop and hits f2 at startup there is no option to select startup disk as I have been able to do before? very strange... and I cannot find my way into the bios at startup cause f2 is a damn HP menu, f8 doesnt offers other options.....

 

I think ESC gets you the boot options at bootup, though I can't remember and I'm not near my Envy to check it. But I do know something other than F8 gets you a "select boot device" menu - without going through the BIOS.

Edit: oh wait...I see what you said. F2 is what I was thinking.

Have you tried your other USB ports? One of those may be finicky, like mine.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

Hey it worked! the unused slots didnt "corrupt" the memory sticks. Thanks so much for your help thanks thanks thanks!!! ;-)
(i tried the different f keys and f10 took me into bios where I could change startup device)

 

ok, now to my next problem: The bottom fan to the cpu cooler makes a noise as if it is hitting something. I have taken out the heatsink and disassembled it and reassembled it with the noise still there. If i press the fan slightly while running the noise stops sometimes, but will soon start again.
So it seems like it does not hit something but maybe something inside the fan...anyone got a clue? or can I order a fan frop HP and simply replace it?

 

I have the same problem when my laptop is booting up--in other words when it is cold. After a minute or two the noise goes away and it is fine again. Not sure why it is doing this though.

 

Sounds like a bad bearing. One of my CPU fans is a little noisy, too. Not sure on availability of the part from HP, though.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

damn it, another thing arises since I checked the fan, some keys on the keyboard does´t work I remember having this problem when i installed the ssd drive but it fixed itself back then...

 

Double check the ZIF cable - I hate that stupid thing.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

Hello all,

I have a first generation HP Envy 15 that I just upgraded to a larger hard drive.

The issue is I keep losing all sound production when my laptop wakes from sleep. A fresh reboot restores the sound, but if I close the lid/let it sleep, the sound is again gone with waking the laptop.

Any ideas what is going on here/how to achieve a permanent fix?

Thanks,
N123

 

Update: fixed the problem. Went to event viewer and saw that I had this HAL event 12 error and a bios update was recommended.

I updated from firmware f2b to slightly older f2a: now my problem is fixed--no more audio problems with waking laptop from sleep

 

One other thing. If any of you ever damage the touchpad ribbon cable (connects synaptics touchpad to the mother board) when opening this laptop up to do work, you can order a replacement from HP:

Correct Part number for touchpad cable: 576841-001

 

thanks, don´t know if that was the problem but it seems to have fixed itself!

 

Has anyone tried installing Windows 8 on this laptop as a fresh install--painless, or major issues?

Thanks,
N123

 

Since yesterday my Envy 15 does not power on when I press the power button. If I try removing the battery and put it back, that automatically turns the laptop on - but shutsdown on the POSTscreen.

I tried replacing the memory modules,but no luck. Does anyone know what could be the issue? Or is the only option to ship it back to HP?

 

@antelux

Have you tried booting with one stick of RAM? in different RAM slots?


Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

I think I tried these two steps -

Removed the RAM module outside and tried with only the one inside
Removed the RAM module inside, replaced it with the one from outside

Both these didn't help.

One thing that I hadn't mentioned earlier was that there was a water spill few days back on the keyboard.

 

Ack, water spill...you'll probably need it serviced, then. There may be a short or fried component in there. Compare price of replacement components against replacement laptop - not sure of price of new mobo (installed, if you're not inclined to do it yourself) on 2-3yr old laptop...

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

Today I connected the laptop to power without battery and it turned on - but they keyboard was not working and it was stuck on the boot menu. It looks like the keyboard is having some issues - tried connecting an external keyboard and i was able to get past the boot menu. Now after showing the Windows boot screen, it keeps on beeping (long beeps). If I go into BIOS, screens keep on switching as if the right arrow key is pressed down.

Is there any place where I will be able to get a replacement keyboard? Has anyone had any experience replacing the Envy's keyboard?

Does this mean there is a chance of making it work again?

 

The wiring in the keyboard cable seems to break easily. I purchased a replacement keyboard on ebay for about $50, no problem installing except it's some 60 screws so it's time-consuming. I also got the keyboard replaced once under warranty in 2010.

 

I will be attempting this weekend, so I'll report back on my experience.

 

For those of you considering a RAM upgrade:

via PM, bubzers said these are his DIMMs and work fine:
Newegg.com - Crucial 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Laptop Memory Model CT51264BC1067

I just bought what appears to be identical or nearly so to bubzers memory. I will report back as soon as I attempt to install it:
Amazon.com: Crucial CT2CP51264BC1067 8GB 204-PIN PC3-8500 SODIMM DDR3 (4GBx2): Electronics

This pair would not work for me:
Amazon.com: Corsair 8GB (2x 4GB) 1333mhz PC3-10666 204-pin DDR3 SODIMM Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9: Electronics
I knew they'd clock down to 1066, but I expected them to work otherwise. The closest approximation from Crucial's memory advisor in timings and speed is "guaranteed" compatible, so I figured a similarly spec'd Corsair DIMM would work. Memtest blew up (either froze in fail-safe or crashed & rebooted), Linux would fail to boot once it got to a certain run-level, and Windows would just boot-loop. Interestingly, the in-BIOS HP memory test passed 100% of the time. I tried both DIMMs independently and in each slot.

I also tried memory from an early 2011 MBP, which seemed to make it through memtest except for one hiccup (but I wasn't sure if I bumped something). I only tried 1 DIMM of this + 1 DIMM of OEM envy. I was able to boot into Windows just fine. (But upgrading from 4GB of RAM to 4GB wouldn't do me much good.
Specs:
Brand: SAMSUNG
Capacity: 2 GB
Part Number: M471B5773DH0-CH9
Speed Buffer: DDR3 1333 (PC3-10600)
Latency: CL 9
Voltage: 1.5V

 

Hello everyone!
So back in June, I purchased the HP Envy 15 3200 CTO for college and about a couple weeks ago, I noticed a problem. Normally, I use a USB mouse just as a personal preference, but I started using the track pad and found that the gestures were quite handy, especially for quick browsing when I didn't want to whip out my mouse. So the problem I have is that my track pad barely works now. None of the gestures work as well as the tap to click. I am running an upgrade to Windows 8. It worked fine after the install. I'm not sure what has changed. I have uninstalled and re installed the Synaptics drivers for the track pad multiple times, rolled back the drivers, and resetting all of the settings and making sure that all of the features were enabled.

So here is the specifics of the problem:

If I hold a finger down on the track pad, the cursor sort of vibrates and moves upwards slowly
In a fluid finger swipe, the cursor stutters and does complete the expected path length
Tap to click does not work
No gestures work (ie two finger scrolling)
The disable button in the top right does not work as well

Anyone else having the same problems?
I tried contacting HP, but their website is a nightmare and the furthest I got was checking to see if my warranty was still valid and then the website would take me directly to the driver detection/update page which is not what I wanted in the first place. I still have no idea how to contact HP about this problem.
I have browsed through the Synaptics forums and found that no one else is having this problem. I haven't had this computer all that long and it was working wonderfully up until this point. Windows 8 was an easy install except the minor brightness bug, which was easily fixed with the reg-hack. Anyway, thanks for any advice that you have!

 

I upgraded from Windows 7 and had no problems except the brightness settings maxed and not being able to change it. However, it is easily fixed with some driver updates and a simple registry change.

EDIT: This is in reply to the top post, but I'm new, so I didn't quote

 

The Crucial RAM works perfectly. My RAM Windows experience index when from 5.7 to 6.7 - I didn't expect that. (Wish I would have benchmarked with something transparent.) Maybe it's Windows' way of adjusting the score for more RAM.

 

It was surprisingly painless. Nearly every device had a working driver out of the box, but I did find more recent driver versions in large part due to this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-drivers-software-forum/426181-drivers-hp-envy-15-1xxx-intel.html

For the latest Radeon Drivers + Catalyst Control Center, check out this post:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...rs-hp-envy-15-1xxx-intel-116.html#post8971005

It actually seems to run quieter and cooler, but I did get rid of some of the dust bunnies when I did my RAM upgrade.

 

I've had my Envy 15 with 3rd gen i5 and for some reason the keyboard doesn't fully illuminate, even after several restarts. I called HP and they told me since it's under warranty to ship it to them for a fix. I think it's a keyboard shortcut or something that preventing it from lighting up all the keys. I attached a picture so you can see what I'm talking about...any help? thank you.

 

I am thinking of cleaning heatsink and fan on the processor and graphic chip. Can I use the same thermal paste for both heat sinks? I saw in the HP manual that since the thermal paste on graphic chip's heat sink is adhesive, we might need to pull the heat sink to the left and right to remove it. Does this mean it uses a different kind of thermal paste?

Can I use any thermal paste or will it be better to use a particular brand? These questions might sound basic, but this is the first time I am trying to clean the insides of a laptop though I have owned a few until now

 

I have done this a few times.... The heatsinks are not glued down. Once you've removed the screws holding them down to the chassis, they should pull off easily. Can't really go wrong with arctic silver 5 paste to replace.

 

It is a bit late, but always wanted a real deal Envy notebook with the 1080p panel and full metal body. The Envy 4 that I had recently was not that laptop I wanted, was not up to the standard of what an Envy should be. Anyway I got a second hand Envy 15 is pretty good condition yesterday without having to spend to much. I have almost gone through the two huge threads, and it is somewhat hard to navigate.

I see there are still a few users around here of the Envy 15 original Revision 2 model, would be cool if you can give me some fresh today advice on the laptop.

My model is specifically an ENVY 15-1022TX, and according to that number it is mean't to be a Revision 1 model, also the official specs sheet from HP also says that as well. But you know what,its not. Mine has the ATI 5830 and USB3. And the model I have was basically the highest spec pre-built model that could be brought in my country at the time of sale.

I was surprised that this thing is getting old, but could play FarCry 3 pretty well. At 1080p it was not very playable, but still had enough frames to enjoy what it looks like at 1080p. My new AMD DV6 could run FarCry 3 even at the lowest settings. Once I set the Envy 15 to 1280x720 it was very smooth and playable, very impressive to say the least. I am using the old out of the box factory restore ATI display driver too.

Couple of questions that some people could answer.

1. The laptop alloy finish has dulled alot. How do I clean/bring this up so it looks like new again?
2. This thing gets really hot on the palm rests. Found on running on battery it is not so bad. Is there anything I can do to make it cooler?
3. If I just go and get drivers from AMD, can the laptop handle those without any mods? (Just tried installing direct from AMD, it BSOD when installing the drivers )
4. I see there is a modded BIOS namely F2.B shoud I run this BIOS for any reason, or just stick with the HP's ones instead?
5. Should I change the CPU for a higher spec model, e.g. newer stepping to reduce heat, or is it simply not worth it?
6. The Beats Audio speakers are very quiet, is there anyway to get any more volume from them?

Factory Specs:
i7-720QM
8GB (4x2GB 1333MHz)
ATI 5830
640GB Hard Disk
1080p LG Philips LP156WF1-TLE1
Intel 6200 WiFi
Beats Audio

 

1. Don't know
2. The CPU is under your left palm and HDD is under your right palm. SSD lowered temp on that side, for me. CPU side will always be warm.
3. Yes, 5830M accepts drivers directly from AMD website. At least mine does.
4. Depends. What BIOS are you running now?
5. IMHO, not worth it.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

Before it BSOD, I had removed the original ATI drivers. I downloaded the new drivers, they BSOD. After that I started the installer again, it went though no problem.

I am on BIOS version F1.A but cannot find any reference to it and the date in CPU-Z is 03/08/2010

I see in your sig you are on F.2A, is there any reason why this is better than the new version F.2B A

 

I upgraded to F.2A before F.2B was released and it has not given me any problems, so I have not upgraded it further. F.2B has a fix for Street Fighter IV and particular gamepads giving BSOD.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

Kind of werid why HP would even bother, it not like that many people would even had such a game pad anyway.

Do you have you GPU overclocked at all?

 

No, I've never really needed to overclock my GPU. It has been able to play all of the games I've wanted to play. I have OCed it to 550/900 once before, but only for benchmarking.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

Pretty happy with this laptop, even though its a little bit old, really nice to use and feels a lot different than my other more plastic HP's. Love the dual cooling system, the chassis runs hot on mains (just alittle warm on battery), but both the CPU and the GPU do not overheat even when pushed to the limit, and the fans are quiet compare to the DV6 Intel Quad under load, which is crazy loud and throttles, also most other laptops fail when under maximum stress.

I was lucky enough to have my battery showing 0% wear, considering this was turned on for the first time on 3rd month of 2010, I figured that its is likely the laptop might of only been run on the mains. Battery fully charged capacity shows 53990 mWh, and I get all of that too

After cleaning it with some wet wipes yesterday, pulling out the battery found that my model is not a 15-1022TX but actually a 15-1109TX, which explains why I actually have the 5830M graphics.

The reason I want to overclock on the latest drivers is cause I am getting into FarCry 3, which is demanding on most systems. My newer HP DV6 with AMD can not even play it on the lowest settings even at 1366x768, really surprised that the Envy 15 can play it at 1920x1080 even thought the settings are on low, it still looks great at native resolution.

Managed an overclock yesterday, but I have to use the old official HP drivers for the video card from 2010 to do so, otherwise the screen does all kind of weird stuff even if bumped up just a faction if I try and use the current latest AMD mobility drivers (they are OK on stock speed though). Basically with 2010 drivers can get a good bump to 575/1190, this makes FarCry 3 play pretty damm smooth. Can even bump up the details to medium, still smooth but then I get to much lag with it also.

These were $5000 when they came out in my country, I use to go into the store and just drool at the one on display a couple of years back, I would imagine they didn't sell that many. Getting it for 15% of the original price in mint condition, is better late than never.

 

Thanks! I didn't do the heat sink cleaning, but I replaced the keyboard with one I purchased from ebay and the laptop is working now. For sometime I was worried that the water damage would cause permanent damage. One downside of ebay purchase was it didn't include screws or the black adhesive sheet below the keyboard - had to reuse the old ones.

 

Yeah, had to do the same when i replaced my keyboard, although didn't re-use the black sheet under the keyboard. That was nearly 2 years ago....doesn't seem to have done any harm so far

 

Hi There,
Its been a while since anyone has posted so not sure if anyone is out there?
I wondered if anyone knows if it is possible to upgrade the CPU on my envy 15 (i've got the i7-720QM)

Cheers!

 

a little late on the response, but maybe it will help anyway???

you can upgrade to i7-740QM, i7-820QM, i7-840QM. i'm not sure if the i7-9xxXM work - i just don't know. in any case, you are restricted to the first generation i7 series quad-core CPUs. not sure if the money & time will be worth it for you.

i am going to be upgrading from my current i5-520M to i7-740QM in about a week (waiting for the CPU to get to me - can't beat $50 (!) on ebay...unless it's DOA )

trying to not let this thread completely die...

EDIT: any recommendations for thermal paste? i'm currently rockin' HPs original junk (whatever it is) and it has done just fine. i'm concerned about using ArcticSilver5 as i don't have very steady hands and afraid about damaging something when i make a mess.

 

Alright...so, my i7-740qm came in - along with some MX-4 thermal compound (trying to avoid unsteady hands problems with ArcticSilver5). I got everything pasted/seated and the CPU works like a dream, but with one caveat: the temps are a bit high -> idle ~55C & load got up to 90C. Now, I feel like I put too much TIM on. But I have a question.

Setup for the question-> the heatsink has a black plastic-like film on it with a hole cut out to fit the CPU (cut to fit original i5). I trimmed the plastic to fit the i7. I will redo the MX-4 this evening or tomorrow morning.

Question -> is it OK to just remove the plastic film, entirely?

EDIT: as a reference, my i5-520M idled ~35C and ran, full tilt (transcoding video, all 4 threads loaded 100%), ~75C

EDIT2 (10Sept2013): I didn't get the opportunity to redo the paste last night, & had to use the laptop. Idle temps are ~46C. So, much better than earlier in the day, and more in-line with my expectations. But I have one core that is constantly 2-3C above the others. I suspect this is due to the plastic film cutout not properly lined up with the CPU. I am compelled to remove it, now.

EDIT3: My suspicions proved correct: the heatsink wasn't making full contact with the CPU due to my poor job of cutting the way plastic film to fit the larger i7 (picture in spoiler, below). I removed the plastic film and repasted and temps are well under control, now. Idle is 38-43C and full load (transcoding video, all 8 threads loaded 100%) reached 77C.

Spoiler

I think this is the longest post I've ever made...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

I am eye balling this model "HP ENVY 15-j043ed".... It comes with the following:

Code:

Product Number    F2V06EA
Microprocessor                 2.4 GHz Intel Core [B] i7-4700MQ[/B]
Chipset                        Intel HM87 Express
Microprocessor Cache	      6 MB cache, 4 cores
Memory	                      8 GB DDR3L SDRAM
Memory Slots	              2 DIMM
Video Graphics	              NVIDIA GeForce [B]GT 740M[/B] (2 GB DDR3 dedicated)
Display	                      39.6 cm (15.6”) Full HD BrightView LED backlit [B](1920 x 1080)[/B]
Hard Drive	                      500 GB[B] 5400 rpm[/B] SATA
Network Card	              Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)

Wireless Connectivity	      802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth


Sound	                     Beats Audio with 4 speakers and two Subwoofers
Keyboard	                     Full-size, island-style, backlit with numeric keypad
Pointing Device	             HP Clickpad supporting multi-touch gestures
External Ports	             Multi-format digital media card reader for SD cards

1 HDMI
1 headphone-out/microphone-in combo
4 USB 3.0 (1 Boost)
1 RJ45

Dimensions	               37.95 x 25.07 x 2.79 cm
Weight	                       2.19 kg
Power	                       120W AC power adapter 6-cell Li-Ion

What's In The Box	
Front-facing HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated dual array digital microphone
HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader

I care about speed, am currently owning the 720QM first generation mobile quad generation.
I use a lot of photoshop and coding software. Dont really care about the beats audio system.
Am currently owning a four year old HP Pavilion dv6t quad edition and loving it.


Concrete questions:

- Please advice on possible known issues with this model.

- Can you tell me something about the internal construction? Is it the same as the older models here? Can you post a recent map?

- Is this notebook worth 900 euros? approx. 1100 dollars this day and age.
If you can advice something else please do.


Thank you.

 

I'm coming over from a DV6T and I'll tell you that the build quality is SIGNIFICANTLY better. The top lid where the keyboard is located is one piece with what wraps over the edge making it much more rigid. I spent 2 hours in the back of the car with one and it didn't make a noise for creaking etc. The hinges for the display and the bezel is far improved. I love having the backlit keyboard. My big gripe is that the implementation of Simple Pass is not as good as the original in the DV6T and the mouse pad without buttons is not my preferred mousepad. I do think that this processor will last for may years to come, given that most software doesn't really use the Haswell AVX 2.0 instruction sets yet. But once they do, the processor will crank that type of work without a doubt.