*HP dm4t (1XXX series) Owners Lounge!*

Ya, I guess the that's just how the screen is, it's like a grid of very thin lines, it's not an issue though, looks fine.

As for the touchpad, it's very creaky on the very bottom left of the pad. It sounds like it's brushing against something. Maybe there is something stuck under there? I can only make the sound when I click it with my right hand, so I think it's maybe set too close to the actual body of the lapop...

 

Questions about HP's "SimplePass" fingerprint scanner and Windows login passwords ...

I ran my finger across the scanner and a wizard started. Page-1 was a welcome screen, Page-2 lets you practise scanning, and Page-3 asks you to enter your Windows login password.

I don't have a Windows login password and have not used one on other PC's. I like the idea of using a scanner for specific websites, but don't like the idea of needing a password or scan to log in to Windows.

QUESTIONS:
Can you use the fingerprint scanner without a Windows login password?
After a Windows login password is set up, can the PC be changed back to not needing a password or are you stuck with needing one?

Thanks,
Marty

 

Hi guys!

I've had the laptop for a few days now and have been pleased with it. One of my concerns before I bought it was with the touchpad since I had heard so many negative things about it. However, mine is working fine although it is taking some time to get used to.

 

Has anyone had problems where you're resuming the PC from sleep/standby a day later and it says "Resuming Windows" only to have the screen go dark? You then have to hit the power button, which shuts it off, then hit it again and it powers on at the login screen?


Having to always do this after it's gone to sleep is quite a pain...

Is this a video driver problem?

 

After weeks in search of a powerful but price-friendly laptop, my choice fell on this laptop and I love it. First of all I must say this is really well built and I think it's very nice to look at. The design is nice and both the keyboard and the touchpad has a shiny silverline/trim around it. The screen is very clean and bright to look at. I love glossy screens, and even the lowest brightness level is bright enough for me. The 1366 x 768 native screenresolution is very acceptable on this 14 inch screen. The switchable graphics doesn't seem to work for me, but it shows I'm using the dedicated graphics card (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450) so I'm happy with that. The fingerprint reader is a nice touch, and have so far worked without any problems, and I think it's very convenient and easy to swipe your finger over it instead of typing your password to login. The keyboard is well built and it has no flex. At least mine doesn't have. Although I wish the keys were a little lighter to press down. The touchpad is new to me. At first I thought it was broken because the under-part of it was a little over the edge to the palmrest. But it's was very easy to fix for me: Gently press it down and it will click and lock into it's place. I have never used a touchpad like this, where the left and right click is on the touchpad surface. But they are very easy to press down. It takes time to get used to and I like it more and more for each day. I have the 6-cell battery. And the battery life after a full charge was a little more than 4 hours after internet surfing, youtube and listening to music. I haven't installed any of my games on it yet but I will soon. Next is heat, after 5 hours of straight use (youtube, music and internet games) my temperatures was a little more than 40*C. Oh and I forgot to put my specifications here they are: Intel Core i5 430M, 7200 RPM 500 GB Toshiba harddrive, 4GB DDR3 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450 (512 MB), Intel HM55 and the screen is 1366x768. The cooling system is very pleasant/good. It blows warm air out of the upper left corner vent, and out of the smaller fan vent at the top left corner. In the top left area of the keyboard there is a small breeze of cool air The fan noise is not loud umm... hard to describe. Just make a kissing emote and blow middle-gently out of your mouth, that's the sound my HP dm4 makes. Sometimes it even makes less noise when I only check my email and reading news. Well that's all I can think of now. I'm very happy with my new laptop, HP dm4 is definitely a nice powerful laptop. And sorry for my bad english I'm not english and just ask if anything. ~SnowSea~

 

Already asked.

 

Edit: Here is my Windows Experience Index score:
This is with these specifications: Intel Core i5 430M, 7200 RPM 500 GB Toshiba harddrive, 4GB DDR3 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450 (512 MB).

 

My own answers to my questions are ...

- You must have a Windows login password for the "SimplePass" program to work.
- It's very easy to set a login password and/or delete the requirement for a password.

 

Hey guys, I had a stupid questions that I needed to ask...

Shouldn't uninstalling programs free up space? I went from 399GB of free space to 398GB when I uninstalled 2 programs. After you uninstall something, is there anything else you have to do to completely remove the program from your computer?

Again, sorry for the dumb question but I needed to know because I'm still in the process of deleting some of the useless stuff the computer came pre installed with. Thanks!

 

Your system probably made a restore point or two when you uninstalled the programs.

 

A friend of mine had the same "problem" with his laptop. Did you empty your recycle bin after you deleted the programs?

 

Can an HP dm4t with these specs run Left 4 Dead 2??

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-430M Dual Core processor (2.26GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz
Intel HD Graphics
4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)

I know the graphics card isn't the best, but does it match the recommended ATI x1600? Thanks a lot!

 

Yep, I did empty the recycle bin.

Yenno, is there a way to delete restore points? Or make it so my laptop doesn't create one every time I delete something?

 

You can delete recent restore points or just all restore points or turn the feature off entirely (not recommended unless you periodically back-up your disk image).

 

Hey everyone, I'm an incoming freshman at UC Davis, and was looking for a laptop. I've come down to two laptops. The HP dm4 and the Sony Vaio Y. Right now, I am stuck at which to get. Pros of the HP are that it comes with a faster processor, an i5 (not a ULV, so the Ghz is faster), cheaper(a lot), and has a fingerprint scanner. It is also relatively light, 4.4lbs. Cons for the HP are that the touchpad is very faulty, and might become too annoying for me to use. Also, it is an HP, so it comes with a 25 percent product malfunction after 3 years. For the Sony, the pros are that the build quality is excellent, and that it is a very light, sturdy laptop. Keyboard and touchpad are great too. However, the cons are that it is a pretty slow laptop, if i get it with the i3 since it is an ULV. (Even though it is an ULV, it gets around the same battery life as the HP dm4, which isn't) Also, this laptop is very very pricy, and considering all of the other stuff I still need to buy for college, I don't know if it is worth it to make this investment.

Please reply with your opinions on what laptop I should get.
I move-in September 18th, so I should try to get my laptop soon. (Since I can only order the Sony online, because I've checked every tech store around where I live, and I can't find the Sony Y)

Thanks again

 

Well, I think most people here would recommend the dm4. For once, it's a decent HP laptop. The touchpad, as you say, is an issue, but it's tolerable if you turn off a lot of features and make it pretty insensitive.

Since you're on a budget, you might want to consider heading down to your local Costco and checking out the HP laptops there (I think a lot of HP laptops there are junk, but there are sometimes good ones there). They're probably sold out of the dm4 by now, though. I mention Costco because they give you a 2-year laptop warranty, and you have 90 days to return a laptop if you don't like it.

 

For what it's worth, I don't have any problems whatsoever with my touchpad. And to cover that 25% thing (where did you hear that btw? You're getting me worried about my investment D , there's always the carepack extended warranties. Even with that, it should be cheaper than the Vaio.

 

HP appears to come in last, with an estimated ~25% "malfunction" rate after 3 years:

Laptop-Reliability Study Highlights the Most Sturdy Laptop Makers
​

Edit: I forgot to mention that the numbers in the study stupidly includes "accidental damage". So, if you assume that the "accidental damage" rate is the same across all manufacturers, the graph is still somewhat useful.

 

I just got my dm4t 2 days ago and I'm liking it a lot. So I decided to install a fresh copy of Windows 7 and now the onscreen display when adjusting the volume/brightness don't show up. Anyone got it to working after installing Windows 7? Somehow HP website won't let me download the lastest IDT Audio.

 

I wouldn't take this report too seriously.
Data is for two years, three years is a "projection" (that isn't calculated correctly: Asus in two years 10%, projection=15%, HP in two years 16%, projection should be 16+8=24 not 25.6%).
Besides, what segment of laptops are they evaluating? I think the study should be more accurate and segmented by price range.

P.D.: I don't work in HP

 

I think the quality of newer HP's are better now. I remember HP screwed up bad a couple years ago with the dv6000 series, so that data is probably not very representative of the current situation.

 

OK, I've been lurking pretty quietly for a few weeks now and following this forum pretty intently, but will need to make a decision in the next few days. I've read up on Dell Vostro, Dell Latitude and Studio, Toshiba M645, HP Envy 14, and others, and keep coming back to the dm4t as a great value.

I've decided to buy, but my remaining question is this: I don't game, but I will use the laptop to stream TV programs over the web using Livestation (BBC, etc.); I would like to try my hand at photo editing, probably using something along the lines of Corel Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop elements. Do I need the dedicated graphics card for this? Or would I be better off spending some extra cash on upgrading the CPU?

Thanks for your help!

 

The integrated graphics is fine for that, and so you don't need the dedicated graphics. Just don't get the i7 CPU (runs too hot).

 

I have not noticed my i7 CPU getting unusually hot. Having said that you are probably better off saving your money by going with the i5.

 

Have any of you noticed that the aluminum case is easier to dent than a plastic hard shell? We've dented the side of the laptop after a slight bump into a wall. Totally our fault but just thinking that in some cases the plastic shell might have held up better.

 

The IDT Audio driver isn't gonna help with that. If you search this thread, or a general HP thread, I remember seeing answers to this question before. There's something else you need to install.

I also did a fresh install, but I just didn't bother to have the OSD working. Hope that helps, if you haven't already figured it out

 

Well, of course. It's metal.

 

Yes, but he also said he wants to do some photo editing, so a discrete graphics option is advised.

 

Yeah, this is why I've been going back and forth on the issue; some say a dedicated GPU is better for newer versions of photo editing programs, while others say they are more CPU-dependent. Maybe I'll go with the dedicated GPU after all....

 

I have a question about the windows experience index...everything is really high 5.9-6.5 except graphics. Gaming graphics is rated at 6.2, but graphics is only a 3.5...I was just wondering, why is this number so low compared to everything else, and how can I make it higher?

 

WEI is the worst excuse for a benchmark in history. I'd just ignore it.

 

Were you running WEI with the integrated card?

 

I use this little program (stolen from envy 14 thread): 3rvx
Works perfectly.

BTW, keep your eyes on the envy 14 owners lounge thread firs post(GUIDES, DRIVERS, SOFTWARE section of the first page), there are many useful tools/links that apply to dm4t as well.

Edit: and for the latest drivers (IDT Audio as well) check this thread: [Drivers] HP dm4 / dv5 Gen 2 / CQ32 / ENVY 14 (INTEL) (kudos to justinkw1)

 

Hmm, if you are positive that you are using 5450 than it looks lower than mine. Mine is 5.0/6.2 (Graphics/Gaming graphics). I'm using 10.8 drivers though (and I do not remember what my scores were on the stock graphics)

 

Yeah I was definitely using the 5450 and maximizing performance. oh well I guess

 

Hey guys, I'm a noob on this site. Just registered today .

I recieved my DM4T a couple of days ago, and I'm finding that with the standard 6-cell battery, I get around 4 1/2 hours of VERY light browsing(just this site, sometimes leaving it idle with screen always on) with power saver profile on, intel GPU on, and minimum brightness. I'm not doing ANYTHING else at all. No word documents, no youtube videos, no DVD, nothing. Is this normal for this laptop? I was hoping to get at least 5.5 hours with those settings...

Specs:
i5 540m
500GB 7200RPM HDD
HD 5450 1GB switchable
6GB RAM

If I do watch some youtube videos(maybe 6-7 altogether) and put the brightness at like 20%, I'll get like 3:50 to 4 hours max. I don't know what's wrong, I was expecting much better battery life with this computer. I called HP and they said they will only replace my battery if I send it in and their technicians determine that it's busted because their stupid HP support assistant said my battery was Good.

This is especially disappointing since the Envy 14 owners seem to be getting around 4-5 hours with around 20% brightness, watching some videos, browsing the net, downloading updates on the Power Saver and sometimes even HP reccomended profile. (I've been reading the Envy 14 Battery Life Log)

 

Yes it's normal for this laptop. Mine get's up to 4 hours and 10 minutes. Remember you have the i5 540M @ 2,53 GHz which is a full powered dual-core 35W processor with 4 threads, even at under 10% use it uses considerable battery life. Also the 7200 RPM uses more power than a regular 5400 RPM one. In the power saver settings you can choose to lower the performance of your components to save some battery life, like the wireless network card, use the option to turn off the harddrive after some minutes etc.

 

Well, I got the DM4 I ordered from Amazon today, and well, it appears to have a bunch of scuff marks on the cover and a few on the inside as well. Sigh. Well, I'm pretty desperate and need a laptop for work, and right now the biggest functional problem with the laptop seems to be that it constantly misses keystrokes. It missed a bunch just writing this. The DM4 I tried at my local Best Buy didn't seem to have that problem and I was wondering if this is something anyone else noticed, and if so, did it get better with time due to the keys softening or anything similar? Thanks, Nir

 

I understand, but I was under the impression that this laptop has better battery life than the Envy 14. In fact, that was the main reason I went for this laptop. Does this mean that the Envy 14 has more battery life than this laptop?

 

The Envy 14 generally gets 3-4 hours at most. I recommend you buy a 9-cell battery for your dm4 if you really need the battery life.

 

Why? The OP is talking about using paint shop pro and photoshop express. He's not going to be doing realtime 3D rendering. With integrated graphics, he loses a bit of RAM and a little CPU, but your average user is pretty unlikely to even notice it.

 

I have had my dm4 for about 3 months I think.. It is really good, I have no issues and recommend it.

 

Yeah, I have a 9 cell battery as well, just was hoping to get around 5 hours with the six cell.

You say the Envy gets around 3-4 hours, but on the Envy 14 Battery Log, most people are getting around 4-5? Ah, well I guess I'll be getting good battery life with the nine cell anyways so who cares

 

Standard users will get 3-4 on the Envy. You have to know what you're doing and how to really save battery life to get more. The same could be said of the dm4. You can get around 5 hours with the six cell, I'm sure. It just isn't all that easy.

 

Eh, I just called my friend who has an Envy 14.He says he gets 5 hours on lowest brightness, power saver profile, with just light web browsing. This is exactly what I do, and I get 4 1/2 hours at max. I'm thinking the Envy 14 does have better battery life than this laptop. At least without the nine cell

 

Guys, I just tested out my nine cell battery, and I was really optimistic because abbadon's review said it gives around 9 hours of battery life with power saver profile on and 40% brightness. However, with these settings, I'm only getting around 6 hours! And yes, I do have the Intel GPU enabled. Any idea on what could be wrong?

 

I guess the battery on the HP Envy 14 is a better one, because it holds more ions and is both larger and heavier compared to the regular battery on the HP Pavilion dm4.

 

Yeah, I've noticed this too... although maybe not quite as severe as you describe. I attribute it to the chicklet-style keys and the need to depress them almost directly in the center and straight down. It's just a small adjustment in typing style.

Other CONS (after a couple months owning it):
- Occasionally requires restart after being suspended (closing lid)
- HP bloatware (will eventually do a clean install)
- Poor quality display (either too washed or too dark)
- minor heat build-up... a little concerned about its overall longevity

PROS
- Price (esp w/ SSD option and discrete gpx card)
- Exterior build quality (and desn't look pink to me at all)
- No issues with track/mouse for me
- relatively fast and quiet (although fan could be quieter)

Also, I purchased the port replicator and stand combo. The replicator works okay (although external speakers don't work after "waking up" - defaults to internal speakers - requires unplugging replicator USB and plugging back in to get ext speakers to work). The stand itself is of excellent quality, but the laptop is too small for the stand... screen ends up being too far away when used in combination with external keyboard.

 

Anyone?? I needhelp on this!

 

Is there any difference between
a) the standard 6 cell battery and High capacity 6 cell battery?
b) wireless-N card and Intel wireless N card?
Also, I saw this deal in New HP Pavilion dm4t Laptop PC Core-i5 14-in 500GB WebCam. Does a dm4t come with 1280x800 display, LightScribe SuperMulti 8x DVD+/-RW Drive w/ Double Layer Support and remote control or is this post some kind of mistake?????????