*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

It seems like it depends on who you talk to there... which is the case for most places. I was told (and have heard from many others) that HP cannot cancel or modify any order once it's placed. Most people who want to change their order have had to receive their notebook, re-order another one and send the original one back. So you were very fortunate to have a helpful HP rep!

The same goes for their price guarantee. Some folks have received full credit for a better coupon offer within the 21 day window. I had to argue (politely) with a rep for a half hour before he gave me a $50 refund. That was about half of what I wanted, but I was tired of being on the phone with him.

 

the pic in that link is the remote i have with my hdx18

 

Has anyone found a part# for the back lit keyboard?

 

I got my HDX 18 in today. After full inspection it seems to be pretty flawlesss, or near to it. My one complaint, if you could call it one, is that the finish seems to be a finger print magnet but I think I can manage with a nice shami or something. No issues thus far!

 

Well found it and it is cheaper than the normal keyboard lol.

496878-001 Part is in stock.
Windows 18.4-inch IMR keyboard - With numerical keypad US 86.45 0.00
496879-001 Part is in stock.
Windows 18.4-inch Backlite keyboard - With numerical keypad US 79.80 0.00

 

Hmmm considering all the b*tching that's occured in the last few pages I just wanted to say that I LOVE MY HDX 18t...

It's not perfect but it damn well is close.

Bottom line is that some people will NEVER be satisfied. And some people just complain too much. Move on if you don't like the notebook. No one is forcing you to stay in the thread.

 

Does anybody know a really really good way to clean the backlit keyboard keys off? I am just worried that that the wear and tear from my everyday use is going to soon make my keyboards lights dim (because of oils in my fingers, etc. ). Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Can anyone point me to a good spare AC power adapter for the 18t? Some I see are 65 watt, some 185, but the one that came with mine is 120w, can someone who has purchased a spare tell me where they got it and how it works? thanks

 

Kensington makes the best power adapter hands down. It's very slim, light weight, comes with a DC (auto) adapter and works for a wide variety of notebooks. Here's a link.

You can find it and more on the HDX18.com accessories page.

 

I would love to get that one, especially since it does the car also, but I need to buy three adapters... and that one is too much, are there any other cheaper ones?

what about this one? http://www.provantage.com/kensington-k33403us~7KNSA03P.htm

 

That's a 90W adapter. It may have enough juice to charge the laptop, or power it while on, but I think you'll find it lacking the juice to do any real charging while the laptop is in use. IMHO, power is not an area to cut corners on as it isn't a matter of just having power, but also having sufficient and clean power. Better components on the front end can mean longer life for your computer hardware. Just my $0.02.

 

I am using the ac adapter that I used with my HP NC6400 as a spare. I have had no problems at all with it powering my HDX18. Have been using for a month and a half with no problems. Charges battery fine and everything. It is a 65Watt adapter. I bought on ebay. Link below...

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Power-Supply-Cord-AC-Adapter-For-HP-Laptop-NC6400_W0QQitemZ350161579791QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Cables_Adapters?hash=item518741af0f&_trksid=p4011.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

 

Do normal DVDs look almost as good as Blu-Ray on the screen?

 

Hi..first time poster here and I am hoping someone can help me with a problem I am having with my HDX 18.

I cannot get it to boot up using CD/DVD. I have been trying to install Windows 7 RC. I have went into the BIOS and changed CD/DVD to the first boot option. I have even tried using the one time boot option. Both give me a black screen and it has two lines at the top (I forget what it says) and the only button that does anything is "enter". When I press "enter" it says something about a disk error (or something like that) and I press "enter" again and it boots up normal.

I have burned the ISO 4 times and the same thing. I started to think they were all bad burns but I inserted into my desktop and it booted using the disc fine.

I know my optical drive in my HDX 18 works fine.

I will also replacing my primary drive tomorrow to a new WD 320GB 7200RPM and want to use my Windows Home Server and recovery disc to flash the last back up but it is not going to work if I can't get the boot from CD/DVD to work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

 

Ok, I was scared after reading the comments on here about the HDX18 and Vista compatibility etc.

My experience :

HDX18T
QX9300 - 2.53 Quad Core
8Gb RAM
GeForce 130M Graphics
1 Tb Hard Drive - 500Gb X 2 - 5400rpm
Wireless with Bluetooth.
Vista Ultimate
Cost $2225


After I uninstalled all the HP stuff - Support / Help / Advisor etc, it runs great with the 1% - 3% cpu everyone talks about.

All my 32 bit apps are running fine so far
e.g.
Photoshop CS2
Sony Vegas PRO 8c ( 32-bit )
Sony Vegas PRO 8.1 ( 64-bit )
iClone Pro 3.2
etc

I did not have to do a clean install, downgrade to XP etc to enjoy my HDX18T
I almost did a clean install before installing my apps, but I decided to try them out without doing a clean install and I'm very happy I did that.

So to new buyer's who are not sure about what to think about the HDX18, my advice is go for it, and try it out as-is after removing HP apps like Advisor / Help / Update etc and you will be pleasantly surprised, if you still feel the need for extensive clean installs etc, then you can go for it, but in my experience it is not necessary.

 

Been a long time since I've posted, and probably will be a long time before I'll post again. But for anyone who's interested in a pretty damn nice looking bag to carry your huge HDX 18 in, check out the : http://www.ogio.com/product.php?product=515.

It is a tight fit, but it's not soo bad that it'll take you 30 minutes to get the zipper just up an over the HDX. It's a comfortable tight, and the fit does get better the more often you use it. They carry the grey one at Best Buy, http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...=ogio&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1214004292441, and it cost me $69. It not cheap, but it also one of the nicest looking AND quality bags I've ever owned, for a laptop OR not. The build quality is great, and has a lifetime guarantee as well.

There are several other pockets which CAN fit the adapter as well, however it will be a noticeable bulge in the bag which may reduce aestetic profile of the bag. While not ideal, it works when needed. Anyway, that is all. Enjoy.

 

yes normal DVD's look great and the sound is awesome to

 

this was posted in another forum id like to know the answer as well

Hello, I have a seemingly simple question that I can't seem to find the answer to. The 9600GT in my laptop (HDX-1180US) comes with 512MB of GDDR3 RAM, but a total of 2286MB of RAM (1774 of which is system RAM) is dedicated to the graphics card. This leaves only 2 1/4-ish gigs of RAM left to be used as it is intended. Is there a way to free this RAM up so Vista can use all 4 gigs of ram?



System RAM is so (relatively) slow that even if you dedicate a ton of it to a graphics card, it won't really improve the graphics speed. Never mind that the 9600GT is barely powerful enough to really use all 512 megs of VRAM.



I have tried looking in the BIOS and I literally looked at every option but I couldn't find anything close to what I'm looking for.



Thanks a ton for any input!
Kudos! Thanks!

 

You have to press esc, then select the boot option [there is no need to gointo the bios], if the DVD is correctly burned and its bootable, you will a text PRESS ANY KEY TO BOOT FROM CD.........

If you dont, the boot will continue normally or it will freeze, then the problem is the DVD [unless your drive is faulty]:
-check the hash of the iso;
-download again the iso or a different bootable iso;
-burn using another program [ imgburn: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=imgburn&l=1 ]
-burn using a low speed [2x] and verify the disc.

You dont need to do anything like that.
The OS will automatically use the whole addressing space it can use [till 4gb if 32bit].
If you are using a 32bit OS, it will show you less of 4GB of ram only cause you have to subtract to the addressing space some addresses reserved to bus, physical vram etcetc.

 

I just got my HDX18t. What are the unecessary programs that I should uninstall?

 

Hey guys, First Post! Woohoo! haha

Anyway, I was thinking of purchasing the HDX18t as a desktop replacement with some portability. I have a few general questions that the HP support couldn't answer. I browsed through about 30 pages of this thread and then gave up haha.

1. If I choose to go with the 9600gt and the DDR2, can I manually upgrade the DDR2 to 8GB? Will the BIOS see all 8GB? 8GB DDR2 SODIMMS = $275 vs 8GB DDR3 SODIMMS = $699 on Newegg.com

2. Is the GT130M worth the extra $100? I don't game, but I watch alot of 1080p Blu-rays.

3. Can you manually upgrade the processor from the stock dual core to a QX9300? They are charging $1000 for this chip and I could get it off of eBay for $500 and put it in myself. Also will this void warranty?

4. What would battery life be like with a QuadCore and do they make a 12 cell battery than can be purchased in the aftermarket?

5. Can you manually upgrade the Blu Ray player to a burner?

6. If you order a single disk HDX18t, do you still get a chassis with 2 bays? Do you need any addition cords/connectors to add a second drive if the additional drive bay is present?

Okay thats it haha. Sorry for how long my post was and thanks if you've made it this far! As you can see my plan was to get the laptop as cheaply as possible with all the core components that aren't upgradeable maxed out. I can add a QX9300 a little later for probably $200 after the Nehalem mobile chips come out and the price of 8GB RAM (DDR2 or DDR3) should be falling in the next year. Thank you guys and have a good day.

 

I don't blame you for getting tired of paging through this thread. That's why we broke out into topics at HDX18.com.

Yes, you should be able to upgrade manually. This is probably the easiest upgrade to make as long as you're using the same type of memory chip.

I can't speak to how useful it would be fore watching Blu-rays, but keep in mind that Windows is now making better use of graphics cards in every day applications. It probably wont help you run Office any faster, but IMHO it's not a bad addon if you're planning on using this laptop for the next few years.

I believe the quad chips have a different heatsink, so while you COULD upgrade it yourself, you'd probably have to buy some parts from Dell to do it. As for voiding the warranty, my guess would be it would only be a problem if something was damaged as a result of the upgrade, but YMMV.

I have seen no aftermarket batteries.

The drive should be standard so I don't see any reason you couldn't upgrade it if you could find a replacement with the same dimensions.

You DO get two bays, but you DON'T get the caddy's/connectors if you don't buy the drives with your system. There's a company that sells third party drive trays. You can find info and links on the HDX18.com Accessories Page. I have one in mine, but if I had it to do over I'd probably just get the second drive from Dell and save the hassle.

 

Wow that response was exponentially more informative than what I got from the HP representative. HP should definitely send you a check or add you to the payroll because you may have convinced me to buy this model haha.

I have another question about the heatsinks the Quads use....since they use a different heatsink than duals could I get the cheaper Q9000 and then upgrade to a QX9300? In other words I am asking if all Quads use the same heatsink.

Now I have a couple more questions....

Can you run an additional montior with the HDMI while still using the laptop screen? Can you use the VGA, HDMI, and laptop screen for triple screen goodness?

Also, is the video card upgradable? Is it built into the motherboard or is it a card that is placed into a slot similar to PCIE 2.0 on desktops?

I actually can't think of anything else I would like to know about this monitor. I am going to go check out that link you gave me for the HDX18. Thank you so much for your thorough response! It is much appreciated and saved me a lot of time browsing through hundreds of pages of this thread haha.

 

I usually remove the version of Norton that comes with it and replace it with Norton Gaming 2009. Smaller footprint so you can keep some of your laptop's quickness.

 

You can run the laptop screen and a monitor over HDMI or VGA, but not using all 3 at once.

You cannot upgrade the GPU. It is built into the mobo.

 

maybe this will help with 3 monitors http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/

 

As posted in the other section, this laptop is getting a refresh with 3d screens sometime during the second half of the year

 

Download pcdecrapifier http://lmgtfy.com/?q=pcdecrapifier&l=1 , install, run it, uninstall almost everything HP related, remember that you need the smartmenu stuff for the touchbuttons, hp quickbuttons for the quickeys [FN+F1, F2 etc], Hp mediasmart too for the media smart functions.
Then download CCleaner http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ccleaner+&l=1 , install, run it, let him clean your pc automatically, then go to tools>Startup, check what you dont need on and disable it.

 

Hi Guys,



Just want to share, how i resolved the HDMI Audio issue.


I have a HP HDX16t laptop with latest Vista 32bit nvidia drivers (GeForce 9600MGT - 186.03 June 9, 2009) and last week i tried to connect it with my new Philips 32" LCD TV. I was disappointed to only see the video and couldn't hear audio through my TV. I tried to change the default playback device as SPDIF, but no luck as the 'NVidia HDMI Output' was always showing as disconnected. Somewhere in the internet i read that HDMI sound was working fine untill they updated nvidia drivers!! I tried to rollback my nvidia drivers and it restored the previous release 185.85 May'09 which didn't work. So I searched nvidia website to find the archived drivers and found 179.29, Dec'08 release to work flawlessly. Now everytime I connect the HDMI cable, Nvidia HDMI output is selected automatically and when i unplug it, built-in speakers and headphones are selected.



http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_winvista_179.28_beta.html



I need to check if I can have the latest video drivers in combination with the audio drivers from 179.29 release.




06-15-2009 11:52 AM

 

post whats programs are running in msconfig , startup , then we all can make suggestions as what not to keep running at startup

 

HP has released a new version of MediaSmart DVD adds supportfor playback of new BlueRay Disks SP43710.exe version 2.20 B2 released 2009-05-15
I beleive 2.20 B2 adds BD Live

 

You can select the hd audio driver only when you install the video driver.

Have you tried the latest driver from nvidia 186.03?

 

I already uninstalled some, but these are some of the programs there now.

AOL Service Libraries
HP MediaSmart
HP Total Care Advisor
HP DVDSmart
CyberLink PowerCinema
CyberLink MediaLibrary Service
HP MediaSmart TV
MUI StartMenu Application
StartMen Application
MUI StartMenu Application
DigitalPersona Pro
HP Quicklaunch Buttons
MUI StartMenu Application
StartMen Application
hpwuSchd Application
HP Wireless Assistant

Thanks.

 

Link??????

 

I just bought a 120GB OCZ Vertex drive for my HDX18 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227395) and can't wait for it to arrive!
( I've also bought the drive caddy and they should arrive around the same time. )

Can anybody give me any tips on installing Operating systems on it when it arrives. ( sorry it's my first SSD drive ) Do I just treat it like a normal blank drive and just pop in a boot disk? Do I just pop out my current 320GB harddrive and put that in the second slot using the drive caddy?

 

disable AOL , HP Total care advisor {run it manualy} , HpwuSched Application ,

 

i tried the latest 186.03 driver had issues with HDMI connection , back to the HP posted driver , any one else have a HDMI issue with 186.03

 

You can install W7 or Vista on any drive, the physical location does not matter. install the caddy & SSD in the available slot, and "pop in the boot disk".

 

This is odd to me that some did not get the 185.85 audio going proper on HDMI. Is this with Vista 32 64 or W7 32 64?

 

vista 64 , cannot see whyi have a problem with the nvidia driver and hdmi

 

I'm sure you already have, but just in case, have you checked the IDT control panel as well as the NVIDIA HDMI Output Control Panel under Vista's Control Panel?

----------------
Now playing: Korn - It's On!
via FoxyTunes

 

Hard Drive Upgrade:

I just upgraded my "D" drive (Drive #1) to a Seagate Momentus (ST9500420ASG) 500 gb 7200 RPM drive (the ASG versus the AS is the version with "G-Force" meaning it locks when dropped).

I got two drives - going to do the "C" drive (drive #0) this weekend - from Provantage.

FYI, your second drive (typically windows drive#1 labeled "D:") is located as follows:

When sitting at the computer with the screen open, your second drive is at the closest right-hand side of the system, and your first drive is on the left.

Note that all drive and RAM surgery must be done with power off and disconnected.

If you close the cover and flip it over, with the hinge furthest away from you, you open the "hatch" closest to you by gently removing the small phillips screws, and at that point your second drive ("D" typically) will be on your left. Be careful pulling the hatch cover off, it slides in the direction of the hinge/back of the machine away from the edge, where two plastic tabs tuck in. The small screws can roll into oblivion on a desk or in a carpet, so always pay attention as you remove them and put them aside until needed.

Pay close attention to the positioning of the silver-foil caddy and its little blue bumpers before removing the drive. The little blue bumpers come off (and go back on) easily. You can look at the drive that is still in the machine if you forget the orientation of the drive or caddy.

Due to past experiences with Murphy's Law, I like to make sure that the system boots and sees the drive before screwing the hatch cover back on.

Took about 15 minutes going very slowly and carefully.

The new drive was recognized and I got it set up using Disk Manager with no problems.

I put the original drive in my Thermaltake BLACX Hard Disk Drive USB/eSATA Docking Station (ST0005U), about 38 bucks currently and well worth it, and connected to the eSata port on the HDX (a big plus for the HDX is having this external port, BTW).

At eSata speeds, I was able to transfer over my data from the OE 320 gb Hitachi in under an hour.

I use Hitachi 320gb 7200rpm 2.5" drives for backups (using the BLACX) - I have about 15 of them. They cost the same as what people often pay for tapes, and they're way faster. So I will recycle the OE Hitachi for that purpose.

I plan to ShadowProtect the C drive to an external drive over the weekend (about 1 hour), swap out the drive, then boot from the ShadowProtect bare-metal restore CD, and restore the image from the backup file on D to the C disk. ShadowProtect has the ability to enlarge the partition as it does this as I recall, otherwise would use Disk Manager to enlarge the partition after rebooting into Vista.

FYI, I also TrueCrypted the entire D drive. If you want your encrypted drive to be labeled D, then you have to first use Disk Manager to re-letter the physical drive (such as "T"). Then after doing a full volume/partition TrueCrypt format (a couple hours for 500 gb's), you can mount the encrypted drive as D:.

If the HDX had a TPI chip, I would have tried Vista's BitLocker, but BitLocker will not install on an HDX because it has no TPI chip (per HP tech support).

RAM and drive upgrades are the only two surgeries on a laptop I have the nerve to do, and if you go slow, these are easy to do.

It doesn't hurt to have a second computer around so you can turn to the internet for help if you need it mid-operation.

 

you da man

 

I'm suspicious of the fact that you pay extra for a backlit keyboard upgrade but the part is cheaper. Is it possible that this part is only the actual keybaord and doesn't include some other part(s) that are needed such as the lighting component(s)?

 

Thanks! I will do that tonight.

BTW - if anybody wants a great SSD the price just dropped on Amazon to $332 bucks for the 120GB OCZ Vertex ( http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-OCZSSD2-1...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245344410&sr=8-1)

They retail for $440 bucks and NewEgg has them for $375.

( I actually had to call amazon and get a refund for the difference, i payed $375 on amazon a day ago. )

 

Well the description does say "backlit" and when I call they assured me it was the direct replacement. I will be ordering one next week. Not sure it will work in the older ones though (the lighting that is).

 

is there a link to a picture or drawing of just the backlit board?

is there a small cable for powering the lights? I am assuming they are part of the keyboard, yes? I will purchase this as soon as it's verified to work as a non-lighted hdx replacement.

 

Yeah, I'm about to jump on this backlit keyboard option too!

 

I have been unsuccessful finding a picture of the keyboard out of the unit so we can tell the difference. Maybe someone with one can enlighten us

 

I just have to say, I had a lot of people telling me, "Oh, that's way to big of a laptop, it's not going to be portable..blah...blah...blah!"

Well, I am having NO problem w/ this laptop. It's size is PERFECT for me! It fits perfect in my school bag, and I am SO glad I didn't go w/ the HDX16!!

I have my laptop on my lap all the time, and it fits great! I would just tell anybody that is unsure if it's going to be to big for them, I think you'll LOVE the size and screen of this bad boy!

I'd change nothing.