*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

what's the best nvidia driver for the 8800m gts?

 

I just saw this. it's the 750GB version BUT at 9.5mm height instead of 12.5mm.

western digital site specs.
WD Scorpio Blue 750 GB SATA Hard Drives ( WD7500BPVT )


question is...is it faster than the 640GB version, performance wise? I could not get info on platters or density. maybe i am dense.

 

What's the consensus on using an ESD safe vacuum cleaner to clean the vents rather than disassembling the Dragon to clean the fans?

MA

 

consensus is that is cost nothing and is easy breezy to clean the fans yourself with minor dissassebly. even blonde ol me handled it.

you dont need no steenkeen vaccum.

 

ESD safe vacuum isn't necessary. Though I would recommend removing the rear cover to get to the fan intakes. If you weren't cleaning the exhaust vents regularly, they would have built up a fair amount of dust.

There's no sensitive circuitry in this area so any household vac will work just fine. I've been using "Dustbuster" vacs on PCs for more than a decade. Never had an issue. And I clean regularly.

 

197.45 from Microsoft update. About 20-30 pages back there are links to it.

But if you want the most up to date driver, you can d/l that from Nvidia's site.

 

If you like 3D on a 20" monitor, 186.91 (plus 186.30 3D driver extract from http://us.download.nvidia.com/Windows/Quadro_Certified/186.30/186.30_quadro_win7_64bit_english_whql.exe or one of these Download NVIDIA Quadro 186.30-WHQL Driver - Adds support for CUDA 2.2 - Softpedia). Depth adjustable and there is support out there for non-supported games like ARMAII including monitor tools like this Board Message .

There are others that work well, but I think 197.45 may run the coolest.

 

All right, long time lurker, first time poster. I'd like to thank everybody for all the entertainment and education. What a forum! We've had our Dragon for 3-4 years, never had any problems with it. Well, until now. Have upgraded (clean install) to Windows 7, problem is can't get the QLB buttons to function. Have tried Ricky Berlin's methods and procedures to no avail.
@ Ricki - compatability mode; Vista\SP1; SP2;?
@ 2.0 - How did you go about it? What were your procedures?

Thanks in advance.

 

i found a link to the drive i was talking about a few posts back.

Western Digital Scorpio Blue Review (750GB WD7500BPVT) | StorageReview.com

it reviews the drive and goes into detail. not sure what to think of it, but it IS 2 platters, making it the densest so far I think...at 375GB per platter.

 

The conclusions at the end of the review make me uneasy.

 

I don't use those buttons anymore so I honestly don't know. But, did you install the latest QuickPlay software? Or update the version you have?

 

Thank you for the quick response. I don't use the quick play software, so I haven't installed it, is it required for funtionality of the quick launch buttons?
I found the volume slider and cd eject, theatre dim, and such useful and convenient.
Anyone else care to weigh in?
p.s. I'd put my specs in but can't figure out how to do a signature.

 

Yes the QuickPlay software is required to get the Quickplay buttons to work.

As for a sig, you need 5 posts before it will show up in user CP.

 

Copy that. THX

 

ya...you mean the comparison with the 640gb of their own flavor?

also, it's weird that this came out just recently in the 9m form factor, but still only has 8MB cache and not 16MB or more?!

but the weirder thing is the person taking it apart said that the pcb board is 32MB...hmmmmm?

quoting part of that link's review:

" Taking the 750GB Scorpio Blue apart we see standard Western Digital construction methods. The PCB is insulated with a thin sheet of foam which acts as a mini shock absorber and prevents some pieces from shorting out against the metal case. The board itself is held onto the body with small Torx screws.

Once removed we see a simple layout containing a Marvell 88i9045-tfj2 controller (also seen on the 600GB VelociRaptor), a 32MB Windbond 400MHz DDR module, and a Texas Instruments SH6601AF motor driver. Cross referencing the Winbond site the memory module is indeed a 256Mb or 32MB module, much larger than the 8MB cache Western Digital claims on their website."

 

Hey 2.0 I found the direct link to it, but when I try to install the driver I get this message The NVIDIA Setup program could not locate any drivers that are compatible with your current hardware. Setup will now exit. Any help on getting it to work?

 

Never had that problem before. Can happen if driver inf doesn't list your video card. What does device manager display as your video card under display adapters?

Is the 8800M GTS listed in the inf file? NV_WHQL file. Shold have dev_0609 in it. Towards the bottom of the file under section strings it should have 0609 "Nvidia 8800M GTS."

BTW, where did you get the driver from?

 

Delete the "nv_disp.inf" file in the nVidia display folder. Think setup defaults to this file first, which is the desktop .inf.

 

MXM3 280m on ebay for $225!! Ah, for the love of Mod! But not that mod--you can adequately see the pn matches below:

 

To All,
Hi guys, I apologize in advance, but wanted to share this with you guys in case anyone's interested:


StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Windows


Price Mistake? Starcraft II $5.00 @ BestBuy.com
At first I thought this was a preorder reservation but then saw this:

Sale: $5.00
Reg. Price: $59.99
You Save: $54.99

Now we continue with our regularly scheduled programming.....

 

Its brand new, wouldn't it need to be flashed by a Clevo to work? Wasn't that the very problem 2.0 had with his 280?

 

Hi,

my hdx started artifacting the other, green, pink, blue color patterns on the screen, and it would freeze up and i would have to reboot. Now when running nothing to do with graphics, it would be fine. Run any game at all, and it would freeze. Run a video file and it would freeze. Temperatures were normal. I hadnt changed any settings or drivers for the past 3 months.
But cuz of this i updated drivers, same problem. Factory default drivers, same.

Now when runnin with no drivers at all, it would be fine and run a video file without freezing. I then decided to do a bios update. f40.E...It installed successfuly or so i think. I booted everythign was fine. I tried running a game, ( World of Warcraft ) it froze like it had been doing the past 2 hours. I then dloaded nvidia ntune, and DOWNclocked my GPU clock by abt 100 mhz on all. Then i ran wow again, it worked fine for 1 hour or so. Then it froze like before, and i tried to reboot...it stopped turning on. All the lights come on and the display glows whiteish for 1 second. But then goes black and nothing comes on screen. I tried the Bios recovery method but i dont have a usb floppy drive so i tried it with a normal USB stick. Nothing happens. Is it bricked? Considering i did 2 succesfull restarts after the BIOS update, can it still be bricked?

Thanks

 

It's not bricked. But your video card is dying/dead.

 

Yes, but it doesn't matter for this card since it's a MXM v3.0 and not 2.1. Meaning, it's not compatible with the HDX's 2.1 MXM interface. Connector won't mate.

 

well the warranty ran out, so if its dead, can it be repaired, and any ideas on the cost?

And hi 2.0

 

Long time umar.

Yes, it can be repaired.

Go to the HP part store: HP Parts Store - HP Computer Parts - HP Printer Parts - Compaq Parts

Search for part #: 454311-001

In the states that part is $276

Here's the service manual so you can do the work: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01279508.pdf

And here are videos showing you each step: HDX Vidoes pictures by comptrekkie - Photobucket

Good luck.

 

Hi Guys,

What's the easiest way of clearing the CMOS on the Dragon?
Do I really need to take it all to bits, or is there another way?

TIA

CJ

 

So I FINALLY "bit the bullet" and decided to go with an SSD and upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate (x64). All I have to say is....

"WHAT THE 'ELL WAS I BLOODY THINKING" for not doing this since last year????

The speed is simply jaw-dropping-staggering!

I haven't really checked from turning the power on to "post up", but from the time Windows 7 starts to the time I have to put my p.w. is only about 16-18 seconds. From the time I put my p.w. to the time all the drivers are loaded, etc. is only about 10-15 seconds..I was a bit stunned at first because I thought there is no way everything could load so quickly-given that it used to take me about 8-10 minutes from the time Windows Vista started to the time all drivers were loaded.

One thing I noticed however (which I don't think has anything to do with the SSD) is that when installing apps (only during installation), my CPU runs a bit more and some apps take time to install. But once they are installed, they run at jaw-dropping speed as well. So I guess its a "problem" I can live with...

The only app which I've seen runs with the same speed as my old drive is I.E. 64-which I don't even really use too much anyway.

Regarding Windows 7-I'm not a fan of some of the ways Windows 7 initially runs (such as the Start Menu Bar, etc.) but with some tweaking, etc. its now running basically the way I want it to run. It doesn't seem too much different from Vista-maybe there is more "under the hood".

I got the Vertex Series 60GB (Sata-II) for $159 from Microcenter with a $30 rebate (so $129 for mine).

Also, Newegg.com is selling:

OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2-1VTXT60G 2.5" 60GB for $184 with a $30 rebate.

Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2-1VTXT60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

All apps are installed in the SSD with videos, tunes, etc. loaded in the secondary drive.

There are some HP items I need to install, but for the most part, ostensibly, everything from the Quick Play buttons, to the WebCam to the DVD player seems to be running properly.

Maybe I'll upgrade to 8GB's next....

Anyway, thanks 2.0 for the OZC tip...


...I still simply refuse to believe how much of a difference adding an SSD makes.....

 

Good to know! I think switch to an SSD + Windows 7 when I have a chance next month.

[L]

 

Nope. RTC battery out is the only way. The mobo faces down. Worse still, they forgot to design a hatch on the bottom to access the RTC batt. Most other HP notebooks (Quanta based ones) have a panel to access that batt.

 

Yep, it's one of those things that have to be experienced to be believed.

Do enjoy!

 

You can also pay HP 300 to get it repaired and it will be under warranty for a couple months I believe as well. After that you can purchase an accidental warranty from Tech Support. Or do it yourself as 2.0 stated.

 

Do it! Do it! Do it! Even if it means having to sell your soul to the devil....

Even if you can't get Windows 7, at least get the SSD.

Thank you sir, you are too kind ..

Apropos, I meant OCZ not OZC..lol...

 

Thanks 2.0

CJ

 

Hi All,

Just a quick question, the other day i hooked my dragon up to a 55" Samsung to do some hotseat MOO2 and when i did i adjusted the video settings to fit the screen resolution. Needless to say after i finished, and went to boot up another game that requires more gpu power, i got these pixelated spots in almost the right color all over the screen and then a black screen. I got it up in safemode and looked and one of the nv services had crashed. Now i get backlight and a full boot but no video to the HDX monitor. I am thinking it might be a gpu issue but not sure. TIA for any info.

I have the last version of the HDX to ship with the 8800M GTS and the 2.1ghz Intel. Please let me know if there is a spot in the thread i should look in for answers already posted

R/

Wyrmus

 

Is this occurring with no monitor cable connected to the HDX?: "Now i get backlight and a full boot but no video to the HDX monitor."

Also Try pressing fn+F4. It switches video output modes.

 

It is occurring with only the power brick plugged in, no external outputs. I will try it out tommorrow when i get off work with the fn+f4. Thanks 2.0 will let ya know.

 

Okay Dragon wizards, based on Jacobin777's advice I sold my soul to the devil. Now I need help picking out a SSD to use as the OS drive in my Dragon. A few points:

1. In my reading it sounds like OCZ drives have a lot of fans. Yes?
2. My current OS (Vista) drive is 160 GB and that's cramped. Most of that is installed software (all my data goes on drive #2), but can I expect Windows 7 to be smaller/larger?
3. My price range is $300-400.
4. Looking at SSD pricing at Newegg, it looks like I'll be getting either 100 or 120 GB in that price range.
5. There are several OCZ drives in that range at Newegg.ca - ocz, ocz ssd

Any recommendations?

[L]

 

1. Yes, OCZ vertex are a favorite (assuming that's what you mean by fans. But if you mean mechanical fans, then no.)

2. Win 7 with many apps installed (office, browser, etc.) takes up about 30Gb. On my tablet, it's 20GB with office. Win 7 itself takes up about 10GB.

A tip for saving space is to reduce the size of restore point cache. Keep it down to about 3GB. Or if you use something like Acronis or the free Macrium Reflect ( http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.asp) to backup the drive, you can disable system restore.

Recommendations?

While the Sandforce controllers are the latest and greatest (OCZ Vertex 2), consider that your HDX is old school kit. A vertex with Indilinx controller(not vertex 2) is more than good enough and will outlast your HDX's useful life (8+years).

You can get by without any problems with a 60GB vertex. Currently going for $160. Use the extra loot saved for a 640GB 5400 RPM drive or 500GB 7200 RM drive. Plus you can get external drives like an eSATA for even more storage.

But you can also get OCZ's 96GB Vertex if you need more space. It's going for $250.

But of course you can get a 120GB Vertex fo rabout $50 more. I have 2 of them and they have been awesome. But they are only filled with 30GB worth of stuff each.

You can also get a USB enclosure like a rocketfish off ebay for $10-$12 to use with the 160GB you will be taking out.

Next recommendation is the Intel 160GB X25-M Gen 2 drives. Going for a hair over $400. Very, very good drives. To tell if it is Gen2, you will note the G2 in the product code. Example: SSDSA2M160 G2

 

2.0 - You are the MAN. The ROM burn worked like a charm from a USB floppy. Now, all I need is an OS. :lol I think I'm going to cut to the chase and get an OEM copy of Windows 7 64 bit. I'll post my specs in a bit.

 

Just found this. Really cool, CompTrekkie, thanks!!

 

Glad that worked out for you.

 

My WEI for OCZ LE 100 GB is 7.8-7.9. It's why I really wish I could go beyond the x9000 and the 8800m.

 

HP HDX 9350
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 DIMM)
500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB x 2)
HD-DVD with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
WUXGA+

 

Ha. Yes, I did mean the former.

My long-time favorite disk usage app ( SpaceMonger) shows that I'm using 135 out of 160 GB. Most of that is a massive Outlook PST file, pagefile.sys, hiberfil.sys, a winsxs folder, and documents. I could migrate much of that to the second internal drive.

Excellent. That's the sort of information I was hoping to get in reply.

Yep, I've already got a 500GB 7200 RPM drive as a second internal drive. And I have several external 3.5" drives running on eSATA (several Vantec RAID enclosures + a Drobo S). eSATA rocks. I do still need to find an eSATA-capable 2.5" drive enclosure.

I think that's where I'll go. I won't regret the extra space.

This one? Newegg.ca - Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M160G2XXX 2.5" 160GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - SSD. Hmmm. A 160 GB drive would let me clone my existing drive now and worry about a Windows 7 upgrade later. Even though it's more money, that's very tempting.

Thanks for all of the info! Very much appreciated.

[L]

 

Mine is only 5.0. With a T8100 (2.1 GHz) and the 8800m.

Trade ya!

[L]

 

That's the one.

Newegg's price is a bit high though. Prices fluctuate so keep an eye out if that is what you want.

 

Will do. Thanks again.

[L]

 

As for 2.5" enclosures, I've bought about 10 Rocketfish RF-AH25D enclosures over the course of 2 years off ebay for $5-$12. All have worked flawlessly. They are both eSATA and USB drives. You can use a USB port to power them or an included adapter. They come with a silver or black cover.