*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

You want MSConfig > Start up > HP Quicktouch On Screen Display

 

You can either do this:

Quickplay volume pop-up disable:

1. in search box of start menu, type msconfig
2. click startup tab and uncheck "HP Quicktouch on screen display"
3. click boot tab and check "make all boot setting permament"

reboot.


Or you can get 8GBs of memory and will have no problem using this with the settings box, or any other heavy program. This is one thing that used to lag for a long time but 8GBs resolved it among other problems similar to this.

 

Haha you beat me by one minute

 

Mr 2.0 is the man to let you know exactly which model number caddy you want but it would be something like this I guess is what you want? http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=213

I think its one of these models numbers..can't remember which: NC6400 NW8440 or 6910p

 

Thanks guys! I'll turn it back on when I get the extra 4 gigs...

 

True, but a few years down the road you might have to get used to it - the 16:9 aspect ratio I mean.

Get one with an 8800M GTS so you don't have to worry about the mobo being upgradeable. It would be difficult to know which model has the upgradeable mobo. HDX9300's definitely do but it would be a rare find with an ATI installed since the grand majority were ordered and built with Nvidia. HDX9200 were mostly built with Nvidia. Early models may not have been and may also not contain the dual use mobo.

As for which x9000 to get, the retail/RTM/OEM version, non-ES version. All ES which start with Qxxx are not worth it. And that one is rarer than the retail X9000 and costs nearly as much that you might as well get the X9000 retail.

In any event, when you do the math, you might as well just settle on another one loaded with the specs you're looking for. Why? The cost of acquiring upgraded parts (CPU & GPU), the cost of having them installed by a third party, and the cost of the "cheaper" HDX. Price of these things won't go down by much near term since they are becoming rarer and demand isn't trailing off at a commensurate rate.

With the introduction of the Indilink controller, SSDs are becoming more viable. They would fair a lot better long term performance-wise with win7 though. The prices will keep coming down. Like a stiff drink, this is the way to go to get the HDX up on its feet.

 

Like JFlash says, never ever, no can do. HP in their wisdom, choose to use a locked PLL to prevent you from ever being able to overclock the CPU and bus.

Seeing as you're a tweak freak (tm), you'd be better served with a desktop. You can tweak and overclock to your heart's content. Overclock GPU, CPU, RAM and bus. Drop in new CPU's. Chipset incompatible? Dopr in a new mobo with updated chipset. GPU too slow after overclock? Dop in a new one. drop in two. Go sick. Go to town. Plus, get any size monitor you like. Even two.

But when it comes to notebooks... generally speaking, the little you can do doesn't come close to what can be done on a desktop.

If there's anything I'm a little disappointed about is that Intel changed the CPU multiplier so that you can't use the Montevina Penryns in the HDX. But then again, the $1000 price tag on the QX9300 2.5ghz quad core isn't worth it on any level other than for bragging rights. Especially considering a desktop quad core of higher speed and overclockability cost significantly less.

 

HP Compaq 6720s Series HDD Caddy / Adapter is the one to use that is the exact same as teh one in the HDX. They can run from $25-40.

Google that term for a list of vendors.

An external esata enclosure which come with eSATA cable and USB cable will run you for less. Less than $15 delivered. They are as fast as the internal drives. I purchased a Rocketfish model off ebay. Fully compatible with the HDX's eSATA controller. A very well made enclosure.

 

NOOOOOOOOO! Is it because of how it cut costs in glass..? Or their reasoning is also the whole aspect ratio crap? I wonder how many people would prefer a 20 inch screen over 18 or 19 inches.. You always see the whiners opening their flaps about how heavy and huge the HDX Dragon is/was, but you always see loud mouths mocking the loudest on forums when one knows theres a demand for whatevers being dissed. I'm curious to know if there were enough people asking for it if it would happen. I sure know I sent my requests to the CEO, techs, and via surveys..

So the lowest powered CPU with an 8800 is a 2.4GHZ one then?

I see your point..hmm. I thought I might have cut costs but I forgot about the labor on top of everything else.. The reason I want to do it this way is its getting harder and harder to find any with a 2.8 and 8800 AND WUXGA screen. I'm usually seeing 2.5s with UXGAs. If I'm going to sell the one I have or give it to my girlfriend Id rather keep one with an UXGA and get another with SXGA possibly.

SSDs look like they'll be next on the end of my list of what I'd like to do with my HDX, especially when the top capacity jumps again. Are SSDs now up to 200 something GBs now or even higher? Could there be such a thing as an SSD via Mini PCIe or Express slot?

 

Hmm ok. I hear what you're saying also about Desktops but with my work injury which keeps me off my feet a lot, I find laptops are the most convenient. Alienwares seem to promote how theyre pretty upgradable..they've told me they actually will upgrade it for you whenever you're ready..do you think an Alienware or an HDX18 has a longer lifespan?

 

For those like myself that have been looking for deals on video games for the HDX, I believe

HALF LIFE 2 ORANGE BOX, including Steam online, is only $9 THIS WEEKEND ONLY!

http://store.steampowered.com/sub/469/

 

I have the HDX9494NR it came with a T8100 (2.1Ghz) & an 8800.

 

SUPPLEMENTAL SOUND DRIVER:

Let's face it, the sound driver for the HDX... the 5607 or 5929 (for whom it works) as my Italian friend would say, "itza nota so good. But nota so bad."

So...

I found another driver. It compliments the driver already installed. Newer Pavillions like the DV3 come with it integrated into the driver.

It SERIOUSLY enhances sound reproduction.

NOTES:

a. You will lose the Orange Mute indicator on the touch panel, but not its muting ability. In other words, light won't turn from blue to orange when you mute.

b. You will lose the ability to set default format, shared mode 24 bit studio quality. Vista factory default is 16bit, 44.1khz. So this may not mean anything to most.


Now, without further ado...

It's called SRS Audio Sandbox. Be forewarned. It's not free, but has a 14 day trial period. Enough time to decide if it works to your liking and is worth your $29.99US to register it.


Steps to set it all up.

1. Verify that you have bass with your currently installed driver (5511, 5607, or 5929) with the following bass test MP3:

http://sinan.ussakli.net/basstest/5-100.mp3

2. If yes, then close down windows media or whatever you used to play the above file. If you used WMplayer and after closing it down, it's still playing, open the task manager, and stop the wmplayer32.exe process.

3. Install the SRS Audio Sandbox:

64 bit version for 64bit Vista: http://downloads.srs-store.com/SRS_Audio_Sandbox_64.exe

32 bit version for 32bit Vista: http://www.srswowcast.com/about_us/wmptechlog.asp?lnkID=102

The webpage where it comes from: http://www.srslabs.com/store/audioproducts.asp

4. Open The SRS control panel (dbl click round blue bubble in taskbar) and click options. Click preferences. In devices dialog, choose Speaker/HP.


5. FOR 64BIT VISTA ONLY: You will need to set Windows Media player to default to 64bit version.

Open Command prompt as administrator. (right click it in Start/Accessories/). Type in the following hitting ENTER when done: unregmp2 /SwapTo:64
Close the command prompt.

Now open REGEDIT. (In start search box, just type in regedit).
Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wmplayer.exe.

Set the registry subkey Path to be %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player,
and the ( Default) subkey to “%ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe” (include quotes).

Note that you are simply deleting the (x86) portion from those entries. To restore it, simply put (x86) back.

6. Reboot.

ENJOY!


Addendum:

For added 64bit Windows media compatibility with codecs, install the following FREE and highly rated codecs with 64Bit components:

Vista CODEC package: http://www.free-codecs.com/download_soft.php?d=5155&s=682

Vista CODEC Package 64Bit components: http://www.free-codecs.com/download_soft.php?d=5057&s=682

The webpage where they come from: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/vista_codec_package.htm

Addendum 2: MAX Audio Performance

The HP driver is a resource hog thanks to HP programmers. If you want max playback performance (which includes games, especially games as I found out playing COD4 and Crysis as a test), you need to uninstall the HP sound driver:

1. Go to control panel/ device manager. Under Sound, Video and game controllers, right click the IDT high definition Audio codec. Click UNINSTALL. Be sure to check "delete driver" box.

2. Right click, Sound, Video and game controllers, choose "scan for hardware changes." It will load the default Microsoft driver. You'll see a taskbar pop up that will let you know when it is done installing the driver.

3. Now you need to update the driver to get back all the inputs and outputs. Simply right click on the Microsoft sound driver (High definition audio codec) that was just installed and choose to update driver. It will find and automatically update the driver to Sigmatel High definition Audio Codec. Version 5511. What will be missing is tone controls. But you won't be using them anyway since your sound is now controlled by the SRS driver. But you need a primary sound driver to control system ausio I/O. The Microsoft one is more efficient than the HP blitzied IDT driver. I suspect the audio "pop" issue will also be eliminated.

4. Reboot.

5. Right click the speaker icon in the tray, choose play back devices. Double click on Speakers + redirected headphones. click Levels tab and move volume to 100. (It's defaulted to 67.) You'll control volume using the master volume but this will remain on 100 as it's independent of the master volume. Think of it as input slider on a mixer.

Enjoy the audio bliss.

 

I will try this out tonight what I get off work.

 

Thank you so much for your valuable input and help.
I just bought two open box but like new Rocketfish at Amazon for ~$14 ($1 + $5.5 shipping for one and $1.87 + $5.5 shipping for the second) and it works.
I don't need to send my lappy to HP or any service center.
Now I have to look for a eSATA docking station that works. Any idea?

 

how do i enable bluetooth and begin to pair a device in the hdx 9494??

i typed bluetooth in vista search and got a dialog that says bluetooth devices, but i cannot enable or disable it like the wireless, and it is not enabled.

 

Control panel/HP wireless assistant. Turn it on there.

Then in control panel/ Bluetooth Devices. Click on add wireless device. Here it will try to find your wireless device. Turn on your bluetooth device at this point if you already haven't. If you get stuck here, follow the help and support links on that app. Some bluetooth device require a passphrase. You'll be able to set that up with this app also.

 

Awesome post 2.0! Thanks so much! Right after I finish recording Huckabee from my DVR I'm going to try installing the audio driver! I can't wait!

 

Hmm..how much would you say you spent in upgrading the CPU? I guess just the cost of the CPU since you did the work yourself right? Thanks for the confirmation on the model number man. I see a few HDX X9000s online but whenever they pop up I don't have the money..then when I do they dissapear! Bah!

 

Going to try this out too - thank you 2.0! One question - is this just for Windows Media Player or can it be used with other media players, like Winamp?

 

I'm glad you asked that. It's a sound driver. So it works with everything. ALL SOUND produced by the HDX. Even games.

 

Don't forget to disable DFX.

 

Wow..the SRS wouldn't completely install ..it froze up before it finished. Now the SRS Icon is there but says it didnt install the drivers. This sucks...I should have done a system restore before I did this..

 

wireless assistant worked. tanks. it was turned off.

 

Been playing with the SRS driver. Seems to be better sound (Have only played with MP3s at this point). WOW HD & TruSurround are the main options, with customizations in the advanced options for each. It definitely adds a lot more volume. It seems to make more bass, but you have to use a higher volume to get the harder bass. In my case I have harder bass at lower volume levels with my stock driver. But the SRS has more potential. It is nice that it installs as a separate sound card so you can choose to use the stock driver with just a few clicks.

One thing I noticed is that you can only use 16Bit sound. If you try to use 24Bit it will not output any sound.

I will continue to play with it and report back.

 

Strange. Did you have UAC off?

Also, did you inadvertently install the 64bit driver on 32bit vista? I know you have a dual boot situation.

in any event, you should be able to system restore before you installed it unless you turned system restore off.

 

Yes, I noticed that too. Referring to "Select the sample rate and bit depth to be used when running in shared mode." The 24 bit selections won't work with it.

 

Phew...I tried a system restore, it said it failed, but it allowed me to reinstall SRS over the old one that partially installed. Its pretty good, but I think DFX sounds better. Especially bass wise. The surround aspect sounds better with SRS, and I wonder if anyone has upgraded...does that allow one to use HD and or other settings? If one could build the bass up more I think I'd like it more than DFX... You know..I JUST bought the whole DFX bundle that has been on sale for the past couple days too and you posted this like 2 days later Can you or anyone report the difference if one buys it and can use the other settings?

 

I have the full version and I find it to be much better than DFX's free version. You have more control over the bass in SRS's full version. The problem with DFX is it's just a plug in for Win Media (or real player) and that's it. DFX doesn't work in anything but win media. Not in games or movies, or anything not played through winmedia. You may also find that it doesn't play nice with CD's either. There's some skipping and stuttering.

SRS is a sound driver that works full time. All sound that is generated is first passed through the SRS driver, then the stock driver, then to the outputs. You've got to hear what it does to game sound. It's beautiful. It makes the stock 5607 sound like you're playing the sound with a pillow over the speakers.

 

I have the reverse, that is I have all the full versions of DFX but only the free SRS.. You make some good points. I have noticed the stuttering sometimes when I do other things at the same time with DFX. And yea it only works with select players not as a system driver..man.. I guess I know what I'll be buying next.. I have WOW/SRS for my Samsung i730 Pocket PC and I'll admit it does make things sound better. How much more bass do you get with the full version of SRS?

 

Twice as much with the full version for two reasons; more control over the bass (Tru basS + limiter) and more volume than stock driver. I have to scale back the bass with some audio sources. Plus you get more "space" in the sound and you can control the simulation of speaker size. I set it to 150hz and 200hz depending on preset.

I was just testing out Crysis again and I was hearing environmental sounds I never heard before. What's more, the voices are much clearer. Here's the biggie; higher and smoother frame rates over the stock driver. Getting 3-5 frame rates more.

 

Great series of posts bro. Premium job!

Got me to playing around though, and I discovered I have a problem. No matter what driver I use, I have only the "front" two speakers working, left and right. I have used the 5607, 5929, and several others, including original. No matter what I do, or what settings I use, when I click test, sound only emits from those two speakers. The sad thing is, I have used a gaming headset exclusively for so long, that I don't know when the problem started.

The sound out of these two speakers sounds great, but to be truthful, I didn't test sound much when I first got the HDX and the sound was/is such an improvement over my other laptop that I may not have had them working ever. Sad, huh? I can only imagine what I'm missing.

Anyway, do you or others have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

Hey 2.0,
Is this the right kind of caddy? - http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-Compaq-6720-6720s-6820-6820s-SATA-Hard-Drive-Caddy_W0QQitemZ400043940057QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090417?IMSfp=TL090417152001r3351

 

That's it. Nice price.

 

You'll have to start from scratch to isolate the problem.

Uninstall using this method:

1. Control panel/device manager.

2. Go to Sound Video and Game controllers. Expand the tree.

3. Right click the IDT high definition codec. Choose uninstall BUT makes sure you check the "Delete the driver software for this device" box. Do this for all audio drivers listed there if you have more than one.

4. Collapse the Sound Video and Game controllers tree. Now right click that collapsed tree and choose scan for hardware changes. It will load the Vista default Microsoft driver. When it's done doing that it will pop up a message from that taskbar. In that tree will be Microsoft's "high definition audio codec" driver.

5. reboot.

6. After reboot, make sure it is still there and didn't reload back the IDT driver.

7. Now install the 5607. You'll have to reboot when it's done. before you do, make sure the speaker icon in the taskbar has sound waves graphic eminating from it. If it's a red "X'. You'll have to delete the driver as per step 3 moving onto step 4 again, then step 5.

After reboot, test for bass with the following MP3s:

http://sinan.ussakli.net/basstest/silentbreed-syncin.sample10sec.mp3
http://sinan.ussakli.net/basstest/5-100.mp3

In this last test, if you hear nothing, then subwoofer is not working;
http://sinan.ussakli.net/basstest/THX - Bass Test - Very Loud.mp3

One of the problems with installing the 5929 and higher is that they don't uninstall completely if you use programs and features to uninstall the driver's softwar. They leave a vestige of themselves in registery and elsewhere that when you reinstall 5607 or 5511 afterwards, it's not a clean install and you lose bass.

 

Awesome man! I of course had to buy the DFX..oh well. So you get more frames because the excellent way it processes the sound perhaps putting less work on the GPU or something?

 

Thanks bud, I got it working again. Couldn't get rid of that darn red X the first couple of times though.

Tried the SRS and it keeps skipping and popping on me, with both the MS driver and 5607. But everything sounds great again running the straight 5607, speakers and headphones.

Another tip of the hat to ya.

 

I can remember people hardware hacking the PLL for exactly this reason on desktop motherboards. Has anyone tried a little hotwiring yet? My QX9300 could certainly run a little hotter.

 

Yeah, I just got one and I also just ordered an extra WD 320 gb hd from newegg for 65 bucks including shipping - 80 bucks total for quite an upgrade! God I love how upgradeable the HDX is.

I bought mine in July of 08 an it still feels technologically totally up to date.

 

Windows 7 RC:

Is it really worth the trouble?

How does it perform on the HDX?

Should it be mentioned on the page 100 post?

 

Unleash the capabilities of your sound card for FREE! SRS and more!

 

Link to driver that works with HDX9000?

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/225949199/IDT_6162.5WRT_SRS_ANDREA.exe.html
MD5: 9946027428025069273BFFC8760D552E

From Rapidshare: Your file has been saved and can now be downloaded 10 times. It will be deleted after 90 days without download.

 

Right, the one from laptopvideo2go forum. I saw that last week. Always better to post the source webpage than a rapidshare link to an executable file so folks can gauge where things come from and determine if it is safe.


http://laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=23791

http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=23790

Did you try it with the HDX 9000 and did the subwoofer work? Generally speaking, any driver higher than 5607 doesn't engage the subwoofer on the HDX. I didn't even bother trying it for that reason. Plus drivers higher than 5607 are a PITA to uninstall.

 

The link is for a driver that has been modded by mobilenvidia over at LV2Go; there's a write up and info on front page. It is a mod based on generic IDT driver Version 6.10.6162.3. I tried it yesterday when I was having problems and again last night after you showed me the error of my ways. It didn't work on my machine, 9000T CTO; only would allow stereo mode and didn't register my headphones being hooked up.

The UI looks pretty sweet and kudos to Pieter for giving it a shot, but his testing was done all on his Dell 9400. Haven't seen any HP users claiming success on the forums over there. The INF does cover my(our) chipset; maybe someone more audio smart than me (pretty much everyone ) can give it a go and report back.

 

Nope, the one you tried is v1.000. This is newer (by a few hours):
WRT.ini v1.005
Added
* Jack configuration
* Speaker Configuration now has Stereo, 3.1, Quadrophonic, 5.1 and 7.1
Some cosmetic changes

 

And does it work with the HDX 9000? Did you test it?

 

I wonder if the SRS components can be pulled out and folded into Microsoft's 5511 driver? Problem is, Microsoft driver(s) do not have a control panel. Or perhaps fold in the Microsoft driver components into this modded driver?

Hmmm...

 

Actually, I used v1.002. But the question remains, as 2.0 asked, can you confirm this works for HDX 9000 series?

I seriously doubt the integration will be near perfect. Many Dragon users have used HP variations and other iterations with limited, if any, success. And since Pieter modded and tested using his Dell, I don't see much hope. If some of his testers found otherwise, I'd like to know, but even many Dell user feedbacks on that driver thread are reporting problems. It's the nature of the beast; each series rig is configured by manufacturer and these IDT chipsets are finicky...it's not like dedicated GPU driver modding. Some hardware is suported by their manufacturer and drivers can be updated accordingly. Others will tell you to go to PC maker website to get latest drivers for your machine. Lots of factors to consider in these cases when one tries to develop an all-for-one driver that is hard to overcome.

I and many others probably hope he can prove me wrong. I refer you to the original question. Thanks for the heads up, but it just causes frustration to folks that jump in and download willy-nilly, then have issues because the driver doesn't work, then they can't get their rig back to normal. One could say that those same people shouldn't do what they can't fix, but it's all good and some of us try to keep those folks informed. Let us know.

 

I figured since I have a test environment* on my HDX, and since the OP (dreamcast) didn't start off right away saying it works on his HDX, I'd give it a shot. I can confirm that it doesn't work. First try yields code 10 - driver can't start. 2nd even cleaner installation yields no sound at all.

So no one has to waste their time as this is now two peeps who confirm it doesn't work. Well, unless you can figure out how to mod it.


*My test environment is a clean Vista install on Drive 2 that is not in dual boot config but is only bootable using a USB key with wingrub - inserted @ power on.