*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

I just wanted to chime in on the quality issue. I'm on my second HDX 18. The first was returned because the 30% coupon turned up before my return period expired and I couldn't resist upgrading a little. I found no problems with the first laptop, however the touch pad was the wrong design (HDX 16) if you care about that sort of thing. My second HDX 18 also seems to be free of any real problems, but in addition to the wrong touch pad, my keyboard is also warped. No buttons stick out, but there is a shallow sunken area that seems centered around the 'E'. A little unfortunate, but I think I can live with it. I love my laptop. One other little problem I have is the "HID data has stopped working" error that I get pretty frequently. However, everything seems to work ok in spite of the warning, so I guess I'm not too concerned. Hoping for a fix in the future though as the message is annoying.

 

Anyone had any luck using their HDX 18t to watch blu ray on their TV? I've got the blu ray onto the tv, and it is an hd tv, but the picture bleeds off the edge of the screen. 2nd, I have a external sound card to route optical sound to my receiver, because my receiver does not read HDMI. Is there any way to get them both to work at the same time?
Thanks!

 

From my experience with the fingerprint reader, I have been enjoying it very much! The main feature I like about it is, when your browsing websites and logging in to your account on multiple sites you can create a profile for that website so when you get to it and it asks for your user name and password you just swap your finger.

 

Where you able to see the bowing from my picture?

 

The nvidia control panel will allow you to fine tune the resolution settings to compensate for the overscan you are experiencing. There is no other digital audio output on the unit except for the HDMI port. If you get the HP docking station, it has an optical output, but the days of embedding optical in one of the headphone jacks is over

 

I have this sound card - http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8953705&type=product&id=1216423921440 - but I can't seem to get the video and audio to work at the same time. It is one or the other.

 

Are you trying to watch a blue ray disc by any chance? If so, my guess is your running into the issue with copy protection via HDCP. Since you can't run full HDMI setup because you don't have a reciever that can pasthrough, you may want to look into ANYDVD HD to help you with the HDCP issues.

 

I miss stated earlier, I used my built in HD tuner to test. Haven't tried the blu ray yet - but thanks for the heads up!

 

Hi All,

Totally off subject right now but has anyone done any tinkering with their 9600m GT drivers yet? i've ran through a few different versions and am stuck with either running the standard HP drivers which are ok in games and keep my idle temps @ about the 50C mark, or the newer 180.x drivers which make a dramatic difference in games (a good 10FPS gain in most games) but crank my idle temps to the 60C mark peaking between 80-85C under load

as much as i realize that i should get myself a good notebook cooler it'd be great to find that happy medium so i don't have to kart one around with me... lappy bag is heavy enough

also..has anyone tried the new version on smartmedia that hit the other day? seems to have crippled my volume/treble/bass sliders even more now

Cheers guy's,

Valen

PS.. i'm sure this is a hardware lockdown but has anyone managed to get fan control over the GPU yet?

 

Yes, if the hardware is identical, you can replace the hard drive in the 1st one with the hard drive in the 2nd one and it should work. Whether or not HP keeps track of the serial numbers on hard drives to make sure they match the machine and would use that against you on the return I do not know.

 

I installed the HP SmartMedia upgrade. I have not noticed any problems yet and it did solve a problem I had with SmartMedia coming out of full screen mode any time I raised or lowered the volume while using it.

 

I run the WD 320 7200rpm drives and like them so far. Pretty quiet too and currently only having the main drive in (till I get my 2nd adapter) it does not get hot.

 

Hi folks,

First of all, I'd like to give a thank you to all the people who have contributed helpful information on these forums as they have been an invaluable resource for me.

I recently purchased an HDX18t which configures out a little lower in price than Brian's, before and after recent pricing changes. As I configure it today, Brian's comes out to 2562.99 before any discounts, and mine is 2511.98. I am surprised they gave Brian a $200 credit because even with the 30% off, unless I goofed somewhere his still ends up above the original purchase price. The only way I could get it to come out lower is if they happened to factor in the $200 instant rebate with the coupon(which is not possible during configuration), or it sounded like with him they just wanted a positive customer experience. Regardless, it prompted me to call HP and see what they could do for me. Of course the representative I talked with configured my system and let me know the price I paid was significantly lower than what you could get it for today because of the coupon. Long story short, despite referencing Brian's experience, the best I could get was $100 credit. Since I still have some time left on my 21-day return period, I left it at that.

What has bothered me the most about my laptop purchasing experience is not the price of what I paid for but the disappointment I had finding out the Q9100 is now only $50 more than the Q9000. At the time I ordered, it was several hundred higher. For a purchase like this I like feeling I got the best deal possible at the time, whether or not it'd really make a significant difference in the performance of my laptop. Had they not changed the prices so shortly after I ordered, it probably wouldn't have bothered me that much. I am aware the price for technology fluctuates considerably and HP has had some unexplainable pricing in the past, which seems to be the case here with the Q9100.

My Dell Inspiron 9100 laptop has lasted me close to 4.5 years and still does what I need quite well, especially considering it's age, and so I have put a lot of time into this hoping my next laptop purchased will also be able to provide me another good 4 years of service. All in all, it seems like an excellent value for the price when compared to other brands. I am wondering if it would be worth the trouble to try fighting for the extra $100, or should I be satisfied with how they served me today? Maybe Brian got lucky by talking to the right person at the right time. The other option I have is return it and since I'm not in a real hurry, wait it out for another coupon and possibly a better configuration for a similar price and hope there are no issues in quality with the new build. I still have some time to think about it. A $200 credit would most likely have sealed the deal for me, but at this time I'm still undecided.

So far I have had no issues with the quality of the laptop itself. Addressing the volume controls behavior being less than desirable is still on the 'to do' list. And like other recent buyers, mine too has the wrong touchpad design. That bothers me a bit too but maybe I'll use that as ammo for next time.

Here is how mine is configured with a purchase price was 1723.39 (2461.98 before 30% off):

HP HDX18t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC
• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad Processor Q9000 (2.00Ghz)
• 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
• 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics
• 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
• 640GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (320GB x 2) 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 with Bluetooth
• Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti
• HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• No Productivity Software
• Mobile Stereo Earbud Headphones (2 pair)
• HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

 

HooeyPooey

I am not sure I understand what you mean by "I am surprised they gave Brian a $200 credit because even with the 30% off, unless I goofed somewhere his still ends up above the original purchase price"

I placed my order over the phone because I have bad internet where I am and I was told that they would not accept my credit card since I am ordering from Armenia. I gave them the coupon code and they applied it (after a lot of hassles) and I got the price of $1759.09. Saving $753.90. I just noticed that the coupon code in my confirmation email is not the same as the one I gave the person. They may have given me a different one because the old one expired. I was in the process of ordering using NB8818 when we got cut off at the very end of the order (taking my shipping info after applying the computer and quoting me a price.) Called back and was told the coupon expired from being used the maximum number of times so was talking to the supervisor and getting nowhere when I got cut off again. Called back a 3rd time (SKYPE) and got a woman who I think was in Canada. She listened to my story then put me on hold and came back and said she got it to work and sold me the computer. I assumed she used NB8818 but it looks like she used a different one.

After the drop I called back and got someone in the Philippine center and said that I thought the price had dropped. He told me it had and put me on hold for about 2 minutes and came back and said his supervisor approved a $200 rebate. Maybe the coupon the woman applied was still valid, I didn't ask as I got everything I wanted and was quite happy. What ever the case I am now waiting for a friend to bring it to me. He took a look at it and said it looks good and is working fine. I don't really care if I have the HDX 16 touch pad so no worries there. My hard drive kit from NewmodeUS is also there so I will pop my new 500 gig 5400 drive in and have a terabyte of storage space. That will keep me pretty happy for a while and I will probably have one of the best, if not THE best laptop computers in the country.

Cheers

Brian

P.S. did anyone know the answer to the RAID question a few posts back? I would like to have my two drives in a RAID array but I don't know how to set that up and if the computer will support it or if I need to install software to get that to work.
Thanks

 

Hi butanebri, I am also ordering it from Armenia, but mine costs me over 2000$, they gave me the coupon that I could not use because of instant rebate.Could you please give any information how I can get any working coupon.

my email is [email protected]

naxapes shnorhakal em

 

Has anyone tried a Belkin 17" notebook sleeve for the HDX18? I've attempted a couple others with no luck and was curious about the Belkin.

 

Well after explaining all this, I've just had a call from the HP Service Centre, they couldn't find anything wrong with the touchpad, it works fine Explained to the bloke that it's the design that's not right. He said that it's not something that they would probably fix. I'm currently waiting for a call back.....

 

I have this Belkin 17" sleeve http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=455679 My dv7 fits in it beautifully, but too small for my hdx18

 

I used online customer support - the guy told me it was a very common problem and he didn't know why they hadn't fixed it yet.

 

I just meant that there was no way I could mathmatically calculate the price of your laptop configuration to be about $1559, at least online, with any known offers and pricing, past or present, so I was unsuccessful in convincing the representative I spoke with that mine should have been priced less than yours, even though we had the same processor and the price difference between our configurations was within $50. Perhaps they were more generous because of all the trouble you had encounted throughout this process, but it sounds like you ended up with a great deal in the end! Thanks for sharing your experience and saving me some money. Enjoy!

 

I'm really in need of Ryan's contact information. My last post where I explained what was happening with me was really long, but I'd be more than happy to share the story again.

Bottom line though - I was promised a laptop would be ordered and processed for me on January 14th, and it wasn't until the 23rd. For some convoluted reason, to expedite this, HP asked me to pay an additional $160, which would be credited back to me, to ensure that I received the laptop in the fastest possible way. The laptop was ordered nine days late, and it was ordered incorrectly, without the 7200rpm HD that was in my original machine. I've spent HOURS on the phone with HP, getting nowhere, going around in circles, and getting disconnected. I've gone from supervisors to the resolutions department to a quality case manager to corporate customer relations. Between all of these people, NO ONE has offered to fix the mistake that was made and simply order me the correct laptop. I'm being told I either have to wait to receive the incorrect laptop (because at the time I canceled it, I was told there was only a 10% chance that the cancellation would go through), return that, wait for money to come back into my account, and then place a new order, OR my other option is to shell out an additional $1400, which I don't have, so I can place the new order today. I'm under the impression that because HP made an error, it becomes their responsibility to resolve it, without any more money being transferred and any more extra time passing before the new order is placed. I'm frustrated, angry, and need my computer.

I've gotten absolutely nowhere with any representative from HP, and I've been reading this forum for months now. It really sounds like to me Ryan Presley has been so helpful to some of you in the past, and I feel at this point he becomes my only option. I would really appreciate somebody providing me with his email, or any other contact information. Thanks so much.

 

I doubt if it was because of the problems I encountered because when I got the woman who I think was in Canada I didn't go into a long story about the issues, just a quick description of what happened. What ever the reason I am pretty happy with what I got. I wish I had been able to get the faster processor at the better price but such is life. It also seems they have a better Blueray option. I guess I should just shut up and be happy. Glad you saved some money as well.

Brian

 

Hey guys! I've been reading this thread for two weeks, but I haven't posted anything, as I just got my HDX 18t today. I know it boosted my spirits when someone raved about it, so I figured I would post a few comments about my notebook.

The specs are in my sig, just so you know what I ordered. My unit has no visible flaws, the touchpad is the one from the HDX 16t, but it's not an eyesore, luckily. The screen is nice and bright, and keyboard works like a charm, except for the bit of flexing on the number pad that a few people have mentioned. The speakers have none of the buzzing that was mentioned by a few other users, so it looks like I got lucky on pretty much every aspect of my machine. Thank God for that, because it sounds like dealing with HP's customer service is a real headache. So, there's my two cents, and I just felt like I should give my feedback on this model of notebook, because it works great so far. If any errors surface, though, I'll let everyone know.

-Greg

 

Congrats and welcome! Good luck with the 18, I'm sure you'll like it a lot. I think mine is great, even with a few minor annoynaces!

 

yellowdog, I have a dv4 as well as the hdx18. I got the incessant "HID data has stopped working" error on the dv4 after installing a bluetooth dongle. This thread shows how to fix it. You just move the file C:\Program Files (x86)\Hewlett-Packard\HP Quick Launch Buttons\HIDDATA.EXE out of the way by renaming it. See thread 333832

 

Hello all. This is my first post after a lot of reading and research. I have decided to order a HDX18 custom built. I wanted a laptop that would last a long time and start out at the top (or near the top) or the tech ladder. here are the specs of the machine I ordered today:
- HP HDX18t Premium Series Notebook PC
- $50 OFF! Upgrade to Genuine Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad Processor Q9100 (2.26 GHz)
- 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
- 640GB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (320GB x 2) 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 with Bluetooth
- Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti
- HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- No Productivity Software
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

I hope I made the right decision. I looked at Dell, Toshiba, and Gateway. while each one offered some advanced technology if different areas, they were way more expensive then the HDX18 if configured the same way. Going by the specs alone, I feel very happy with my choice. I paid just over $2400 for this unit. I will post again after i get it. (Feb 9) and let you know if it was worth all the research and Money.

 

What do you mean better bluray option?

 

To follow up on an earlier post I made, after concluding the call I made to HP Sales last night requesting a credit due to recent processor price changes, I agreed to be transfered to take a survey afterwards, which was automated but allowed for limited verbal feedback and the request to have a follow up call. An friendly escalation specilist located within the US called me this morning. I was at work but she also sent me an email and I was able to reply explaining my situation and concerns. Shortly thereafter she responded and processed the additional $100 credit. It looks like this laptop will be a keeper.

On an unrelated note, somewhere during the process of tweaking my setup the other day, I noticed that my CPU usage while idle was around 25% and explorer.exe was the process consuming most of this. After some searching around I discovered that dpagent.exe was the underlying culprit, which is the Digital Persona software that manages the fingerprint reader. Someone elsewhere on the internet identified that if the 'Check for updates every N days' option is checked in properties this can happen. After unchecking this, the CPU usage halted. I just thought I'd post this tip in case anyone else ever experiences this down the road.

 

I had thought that HP was offering a Bluray writer option now but maybe I am mistaken. What is the difference between "Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti" that costs about $100 more and the "Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer" that is included in the price? I had assumed it meant you could write to bluray discs but maybe not.

Brian

 

The blu-ray +/- R/RW is the blu-ray burner. So you are indeed correct.

 

I have been contemplating buying a Dell Studio 17, but then I stumbled upon the HDX18. I was wondering about the performance of the Q9000 though. I will use this as my general purpose laptop at home.

I can only get the config's at amazon, since I'm not in the US.

Pro's/Con's?

 

Yep, that is a feature I would have liked. I guess I will have to look into getting it later. I assume you can get bluray burners that will fit into the HDX18?

Brian

 

Yep your right. I was confused because it was an option when I ordered.

BTW in case anyone was interested I have figured out how to us the HDMI cable to route picture to my TV and a USB sound card to route dolby digital through a optical cable to my receiver. It was a pain, but its pretty reliable now.

 

This is how I got in touch:
[email protected]

Good luck!

 

Got mine yesterday, it had the wrong touchpad. The one I canceled, but they sent anyhow had the wrong one.

Talked to techsupport number for this product, and they said it wasn't the HDX 16 touchpad but that different places in the US and China make the touchpad. Not all make it quite so it matches up. They know about it, and are working with the (unnamed) supplier.

 

New STACKABLE coupon for 15% off HP Laptops SV0704
This works with the $200 instant rebate, so you can get well over 15% off most systems - happy hunting!

 

what are the advantages and disadvantages of dual hard drives? They are more safe or something else?

thank you

 

Well configuring dual HDD's for RAID is really more of a server thing for datacenters. It's just starting to take off on laptops and desktops.

For laptops, I think RAID is kinda silly, I mean, if someone steals your laptop, it doesn't matter if you have RAID or not.

Depending on the RAID configuration, you will mainly have data on both HDD's so if one fails, you still have your data....

 

I remember someone asking this earlier but I can't remember the answer.

I currently have one monitor attached to my HDX via analag...(yeah I know, analog...that is so 10 years ago...)

Anyways, what if I plugged in another monitor into the HDMI port?

Can I get 3 fully functioning monitors? (laptop as primary, with 2 external monitors)

or will my laptop primary cease to function?

 

I guess that depends on how you want to use them. If you were to get say two 500 gig drives you have a lot of storage space if you choose to use them as seperate drives. That is a lot of storage for any computer let alone a laptop. But if you are more security minded you can put them in a RAID array and have the data dupicated on both drives so if one dies you wouldn't lose anything or have to worry about expensive data retreival. The choice is up to you but it is definately one of the reasons I got this computer.

Brian

 

Check this out: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 ST9500420AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Notebook Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148374
Not their G-Force version, but it'll do. FWIW: You can also find the G-Force versions out there if you search for ST9500420ASG

 

My understanding is you can only have 2 screens at a time, so you could use 2 monitors if you laptop lcd is off.

 

Thanks so much Daren.

 

thought some of you thinking about a multi-core might be interested in this - though it would still be nice to have one!
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-264612.html

 

I ordered mine with 2 hard drives for the following reasons:

1. It got me that 2nd hard drive adapter without having to search for a 3rd party one on line. (There wasn't one available at that time.)

2. I installed a Solid State drive for speed. Since the SSD was not the same size as my 2nd hard drive, I could not use RAID.

3. I wanted to use the 2nd hard drive to store my Norton Ghost backup image files without having to carry an external hard drive around with me. A copy of the image files could be copied to an external drive when I got home as a 2nd backup at any time.

 

Ohh I will check it out! thanks! I don't know why it was so difficult for me to find it on Newegg....
I don't really care for the G-Force anyways!!

that's a total bummer.....what a waste, would have been great having 3 monitors!!!

 

I don't think our HD controller supports RAID. I have a 256GB G.Skill Titan SSD, an esata dock, and Norton Ghost due to arrive here early next week. I'll be having fun swapping out the drives soon!

 

They actually just started selling it today.

 

BACKUPS! You can backup your C drive to the D drive with Norton Ghost or Windows Backup without the hassel of using a external drive. If the C drive craps out, just boot with the Ghost CD and restore the image to a new C drive and you're back in business. The chances of both drives going bad at the same time is remote. This also allows for automatic unattended backups since you don't have to remember to leave an external drive plugged in - the backup location is always there.

 

Good stuff, going to order it now...