*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

Anyone else get that annoying buzzing raspy sound when you swipe your finger across the fingerprint scanner? I suspected it was a bad wav sound file and I was correct. Here's what I did to fix this annoyance.

I copied the file button_down.wav from the C:\Program Files (x86)\Hewlett-Packard\HP TCS folder to the C:\Program Files (x86)\DigitalPersona\Bin folder.

In the C:\Program Files (x86)\DigitalPersona\Bin folder there is a wav file called dpsuccessscan.wav, I renamed this file with a different file extension so it will no longer be used. I renamed it to dpsuccessscan.vaw

Next I renamed the button_down.wav file to dpsuccessscan.wav

That's it, no more annoying buzzing raspy sound, just a nice sharp click sound.

 

Sir Jones, would you mind sharing how to get such a good discount as I'm in the market for a new laptop and have thus far returned 4 x hdx181005's through them arriving in various damaged states. I know that there is now the hdx1103 out in the UK (it's really annoying that hp.uk doesn't allow customers to cto, but maybe one day). I'd be grateful if you'd share your discount secret.
Cheers
Rick

 

Going from 4Gb to 8Gb of RAM...........

For those that have done it, have you found it to be worth the price? What type, if any, of performance increase can you notice?

Also, I see that Egghead has "deactivated" the G.SKILL 8Gb chips. Not sure if that just means they ran out of them or what.

Is this something I should be looking into or should I just forget it and save the cash?

THANKS

 

Does HP HDX18 come with a antenna?

 

It comes with one for TV if you add the TV tuner.

 

Caffeine&Chicory,
I'm running Crysis on my HDX 18t (quad Q9300), but I really needed to make some adjustments to get the frame rate high enough to be enjoyable. I checked out some Crysis tweaking websites and made a few minor changes to my configuration: I'm forcing DirectX9 (instead of 10), I lowered the screen resolution to 1024x768 and set all of the graphics parameters to 'medium'. Even then, I'm only getting frame rates of 16 - 25 or so. If you're able to run Crysis at High settings, do you think it's because of your 2.8GHz speed or are there other things you've done to improve your setup?

 

Well my discounts come from the fact that my other half works for a company within the Lloyds group. They get heaps of discounts including an up to 25% offer on HP laptops. HP themselves then offer a futher 10% discount code so all things totalled and at the checkout it was discounted from £1500 to about £1050.

The £1500 got me the Q9000, 4gig ram, x2 320gb hard drives and the 1gb 9600gt. From what I can tell, unlike those in north america, we dont get any other quad offers - even on the normal HP site, or the option to increase ram or hard drives. Im not particularly fussed about the ram or hard drive but it would have been nice at these prices to have got myself the faster dual core or one of the better quads.

Tunesmith: I too was wondering how much of a difference processor speeds make on Crysis. To be honest, Im not all that fussed about it but it would be nice to give it a bash. In truth other than Footy Manager 09 I'll probably still be obsessed with playing Red Alert and Worms 2 all the time...

 

Very sorry if I'm out ot topic, but I have a quick question for you all:
is the software Quick Play preinstalled or I have to download it? I just got my brand new HDX18 and I'd love to test the web cam....

 

As a part time hdx 18 owner has anyone had any luck in overclocking their qx9300s? Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

I don't know anything about Quick Play, but the Webcam works just fine as shipped. I remember trying it out when I received my laptop in early December. For instructions on using it, try the Windows button in the lower left corner, select "Help and Support", select "Learning Center", then select "HP Webcam Learning Center". I believe that's where you can find out how to use it!

 

Should be pre installed!

 

Just to be upfront - I know nothing about Crysis, but just a hunch. Does it use all 4 cores? or does it max out 2? If it's just operating on 2 the lower clock speed of a quad could be the problem.

 

You don't get quickplay with the HDX18

 

The webcam software is under HP MediaSmart. The HDX18 doesn't use Quickplay. Though they're similar, the 18 uses MediaSmart.

 

Finally ordered mine - hope it gets here soon. Specs follow:

Core 2 Duo Processor T9600 2.80GHz/ 4GB DDR3 RAM/ 320GB Hard Drive/ 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display/ 1GB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT/ Blu-ray® ROM DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer/ Bluetooth®/ Wi-Fi N /FINGER PRINT READER /HDMI CONNECTOR/ 8-CELL BATTERY

 

WOW - I finally did it. I ordered an HDX18. Of course I missed the 30% coupon from last week. I called HP and they would NOT match the coupon, but they offered to build me one and pray that another 30% coupon was released BEFORE my 21 day return window expired.

Then I noticed STAPLES now carries the HDX18 and JUST DROPPED the price to $1,650. (HP wants $2,023 - A SAVINGS OF 18%).

http://www.staples.com/office/suppl...402-NB184UA#ABA&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=774402

So, this is what I ordered:

Model # HP HDX 18-1180US:
Processor Intel Core2 Quad Processor Q9000
Memory (RAM) 4GB
Hard Drive Size 500GB
Optical Drive LightScribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD
Display Type HP Ultra BrightView Infinity
Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Battery Type 8-Cell Lithium-Ion battery
Network Card Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN & Bluetooth
Video Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Other ports 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader
Bluetooth Enabled Yes


newegg charges $150 more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834147924

Now I am thinking about the upgrade to 8GB.

I just sold my Dell m1730 back in November to get a MacBook Pro unibody but after 2 months i realized OS X is NOT for me. I have been using Windows since version 1.0 so I can use it without even thinking about what I am doing.

So, it looks like the MacBook Pro is headed to eBay soon.

I think the HDX18 will get along just fine with my HP MediaSmart Server (EX485) on order. (Replacing my homemade Windows Home Server I built last year with 3 1TB drives in it). Now I will have 2 goodies from HP to play with soon. I CAN'T WAIT!

 

Hi guys, got a quick question.

While testing my new HDX18, both of the headphone jacks only output the left earphone sound. Am i missing something here, or are both of them broken in the same exact way?

 

Are you sure you plugged the headphone into the jack fully? Normally when you only hear sound from only one side, it's usually (not always) human-error. Basically, double-check and triple-check you plugged the headphone ALL the way in. If you plug it in but not all the way, you'll get sound from one side and not the other. It could be the headphone jack, but I say check if you plugged it in fully first. Then if that doesn't work it's probably the jack. This is assuming you know the headphone works properly in other devices.

 

Yep, and it's the same with multiple pairs of headphones so it's either a problem with the driver or the jack assembly itself. I really hope I'm not going to have to send in a brand new computer and deal with HP's stupid customer service for A HEADPHONE JACK.

 

Whats the difference between quickplay and mediasmart?

 

Check the posts from a day or two ago. There is a 15% off HP coupon that works right now with the $200 instant off. Can usually get 20% or more off with the two combined - depending on build.

 

Hey jnickell - thanks for the heads up. But of course that coupon had expired already when I went to order from HP. I would have preferred to go thru HP so I could spec it out EXACTLY the way I wanted.

Speaking of that, HP says I can replace the BR-ROM with a Blu-ray WRITER, but has yet to give me an HP part number. Anyone know what it is?

 

You are gonna wish you ordered it. Here's the price from the HP Parts:

503489-001
HP BD-ROM Blu-ray Disc optical drive - Reads Blu-ray high definition, DVD-ROM, and CD-ROM media, SuperMulti, 12.7mm thick $526.30

 

lol, wow, you can buy another laptop for that price! hahahaha

 

I think that is a great price for wha it has. Thats even better than my epp via my job with the coupon. The only difference I see is the O/S as I specd mine with Ultimate and Micro Student addition which staples does not have included bu offers it around 99.99 which is still cheaper than HP. My question is about the Home Prem. I had a Dell Studio and sent it back as it was garbage nothing worked right on the first or second one so I decide to look elsewhere, now seeing the post about Staples it may be the way to go..As for the O/S I had Ultimate in my Studio and it was not bad but if I went with the home Prem would I really see a difference? I know the Ultimate had the Bit locker which I do not think I woud use as I did not use it on my other laptop but I did use areo for the flip thru screens which I think Home has but in my case in your opinions do you think it woud be a major diff or would I not if notice? I do connect via wifi and I see staples has that and I think for the money saved I could just buy the Home and Student software. Let me your posts really help me out when I look for a new system and get info about systems. Thanks in advance.

 

WOW - thanks CNCCO.

Well based on your info. I cancelled the Staples order and then got and email with a new HP 15% coupon code - SV0705!

Ordered the EXACT system I wanted:
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 Q9100 (2.26 GHz)
* • 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
* • 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics
* • 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
* • FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM 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 with Bluetooth
* • Blu-Ray +/-R/RW with SuperMulti
* • HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
* • Extra 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* • No Productivity Software
* • HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Total was $1,760!

 

I just went back to HP and specd this out..
– $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 DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) - For 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics
– 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
– 500GB 5400RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (250GB 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
– Lightscribe 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
My cost is 1888.70 and that includes the Home & Student 07. So this vs Staples if I added what I wanted by buying it via Staples online or the store would come out about the same so do you think it is a good deal?

 

With that code it made mine 1966.00 with Ultimate and the Home & Student

 

Just a bit more background..Do you feel I need the quad core and for go the Ultimate and buy the Home and Student on my own? I do some multitasking such as vid conf, itunes and surf so with Home Prem and quad core should I go with what I listed above or would Staples be the way to go as for the quad via HP would jack the price up over 2000.00 and I perfer to have a larger hard drive for music and movies. But in your opinions should I go with HP based on the info I provided above? I know it was mentioned I could a 17' for less but I like a bigger display. I do very little gaming except for a few games on line which are no where close to WOW or Crysis. I was think about call to duty which I have read works good on this system and a few others that would be along those lines but not much gaming. Let me know. Oh I also have a Pinnacle Pro Stick with remote so do you think I need to add the tv tuner would the one with it be better than what I have?

 

2057.69 would be my cost if I add the 2 year warranty

 

I have the dual core 2.8 and am very happy with it. I'm like you I don't game much, and use normal applications. My system monitor has never gotten close to maxing out with all kinds of windows open. Someone told me that most of the stuff I use cant really do much with quad cores anyway, so a slower quad would make the system under my use slower (at least for now). Though I don't know how true that is technically. Bottom line - i'm happy with it.

Is the Pinnacle Pro Stick capable of receiving HD?

 

Anyone know how to see how much of your VRam your using?

 

Those having trouble with getting a drive caddy and interposer cable should now about:

http://newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?...roducts_id=213

 

Just installed an OCZ 128Gb SSD on my HDX X18-1180US. Ran dog slow out of the box. Painfully slow. However tweaked the OS settings as recommended by OCZ and holy cr*apolla, what a performance boost. Used to take 20 seconds to start Adobe Flash, now it's 3 seconds. Absolute barn stormer now.

Next upgrade is to grow it to 8Gb RAM. Picked up Samsung 2x4Gb for < $550.

 

Where did you get such a great deal? Cheapest I have found was $700.

 

Well I have had it with HP customer service. I had a bad motherboard per their tech support. Before I sent it back to get it fixed I called in to make sure they put the correct mouse touch pad. I was told that I would have to live with it as they couldn't fix szomething that is not broken. I spent over 2 hours on the phone with HP on this one thing. bottom line I told them they can have the notebook back. Then that was a fight as well. They finally gave me the return. What else is comparable to the HDX?I have tried looking but good god there is a lot out there. Can anyone offer suggestions? YEs I put a thread up in the help thread, but there are somevery smart people on this thread with numerous laptops. I liked the HDX if it worked maybe and was right. I know I can get a better config for cheaper than what I bought one for, but I really don't want to deal with their crappy customer service. Any help would be greratly appreciated.

 

I have heard of some pretty good gateways with similar specs and prices. If you look back a few pages, you will see a heated discussion of some other options.

 

I remember lancorp talking very highly of the Gateway P-7805u, so it might be worth checking out as he is very knowledgeable on the topic of notebooks.

 

I would have bought the HDX if the 30% discount was available in Dec. but it wasn't so got this... Toshibadirect lists it at $1999 but sales reps quoted me $1750

 

Final Update regarding the Black Friday Microsoft Live Search 40% discount on HP gear (see my previous posts for background). Well folks, I have to suck it up and give credit to Microsoft Live Search. They came through with the 40% discount deal on the HP gear I bought. I received the check today for $1260! That gave me the following hardware:
HDX 18t with: Vista Home Premium 64-bit, quad-core QX9300 2.53GHz, 4GB DDR2, 512MB GeFore 9600M GT, 320GB 7200RPM, Webcam/Fingerprint, Wireless (no Bluetooth), Blu-Ray ROM, No Tuner, No Software.
LCD 25.5" Monitor HP w2558hc.
For a final cost =
Laptop $1560 + $133 (tax) +
Monitor $330 + $28 (tax) = $2051
Yes, I feel guilty............but Yes I'm happy. And I have to admit that Microsoft did come through. Hmm...

 

Thats a sweet deal, you can hardly find the QX9300 for less than $1100. Wish I had a QX9300--I'd OC it and get >performance.

 

Hey everyone...do you think that the seagate momentus 7200.4 will overcome some of the noise issues reported with the 7200.3?

By the way, I just received the cradle and cable from new mode and it looks well built.

Also if anyone is looking for a bag Dicota makes a multigiant model that has ample room for the Hdx18t and its charger. I have this bag and it works great.

 

Dropped down some clock speed and went to :

http://www.memorysuppliers.com/sams...667mhz-200-pin-sdram-sodimm-m470t5267qh3.html


The secret with this website is go to the checkout and then leave the website. They'll come up and offer you a 10% deduction.

 

Is the blu-ray playback any good on these? I watched Blood Diamond and Death race on mine the other day. I don't know much about blu-ray but should they have been grainy like they were? If all movies are like that, whats the point of having the drive?

 

Sonic2120,

Maybe it's the Blu-ray movies you are watching. A good demo movie for the visuals is Speed Racer. The Blu-Ray is very colorful and lots of fast moving images. It looks great on my HDX18.

--Rocco--

 

Jnickell-I have the dual core 2.8 and am very happy with it. I'm like you I don't game much, and use normal applications. My system monitor has never gotten close to maxing out with all kinds of windows open. Someone told me that most of the stuff I use cant really do much with quad cores anyway, so a slower quad would make the system under my use slower (at least for now). Though I don't know how true that is technically. Bottom line - i'm happy with it.

Is the Pinnacle Pro Stick capable of receiving HD?

Yes the Pinnacle is mainly a HD receiver, it can get analog but I have tried it as it had HD ability and Dell gave it to me when I was having all the problems with the Studio. It made my Insprion 1520's screen pop with clarity and color when I hooked it up to the cable. OTA is limited where I live but I did pick up a few local channels but some were slow due to poor signal and would freeze and pixelate. Do you have the built in tuner? I went out and looked around the local area at laptops and I was not too impressed with what I had seen. I did look at the touch All In One, which I liked the touch idea and watch a few videos on it but I want something I can move around with. I know most say it is big and I had a Dell Studio 17 which I am now spoiled and want the bigger size laptop. I wish the Studio worked out but after two defective laptps plagued with software issues and mobo being bad in both and the horrible customer service, I gave up and started looking around. I like the size of the HDX8t and the option available and I am leaning towards the HP. I just wish HP did not charge so much for the warranties. If anyone has input on this laptop pros and cons, I would appreciate it. I would like to get something ordered by the end of the week. Also if anyone has any input as for the tv tuner and if I need it being I have the usb Pinnacle (HD) stick. Thanks

 

Hey guys,
Question:
You guys seem to know a lot about the HDX. I just ordered an 18t, I needed an answer to the macbook pro and I'm a developer/gamer. I spent almost 1900, I have a warranty that covers everything. If I got a macbook pro I would have spent 3000 with a warranty that doesn't cover physical damage. I use photoshop a lot and edit video, and play street fighter...lol..my question is.

Who is happy with the new 18t HDX?
How is the screen brightness?
I know I have decent specs but do they make sense? Here they are.

Your customized PC includes:

- tHP HDX18t Premium Series Notebook PC
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
- Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P8400 (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
- FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM 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
- No TV Tuner w/remote control
- 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- No Productivity Software
- HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

I noticed that some specs didn't make sense and so I reordered another one and make the changes you see above. Just trying to get an overall feel for the top I ordered.

Thanks is advance

 

TS,

I played it a bit when I first got my HDX18 (all on High) and was pretty pleased with the framerates and then got wrapped up in photoediting, vmware images, etc.
After your post I went back and actually went through the first few missions. While it is playable on High I did hit several scenarios where the framerate slowed enough for me to change the settings to Medium. On Medium I have no visible slowing at any time, and it is very smooth. When I tried Crysis Warhead I had to immediately change from Gamer to Mainstream to maintain playability. I have yet to attempt heavy tweaking to get better results. If I find anything that radically changes the framerates I'll post.

 

I got mine with the built in tuner because I didn't want to carry around any more than absolutely necessary.

When using the tuner, I get better picture quality using HP MediaSmart than I do using Windows Media Center. I can correct the picture quality in Media
Center by using the NVIDIA Control Panel, but that throws off the settings when using HP MediaSmart so I just leave the settings alone.

I get good reception OTA so I use that. However, I have used the cable adapter and tried it with cable TV until I noticed a problem that I believe is Comcast's doing. I recorded the first nights 2 hours of "24" OTA with great results. Then, I recorded the second nights 2 hours using cable. When I was watching it as it was being recorded, all was fine. But, when I started to watch the recording, I only had sound when the commercials were on. As a result, I only record using Over The Air.
Hope this information is useful.

 

Sonic,

I'm with Rocco, it must be the Blu-rays you are watching, I've run Pans Labyrinth and Hellboy II (both Blu-ray versions) so far and the detail is simply amazing, I have been very pleased with the screen and the drive.