*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

Hey Guys!
Newbie here. Just ordered my HDX From newegg. I wish'd I'd found this place before I ordered 4gb of OCZ 800mhz ram!
Well you learn by mistake. Newegg is pretty cool. I'll return them and do the X9000 CPU upgrade at some point when I'm feeling bold enough to attempt it.
I just wanted to say that I've already learned plenty from reading all of your great posts here and feel very fortunate to be a member of the HDX club.

Bayonet!

 

Heres a couple of photos of my HDX and the Weekender Convertible and a sleeve that i got made for my HDX.

My Photobucket:
http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f59/manorin/

My Image Gallery {Images pending rightnow}
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/543


As far as I know no one else has mentioned that they use this bag for an HDX.

When I bought my HDX i realized how hard it is to find accessories for something so unique...

The bag is well built and designed. it was like it was almost made for the HDX. Its original purpose being a travel bag it has all sorts of pockets and straps.

One of the neat features of the bag is the ability to hide the shoulder and lumbar straps when your not using them. Also there is a handle on the side of the bag if you decide to carry it around as an handbag.

As for comfort, with all the weight the bag is really comfortable, I do recommend that you use the two straps that go across your chest and waist to give the bag the most support so that you don't ruin your back.

As for the sleeve I had it custom made by a seller on Esty.com which is a online community of sellers that sells things handmade.

debbieprocter
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5961543

I think she is also the owner of Wrappers UK which is a popular place to get Laptop sleeves.

I paid alot more that i should of but I think it was way worth it because It was hard finding someone to take the chance on making a sleeve for a laptop they haven't even seen before. I paid something like to $80 for the sleeve and $20 shipping Airsure to From the UK to California. But the way Etsy is set up you can set your own prices when asking sellers about custom items.

 

I'm a big fan of complaining to HP. if you complain and moan enough and offer to do the work yourself (or a certified HP tech) they may transfer you to customer care and get you the part out. If you throw in phases like "why should I even bother with HP anymore" and "I think I'll inform my management at my office of this customer service and recommend our next PC order be through Dell" usually gets their attention and treated better. Just one thing I've learned though, be kind to those who process your order for they have the final say about what will happen.

As for the HDDVD, you may be stuck with that, you did kind of buy it while the media wars were going on. but luckily the drive is removable and you can get a replacement, though probably not cheaply.

 

joining the lounge....

12 October 2007

HP Pavilion HDX9095EA
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2GHz
2GB to 4GB
HD DVD drive to Blu-ray Writer (replaced on the very moment that I opened the laptop for the first time)
ATi Radeon 2600HD (rather have nVIDIA)
500GB to 640GB

to Mazza:
just get BD drive off ebay (I know UJ-210 or UJ-220 will work). I replaced mine on day one of my laptop's life. I always knew HD DVD is going down from the start. I bombarded HP with Blu-ray request and complaint to inclusion of HD DVD and no blu-ray (which they DID NOT listen until Warner announcement early 2008) to no avail. So, I decided to get on with buying HDX on 2007, but 1 week before it, I bought bare Blu-ray drive to replace HD DVD.

 

also, why my serial number is gone from the BIOS? How to restore it?
It does affect my laptop as my laptop cannot restore from the recovery partition or disc I created due to mismatch of the serial number.

 

it's very easy to replace it. make sure you keep the HD DVD drive for warranty purpose. the bezel is rather difficult to detach (and I hate the fact that my blu-ray drive has HD DVD bezel (I have history of hatred towards HD DVD))
Expect a price of equivalent of £262 (that is the price I paid for BD drive which I purchase a week before my laptop)

 

hey, guys. I am a proud owner of a hdx as of june. i have gone through this forum since i found it and i must say i enjoy the info that i get. i am not very computer knowledgeable so i don't do alot of tweaking on it. but when i am confidant with my abilities via this forum i will try some things. my specs are as follows

HP Pavilion HDX customizable Notebook PC

* Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Extreme Processor X9000 (2.80GHz)
* 20.1" diagonal WUXGA High-Definition HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen (1920x1200)-"True HD" 1080p res
* 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)!!
* 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
* HP Imprint Finish (Dragon) + Microphone + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam
* Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
* 640GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (320GB x 2)
* Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
* Integrated HP HDTV Hybrid TV Tuner and 4 Altec Lansing speakers +the HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer
* 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* Power Pack software - muvee autoProducer Premium, Cyberlink DVD Suite Premium and Serif Web Plus
* Norton Internet Security(TM) 2008 - 3 Year Subscription
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

also, here is another problem with HDX: the quicktouch. after some time, the button become unusable. I often has to take the notebook completely out of power for several seconds (I never plug my battery). Any other solution?

 

lucky. I wish I can wait that long, but my Pavilion zd7000 was breaking down and in needs of replacement on 2007. So I got that crappy first release with 2 components that I hate (ATi card - I rather have nVIDIA, and HD DVD - replaced with blu-ray writer on day one). the advantage is that I have blu-ray writer instead of standard BD-ROM that is shipped with HP notebook after Warner's lovable Blu-ray announcement

 

blu ray writer would be great but for now i'll take the reader.

 

hrm, I haven't looked into replacing mine, though i may just do so because it burns sooooooo slooooooow. I can see that the bezel would be a pain in the butt due to needing a matching one.

@w_tanoto: you check on page 100 for the quick button update and try that? it may work, I would recommend backing up before hand, just in case.

@hrojop2: this system is a great portable system, personally I think I would have held out and bought after marked drives for speed purposes and I think that you may find norton internet security slows down your system (at least it did for me on my XP machine). if you just ordered it and it hasn't shipped yet, i would adjust the order, save yourself a little green and it would be an awesome learning experience too.

just my 2 cents

 

ummm.... mine only reached page 27 (i prefer viewing the threads in less page)... is it possible for you to quote it instead.
personally I never use burn feature on BD drive. but at least I got a sense of security that I got that function.

another pain is that I attempted to purchase the bezel from HP directly, of which a stupid customer service pointed me to a sony blu-ray player. idiot. that discussion is just go round and round, and the result is none. I did not get it. I thought of another option that definitely work: purchase the whole drive spare part.
HP was idiot by including only HD DVD by the time I purchased the laptop. I trusted HP brand, but they closed their ears to my critics to include BD drive.
Imagine a person like me, a disney fan, living without disney BD. Or imagine, owner of 92 Blu-rays (me), can't play any of them in their new laptops.

 

Does anyone have a comprehensive list of what bags are currently avalible for the HDX? I need to purchase one soon, and have read about many different ones on various pages, i.e. Alienware, Multi-Giant, Targus, Waterfield?... If there is some kind of a list compiled with the pros and cons of each, or just what has the most padding, or anything, it would be most appreciated. Thanks

 

Actually XP is miles faster and I have evrything working on my HDX9450ea! I only have 4 unknown device drivers, but everything works and is really fast! glad i dual booted xp and vista

 

you know, vista isn't a slow poke either, I thought I'd want to wipe it and change to XP, but I'm content with Vista. it's a little choppy in games but I still haven't streamlined the OS yet. my boot time and shut down time is still under a minute for both (from time i push the button to the time it's at the logon or from the time i tell it to shut down and it's off completely).

I'm going to to have to back 2.0 on this, stick it out with Vista and do some streamlining.

 

I agree vista is very quick on this system but still some programs do not work on vista and xp is easier to use. I mean what have they done with the 'up' folder arrow!? Also it is not necessary to make a slipstream disc to install xp you can just add an external floppy drive with the sata drivers on there and install xp by loading these with F6.

 

according to the hp website the roller bag for the dragon is in stock and ready to ship. $99.99 plus free shipping.

 

This looks like my best bet too. Though alternatively, if you're going for a roller and really want some protection, I'd go with a hard shell Samsonite, or American Tourister, pad the inside with foam, and line with nylon to keep the baby safe.
No way will this old grunt try schlepping it around in a backpack.

Still waiting for mine to get here UPS Gawwd I hate to wait!

 

Hehe.. Miles faster. Not really but I get what you're trying to say. Running it in a virtual environment is surprisingly faster than running it the normal way. But My Vista install from an OEM disk, which is a clean install, and is much faster and more stable than the HP bloatware version. Plus it's optimized.

After using Vista on the HDX, all my XP lappies seem so outdated. So... je ne sais quoi? So last year. I only run XP on the HDX for one legacy financial program that I need for work. But I've since figured out how to get that program to run without incident in Vista 64. All my 2004 and up games run superbly. Resolved most issues with my older games. But on this beautiful screen, they really show their age.

I admit, I bought into the "Vista sux man" thing before using it. Not all the way into it. But to a fair enough degree that I was concerned about it. But now I'm wondering what all the hubbub is about? Vista is actually great once one takes the time to figure it out. I find myself actually enjoying it on my HDXs and my TX2500Z tablet. Having had Windows ME, I find it laughable when you see on various forums people likening Vista to it. It says to me that they either didn't actually use ME or Vista.

BTW, the link to the XP drivers you posted; did you know that Caohime went back to Vista? That's the chap who owns that site. Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into finding all those drivers. A good guy from Pakistan gave the community the long sought after XP sound driver (which he found on his HD) only to discover that it doesn't engage the subwoofer. But some sound was better than no sound. ATI drivers for XP were found to be unstable on the HDX. Though Nvidia drivers seem to work well enough.

Just thought I'd list a brief history of the XP on HDX adventure. Lots of heroes, hard work and fruitless hours.

 

Vista works fine if it fully supports the system it is running on, otherwise it can be a nightmare. And with a little tuning it runs just as fast as XP if not faster.

Fortunately the HDX was built for Vista and it isn't worth the time to install XP in my opinion. However, I will definitely give Linux a go one of these days.

 

found these to get physix enabled on the 8800.

http://files.laptopvideo2go.com/physx/physx_8.07.18.exe

http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19832

it works!

 

Hey Szadzik,
your weekender, is it padded inside/designed for notebooks ?
or is it just a back pack as one would expect it to be.

i would be interested in it if it were padded inside.
i am thinking you use the sleeve because that is
the only padding you have in that method of transport.

please reply.

 

Hey 2.0,

what if i have windows updates disabled, do i then "just uninstall the current driver, then install the proper one"???
can you give me a link to the driver you suggest i use?

 

2.0,
i completely side with your opinion about vista.
i have tweaked it and i love it, it is as fast as xp would be
the only trouble i am having that bites, is that it appears to me
that the tv tuner is inferior to the one used for the dv9000 series.

 

The backpack was not specifically made for laptops and thus it does not have any padding.
I will be getting a custom made sleeve to ensure full safety of my HDX in the backpack.

 

This one has the same version number as the one you posted but it's the HP spec version. This will have the tone control tab.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3547191&os=2100&lang=en

And yes, uninstall the driver you have now. reboot. Then install this one.

If you have the original SWsetup folder burned to disk or flash drive, you can use the driver from there.

Edit: this one posted by Rumba is a good one too. But I only advise it if you have a clean install of Vista as others using the HP bloat version of vista seem to have had trouble with it.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3724340&postcount=1316

 

Yeah, the SD picture VIA cable is stinky but the HD is good. But it's reception is poorish. I live 35 mi away from NYC line of sight, on the side of a hill, up from the beach. So I guess I shouldn't expect much.

But since the TV tuner card is a mini-PCI card, I'm going to keep my eye out for a QAM tuner in that form factor. I don't know if I need it though. A part of me would like to use the machine as a DVR to reccord my favorite daytime soap. (Y&R). But whatever. I have a DVR and don't record it because I'm not going to sit on the coach and watch a soap at night. But I might on the HDX.

 

Just checked on my updated shipping, and my hdx9494nr is going to be here Thursday!! I ordered it Friday from Newegg and can't wait to get my paws on this thing!! Their customer service has been top notch so far .

 

If I remember well you mentioned you bought your Vista (or got it elsewhere) - But is there any way to install it bloat-free from the original SWsetup folder or recovery partition? Not very familiar with all that...

 

Can't be done. At least no one has figured out how to do it using the reinstallation disks. That's the only thing that would contain the Vista install files. There would be 3 files needed. OREV ( a forum member) posted a link to a program that allows you to look inside the re-install disks. But no one has figured out a way to extract the Vista setup files and then Vlite it to make to make a clean install.

I bought the OEM version from newegg.

 

Nice. Going to have to give HP a call.

 

Interesting find. I also have the A312 (USB\VID_07CA&PID_A312&REV_0104).
Let us know your results. Good luck in reaching someone from HP Support that gets to skill level you need.

 

LOL. Yeah. Well 1 hr and 15 mins give or take on the phone with HP and it turns out that they don't have any A321's in stock and won't be getting any. Limited batch received from Avermedia due to low stock of the A312s.

Whatever.

I figure they'll be on ebay by the end of the year like the A312's are now. Someone from Hong Kong or Taiwan will be selling them. In the meantime, I'll try Avermedia directly to see if they can be acquired directly. Doubt it though since it's an OEM part.

There was another poster who had a QAM tuner. I forget his name but he got it in one of his replacement HDX's.

 

2.0,
dude do you even know what you are writing to be true.
you should clarifiy if you are
completely speculating when you suggest a remedy to someone.

i tried what you suggested and there is no difference at all
(windows updates disabled completely).
then the other hp driver,
that totally sucks and does not take advantage
of the wonderful sound system on this big beast.
the sound was terrible and not even close to what it should be.
i dont think i have even a spec of bloatware on my machine.
i am pretty sure its real clean...............

 

Rumba,
you are kidding right?????????
i tried this driver and the sound was crappy
this driver does not utilize the wonderful full sound abilities this beast is capable of. have you personally tried this driver and proven that it works great. i mean does this driver take full advantage of the excellent speaker system installed on this beast???????????????

 

Now, now, no need to attack members due to their SUGGESTIONS. All that they are doing is recommending the best they've found, whether or not it's the best you've come across is a completely different story. If you think you have something better then suggest it, just remember what is best for me may not be the best for you.

As for taking full use of the capabilities of this machine, that won't happen with XP. There are just some parts of this laptop that don't have XP drivers. If you want to streamline vista here are a couple links I've found, but haven't looked at in detail yet.
http://hubpages.com/hub/A_Little_Fine_Tuning_to_Make_Vista_Perform_Better
http://www.techzonez.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25145

 

LOL. OK.

Well, I always give the best possible information and make sure that when I'm speculating I let everyone know so.
I'd take the time to help you out as it's obvious you have another issue with your machine which is preventing you from seeing the tone control tab. But... well... you know, I wouldn't want to waste your time with the next series of steps to troubleshoot the issue.

 

I cant remember the person that found the new video driver, but thats for xp 64, not vista 64. Just a note.

 

The Vista 64 driver is here:
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19831

I just installed it as well as the PhysX driver. So far so good.

 

It's here!!!!!!!!
I am typing on my brand new sweet HDX.

Two Observations:

1. I am sportin' some wood

2. I am not going to get much sleep tonight.

Anyone got any 'must do's' for first the time cranking it up??
Other then creating restore disks I mean.

Thanks!

 

yank Norton and all the stupid hotbars. Avast is one of the better one's out there (but is 32 bit). Install Firefox, get some cool gadgets for your sidebar, find the best game you have and play it!

 

Avast?
Cool, I will try that, Firefox is cool too.
Thanks for the tips!

Wish it did not take sooooo long to make restore disks.

The games await!

BTW
Got Devil May Cry 4
Amazing graphics!
Capcom likes using control pads though and I dislike them imensely.
But, Gears of War, Now we are talking some mayhem.

 

I must apologize but i cannot locate the Physx driver.

 

Hello experts!

I'm glad to have found this thread. Was wondering what to do if I ever got myself an HDX.

I'm an HP-HDX9494nr owner-wannabe. So... I've read about some who want to "gamble" and wait for the next version... and there's the expert 2.0 who says that the current deal is very good enough as it is (possibly a 10%-15% bump and probably a new high price...)

Anyway, I'm not as anywhere as wealthy as you guys... so.. I need advice.

I saw Newegg's $1549.99 + $23.99 deal. It's better than the one in Frys or Circuit City at 1599 for the unit alone.

However, there's Buy.com's $1533.99 offer with free shipping. Is that a better deal or would there be some caveat to that? I'm not an expert but it looks to be the same offer to me. But I'm not so sure and maybe you experts would have some more info on what other item may be missing.

Should I get from newegg which many have sworn to be so happy with? Or do you think I can give a go for Buy.com's offer and save a couple of valuable bucks?

Thanks for any help! I hope someone is online to help me with this decision. It's really a major decision to go buy this tremendously beautiful machine.

(Or.. are any of you guys gonna advise me to get the older Dell M2010 on ebay instead? Wish the HDX had that handle and removable keyboard but ah.. can't have em all)

 

Here's some considerations. the 9494NR is a rocking laptop, but is at the end of it's selling cycle which means that when you buy it, most of the bugs are worked out but the new stuff is coming out. If you're a leading edge guy, this laptop is awesome, if you're a bleeding edge guy, wait.

I bought mine through newegg, I have posted a buying code that gave free shipping. I like newegg in the fact that my laptop got lost in shipping and when I called they overnighted me a new one, no charge, no questions. You can also sign up for their 12 months same as cash which for me was the best way to go because I'm poor and it helps my credit.

Primarily what I would recommend to you is to check the specs while looking at the different vendors, are they all the same? or does one have a slightly faster processor or 3GB of RAM? There are some builds with different specs for similar prices, just pay very close attention to those. The primary differences seem to be Processor, RAM, Hard drive (if one or 2 drives are installed and size), video card, and monitor resolution.

Some final things to consider. this thing is a monster, I ordered it and knew it was big but I still say "holy crap" very time I pull it out. If you're like me and prefer a backpack for this, there is currently only 2 models I can remember off the top of my head for it. if you don't mind the briefcase or single shoulder strap your options open up. This laptop is capable of 2 hard drives but no RAID ability, but that's more of a speed freak worry than anything else. the way the monitor is mounted to the chassis feels a little flimsy (IE where the back of the LCD mates with the stand) it feels like it wants to pivot, but doesn't. If you're hard on your laptops, this and even the DellM2010 may be a poor idea. If you plan on reverting to XP, there isn't drivers for everything, so you're kind of locked to Vista if you want to make sure everything is installed.

I dropped the cash on this laptop after 3 weeks of research. it was a toss up between this and a DYI laptop, I picked this because mainly what I wanted would have cost me at least double and would have only been roughly 30% faster.

summary: it's worth the cash

 

can you post the free ship code please or any other promo code for newegg

 

the code is NB716FS, I'm not sure if it's still good, but it worked for me. I'd try to see if you can get the free shipping on the FedEx instead of UPS since UPS lost my laptop in the first place. but that's just my feelings on it.

 

Hello TheOriginalGiga,

Thank you so much for your inputs. I'm sure you've had to repeat yourself already to newbs like me but I thank you for your insights.

I did try your code of NB716FS but it didn't seem to work. Well... either that or I'm doing something wrong. I haven't ordered from Newegg before and the only other online transaction I've made before was with ebay.

I will definitely want to look up that 12 month payment term. All I saw was a 12 month deferred payment scheme... but I'd rather pay within the 12 months.

Thanks again!

 

So not all HDX's have an FM tuner? Mine does and I don't recall seeing it in the specs.

Device Mangler says that I have the A321 Rev 103 as well.