*HP HDX 9000 DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 2*

Look here!

 

The GTX 280 Just arrived!! I will start on it shortly and give and update once I have done some testing.

 

Nice, photos, please.

 

Wait.. the card alone came in or the HDX with the 280 works and you're testing it now?

 

The card came and he has to install and test it.

 

:cry:Looks like I am having the same issue 2.0 had. The Screen is fuzzy and every other line is missing. It almost looks like old school interlaced video that that is fuzzy and stretched. This is even visible at boot so it is not drivers.

I was able to boot to windows and it was detected as a GTX 280m. I installed the latest drivers no issue but everything is blurry and text is unreadable.

Looks like I have to dismantle her again and reinstall the 8800M. I was able to dremel the Heat spreader and it mated up perfectly. The hardest part was removing the mounting bracket on the back of the 8800m without damaging it.

Once I have things working again I will post pics of everything.

 

Thanks for taking one for the team, bro. That deserves kudos. +rep

Sorry it didn't work out and that you had to modify parts of the HDX.

But with your attempt, I think we can put to bed the idea of the HDX being upgradeable video-wise.

 

Don't hate me. I was browsing eBay WAY late on Thursday, and saw a '464' MoBo and nVidia GPU combo for $40. They said that it powered up, but didn't display video by any method. I thought, WTH, it's only $40, and besides, that sounds JUST like Daito when I bought it: BIOS bricked. The nVidia was missing a chunk of it's thermal tape, which I will have to order, so I swapped in my parts ATI card, re-assembled it, USB floppy BIOSed it, and viola! My third Dragon is on line. Since it was the '464' MoBo with the possibility of the nVidia being there at some time, I swapped in the X7900 processor.

 

Well done, Comptrekkie! Looking forward to your images. Was that with the HE? I still wonder how [enter elusive name] produced a perfect screen with screenshots to boot? His ethics are progenerative if you look at his handful of posts before the 280m extravaganza. But, looks increasingly like I understroke a bum wave by never getting to this mod.

280m scorecard:
1 forced bye (2.0),
1 "hmmmm" (CompTrekkie),
1 called because of rain?

also,
2 red cards

 

Hey guys, I've been trying to search the site but cant seem to find if there was a solution for this.

When its dark I find that I always press the wrong Fkey to raise the brightness and end up locking the laptop or sending it to sleep mode.

So now I'm going crazy with Autohotkey trying to remap the Fn+F7 and Fn+F8 brightness keys.

I'd like to make Fn+F8(brightness up) fire on LCtrl+esc(the two leftmost keys on either corner of the keyboard) and FN+F7(brightness down) fire on LCtrl+F1.

Has anyone figured out how to do this? HP special keys are apparently very tricky to remap. I've been trying to find a solution using this method but nothing working yet.

If anyone has any ideas please help!

 

I don't think it's possible with any method as it is in the BIOS where those are programmed. Even the quickplay keys are mostly resistant to remapping on the HDX using the methods for other HP notebooks of the period.

 

Aw man, it would have been really helpful to remap that brightness up key.

I saw something mentioned that there could be a way to control brightness through the Nvidia driver? I think also in Windows Mobility Center there is a GUI slider for brightness. Maybe those functions can be mapped to the keys somehow? I'm still searching around, it would really be nice to find a solution that works. I find it to be a constant usability thing in a dark room when using the HDX as an HTPC.

Do you know if the remote control buttons can be remapped? That could also be cool.

 

I don't know where you got the card from but, it looks like you did the same exact thing 2.0 did, and therefore got the same results... Where the people previously progressed was when they used a pulled GPU from a Sager, instead of buying it new or unflashed which I believe is why 2.0 had the problem you are having. If I'm reading this right, I think you may have progress as far as the possible heating issue is concerned, since it seems the guy who tried it last had heating issues possibly or something else. But if you used a new card or unflashed card I don't see why you would have gone that route. I was under the impression you were going to send the HDX and GPU to Kris, which would have been different and very likely got the best results, if not got it working since he's in the very business to get MXM upgrades to work and has all the resources one could need to get it to work properly. If there's a way you can get access to a Sager, install the 280 in it and flash it in order to get it working in the HDX , that would likely take away the screen issue, and allow you to get even farther than the last gentleman that posted about it. I thought you mentioned Kris, did you talk to him about it or something?

 

It was from Kris from MXM-upgrade.com and it was a pull from a Clevo. See a few pages back or this post: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-dragon-owners-lounge-2-a-15.html#post6765324

The funny thing is, everyone who has claimed to do it (9800M GTX and 280M GTX) has done so without verifiable proof or were questionable. Those who have actually done it, provided proof and it turns out it doesn't work.

 

Hmm.. We never found out which Sager he got it from or which flashed bios though right? Are you saying that the last guy who posted screen shots Photoshopped all of them or something...? If so, what motive would he have for doing that? As someone remarked to me, we, or at least I spend several days setting up my HDX to have it run exactly how I want it to. Is it reasonable to think that something as involved as an MXM upgrade could be resolved in a day or so/less in comparison? Personally I think if someone had Kris work on it and he confirmed it can't be done, I'd be more prone to agree.. but till then I don't see how all possible options have been exhausted in being able to extend the life of the Dragon even further, especially after the news came out that we in fact are able to overclock the X9000.. which was previously also ruled out from being possible.

 

The X9000 still can't be overclocked by normal means in the HDX. A software program was created that happens to do so. Most notebooks that are sold with extreme processors do not need this software as they are properly overclocked in BIOS.

Big difference between that (Webb's program) and MXM upgrade is the variables involved. Too many and no one reliable has been able to do it. Sure, someone can send their HDX to Kris to putz around with for a while but I'm reasonably sure that it won't work or won't work well enough because of electrical requirements, thermal management requirements and BIOS issues.

But hey, we can "wish" and wait for someone else to expend their time and money and risk their HDX just to "exhaust every possibility."

In any event, what's telling about Zipek's experiment, is he never mentioned having issues with the heat sink's inability to mate with the card or responding to questions about it. It is the FIRST thing anyone attempting this would notice.

What's sad is that Comptrekkie had to dremel his heatsink and remove the bracket off the 8800M based on the unverifiable testimony of Zipek who seemed somewhat trustworthy. I also fell for it with the 9800GTX guy. CompT and I both did it to put the concept to test and rest. But I honestly think perhaps these individuals who claim it can be done or have done it, do so in the hopes of enticing someone to actually try it and figure it out for them/everyone. Not one of them provide ample proof on concept. Ironic considering that those who actually have, yet failed, provided proof.

Much props to Comptrekkie for trying again.I just sorry he had to do physical damage to his HDX in the name of science.

That said, Dom, since you believe it can still be done, you're up next buddy.

'Cause I honestly don't believe anyone else is going risk it considering the odds, the proof or lack thereof, and the risk.

 

Stop trying, just buy Asus g73jw, problem solve.

 

LOL. Yeah. I agree in spirit. Just not in that particular choice.

 

To answer some of the questions from above. The GPU was from Kris at MXM it was obviously used before hand. I could see the remains of the thermal grease from previous use on the GPU and DDR. That is the only model GTX 280m that he has. They work in most CLEVO systems from what I have seen on his site. I have sent him an e-mail to see what he says but I do not believe there is a way to get this particular module of GPU working. If there is one that truly works it must be a different hardware version (more on that below).

It would be insanely expensive and risky to send the complete HDX to Belgium and back. Most likely a couple hundred dollars for proper shipping, packaging, and insurance. There would also be a high chance of damage or loss when crossing borders. I did it the way I did because all I am out is time. That was more than worth it to me to see if I could get it working.

I continued trying to get it to work all last night and today. In the end I was not able to. I am at work right now so I do not have the pics up yet. I will post them after I get off work tonight around midnight. The Dremeling I did to the Heat spreader had no ill effect on the cooling ability of the heat sink I am glad to report. After I put it all back together with the 8800m it ran 6C colder due to being cleaner and new Thermal paste.

As for the issues I had. When I first booted it up I could immediately see the screen was fuzzy. When I got into Windows it was the same. I also noticed that for some reason my HDX thought it was running on battery power with the GTX 280m installed. Even if I removed the battery it would continue to run but it thought it was on battery power. None of the tools I have could properly read most of the data on the GPU. All they could see consistently was that it was a GTX 280m. I installed the latest drivers with no issue but the screen was still fuzzy. I rebooted hoping that the new drivers would help but no dice. Still thought it was on battery and screen still fuzzy. Once I had the drivers installed I was able to use HWmonitor to read the GPU temp and it would go from 50-54c. As long as this was accurate this is definitely perfectly safe temps. I also did the hand on the top left of the rear cover test and it was cool to the touch. This spot is regularly warm to hot with my 8800m when gaming. I tried to do the Win 7 WEI score refresh to see if it was actually able to perform in that state. As soon as I tried the computer rebooted and from that point on it would just boot loop. I could not even get into safe mode or boot off my thumb drives with a portable install of Win 7 or XP. Any time the computer tried to engage the GPU for more than the boot screen it would just reboot. At this point my only option was to switch back to the 8800M. Once I switched back the HDX booted with no issues and I ran a few system benchmarks and test, all is well.

From what I observed I believe it is at least partly a power issue. When I get home I will post pics of the MXM connector on the GTX 280m and the 8800M. If you look at the far right connector (the extra power connector) the 8800M has individual segments while the 280M is one solid connector, there are also differences on the middle connector. The HDX is most likely not able to deal with this. There most likely are other issues as well, maybe a unique BIOS. If it is possible to get a 280m to work it most likely is a different hardware configuration.

I will post any info I get from Krish as well.

 

Wow, a second thread here

I was on my way to ask because of nvidia driver problems i have. Now i see here on the first page that the Microsoft 197.45 is the best. Why is it the best?

My problem is that since Verde 258.96 my HDX screen will go black sometimes.
Screen goes black and the HDX is still running. It can happen after a day or two.
257.21 is working without problems since it came out. I thought ok its just the 258.96 and maybee it works with the next release. But now we have 260.89 and i also get a black screen.

Is there a difference between the one from MS and this one:
NVIDIA DRIVERS 197.45 WHQL

I can see that there is the GPU-acceleration for Adobe Flash in 197.45.
But what about "Supports the new GPU-accelerated features in Adobe Photoshop CS5" in the 197.45?

 

I just installed 260.89 today and I am impressed with it so far. I got the best 3DMark06 scores I have gotten 10565. I played a little DAO (about 25 min) and the frame rates were the same or 1-2FPS better. I have not done any long term test yet but this is the first driver since 197 that I have liked. (Of course a GTX 280m coupled with these drivers would have been better).

 

Hm, as i said. Since 258.96 the drivers do not work for me. With the 260.89 the first time i startet Thunderbird the screen was freezen and Thunderbird was half transparent. After a reboot everything was working for one day and then i had the black screen.

I thought maybee it has to do with UltraMon. But even with UltraMon off it happens.

Oh, and its W7 x64

 

Again, this is awesome, CompTrekkie. Thanks for the details and for braving this path. The fact that there is display of something similar to what should be seen is still a good sign for us possibly somewhere down the road. And gotta love them temps!! That is probably the most important detail in this compatibility situation.

Did you ever completely remove all drivers to imitate new device?

The lines are a tough call because of how many 'could be's' there are, though most definitely hardware coupling distortion, and not software problems (as with the fuzziness). The boot loop problem is almost definitely the bios virus enigma, but of course there are more "could be's".

I do wish zipek would chime in, but discussion didn't seem his thing.

I'm very thankful of all you whizzes being so technically savvy as well as articulate!! And thanks 2.0 for not completely ignoring the procession of this since you vicariously carry the scepter of the Dragon's rein through this site, keeping its undoubted technological aesthetic alive.

 

Upgrading the GPU when its not a straightforward drop-in replacement seems a bit too adventurous for me. Replacement HDX900s are pretty hard to come by if something goes wrong.

If anyone is interested, I found a workaround to remapping the un-emulatable BIOS level Fn-brightness keys that I posted about a page or two ago.

This guy wrote a command line program to get and set backlight levels, it needs .NET 2.0. Here are the backlight notches it reports available on the HDX9000:

Code:

>DisplayBrightnessConsole.exe -getlevels
14
20
27
33
39
45
52
58
64
76
100

Then I just used Autohotkey to map Ctrl+Esc to Brightness level 100% and Ctrl+F1 to Brightness level 14%(lowest).

Here are the links:
DisplayBrightnessConsole
http://driveactivated.com/files/folders/programs/entry1049.aspx
Autohotkey
http://www.autohotkey.com/download/AutoHotkeyInstall.exe

And the two lines of Autohotkey script I used:

Code:

^esc::Run, C:\DisplayBrightnessConsole.exe 100
^F1::Run, C:\DisplayBrightnessConsole.exe 14

Pretty easy workaround, although it wont do incremental bumps like the real Fn Brightness keys do.

All I really wanted was an easy way to jump the LCD to full brightness in a dark room after having set brightness to minimum to watch a movie, eyes are still used to the dark and cant see key lettering that well etc..(wish HDX9000 had a backlit keyboard). The left Ctrl and Esc keys on the extreme corners of the keyboard are very easy to find by touch without having to look around in the Fkey row.

Hope its useful to someone. And if anyone knows the real way to remap HDX's low-level Fn keys I'd love to know.

 

I finally had a chance to upload the pics.

Here are the 2 cards so you can see the differences in the MXM connectors:

8800M:



280M:



Here is the Heat-spreader grind down to clear the 280M:



If you would like to see all the pics from my attempt look here:

HDX - GTX 280m Attempt pictures by comptrekkie - Photobucket

 

Nice pics CompT. I like the grind-wedge job you did. I mistakenly thought from your description earlier that you cut the heatsink.

 

Wow, this is getting to be some serious modding, respect. Grinding heatsinks is way more involved than just dropping in SSDs or RAM.

I still haven't even opened mine, and I usually take apart and clean my laptops right after their warranty runs out, blow some air through the fins, clean off the usually over thick application of factory TIM and put fresh MX2 from a big 30gram tube I keep handy.

Are you guys really able to get a 280M in the HDX9000? That would be a huge upgrade in the most needed department. Especially the 1920x1200 screen models. The 8800M was probably already underpowered for 1920x1200 gaming even when the laptop was just released.

 

No, the 280M GTX won't work in the HDX. No reliable/regular poster who has tried has been able to get it to work. Too many variables which we have no control over.

 

Awesome album, CompTrekkie!

Here's the processor view comparison. You can see the small tongue band differences between the gpu's of which CompTrekkie was speaking about (the copper strips that the gpu fits into the mobo slot). The 8800m has continuous bands, whereas the 280m does not (courtesy of CompTrekkie; you can zoom in @ HDX - GTX 280m Attempt :: DSC01329.jpg picture by comptrekkie - Photobucket):

 

and @ Paradise

257.21 is the last working driver for HDX. (I use this on Vista and Win7)
All the following cause a system crash.
I always tested each following. (Under Vistax32 and Win7x64)
The exact cause of this I could not figure out until now.
Fact is, the crash can be best reproduced in Battery.
However, the crash occurs even under AC / DC supply.
(Here possibly, but only after days ago)

 

I got a response to the E-mail I sent Kris. One thing of note that he mentioned.

"Our GPUs are *not* used. The do, however, come from assemblies that inlude thermal paste, heatpads etc. In addition, lots of cards we receive include some traces off paste from prduction testing."

So this could still possibly point towards a unique BIOS issue. But I do not want to get any hopes up.

If I get any more info I will pass it along.

 

Next we need to cram a 480M into an HDX...

Then the C2EX9000 might become the bottleneck, if the 480M doesn't melt the HDX before then lol

I'll never understand HP for discontinuing development on 20" laptops with such a nice design as the HDX9000. Nothing compares to this large formfactor, if only the guts could be endlessly upgradable...

 

The assignment of the FN + "XXX" buttons (not all) is via the installation of the "HP Quick Launch Buttons". In connection therewith are of course also the related programs and drivers. In the case of the brightness control would be the GPU driver. A manual mapping is a program called "HP Quick Launch Buttons" is not possible.

If the program is "quick launch buttons" installed on your system? And what system you have, anyway?

Secure against attempts system!

 

Can't. 480M is MXM 3.0 a/b. HDX is MXM V2.1.

Poor sales because of the form factor and price. Everyone who ever made a 20" notebook, failed in the marketplace.

 

Quite possibly. Zipek never bothered to take pics which would reveal the BIOS version sticker or PCB imprint on the card's board. But then again, he didn't make much strides towards proof anyway...

Also new or used, as I've found out, doesn't matter since a Clevo/Sager owner looking to upgrade to the 280M or replace a fried card, simply has to plug the card in without any further ado and it works in their system. So they don't have to flash it to get it to run. In some instances (specifiially older Clevo models), they have to flash their system BIOS (not video BIOS) for it to run properly. Just like if you swap an ATI for Nvidia in the HDX.

 

Incidentally, we both received the same card. Look at all the numbers imprinted on the board.



Looking at other online pics of the 280M GTX from/for Clevos, they all appear to be the same.

Also, flipped over, also appears to be same version. (Just different serial) .Though you sticker was ripped, there's about enough to make out the top sticker.

 

Speaking of system BIOS, I thought I read somewhere that you can recover the BIOS somehow if the HDX gets bricked? Via USB FDD or some method like that?

I'd like to upgrade my BIOS but really don't want to risk a bricked HDX.

 

Glad you brought that up. Knew there was something I forgot to add to the first page.

How to raise a Dragon from the dead (or bios recovery procedure for HDX Dragon):

This was discovered after MUCH trial and error!

1. Download latest bios from HP and extract to a folder. Use WinRar or 7Zip to extract all the files in the executable.

2. Extract either NV.cab or ATI.cab depending on your graphics card.

3. Open the ver.txt file and look for the string after '_ROM_' (for F.40 bios it was '68DVD').

4. Rename Rom.bin to 68DVD.BIN

5. Copy the 68DVD.BIN file to a freshly formatted (not bootable) floppy.

6. Remove battery from HDX.

7. Plug a USB floppy drive into the HDX and place the floppy with the bios file in it.

8. Hold down Win and B keys and turn on the power.

9. Release keys when floppy is accessed.

10. Sit back and wait about two minutes for your HDX to rise from the dead!

<s>This would probably work with a CD too - the Win-B also accessed the CD driver after checking the floppy.</s>

BUT IT WILL NOT WORK WITH A USB FLASH DRIVE.

 

Sweet, thanks 2.0. That makes BIOS flashing way less worrysome. And thanks for maintaining this HDX thread, I remember the old one was massive.

I'm eagerly watching the GPU testing, if it can be made to work I'm definitely on board for this upgrade. It seems the HP system BIOS needs some hacking? I wonder if someone in a basement somewhere in HP has the internal knowledge to get these pulled 280Ms to work properly in an HDX. Does anyone have a friend at HP who might give some hints?

 

This works like a charm. I've resuscitated two MoBos with this. I used a USB floppy.

Thanks, 2.0.

 

This makes me assume that it's just the slot that were modified if there indeed is no compatible upgrade for the Dragon. There are no loose-wire gpu mods on the Dragon 8800m (wire with 2 random solder points), and logically nVidia wouldn't alter a gpu circuit just for one pc. But the connectors, possibly.


I've been searching for a pc with our same 8800m which can be upgraded, but no success. Very annoying how these parts become virtually unsearchable once they have been discontinued.

 

link for the video card replacement, some information.

Upgrade / Replace a Notebook Video Card - Notebookcheck.net Tech

But, 8800m gts is 65 nm and gtx 280m is 55 nm, ahhh but MXM is the same type 3 right?, i'm learning, i don't know about this but, good luck trying, this laptop is great, sound, screen, materials, everything, not cheap computer, i bought mine just 2 weeks before discontinued. Sorry for mi english.

 

The nm doesn't matter per se. Just like the T-7xxx series Merom CPUs in the first iteration of the Dragon(HDX9000-9100) are 65nm but the T9xxx series Penryn CPUs are 45nm used in the latter iteration of the Dragon(HDX 9200-9400). All of which are socket P.

There are two versions of the MXM format for the 280M. MXM 2.1 and MXM 3.0. The HDX adhere's to MXM 2.1 format, up to MXM-III/HE. IT is not compatible with the MXM 3.0 cards as they have a different connector.

 

And 3.0 also comes in a and b flavors (3.0a, 3.0b), confusing the 280m line even more!!

So many different versions---including that it can be flashed to become recognized and operate as other cards--but not one for the Dragon......

 

It's just good that 2.0 is only available in his original flavor!

 

Hello all,

Been awhile since last post but now about to take Dragon on the road again. 2 months in Japan. Looking at upgrading Ram and a HDD. Possibly upgrade to W7U also. Anyway for Ram, looking at the GSkill 4GB chips. there are 5300/6400 that both seem to work. They come in single packs or 2x4gb. Weird thing is the single ones are cheaper than half the kit price. Is it a big deal to have matched pairs in dragon?

And for SSD I am looking at a Vertex 2 60GB as I have 2-320GB's atm. 1 is the original 5400-8mb, 2nd is a 7200-16mb. Do the vertex 2's have the right dimensions for the Dragon? Also is anyone selling or know where to pick up an inexpensive enclosure for extra 320gb?

Thanks for all the help in advance,
Brad

T8100
2-320GB
1680x1050 20.1"
4gb ram
gt8800m

 

It is only advisable to have similar modules (identical is the best solution). It's not important if those come from one package or 2 separate boxes.
Anyway I had many laptops with 2 completely different modules and until those chips were up to the required specs there was no problem.

Yes, any 2,5" SATA SSD drive will fit dragon. So far I haven't seen any 12,5mm SSD drives. Vertex 2 is a regular sata SSD 9,5mm drive.

Any 2,5" USB enclosure will be OK but you might want to have one with an extra eSATA connector to get better trasnfer speeds, but it might be more complicated to connect (USB requires just an USB cable, but for eSATA you need to attach eSATA cable AND power cable connected to USB port or external power supply).

 

I don't recall who it was but someone here recommended these Rocketfish enclosures for notebook drives: Rocketfish™ USB 2.0/eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure Kit for 2.5" SATA Hard Drives : Rocketfish

They also recommended Ebay, where they sell for just a few dollars. I bought two and have been happily using the eSATA connection for blazing speed.

[L]

 

Why RAM? Very little real world impact UNLESS of course you find that your software is bumping its head on the ceiling now ... Not essential; best.

SSD (V2 60 - best bang for upgrade buck until G3s start selling, IMNSHO; looks like Newegg has the best deal until Nov) & 7U definitely.

Perfect.

Why (if for drive protection, I understand you travel, or need for speed, I get it) enclosure and not dock? I ask because they aren't as easy to use or flexible in their usage capabilities. Here is a combined search that will give you the most options.

 

Lancorp recommended them to me, I recommended them to DV7T, then between the two of us, word went forth into the world...