*HP dm3 (1XXX series) Owners Lounge*

Just pulled the trigger on the DM3t. Hoping to do a Windows 7 clean install when it arrives. Been reading through several guides. For those in here that have done it, one question: how painful is it to update the drivers after the install? Do you back them up before hand? Or download them from HP afterwords?

 

After using Windows Update, go here ( http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=4062&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=4011362&lang=en# ) download and install.

 

guys I noticed OD carries 1130-us for $50 more than 1030us Anybody know the difference between the 2?

 

link to specifications:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01966129&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

and this is for 1030us:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01890476&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=4041574

But I don't see anything different... hardware wise.
Under "Software", there's a difference between the two.

 

Does anyone have the dimensions of the touchpad in millimeters?

I just ordered a DM3 and want to have a SkinStylers skin for the awful glossy touchpad before it arrives (I've used other HPs with the chrome touchpad and hated them).
Thanks!

 

in inches it's 3-5/16" x 1-9/16"
using wolfram alpha to convert: 84.14 mm x 39.69 mm

 

Something I'd also like to know. Nesides that the dm3-1130us is both available online and for store pickup in contrary to the dm3-1030us which is only sold in stores.

 

It is NOT black. The same as all the others. My battery life seems to be pretty good. I would say somewhere in the 5-6 hour range. I did have to download some drivers from HP to get a few things working. For example the on off button for the touchpad doesn't work until you get the driver. Otherwise I am happy with the purchase and the price.

 

Ordered a dm3t and the order is "currently being verified." It's been there since Saturday night. How long does order verification take for CTOs?

 

I used a MasterCard to pay for it, and there wasn't verification-anything at all.

 

That is weird. Mine was a Visa, though I also applied a $350 coupon. Plus, I ordered by phone.

For you, what order status appeared? (in production, etc)

 

I'm not too sure, but I think it said order in production from the beginning,

 

Anyone have the following experience when using their dm3 in normal everyday use?

Pic 1 Pic 2

I can't see this happening in everyday use...
Opinions?

 

Whoa.
I've only had mine for 3 weeks now, but I don't see any signs of that happening.
How long have you had yours?

 

Has anyone been able to overclock the intel version, is it possible? I just purchased one with the su4100 chip. Does anyone know the Clock Generator pll for the su4100 intel board so I can try SETFSB?

 

Oh it's not mine; I don't have it yet. I'm actually between this and the probook 5310m but leaning towards the dm3t with SP9300/G105M. I just saw the review on amazon and the pics and thought that can't possibly be from daily use. It looks like the user twisted the screen.

 

has anyone tried swapping the hard drive out and putting a regular 5400 rpm hard drive? how much did the battery life improve?

does the mirror touchpad get better after a week or two? i don't get why HP keeps making computers with those touchpads, so many people complain about it.

 

I saw that on Amazon too, and I think the same guy also posted to another forum regarding this problem. According to what he wrote the left hinge was stiff enough to crack the case. IMHO it was probably damaged some other way, perhaps being dropped by someone unbeknown to the owner? Sure is a shame since these units seem pretty stout to me, with metal on the lid and palm rest. It also appears there's metal inside the plastic on the bottom.

 

ah.
Yeah, most likely, he damaged it some other way.

 

Yes, the touchpad gets a lot better after some time.

 

Current status: In production ... scheduled to ship 25 Jan!

They ended up calling me today to confirm shipping info, though.

 

Going to be a proud dm3 owner soon as well. Arrives in 2 days. Can't wait! Sold my msi wind a few weeks ago to fund my new baby.

 

received mine today.. compared to the asus ul30a, the .7 lb difference is very noticeable. but i won't complain, since it's still not too heavy.

the dm3 is supposed to be thicker too, but that's not really a huge issue for me.

 

I returned my Asus UL30 X-5

I think those things are cheap and plasticky( I know not a word).
The battery on the Asus is awesome, but the Dm3 is way better built.
Thats my 2nd Asus I returned this year.
Not a fan of Asus anymore, at least for a while.

 

this thing is so much heavier though, and it's also bigger in size (thickness and length/width). it feels like a 14" chassis. the asus ul30a made me feel like like a winner since it was noticeably lighter than a regular laptop. this dm3 makes me feel like im just using a regular laptop.

 

The build quality of the dm3 over the asus is what makes me swing towards it. Plus you can't get an sp9300 in an asus I don't think.

Though I admit the ul30vt is a nice machine. If it had aluminum on the palm rest instead of plastic I'd definitely go for it.

 

Can anyone tell me how well the DM3 with Intel's Pentium SU4100 processor does with Hulu HD or Youtube HD 1080p video? What about when it is connected to an HDTV via HDMI and running in 1080p Youtube? I ordered the 1044NR model from Microsoft store but I really need to be assured it can handle HD video just fine for me to keep it. Thank you.

 

Seems to run ok to me...

 

Thanks. That is a sigh of relief. The notebook arrives tomorrow

 

haven't checked it out on HDTV, but on the notebook, it runs perfectly fine. The cpu usage fluctuates between 30% to 70% (both cores)

 

Can anyone else confirm the color of the dm3 that ships from the microsoft store? Is the computer black or silver?

 

its silver, like the regular dm3 on hp's website.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=427567&page=172

2nd post on page 172.

 

The Asus UL30v seems like a great machine...but at close to $200 more...the DM3 seems like a better buy.

This is my first laptop with a metal case so I'm excited to see it.

As for its thickness...is it only "thick" compared to the super slim Asus' ( I own the 1008HA and THAT is slim!)

The DM3 is going ot become my "primary" computer at home as I move around the house alot.

 

My brother had a Dell Inspiron that had something similar happen. It's definitely a possibility if there's a design flaw with the hinges.....I hope its not too common

I should reinforce those areas with duct tape

 

just got my dm3. noob question, but when you use the shortcuts "Quick Launch" buttons on top, "ex. brightness - or +" should there be any icon or indicator on screen that shows up? My other laptops, there was always a bar or something. Just curious. Thanks a lot.

 

There is a volume bar that shows up for mute, increase, decrease, volume buttons, but nothing for screen brightness.

 

odd, mine doesn't work. i upgraded already to the latest quicklaunch driver. I have a dm3 1044nr. Also, is there any way to get the battery meter to read out in hours and minutes like XP instead of %?

 

You would have to install something like BatteryBar.

 

You might want to check this out:

 

Does anyone know if there is an alternative to the ALPS touchpad software for the DM3? The ALPS software is truly awful compared with Synaptics', and between the sticky touchpad and awful software, using this machine is far more difficult than it ought to be. Which is a shame, since the keyboard rocks.

 

Have you tried using the Synaptics driver, I'm using it on a sentelic touchpad and it works fine, there are also modded synaptic drivers available that allow multitouch.
Has anyone one had any success overclocking a dm3 with an Intel Chip?

 

Noticed another thing about my dm3, whenever I remove or insert the ac adapter into my laptop, the screen goes black for 1 second then returns to normal.

Does this happen to anyone else?

gizmodian, what kind of software are you using to get the volume bar on screen? Quicktouch is still only good for 32bit OS as I found out after an hour and a half with HP customer support.

 

I have the dm3z switchable graphics, so the screen goes dark for a bit, when switching between external and battery power.
The dm3t doesn't have switchable graphics, so that is really odd.

I'm running the factory install and the on screen volume bar has worked from the first boot up. I only removed some of the bloatware, and left pretty much all of HP utilities intact.

 

Just jumping in to say howdy as I wait for my new addition to arrive. Order status has changed to "Dropped to Factory" so it's on it's way to being built.

Here is how I configured it, can't wait to get it up and going!

HP Pavilion dm3t customizable Notebook PC

* • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* • Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor SP9300 (2.26GHz, 6M Cache) with 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
* • FREE Upgrade to 3GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* • 13.3" diagonal High-Definition LED HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768)
* • Webcam Only
* • Wireless 802.11b/g/n Card with Bluetooth
* • HP Color Matching Keyboard
* • 6 Cell Polymer Battery
* • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* • HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

This is a replacement for a recently purchased and returned Acer AS1810T, I really liked the Acer but the fan noise and subsequent fan failure really turned me off. I also am really looking forward to the separate video and faster processor but am just a bit concerned about how much battery life I might be giving up. Well, I will be lurking and soaking up as much pre-knowledge I can as I wait for it's arrival.

 

Hmm, do you have HP Quicktouch installed? If not, what HP program is responsible for your volume control? My dm3 didnt have any installed. Could be microsoft's fault, idk. I talked to another customer support rep and they told me to just calibrate my battery since the laptop is new. Supposedly will fix the black screens I've been seeing.

 

yep, which is one of the main reasons why i'm going to return this. it's a pain to use, it feels so stiff (click buttons) and the touchpad sucks. it's a shame though, since the keyboard is as good as it gets.

i'm kinda getting frustrated since i can't seem to find the perfect 13.3" ultraportable. the asus ul30a would be it if the keyboard flex were better, the click button were better, and no hd/wifi issues.

 

I’ve seen a number of posts regarding battery wear so I’ll pass along what I’ve found.

After the initial setup of my laptop one of the first programs I installed was BatteryBar. After completely charging my DM3, then running it until the battery was almost completely discharged, BatteryBar indicated battery wear at 1.3%. This remained the same for approximately 1-1/2 weeks. Then for no apparent reason it increased to 11.3% and the next day 17.3%! The unfortunate result of this is that Windows will shut your notebook down sooner because it‘s reading reduced battery capacity.

I searched online for solutions, locating an HP site that states you should calibrate a notebook's battery every three months. Even though I’d owned the notebook for only two weeks I thought I’d give it a try. The instructions I located at HP don’t appear to be for Windows 7, but were easy enough to implement using the following steps:

1.) Completely charge the notebook battery on AC power.
2.) Click the battery icon in the task bar and select “More power options”.
3.) Select the “Change plan settings” for the power plan you want to use. I use “Power saver”.
4.) Under the “On battery” column, for “Put computer to sleep” select “Never” in the drop down box.
5.) Leave the computer running until it completely discharges the battery and turns itself off. I do this unattended overnight.
6.) Once it’s turned itself off, plug the AC charger in and completely recharge the battery. I do this first thing in the morning so it’s ready when I return home that evening.
7.) Start it up after it’s completely charged. Due to the automatic shutdown you’ll receive a warning regarding resuming Windows. Go ahead and continue to boot normally.
8.) Reset the "On battery" setting changed in step 5 to turn off the notebook in a reasonable time. I reset mine to 15 minutes for "Power saver".

The first time I did this battery wear was reduced from 17% to 11%. The second time reduced it to 5%. A third time didn’t lower it any more. I can live with 5% of battery wear on a new notebook, but 17 % was a bit much. Hopefully this process won’t have to be repeated too often and will keep actual battery wear and Windows more closely in sync.

 

Seriously, why is it so hard for manufacturers to realize that the mouse and keyboard are kind of important....

Designing a decent touchpad isn't rocket science! My computer from 10 years ago had a perfectly good touchpad. How come in 10 years we've actually gotten worse?

 

There is a new ALPS driver on the dm3t page, seems to be a bit smoother.

 

Just fully drained my laptop overnight and charged it as well. Screen doesn't go black anymore after plugging or unplugging the ac cord. Guess the calibration works, battery bar says that my battery wear is at 0.6% for now.

Odd thing is that battery bar only shows me having a maximum of 2:49 instead of 6-7hrs.