*HP HDX DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 1*

Does anyone know how to clone the recovery partition without breaking it? I was trying to move from a 320gb to a 250gb 7200 and nothing works. Vista boots fine but the recovery refuses to boot no matter what I use (Acronis, Ghost etc). Thanks.

 

Good to see you lancorp. Hmm. Is Hitachi any good, especially compared to Seagates? Where you seeing $128 for the 500GB/7200s? Only 40 bucks more than the 320GB ones for the 500GB 7200s would be awesome! Originally I was hoping to get a full terrabyte but when I did some searching I found mostly higher pricing for preorders for the 500GB 7200 ones. Some other sites I didn't know if I should believe the price they listed but do you know of a good place to get it for $128 or cheaper? The higher capacity the better as I'd like to put lots of videos and audio on there. I'm also going to be getting back into 3D animation again so the room will be nice.

 

Your best bet would be to restore to the new disk using the recovery discs; it'll recreate the recovery partition afterwards.

(I think you CAN restore to a different disk than the one the came with your computer, anyone?)

 

Assuming one bought a disk yea, but you can presumably only make one set of recovery disks. I used to be able to make many with each reformat of my DV9700t but I can only make one set with my HDX for some reason.


EDIT: If you mean to ask if you can use the recovery disk of another computer with a different computer I don't think so, I GUESS unless its exactly the same specs.

 

But "different" computer contemplates a bigger HD? Or does it have to be exactly the same as built-in, even cluster matching it?

To create more than 1 set of recovery discs, you should delete the file HPCD.sys in the HP_RECOVERY partition and in C:\Windows\SMINST.

 

Well it seems Windows 7 is a little 'iffy'. At first my C Drive was showing less space then the combined folders within when I checked the properties.

However, after a check today they matched and after a brief look my "System Volume Information" folder was taking up 24GB. After removing it my fresh Windows 7 install is back down to 19GB.

Next step is to trim the Winsxs folder somehow. If I can cut it down somehow I might be able to squeeze everything onto a 30GB SSD with room to spare.

Has anyone had any luck with WinsxsLite? Or any other suggested methods of trimming that beast of a folder?

 

Microsoft having a problem with the way they design their memory and or bloating? Can't possibly be..

 

Dom,

You can order an Original Recovery Disk Set for your system from HP. You'll need to give them you system Serial # and Product # to verify your exact configuration and setup.

Go to this link at HP and follow the instructions. Dv 9700t Recovery Disk Set

If you scroll down the page there is a procedure there for ordering the set online from the support page for your system.

 

Thanks, I know I CAN do that, but I don't WANT to have to do it. Wait, if I get brand new hard drives it will let me do recovery disks at that point right?

 

Any have any fan problems on their Dragon? Sometimes, maybe 1 in every 20 system power ons, my fans run at full 100% speed and will not stop unless I do a reset and then everything goes back to normal....

 

I have that one too, about 1/60 startups.
I don'"t think it's a real problem

 

Me three. I think the newest BIOS fixes it, but I bricked my last laptop updating the BIOS, so I'm scared to do it now. LOL


On another topic, could someone with the WUXGA screen run a benchmark, any newer benchmark (3DMark, Crysis, whatever) at 1920x1200, then 1680x1050 with 4xAA please. (no Vsync ofcourse)

The WUXGA screens are starting to show up on eBay, and I'm thinking of changing mine out.

 

Is there any way to access an advanced version of the BIOS? When I enter there, all I have is "Virtualization: On|Off", "VGA Fan Full Speed: On|Off", and another silly option that I don't recall right now (also On|Off).

That's in a HDX 9200. Now, in this Compaq 6910p, the BIOS has lots of options and stuff to tweak! So, is in the HDX capped? If so, does that one has the wake-on lan feature? How'd I go enabling it?

Thanks.

 

No advanced version has been discovered. No key combo at boot or some such.

As for "wake-on-lan" I don't recall seeing that listed so it's a no go.

 

It doesn't fix it. But I haven't had it happen since October.

Odd thing is, I don't recall seeing anyone list any benchmarks with the WUXGA except the guy who got banned. But then again, his posts weren't exactly reliable.

Sure you want to give up your LG screen for a Chi Mei?

 

That much worse?

My thing is I play a lot eagle eye games, like SupCom or Neverwinter Nights and from that vantage point, pixel size tends to stand out more.

 

OMG... Why does HP do this? So stupid users won't mess with the settings? It's quite unfair... how wouldn't I be able to enable wake-on lan just because BIOS settings are hidden, thus losing basic functionality from the computer!?

 

Supreme commander would be even slower at Wuxga with the same settings that you used in Wsxga+. You'd have to drop something in order to get the same game speed.

As Lancorp already attested to having both Wuxga and Wsxga+, the Wsxga is of superior quality to the other. But it's not like something one couldn't live with if they got the WUXGA. It's one of those situations that if both are side by side, you can tell which is superior right away. Alone, you will notice the difference but will adapt to it over a short period of time.

My take; if you've been playing a game for a while, you would certainly notice the difference in not only speed but quality and psychologically would require a longer period to adjust to the difference. Every time I buy or use a different computer to play a game on, this difference is readily apparent.

 

Yep, most computer users are not savvy and may inadvently mess things up which would require a HP customer service call = $$$ out of HP's pocket.

HP, in their seemingly infinite wisdom, also designed the HDX to prevent CPU overclocking by using a fixed PLL. So, you can see the length they went through to prevent end user SNAFUing. A bottom up approach.

 

Oh... very nice HP...

I have to try wake-on lan anyways... any chance that it's activated by default and by sending the Magic Packet it'd wake up?

 

That's what I was wondering about the benchmark comparison. I play these games with 4xAA at 1680, I figure that's gotta close to the same performance as 1920 with no AA.

But I think you've talked me out of it, I don't want a inferior screen, I'm really sensitive to contrast changes. I'll spend the coin on a SSD instead down the road.

 

You know, that occurs to me as well. But I didn't attribute it to BIOS...it happened to me depending on which video driver I was using. I don't know if it was inherent to each driver to make this occur, or if the fact that some drivers run several degrees warmer, therefore, the fan runs from the get-go.

I tend to not think it is a heat issue simply because it happens from start-up, as you have described, so temps are at their lowest. I have not paid attention to it much lately, thought I know the current driver I am using, 181.20 un-optimized WHQL, this is not occurring.

I change my drivers a lot, probably more than I should for the particular games and other tasks I do...not cutting edge stuff, so no real need for performance gains. I just like to experiment and tinker.

Anyway, this may or may not be helpful, just an observation I thought I would throw out there.

BTW, just as I am writing this, a new forceware driver showed up at LV2GO...off to dowwnload it and see what it does

 

A better comparison between the two screens would be between two new models. Lancorp's WUXGA was not new, and he's experienced some oddities that sound like he's possibly gotten hold of a bad gpu or something.

Virtually all reviews that I've read, and by reviewers that have reviewed both machines, have highly praised the WUXGA.

Chimei produces both extremely high quality displays and lesser ones. They developed the largest and thinnest OLED display, and some ultra high res displays and advanced medical grade monitors.

Just my two cents.

 

A link to Chi Mei's 25 inch OLED.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10078032-1.html


A link to the CMO (Chi Mei) 3840x2160 HD display.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/CMS-Quad-FHD,5663.html

 

I can confirm that

 

It turns out that Samsung has a 40 inch HDTV OLED....

So it looks like Samsung trumps Chi Mei and Sony. No price on it though.

The relentless march of technology.

 

My HDX 18t will be here in the next few days. Is there anything that I should do to it once I get it to optimize everything? Any bloat ware to get rid of? What virus program are you guys using. I want something good, but don't want to tank my new system!

System Configuration Below
HP HDX18t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC
• $50 OFF! Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.80GHz)
• 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
• 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics
• 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
• 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
• HP Color Matching Keyboard
• Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card
• Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
• HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• No Productivity Software
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

I have that problem too. I'd say it occurs more often than 1/20 though. But I found that it would fix itself when I open up my temperature monitoring software. (The name escapes me for the moment, it's loaded on my other HD)
So perhaps it's a software problem with HP's temp recording? It needs a second opinion to realise it's not running at a higher temp.

 

Honestly I don't know what Lancorp is talking about in that regard as mine looks awesome. Maybe its because of the a bad gpu or because I don't have an XSGA in front of me to make a comparison but I've had many SXGAs in front of me, including a DV9700T most recent and I really like my WUXGA! I should also add that BlueRay looks utterly amazing!

 

I received my HDX in mid-October and I've had this happen twice. Since I take it to and from work, I normally power cycle at least twice a day so while I've seen this behavior, it's much less frequent for me.

 

Use the Norton Removal Tool as Norton sucks and it leaves a bunch of crap behind after uninstallation. Also like they say here do Windows Updates on manual, where they download automatically but YOU choose when and whether to install them. I've found all the updates from Windows work fine, as well as from HP Update.

Personally I just uninstall all the stuff I dont want like HP Games, but I didnt find too much I didnt like or want in the "bloat" on my HDX. I also uncheck several things in Start-msconfig at start up that I don't want running.

Some or most would just say just see how it runs, do updates what out for drivers or don't do drivers unless you know for sure theyre ok to use (these good fellows have tested which are best for us), and if it isnt broken don't fix it.

One thing I have done driver wise is the latest NVIDIA driver for laptops which works the best (but be sure to do a clean install by uninstalling the previous ones and deleting them before installing these... use ccleaner and even better driversweeper).

Others like overclocking their GPU but I have yet to do that, and don't know if I will. Just curious to know..how come you didnt get the Quad core configuration?

PS: Just to let you know while many things will be applicable between the two different notebooks, you know this thread is for the 20 inch HDX Dragon so the things here, some will only apply to it.

 

Good info - I did not know it was for the Dragon - thought it was for all HDX's.
When I ordered it, a friend had just talked me out of the quad core because he didn't think it would get used to it full potential with most applications, plus it was a battery drain. Now finding out that might have been a mistake.

 

As has been already stated, unless you see the two side-by-side, you have nothing to compare to, and your WUXGA appears to look great. BUT, trust me, the WXGA+ is amazing...more so than the WUXGA.

Like 2.0 said, now that I've been solely on the WUXGA, and I did some nvidia tweaks to the colors, etc., I am OK with it. Nothing is wrong with my GPU. A GPU cannot make a display look like it did, compared to the WXGA+.

But, for those that have only seen the WUXGA, it appears good looking.

 

Plainly put, a Chi Mei LCD panel will not beat an LG's. Maybe in a few years as Chi Mei reaches a point where they can no longer just compete with low relative prices and will have to compete on specs. In other words, when they become a Tier I producer.

 

BTW, Chaz (moderator) graciously changed the thread title. So that should greatly help with the differentiation between HDX threads.

 

Woohoo! That's good news!

 

Obee kay bees then. I'll go for a WSXGA with my next Laptop and see what you mean and or just take my HDX for a walk to a near by Circuit City and or Best Buy to see what you're talking about. For the comparison do I do ANY SXGA or do you think I should try a specific model or brand? Did you try using the latest NVIDIA Driver for notebooks? If so do you feel you still had to adjust the settings for colors or what not by then?If so could you please post the settings you use so I can see some bit of a difference. Someone in here said 80% light settings strength makes the colors look better than at 100% but I don't see how thats the case.

 

Which laptop(s) do you think has the best lcd in terms of quality?

 

Good idea and thanks for the info.

 

Since the 20.1 in the HDX is custom made for HP, you can only compare the respective HDX's.

Consensus seems to be Sony and Apple.

 

Hey, you can't just compare to any WSXGA panel. You need to compare to the panel that comes with the HDX Dragon!! All WSXGA+ are not equal.

 

As of today, CC announced they are closing all stores immediately and liquidation will commence as soon as tomorrow.

See for yourself at CC's website. It's gone and 34,000 more people out of jobs.

 

According to Digitimes, one of the most important IT publications in Asia, Chi Mei is a first tier display maker.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20090114PD207.html

And it is interesting that most of the reviews that I've read on the Dragon, by reviewers that previously reviewed the WSXGA, were very impressed by the WUXGA 20.1.

I'd like to see two new Dragons that were "virgins" compared display-wise.

Since I've joined this forum I've read a lot of reviews and articles about how panel makers in Asia buy each other's panels from time to time, and label them as their own. Sometimes the labeling is done so that even an analytical tool will not disclose the vendor. There's quite a bit of chicanery going on in LCD panel land. Some time ago I posted an article about price fixing by LG, Sharp and others. Here's a link.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/12/lg-sharp-plead-guilty-to-lcd-price-fixing-take-585m-fine/

Lancorp's initial description of his untweaked WUXGA...lack of sharpness and uniformity, etc....are not noted in any of the reviews of the WUXGA Dragon, and I believe Cybervisions experience with his newly purchased WUXGA are quite different from Lancorp's.

 

Of the top panel makers; Samsung, LG (together make up ~60% of the global market) are Tier I globally. AUO and Chi Mei are Tier II globally, Tier I in Tiawan.

Indeed they were, but not more so than with the WSXGA+.

"Virgin" would be an irrelevant criteria.

Yes, but that only applies to fungible components. Since The HDX screens are proprietary to the HDX, the only variance would be one of quality control, not manufacturer.

Naturally as none of the reviews were done as side by side comparisons which makes Lancorp's the only valid subjective opinion based on a relative observation. Though, knowing the panel makers of each respective screen, and their respective histories and comparative observations on other notebooks makers like Dell who once used both manufactures on a model, his observations are within expectations.

(Refering to the XPS 1330 - People were sending them back hoping to get the LG screen which was superior to all as opposed to the lite-on, AU (similiar to CMO) and Sharp.)

Of course because Cyb's didn't have a WSXGA+ to compare it to. It's all relative. Lancorp is coming from a better panel so he'd be more apt to notice the deficiencies, if any. Or conversely, any improvements.

 

Better head to Circuit City quick - they wont be there long!

 

Many of your points are good, 2.0, but I think that reviewers who had reviewed both units would have noted if an upgraded model had a screen that was effectively downgraded in quality...particularly if people paid a premium for it. They would have also noted if a premium product had the kind of sharpness and uniformity issues that Lancorp noted.

I don't think reviewers would have described a display as stunning if it had the qualities that Lancorp described.

Lancorp acquired his used, and there is the possibilty that his had problems. One comparison...particularly given the unknown history of Lancorp's unit... and given his experience of sharpness issues which Cybervisions did not experience...cannot be definitive.

My reason for bringing up LG's (and Sharp's) admission of price fixing was in response to the point that Chi Mei was more concerned with price point than quality.
IMHO

 

To the contrary, they wouldn't readily notice it since the time that passed between reviews is about 6 months. What's more, the same reviewers would be reviewing other models and using other computers between reviews.

LCD panel problems are mostly limited to dead pixels, stuck pixels, "water marks", and light bleed. Lancorp experienced none of those which makes his observation the most informative and pretty much invalidates the idea that his panel had something wrong with it. What's more is he deals with computers for a living and is very much technically inclined. So he knows what to expect and what to look for. Lancorp's was done as a comparative. that makes all teh difference. Cyb's experience is one sided.

Well Chi Mei being a Tier II manufacturer has to have an edge in order to survive. A niche. Their edge is price over quality. It's a known industry fact. It doesn't mean that they are bad. It means that they don't use the same processes which increase quality because they can't compete against the economy of scale that the Tier I manufacturers enjoy when sourcing those higher quality components.

There's a reason why HP chose Chi Mei for the WUXGA after having chose LG for the WSXGA+: price. If they contracted with LG to make the WUXGA, the premium they would charge would price that option out.

Bear in mind that the HDX wasn't selling well when it debuted. So HP had to mitigate the loss and risk of further losses. They offered the 8800M GTS as a selling point for the graphically inclined. Sales jumped. They offered the WUXGA for the sake of marrying it to bluray. They knew from experience that they wouldn't sell anywhere near as many units with the WUXGA than those with the WSXGA+ since most customers do not opt for higher resolutions. So they couldn't risk a premium upgrade using a premium panel.

All these facts considered, I wasn't at all surprised by Lancorp's observation. When I purchased my HDXs, when choosing the screens, the fact that the WSXGA+ was an LG was one of the things that guided my choice. At the time I couldn't find any information as to the manufacturer of the WUXGA. That almost always means it's a Tier II. Meaning, you don't list something that doesn't amount to a selling point. Instead you say something like "full HD."

Anyway, is it possible for Chi Mei to have produced a comparable gem of a screen given their production facilities and cost constraints? Sure. But not likely. And not for a low volume proprietary production run.

 

Probebly not, don't know about battery drain, but I was just curious. The guy who sold me his HDX after having it a month and a half told me the 2.8GHZ processor would have just drained the battery more but the gents in here said that's not true so I don't know about higher megahertz=battery drain with a dual core.

 

Is the SXGA monitor in the HDX18 of the same "higher" quality as the HDX 20 LG SXGA? I was considering getting another notebook, possibly an HDX18 if they upgrade the Graphics Card. Though out of the other gaming notebooks, be it Sager, Dell, or what not, are there any of them you can recommend that have a screen equally of the same high value. Also one thing I was wondering was if the Dell laptops have a BlueRay BURNER, and or if any others do? If I get an additional notebook Id like it to have this SXGA screen, and the top specs including a quad core, possibly two GPU slots, 2-3 hard drives, a backlighted keyboard and BlueRay Burner would be a definite plus etc..Any suggestions on which could fit the bill??

 

Since we are talking about this again (why?), I thought I would bump my original post, especially since I didn't remember the exact wording I used.

Now, 2.0 is correct, and I feel very strongly that, unless you've seen both displays side-by-side, you just cannot make a valid claim that the WUXGA is as good as the WSXGA+ or that there was even something wrong with my WUXGA. Not to mention, that what I perceive as "better" may not be another persons opinion!

With that said, I wouldn't say, MobileArtist, that I complained about "lack of sharpness and uniformity". What I complained about was color casting (dingy whites, greenish blues, etc), and text that had odd rainbow fringing almost like truetype was out of whack. I have since seen other notebooks, as late as last week, with exactly the same effect, and it was also a 1920x1200 display, albeit in a 17" panel, so maybe it has something to do with that. None of the other notebooks I have or have had (and that's been quite a few!), ever showed that.

Now that the WSXGA+ has been gone for some time now, I am used to the WUXGA, and have tweaked the settings such that I am happy with it. The text fringing is still there. Obviously a trait of that panel manufacturer. Also, once the panel "warms up", the colors are better, but whites still are not that perfect, bright white like the WSXGA+. I might also add that previous to the HDX Dragon, I had a Dell M2010 with a 20.1" LG WSXGA+ panel, and it was spectacular--a perfect panel in every way. It's very possible the same panel by LG was used in the WSXGA+ HDX Dragon.

All-in-all, the WUXGA panel is OK...but I still agree with what I said back in November, that, side-by-side, the WSXGA+ panel looks brighter, cleaner and more accurate in it's color reproduction.