*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

I personally would just add a Windows 7 RC1 install and dual boot. You can keep your slow vista around ( I did ) but it is ridiculous the difference in speed between the to OS'es on my HDX. I am really starting to believe something is seriously wrong with the factory build of Vista on the HDX. I thought I would boot into my Windows 7 side for play, but I have found it is the fastest, most reliable side to boot into. The only time I still boot into my old original Vista Ultimate OS is when I want to watch HDTV ( i haven't set that up right for W7 yet ).

As far as an Anti-Virus software I would go with Norton 2009 Gaming edition. It is the first virus program I have installed that doesn't seem to cripple my computer.

 

Probably an easy question for someone here. I lost my little remote that came with my computer (the one that gets stored in the slot on the right ). Where do I re-order another one. I miss it.

 

You can say that again... I think the smartest thing for anyone to do is to give up on the mute working on the touchstrip for a second. That is much better than your entire system being unstable over such a small issue. I had the learn the hard way also, and re-did my OS'es a couple of times over the course of several nights until I finally realized it wasn't worth it.

 

IDT seems to work with the newest version of windows 7 (7201)

 

my netbook of choice although i know u dislike asus , ill buy this when its released
http://www.asus.com/News.aspx?N_ID=9CEa2w4Lz1370Mvz

 

Wow, nuff said. I am using windows 7100 with all portable apps. I will re-install tonight. Thanks!

 

Hi TranquilityCea,
I had (or could still have) the same problem you're having. I just received my laptop yesterday and kept getting kicked out of the internet when using wireless. If I use the broadband direct connection, then internet access was okay. I initially thought it's because I turned on IIS7; not true. I thought it's Norton; I turned off Norton, but still had the same problem. Then I read one of the reply from your post that suggested I change my router's channel. I'm using Netgear and the channel was set to 2. I changed it to 8 and seem to be working now. I will turn on Norton shortly to see if Norton is the problem. If it is, I will reply to this post again to let everyone know. If you don't see another post from me on this, then the solution IS the channel change.

 

Hi Mike,
Thank you for the solution. I changed the channel in my router and now my new HP HDX18 wireless seems to be working. I received my new laptop yesterday and internet access will only work continuosly if I'm connected to the broadband LAN connection directly. But, if I unplugged and use wireless instead, internet connection will only work upon restart then forget about it; internet access will be gone even though Diagnose saids connection is good.

I had thought it was because of IIS7 and Norton, but I turned both off and still had the same problem, until I changed the router's channel. Since I live in a large multi-level apartment complex with everyone having wireless, this channel conflict might be an issue?

 

The problem with the Vista coming with the HDX is that is full of bloatware, after i received my notebook, it took me a couple of hours to remove all those useless softwares, but now Vista works correctly.
Plus, for the way Vista works, it does need a couple of hours of work before it goes normally, cause of indexing and other stuff, indeed you can see Vista accessing the hard disk in a boring way at the beginning.

Cause of the IDT problems i dont think comfortable to install win 7, ill try the 7201 asap cause i just downloaded it, but the sound it makes when shutting down the notebook with the generic driver can really harm the speakers.

 

Hello - a couple of quick questions regarding some common problems people seem to be having after skimming through some pages on this & other forums.

- Am i right in thinking the wireless dropping on/off is fixed by upgrading the card firmware (possibly only from Intel direct)

-Also does upgrading the bios fix all the vol/treble/bass issues that seem so common.

The reason I ask is that I'm still waiting for my x18 to be delivered after over 2 weeks, which is past the due date. I've phoned 3 times for an update and haven't received a single reply despite being told I'd be given an update the same day each time.

I only ordered through HP direct as I get a staff discount, otherwise I could have gone elsewhere and had it on next day delivery. If i get problems when it arrives I'm not looking forward to having to wait a few more weeks for a replacement, hence asking the question. Hope you folks have had better sevice from the company than I have, and that's coming from one of its employees..

 

Just to let you know, 30% Coupon is out

NB3442

 

Hiya HDX18 thread! It's been a while since I've posted here - I was one of the first to receive the quad-core HDX18s back in October.

Aside from having to dismantle it in order to fix a bad keyboard ZIF connection, everything has been great, until today, so I thought I'd see if any others are experiencing the same issue.

I usually leave my notebook at work these days, turned on and locked at my desk. Something happened over the weekend and it's quite strange - apparently my network hardware has failed!

I've got plenty of expertise in troubleshooting, so I can say for sure it's the NIC. Linux stopped seeing the devices as well, and Vista's system restore did nothing (of course).

Anyone else have their networking just randomly fail like this? I am DREADING calling in for warranty support... that's exactly why I fixed the keyboard myself.

 

Mine failed few times but restart did the trick and everything went back to normal. It happened maybe 2-3 times, and hardware was not visible at all until i restarted.

If your hardware is completely dead, you can replace it yourself

This is HDX18T maintenance & service guide.

it is $110 ($54 if you want refurbished) for whole card with Bluetooth + $32 for cable
http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/HP,Laptop,Part,483113001.aspx

 

I know of another '18 user who's fingerprint reader (sensor) hardware stopped being detected (even in device manager). Reflashing the BIOS fixed it (oddly enough).

You could try reflashing the BIOS.

 

I took it that his LAN (ethernet) adapter stopped working. That component is not replaceable, as it is part of the motherboard.

Were you thinking the wireless adapter?

 

Well, after some (more) restarts it eventually started working again. I'll try reflashing the BIOS and wait to see if it comes up again.

lancorp was correct, it was the ethernet adapter that wasn't detected (although it appeared to be getting power).

I know one thing for sure... after all the hell HP put me through to get this thing, I'm not paying a single cent if something goes wrong with it!

 

Hey bud, now that Asus does look very nice! How much do you expect it to go for. Didn't really have the time to check out the whole page but I did notice the optical drive included in it. Which is what I need in almost every laptop as I hate having to go the USB route to install an OS. Anyways keep me posted on this when it comes out. I'd be very interested

 

As a rule, if any device fails, re-flash the bios. Even to the same version. I have had to do this for the DVD as well as the fingerprint. Both times I was at fault, trying out drivers and such, but the device was rendered useless, and in different OS'. Just something to remember.

 

the asus will be around 500 canadian $ its at the FCC at moment , waiting for release

 

I just wanted to thank everyone that helped me out a few pages back. After an insane amount of hours trying to "fix" my new HDX (and equally insane hours on the phone to HP) I just packaged it up and it will be picked up for return tomorrow. I really hope I have better luck on the next one!!!

Looking on the bright side, I sure have learned a lot about drivers and stuff this week! Anyhow, thanks to those that offered suggestions.

 

Anyone found a way to hide the OnScreen display for the volume change other then opening windows media player?

 

Have you ordered a new one yet? The 30% coupon (NB3442) is available, but they'll go fast.

 

Wow I wish I would have! I just did an exchange so I got the same deal as when I first purchased it. I saved 450.00. Not 30% but I guess it will do. I did have to argue with them quite a bit on the phone when I was arranging the return. They had said my coupon was expired and that there was not another one out to total that price therefore I would have to pay full price! I told the woman on the phone that I wouldn't be ordering another one if they didn't find a way to make it work. I'm thankful they did! (I was charged 88.00 but promised to be refunded if my computer was returned to them safely.) Anyhow that coupon would have been handy then!!

 

It's so silly for them to not want to honor your purchase price on the exchange. Good luck with the new one: it will probably work great.

 

Many of you have mentioned that the version of Windows Vista that ships with the HDX 18 is "bloated"... i play games on my HDX and would like a quicker experience without buying a new OS( ps im still in high school so i dont have a credit card...therefore i cant buy a "better" version of windows) i have installed the RC 1 installation of Windows 7 which is amazing but all my games are still installed on my vista partition. Could i hear some ideas on ways to improve my vista experience? Thank you in advance.

 

getting away is the only way i know to "improve my vista experience"
might i suggest -
running shoes
a fast automobile
airplane, locomotive

ok, i couldn't resist... if you have w7 installed, why can't you re-install the games on the w7 partition? just curious.

i say this because the only way to get a decent version of vista IMO is to install from scratch with an installation cd over a formatted partition. Either way, your gaming partition is pretty much doomed to "bloatation".

and no, don't worry about a buying a better version of vista, just acquire a copy of the same version you have already. you will just need to use your valid (and payed for) key to install it on your machine to retain your legitimacy.

otherwise, just accept that your just going to be doing your killing a little slower than you should be.

 

thanks for the quick reply! i do have to agree with your solution to "improve my vista experience". I would have installed my games on the windows 7 partition if i actually still possessed these fabled install disks so many speak of....(i borrowed most of my games from friends....)

 

Hi there!
I'm wondering, am I dumb or HDX 18 really doesn't allow to boot from the second HDD? Did anybody try to accomplish it?

 

Hi again guys, I've got my new HDX 18 1201EA playing Blu Rays now, but it seems a little slow and jittery. Has anyone else experienced this? It's bugging me a bit as the main reason I bought the thing was to watch BDs and play games!

 

go to google
write pcdecrapifier
download/install
use it to remove everything you dont need, norton, hp stuff etcetc
wait a couple of hours for indexing and vista and your pc wont need another OS

atm win 7 is not very compatible with our HDX, some drivers dont work correctly and for some of them you need the generic crap version [overall the audio drivers]

i dual installed vista win7, win7 was one the 2nd hd

 

Is this the same remote that comes inside the express slot on the hdx18?

http://www.shopping.hp.com/store/product/product_detail/EL623AA

I am so mad I lost mine...

 

It should work cause its a MCE remote control [you can see it from the MCE button], but its not the same, mine has a wheel in the center.

 

UPDATE TO MY SITUATION

So, I called HP about the slight imperfections in manufacturing quality and they refuse to exchange the laptop. However, they were willing to take it in for Repair. I told them I would think about it but in conclusion, I will not go through with that repair option. Why? I simply do not trust HP. After googling tons of horror stories from others, I am not willing to go through the 'repair' headache journey as I have experienced that way too much with companies like HP. I am really anal about manufacturing quality specially if I am paying such a large amount of money. I just have to live with the fact that they just don't make things the way they used to and next time, just be more careful. Turns out, this problem was also discovered by another Apple customer, and this same issue also affects my Blackberry. The webcam is just not in the dead center of its circle, but the screen on the Blackberry looks fine. As for my HDX18 1180CA, once I stop thinking about the problem, the angry feeling one gets after dishing out so much money for something made by the lowest bidder subsides shortly.

So people, I urge you to check your electronics CAREFULLY. Inspect them every square inch, and return them if they are defective, with a large note stating why you returned the product. The documentation you attach to a returned product makes a BIG difference. I personally have only returned a product twice, for functional defects, and never manufacturing defects, but I am just letting everyone know that you have a right to have a product without such issues. This shows a lack of QC on the company's part. You wouldn't expect to buy a Porche with a wobbly steering wheel, so why would you buy a $3k laptop with a cheapo webcam that's not centered?

I've decided to just suck it up, and live with it as the 'Repair' may not go smoothly. The trend seems to be that ignorance plays a huge part in their 'repair' procedure, and ofcourse, if its not yours, why respect it right? I can only imagine the HP drones pulling my baby apart, and simply putting it back together, possibly damaging it in the process, and then claiming it was the customer responsible for damage, and send me a hefty bill. These issues are all too common. I can bet that atleast 2 or 3 people in here have their webcams pointing at 2oclock or r4oclock rather than being in the dead center and the screen border not sitting perfectly. I can also guarantee that almost all of these laptops Treble/Bass control OSD is flipped compared to the actual Order on the touch strip. Such an embarassment. Its a fine device, but the ignorance of these companies, specially in today's economy...its terrible. Things are just going to get worst until the public revolts. I am just fed up with modern electronics. No matter what you pay, its all made in the same cheap ignorant way.

 

Not any blasting to any nationality whatsoever, but simply having the lowest bidder build anything tends to work out poorly. Don't worry, in about 3 years, the only thing we will be building in the US is little fires in barrels at the side of the road.

 

God damn it dude! It's a f**king camera. Get over it! I don't think it is supposed to be centered because mine is 1mm lower than center and my Blackberry Storm camera is 1mm higher. Who f**king cares! It doesn't effect picture quality, which is ALL THAT MATTERS!

 

WHEW! easy big fella

 

I had several problems with my HDX so it has been returned and am awaiting a new one. I did try to watch blu-ray movies but my MediaSmart constantly closed on me. I did notice that the picture was odd, kind of wobbly and slow (when MediaSmart would stay on) so when I was googling for solutions I read to make sure the wireless is turned off. I did that and the picture was much smoother and not wobbly at all. Try it and hopefully it works for you too!

 

Wow, you seem almost as annoyed about it as I am. I think you missed the point about me mentioning that even though my case is what it is, you'd have to be the dumbest living being on earth to simply ACCEPT these issues like we are all forced to accept. Poor manufacturing quality. I know you're not trying to tell me that it is totally ok that companies should get away with horrible QC on their sweatshop lines. Or is that what you are trying to say? Well if so, and if you are ok getting the short end of the stick, and blind enough to simply put off these things, have a look at your Credit Card balance and see that you paid what the asking price was. You didn't pay less incase they have QC issues, you paid expecting that you will get a well built product. You remind me of someone who either A) Does not really work for their money and/or B) Could care less or have respect for anything you own.
Let me just add that there is a reason companies like GM are heading down hill. Think of it this way, at one point, the Chinese (and a line of other low cost manufacturers) worked for U.S. corporations. Now when you call them, it seems that these U.S. corporations are working for their manufacturers. Why? Because those third world manufacturers assume no responsibility for errors and pass things on QC like your 3k laptop is a hotdog on a street stand. Let me also add that the same people working at those manufacturing plant could care less, infact, anyone but YOU could care less. The only person to care about such things should be you. You are the one paying for it. There are plenty of sensible people who agree where its all headed. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, Dell was a top notch customer service provider. Have you tried calling them lately? Manufacturing has moved to China, Service has moved to India, and the company that makes it happen, well they are always too busy digging deeper to stash the profits. I would love for you to be able to skip out on your payment, or pay a bit less, and tell any vendor to just get over it. Go ahead, try it, I want to see what happens. Once you get a job, and work for your money, you'll learn to appreciate your own things a little more. But if you are honestly not bothered by today's terrible Support/Service/QC issues, then more power to you! I wish you the best of luck, and hope that you never have to face a single problem, and if you ever do have a major problem, just practice what you preach, get over it. In other words, bend over and hope it won't hurt while you look the other way.

 

After reading through your 11 posts one notices that you are apparently upset about the fact that you have paid _____ dollars for said machine and you are unhappy about what you recieved. As a side note I jsut recieved an HDX 16t, that was to be returned, and after inspecting quite thoroughly I found no such problems. I am to be recieving an 18t in the coming days and I am optimistic that I will see the same results after inspecting it closely.

I have just a few issues with your comments and they are that if you have such a problem with spending so much money on a product that you are displeased with, why then are you putting down your money on electronics. I don't care what product you are buying, the bottom line is that electronics in the long run will go down in value, and they break. There is no stopping it. If you as a consumer feel that you deserve better than I suggest the only way to do that, at least in your case, is to build your own computer, because I guarantee you, no one will make you happy.

I work very hard for my money and for you to assume that "you are the only one who does" seems a bit pompous to me. I look forward to recieving my new laptop and I am excited about seeing how it performs with the set up i purchased.


bottom line, get over yourself.

 

i have not opened the HDX18 remote package , heres whats on the package that came with my HDX18 HP p/n 488140-001 rev B SN/P083703137 hope this helps

 

what power managmet setting is your HDX on ? HP Recommended or Power Saver? in power saver setting my Blue Ray is jittery , also go to msconfig and disable unneeded programs from running.. also recently there was an update to all MediaSmart software and a new Bios F.23

 

Please show me a picture of what you think the webcam on the HDX 18 is supposed to look like. Unless you can provide proof that the webcam is not supposed to be off center, there is no reason to believe that HP did not intend for it to be this way.

 

This is EXACTLY why I did the review you will find at the bottom of my signature. I hate to say it but... HP could care less about you. I did forewarn people about the cruddy customer service, and how poorly built this notebook was, but I guess people just don't care until it happens to them!

 

Thank you for the answer. How did you configure HDX to boot from 2nd drive, not the first one? BIOS doesn't contain such option. I have Win 7 installed on 1st drive and Vista installed on 2nd drive, but I can't select 2nd drive as the one to boot from! The only option I currently see is to physically swap the drives...

 

It's not in the bios, the bios just goes "looking" for a suitable, bootable program, using the order you specify.

If you have a multiple boot and you cannot see one of the drives, just reboot to the installation disc for the missing OS, and instead of installing, just select bootfix, fixboot, makebootbetter, or whatever they are calling it, and it should take about 30 seconds, and restart and you will have a multiple boot window, that gives you 30 seconds to choose.

 

Sorry, but this is the HDX18 owners lounge, and as far as I can tell, you are bringing down morale and although I can't, nor do I want to tell you to head on over to a more appropriate thread for you, please, there are a majority here who are happy with their HDX18. You have made your point, you are not happy, why not move on? I am genuinely sorry for what happened to you, you apparently got a returned unit, it happens. I had a terrible time with the Vostro I bought before the HDX and had to return, but I am not hanging out in the Dell forums lambasting Dell.

And as far as HP customer support, I wrote an email to HP, and within 24 hours, had a rep from the corporate office on the phone with me, and although he wasn't able to help me with the particular XP based driver I was looking for, he was helpful. With any small complaints I have, I still am delighted and based on this notebook, will be buying HP in the future, unless someone else completely blows away HP price wise.

 

Hmm i can't say that the build quality is the best, but it's average, i dont have anything really good or bad to say about it.

Sometimes it happens to receive faulty units and i can understand the bitterness.

But i cant say anything bad about the HP Customer Care, i have a problem with my unit and they took my unit for repair, in the mid of the operation i didnt answer to their mail for some days ,cause i wasnt at home, and they called me on my cellphone asking for information and stuff.

The HP Customer Care , here in Italy, has proven to be good, to me.

The repair center is another story, here ,HP, dont repair the units directly ,but use an affiliated society, this society isnt that good imho.

 

HUGE help. Thanks, I was able to google that p/n and found this website that sells the HDX mini remote.

http://www.laptoprepairparts.com/html/details.asp?ref=2440&category=misc

The HP customer service sold me some other version yesterday. I will just get both and see which one I like most. Thanks again..

 

I think you complain to much. Just my personal opinion...

And I also assume you don't know how to speak to customer service in a way to get things done. I've had nothing but pretty good things happen when I've called their Customer Service. They gave the difference between my coupons and the 30% off coupon. They sent me a free remote when I lost my mini-remote.

I think any HDX18 haters should just go find another place on the internet to post. I love mine.

 

I must concure with the great HP service.

I recently ordered an HDX 16t via the EPP program and found out a few days later that I could purchase an 18t with higher upgrades and more standard options for only 40 more dollars. I called HP as soon as I found out and they were more than helpful. They credited my account for the first purchase and promptly ordered the 18t which I am expecting any day now to arrive.

Compare this to the support I have recieved for my ipod which has been less than satisfactory and I can say I am fairly pleased with HP.