HP HDX 16 - Touch Buttons faulty? Adjusts volume/bass and turns off wireless randomly

Hi,

I am wondering if anyone has had the same problem as me with the HP HDX 16. Randomly, even as I am typing here, the volume bar (with treble, bass etc) will appear on screen and will increase/reduce very quickly as if im pushing down on the touch buttons, this stops me being able to type, sometimes crashing the computer.

At the same time, this fault also occurs for the wireless LAN button to the far right, which will randomly disable (turn red) as if i'd touched it, sometimes causing the desktop to crash but more importantly causing me to lose connection and have to reconnect on a frequent basis.

I've had the notebook for over 6 months, and while i did have this occur on very rare occasions, since a couple days ago it has increased to a point where it happens all the time, including after a restart. I have tried searching through google to see if the problem is known, and i have seen a similar account on a customer review website. I have used HP health check and followed the updates supplied including that for the touch smart buttons and a BIOS flash.

I did look into the possibility of using system rollback, but looking at the most recent checkpoints, nothing of any note has been installed (such as new driver software) in the last couple months to suggest that would solve the problem.

Any help/advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

I've read that HP came out with a new driver for the touch sensitive controls. Mine is 1 month old and don't have that issue. Update to the latest driver should solve this issue.

 

has anyone found a fix for this or a driver?

 

The bass and treble buttons on my laptop died altogether. Though they still illuminate and show the current setting; neither will respond. I also find the wifi turning on and off "on its own"; though I have realized it's actually my right pinkie touching the touch-sensitive button. I really wish it was located somewhere else!!

 

The ribbon cable has probably broken. If you have the skills to take apart the laptop (free service manuals are available from HP), it's an easy fix.

 

How does your pinky touch all the way up so high? Also, it should still be under warranty, if you have the hdx16 that is.

 

The row of touchpad buttons above the keyboard on our HDX 16 went flaky after about a month. They started activating themselves randomly (popping up the volume indicator or turning off the WiFi), and finally reached the point that trying to adjust the volume would always turn off the WiFi.

After several calls to HP, driver upgrades, BIOS flash, and (ugh!) restoring Vista, HP finally accepted it for service. They returned it with a new keyboard bezel.

That was three weeks ago. The touchpad buttons started acting up again this morning.

So either HP has a bad design, or a warehouse full of defective parts. And we've got ourselves a lemon.

Assuming that we are stuck with this system, does anyone know of a way to simply turn the !@#$ buttons off, and let us adjust these things the old-fashioned way?

 

You can uninstall the driver for the media touch bar. I'm glad to say I don't have this issue. Good luck.

 

Can you please tell me how? I have been trying to do this for a while now as I'm rather annoyed with the media touch bar malfunctioning . The wireless keeps going off every now and then but now it is very frequent. Same goes for volume, bass and treble.

Thanks.

 

Go to computer devices, and device drivers, properties, uninstall.

 

Thanks for that speedy reply. But could I trouble you a bit more and ask you to be more specific on those steps?

I know what your talkibg about, I just dont know where to find it.

Thanks again for your help.

 

optimustarzan??? Anyone???

I am really desperate and starting to hate my HDX . I am not able to get any work done on it. When the buttons start acting up the laptop just freezes and wont respond .

 

This is the reply i got from HP earlier when i queried them about the faulty buttons.

what did the trick for me was to release flea power.

I only asked them about the wlan card, but it fixed the Bass/Treble problem too.

Subject: RE: HP HDX X16-1000EO Premium Notebook PC e-mail support


HP Customer Care http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html

Dear XXXXXXXXXXX,

Thank you for contacting HP Customer Care.

I gather from your email that the Wireless Card is not working on your HP HDX X16-1000EO Premium Notebook and it turns off frequently.

Mathias Sarre, I understand your concern in this regard and will and make sure to provide appropriate resolution.

Cause:

This issue could be caused due to the Wireless driver or the Wireless services are turned off on your notebook.

Suggestions:

Release Flea Power:

A procedure to release 'Flea Power' is recommended for removal of electrostatic charge. Sometimes static charge gets accumulated in the sensitive circuitry causing faulty functioning.

1) Shut down the system & Disconnect all the external devices connected to the notebook.

2) Disconnect the AC power from the wall outlet. Unplug the AC chord from the notebook.

3) Remove the battery from its compartment.

4) Hold down the Power button for 30 seconds continuously.

5) Now put back the battery & reconnect notebook to the AC power wall outlet.

6) Start up the system by pressing the power button

Now, turn on the Wireless button and check if the wireless button turns on to blue and is constant.

If the Wireless turns off, then uninstall and reinstall the Wireless Driver on your notebook.

Uninstall and Reinstall Wireless drivers:

1. Click "Start" and type devmgmt.msc in the Start search field.

2. Press Enter.

3. Now the Device Manager Window opens up.

4. Click on the '+' sign beside the entry called “Network Adapters".

5. Find the entry for Wireless driver under that.

6. After you have found the driver, right-click on it and click on "Uninstall".

7. DO NOT restart the notebook.

Instead, click on the below web link and reinstall the Wireless driver for your notebook.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&dlc=en&cc=uk&product=3826112&os=2100&lang=en

Now, check if the Wireless Driver is detected in Device manager and working properly.

If it is working properly, but the wireless still turns off, then follow the below steps:

Check if Wireless Services are started.

Start WLAN Config service:

1. Click on Start and type Services.msc in the Start Search field above the start button and press Enter.

Services Window opens up.

2. Now select any one of the option in the right hand side of the window and press 'W' to search for WLAN Config option in the list.

3. Once you have found the WLAN Config, double click on it.

4. In General Tab, next to Start up type, select the option Automatic from the drop down list.

5. Next to Service Status, click on the Start button if not selected. If it is started then click on OK and close all the windows.

Check if Wireless is turned on in HP Wireless Assistant.

1. Click on Start > Control Panel > HP Wireless Assistant.

2. Enable Wireless Device.

Turn On Wireless in Windows Mobility Center:

1. Click on Start and type Windows Mobility Center in start search field

2. Make sure Wireless is turned on.

If the Wireless still turns off, then there would be some wireless device which would be conflicting the wireless device. Remove all other external devices and also minimize the interference from Wireless Devices.

Inside your home, or small office, interference from other wireless devices such as a microwave, cordless phone or cell phone, or other wireless networks on the same or similar frequency, can cause connections problems.

Perform these steps to test and correct a problem:

1. Temporarily disconnect or turn off electronic devices.

2. Move the wireless device closer to the router, or move the router closer to the place where you normally use the PC.

3. Move the interfering wireless device so it is not between the wireless router (gateway) and the PC.

If the issue is same, then change the IBSS channel number for Wireless router as explained below:

1. Click "Start" and type devmgmt.msc in the Start search field.

2. Press Enter.

3. Now the Device Manager Window opens up.

4. Click on the '+' sign beside the entry called “Network Adapters".

5. Find the entry for Wireless driver under that.

6. After you have found the driver, right-click on it.

7. Under the Advanced tab, scroll down in check the property.

8. Now highlight IBSS Channel Number. It will give the channel number value on right side. Change the value to the 11 (or try with different numbers such as 6 or 9).

9. Click on OK. Close device manager window.

Update the BIOS:

Click on the below web link and install the latest version of BIOS on your notebook.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&dlc=en&cc=uk&product=3826112&os=2100&lang=en

 

Try what he did. I'm too lazy to type it out but it looks like a good solution.

 

I've been having this problem intermittently since I got my HDX 18 a couple months ago (fortunately it has only been affecting the audio controls thus far, not the wi-fi).

The solution Quir0 is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks so much!

If you need a temporary fix, try ending the SmartMenu.exe process; it operates the volume/treble/bass controls (not sure about the wi-fi).

 

Would someone PLEASE provide me with more detailed instructions on how to disable the touchpad button panel? If I understood the above instructions correctly I should find its driver in the Device Manager, but I don't see it there, or it is not clearly identified as such.
The problem with the touchpad buttons descibed elsewhere in this forum is rendering my hdx unusable. Releasing the flea power did nothing.

 

The controls can be disabled by ending the process SmartMenu.exe.

You can either disable it temporarily ( http://www.pcpitstop.com/faq/disable.asp#stop) or permanently ( http://www.pcpitstop.com/faq/disable.asp#msconfig).

 

ahh. this has been driving me crazy for a while now, and im starting to get desperate.. i log on and of ALL the freaking time.. its impossible to do anything.. and listening to music isnt even a possibility! i just ended the smartmenu.exe process and it seems to be helping a LOT, but i still cant listen to music cause when i do anything with the volume-controll it starts again..=/

 

I have come to the conclusion that the IDT drivers will conflict with certain software. When I had Nero installed I had the same problem with audio bar popping on and off. Also, the MS BT mouse 8000 presenter will not work with IDT installed, period, and there is no work around. I'm sure there are more applications that will have conflicts. Not sure if the new driver that came out last month for IDT will help but I doubt it.

Oh yes, my new system is an HDX 18 with P8700 with 4G of ram and vista 64.

 

Release the Flea Power! lol. Oh man. that's funny. I'm tired.

 

A bit late for this thread....
Finally this post below solved it for me.
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Same problem - I was getting close to insanity...

Then lightning hit nearby and 'roasted' my TV, Satellite Receiver and a few other appliances.
After rather expensive repairs, I followed the advice of an IT Guy and got a few "SurgeGuards (SZ-6)" - and to my surprise the problem with the "Flea Power" Keys was gone as well ?!
Plug power-cable direct in socket and eventually the "Fleas" come back to live and depending on ???? do their dance from slow to rave.

I am not a salesguy of these things, so if you want to give it a try, google for the name above, get the brochure/datasheet and try a similar device. Neither am I an Electrician - I stumbled on it by coincidence and it works in my case (6 weeks and counting).

The brand mentioned was available here in Thailand albeit they are sold at hefty premium price (around US$ 100 for 2,000W output), in Europe similar devices come at a fraction of this price.

BTW - I tried one of the standard Battery UPS's - no impact on the the dancing Fleas... ;-)
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