*HP dv8 Owners Lounge*

I don't believe so. I haven't had any issues with the Treble and Bass thing popping up and I've had mines for 2 months =D

 

Noting I can't get fixed with a little hlep from form members or hp itself. You can write to [email protected] and get a response with in minutes or hours! to any random shutdown or SOD's.

Still, there are now so many, many core i7 and core i5 (faster than i7 for many apps, much, cooler, more battery life) to choose from, so as much as I would welcome another dv8 devotee, I strongly suggest you look around. You could save yourself a bundle of cash and get better battery life and some nice features like a backlit keyboard.

Still and all, I love this machine and, unlike others, who clearly don't know how to deal respectfully with people at call centers, I love HP's support, overall. The best thing about them is that you can always escalate (which you can NEVER do with Dell, not sure about SONY) and you not only get help, you often get $ thrown at you (!) for your trouble!

Good luck!

 

well better or not.. I made the plunge..... got the DV8T with max on everything except the processor upgrade.. "seemed alot to do about nothing".

I remember I bought my ZV6000 for the same reasons I bought this.... if you don't mind a little weight, you get killer horsepower that rivals most desktops.

I'm planning on wiping it clean and starting over.... I hope HP's driver site finally has bugless drivers on it.... I'm always wary of getting the latest and greatest.... not too fond of bugs and have far too many hobbies to beta test drivers for this too.

 

Hi All,

I'm researching the DV8t as a potential next purchase and replacement for my DV9000t. I've read most of the posts in this lounge and was hoping to get some clarification on a few questions:

1. Does the DV8t have separate heatsink fans for the CPU and the graphic chipset? Are there any significant heating issues? The heatsink on the DV9000 was poorly designed and casused heating issues. I just want to make sure that they didn't implement the same design flaw with this model.

2. What is the maximum RAM it can take? I read a post here were the writer said the HP salesperson told him it can take up the 16GB. However, the HP site states a max of 8GB. Which is correct?

3. I saw a couple reports of defective hinges in the DV8t ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1PLFBYZIUo) Is this actually how this model is made or is this just quality issue with a few units?

4. Has the bios and video driver issues been fixed in shipping units or does the the bios and driver updates need to be applied after the unit is received.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks,

 

I called HP support "again" and they confirmed the DV8T will support 16Gig of ram.... however, they did state there are only 2 dimm slots and claimed an 8 gig stick cost were still crazy at current prices and no one was willing to pay for that much ram.

( here's a 8 gig stick for sale if anybody wants one...... about 1200.00 bucks ought to cover two sticks!..."Crucial"

Here is some a tad cheaper.... "Kingston"

He hadn't heard about issues with the hinges and admitted they can get warn sitting on your lap and suggested a plastic heat shield they sell that absorbs heat.

I"ve found very little negative so far..... the little I found was the 1000 series and the 1100cto is out now.

 

That certainly matches the number of memory slots in my Dv8t-1100 as well as what I had posted about maximum memory piece size on the HP dv8t Quad Core Edition Owner's Lounge forum. I can't justify paying the price of 8Gb memory pieces for any needs I have. Nice to know that it'll be available if I ever need it for this amazing laptop!

Regards,
- - Phil

 

I noticed that, even with Admin rights under Win 7, the Users folder is inaccessible. What permissions are required? Or does ANYONE know how to get read-only access to the stuff in the USERS folder?

I ask because some programs unpack their INSTALLATION files there and I like to save those files in case I need to use them to install after reformatting the HDD or to install on another of my laptops. I have a slow internet connection and it saves a lot of downloading time if I can download only once and re-use the downloads on other PCs.

Help?

- - Phil

 

At that price, you're better off just upgrading your processor and switching to SSDs from the start

 

agreed- then we would have a hellova machine..
Although, cant you buy an even better ENVY with that kind of cash?

 

Uh, yes you could. I just got an Envy 15-1050nr from Best Buy for $1063 shipped... Just put it in my sig The dv8t stacks up well against it, but you really can't compare the two when it comes to the GPU--the one thing that can't be initially upgraded.

 

Best buys website is not as easy to find a specific type as I would like... but comparing a 15.5 inch screen with a 18.5 inch screen (19.35% difference) is like comparing a 46" TV with a 55" (19.56% difference).

I guess its what you want... I do like the battery life of the envy, but for my use, I almost don't even need a battery as I use mine as a desktop replacement and it sits near my recliner in front of my TV on a tv stand with the AC adapter right there.

The 18.5 inch screen will be glorious compared to the 15.6 I am used to with my zV6000.

True, traveling will be more of a hassle.. but if I want something small... I'll take my droid!

There is no perfect computer for all situations and everybody has different needs and tastes so Its hard to praise or condemn one package over another.

I have always bought pavilions in the past because I don't mind the weight and they are be most muscle for the money and they have worked flawlessly without any hardware failures or issues and so I'm a fan and trust them.

 

The product link you're looking for is here: http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/computers/notebooks/ENVY15_series/rts/3/computer_store/VM247UA%2523ABA Your specs are off--it's 15.6" to 18.4". They're both 1080p, so the screen of the DV8t isn't "more glorious"--it's just bigger. The Envy has LED backlight--the DV8t does not. The brightness of the dv8 is much lower, and the color tone is mellow. The dv8t is also twice as heavy. It also has a cheaper plastic frame compared to the aluminum/magnesium chassis of the Envy series. Same processor line--GPU that's 50% more powerful compared to the 230m... and so on and so on.

I'm not going to say the dv8t sucks by any measure (I bought one, didn't I?), but trying to rationalize that the dv8t is better than an i7 Envy 15 is a losing battle... for the same price. I mean, dude, you don't even have it in your possession yet--you may not like it. It's all about preference sometimes. If you don't have the best eyes though, 18.4" all the way. I've got an 8" Vaio P530h and use it at 1600x768 resolution though... so the smaller screen the better for me.

Personally, the thrill of owning the dv8t wore off after a few weeks--yes, the screen size is nice, but it's big and bulky. As a desktop replacement, the screen isn't big enough (I'd like at least 20"), so you'll end up using a monitor or tv as a primary (as I did). The dv8t is still an excellent value right now, but for the same price, I'm tossing the dv8 and saying hello Envy!

To comment on another point you made, the battery life of the i7-equipped envy 15 is no better than the dv8t... so I'm not sure where you're getting that information. Are you referring to the Envy 13 (weaker processor and gpu)?

 

NOt sure why I can't get your links to work.

I used to spend alot of time building muscle machine desktops.. with coolers, fancy lights, and all sorts of customizations.... I used to tell people.... "if you have an awesome machine but your monitor sucks, the whole machine sucks because thats how you interface everything else?
So don't spend a bunch of money building a computer and keep your piece of crap monitor just because it still works, was my sales pitch.

While these monitors are comparable, I do like my big screen tv's much better than smaller.

When a screen is only 2 feet from your eyeballs, going up 3 inches in size is a big jump for your experience.

Its just my preference and opinion..... I used to think no one would ever want bigger than 15.6" screen for a laptop and here we are, getting bigger and bigger.

Once upon a time the laptop was only a toy for convenience to travel with.. you got a word processor and could do all your basic functions till you got home to your "real" computer.... your desktop.

But now laptops have entered into the realm of power and speed that they are truly a desktop replacement.... btw.. if you really must have a really big monitor, maybe the envy hooked to a large screen would be the best of both worlds.... smaller for travel, but still the larger screen for at home.

But like I said... I spend almost all of my time with the family in the eves sitting on my recliner watching TV with the family... so I don't want to hassle with hooking to another monitor.

Its just my preference... didn't say one was better or worse..... I like virtually every other feature of the envy... especially the extra ram slots, light weight and battery life...... but for the money, the options are a tradeoff..... This is my option.

 

For the vast majority of people, the dv8t is the most economical option, even now, with a whole slew of i7 powered gamers hitting the market. If I didn't get a smoking deal on an Envy, I'd be keeping my dv8t for at least a year, and I'd be happy about the purchase. The Envy line is seriously overpriced. I like the magnesium shell, but is it seriously worth twice as much as the comparable DVx models? Certainly not.

I checked the link by the way--seems to be working now. It could have been the redirect that made the link all wonky. The first attempt brought me to a missing hp link until I pasted it in again.

 

Moko, I'm crushed! And here, you were the dv8's biggest defender! I feel like I am the only one of the "originals" left with my (awesomely discounted, $840) machine! Thing is, the damn thing just won't break! It won't overheat, the drivers haven't messed up for months, the display, despite your scoff, is more "glorious" than the Envy's, merely due to size, I'm not a gamer, so you lose me on the gpu (is there something I should know about gpu's that would give a non-gamer a better computer experience than the lowly 230?) But hey, I'm replacing my dv8 every week - just ask MattMJB - I must just be, uh, "Envyous!" Was there a blowout on the i7, previous generation ENVYs that yours was so cheap? I have been salivating for a Dell SXPS for almost a year now - couldn't put up with the delays - cancelled much delayed orders, twice, and I find Dell the worst company on the planet to try to do business with or get service from.

Oh well, I'll just have to hold up the fort with the few noobs that straggle in despite the non competitive price of the dv8 these days. What is HP doing with this computer? Trying to kill it off by overpricing it? You can get Core i7-720s with better or equal gpus for, like, 799 these days. Jeesh! DV8 is like a nice, fun companion that, when you look at her/him up close, is kinda overweight, dresses gaudy and needs constant affection! Some of us love ours for what's inside - semiconductors and other electronics and various haphazardly placed metallic or plastic-y things!

This is what you get from someone up at 4:45AM working on a deadline.

Best of luck with your new ENVY! How are you selling the dv8. Pls report market interest, price point, sale price.

 

With that being said... I do think size matters!
And with laptops too!

If you go the opposite direction and "drop" the size of the screen by 20% you have a 13.0 inch screen... what do you think that would go for?

Not sure why a glorious 18.4 inch screen is being downplayed as no big deal.

 

I totally agree with you windstrings. In fact, the 18.4" 1080p display is what makes the dv8 worth considering. There isn't a lot of competition for it at this price point, though Asus makes a 17.3" 1080p (can't recall model, they multiply like guppies!), and of course there's the Acer 8940, the always well reviewed machine that apparently has ZERO support, including that Acer apparently publishes NO DRIVERS, or didn't as of January. Toshiba has several, though rarely are they 1080p. Only the $2,000 + Qosmio model is full HD, but then again, these days the dv8 costs nearly that much with a few options, and it would have vastly inferior gpu, if you care. (I don't, because I don't game or do CAD, which is the reason I find little to dislike and a lot to like on my dv8, but I bought it for a net, net, net price of some $840 in December when there were skads of coupons, more discounts for the asking, more discounts offered when the ship date moved by a week, etc. Not sure I would be interested at $1,500, which is what my present model would price out at today.)

But I'm "in the market" every day for a replacement, kind of like Moko was, and many before him. The dv8 was a great "transition" multimedia DTR, but a little big, hot and, well, crude for some peoples' tastes. Personally, I still view the ENVY as being bug plagued and having design flaws, but apparently the refresh with Core i5's are pretty good and bugs are getting worked out. But of course, smaller screen. Much like the Dell SXPS 16, which remains the multimedia/light gaming DTR to covet, simply because it is beautifully designed, has a killer screen (provided you order the 16" 1080p, RGBLED), very good audio, though so does the dv8 and, with the newest 1647 mod, you can get a Core i5 (faster, cooler, cheaper than i7-720 for all but a very few apps), backlit keyboard I am miserable without one on the dv8, and that is also why I don't want to spend $1,500 on an ENVY, also w/o backlit keyboard. Manufacturers: GET WITH THE PROGRAM! When offered as an option, it costs $25 freakin bucks, less than 2% of the retail value!!!!

Well, problem with Dell is they SUCK!! True, they've finally resolved many initial problems,but the owners went through hell to get them and, god help you if something breaks. You cannot reach real human beings with functioning brains and an iota of authority at Dell, for any reason, at any time - except when you are buying. Most of the phone sales people are smart, professional, North American, empowered to get information, cut deals, etc. Go figure.

Well, that's my $20. Bottom line: if you love the 18.4 display - and you should! - and you don't want something that looks like it just landed from another planet (Qosmio) or a non Core i model (leftover SONY AW - stood for AWesome, if you got their 18.4" display), sounds like the dv8 may be your machine.

Best news: for a while, anyway, they are in demand on eBay. If you buy with a good discount, you can usually get your money back, even make a profit. Keep the original packing and the machine pristene.

Over and out.

(Probably gauche to ask, but can someone, maybe, nominate me for a little old Rep point for helping all the noobs as I do? Someone's got to )

 

I am going to tell you guys the truth, if I had money to burn I would re order the Dv8t with the 820 processor and 8 gb of ram. However I still don't understand why this computer hasn't gotten refreshed with a better GPU. I still see the same original drivers for it too. Driver support seems pretty bad. If the money were there I would so order this beast of a laptop again mostly because of the gorgeous 18.4" screen. The numeric pad was definitely a plus!

I would order the dv8t before I order the Envy simply because the Envy lacks a cd-rom drive??? Why? I'll never understand. HP in general really needs to get back on the backlit keyboard thing, like really!!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Studio XPS 16. Its amazing but that 18.4 screen was so nice I hope I don't get chewed out for this but I have a feeling the dv8 series will join the hdx series pretty soon. The DV6t & DV7t are much more popular. God only knows why they don't have 1080p displays? Oh well, I'm done ranting. Best of Luck to all

 

Well said =). I am also a proud owner of a dv8t quad, something that not everyone owns and besides, in Canada this would be worth like $1800 =D.

However, I still find one flaw with the dv8t quad.
THE KEYBOARD!!! Since day one, around two months ago, my keyboard letters showed signs of fading and it scared the heck out of me.
So now I use an external USB wireless keyboard. However, for a laptop of this class I won't think that the keyboard should be fading. I have a cheap laptop and its keyboard isn't even fading.

I'm wondering how many of you guys have fading keyboards?
As well, could you tell me when you purchased your laptop?

Hopefully some don't have fading keyboards, which means that HP has fixed this issue and I can go ahead and complain to get a replacement keyboard =D

 

Mine definitely did, it wasn't so much fading it was just the keys looked 'dirty' if that makes sense? The keys should have been engraved. How can they not fade or wear in time? The oils in your fingers will do that to any computer in time but the way they put the letters on here it will happen much sooner. The HDX series had the best keyboard, the keys were engraved.

One thing I also noticed about the keyboard was that when you typed on it, it made a funny sound by the numeric pad as if something were loose? I was pretty sure it wasn't defective just a build defect. Overall its still a pretty damn good laptop.

 

Hi, y'all! I've been busy, but enjoying the new DV8T, so here's an update on my experience so far.

I have the vF.15 BIOS and the 8.15.11.8644 video driver. All is working fine so far so I've made no changes there. The only problem I've experienced so far is that the "Windows Live" crashes or won't start sometimes. Other times it works flawlessly. Weird.

I have the single 500gb hdd, but I just can't leave it alone, so I ordered the HP OEM drive mount kit #483862-001, $65.65 shipped. Then from Newegg I ordered another ST9500420AS drive, identical to the one that's in there, for $84.99 shipped. Anything I need to know about before installing it?

I've gotten rid of some of the bloatware, still working on that. The only game I've installed so far is Warhammer II Reign of Chaos, which is fine so far, no problems other than the Windows Live thing, which I still have to figure out. I also installed my Media Monkey for use with the mp3 library I will put on the second drive. I'll use headphones for listening, gaming, watching tv & movies, etc., while in the Dallas office.

I got the Slappa hardshell case and love it, and the whole thing is pretty heavy to lug around. But I guess that's the price I must pay for all that screen real estate, which is killer!

Okay, that's my update for the moment.

 

kloker,

How does the DV8T fit within the Slappa (I take it's the 17" version)? Is there plenty of room for all of it's accessories?

I sure like the looks and security that case provides!

Thanks for any info you can provide!

 

There were several posts like this, but to my embarrassment I've never figured out "multi quote!" I believe I was the first one to post about the fading keyboards. There were several others about a month ago in response to mine. I called HP as soon as I noticed it and they promptly sent me a new keyboard. Told me i could get it re installed at Best Buy, no charge if I didn't want to mess with it. Honestly, I still haven't installed it from a month ago because I am considering selling, and in case the new one fades, I didn't want to take the chance or have to wait for another replacement, so I can't tell you if there was just a fluke with a certain manufacturing run. I tried several sources at HP to learn if it was a known problem and if they fixed it and if they could assure me my replacement was not likely to do the exact same thing. No one would acknowledge it as a widespread problem, hence no internal fixes on file.

I got mine delivered 12/9. When did all of yours arrive? If they are considerably later, then we have a recurring situation. If you took delivery in December, then we have, well, a mystery.

It would be nice if you all (and anyone who reads this post and has the same problem) could call into HP, get your replacement, and also try to learn if it is a known problem and if/how it has been fixed. If they answer you as they did me, I think we need to write in to HP Cust Svce about it. When I have, they have been most responsive, assigned a Case Manager and followed up. I didn't do it for this issue because I had my fix for now, and thought I'd wait to see if it was isolated to a certain production run.

I have the email I got from HP authorizing the return in case you get refused. Good luck and keep us all posted.

 

Hey there, Matt. Thanks for chiming in, even if you did go to the "dark side!" I had seen so many posts about the flex under the numeric keypad, that I thought all were resigned to it being a design defect. Also always wondered if the num pad was over the bay for the second HDD and if you didn't have one there was nothing there to support the keys - I find it also spreads to the far right of the alpha keys.

I will get around to reporting this as well, but for those of you who are going for a new keyboard anyway, it would be great if you could ask about the flex under the num pad as well. (You get a bit lazy about dealing with the "small stuff" after you've had the machine for three months and it is functioning beautifully, as mine is.

 

Has anyone else tried video editing with Premiere Elements 8 or Corel Video Studio 12 on the dv8t? Or have any success with Premiere Pro CS4?

Basically, PE8 and CVS12 chunk hard on video preview/playback, on my dv8t. Sony Vegas seems to work fine.

Adobe's troubleshooting page ( http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/515/cpsid_51584.html) is a joke.

I'm guessing the Adobe issue has to do with the company's failures (which there seem to be a lot of lately) in modifying their programs to work on 64-bit systems. I'm also running CS4 Creative Suite. I have to run Photoshop and Bridge with hardware acceleration turned off, otherwise they crash 50% of the time. Even now, Bridge still crashes.

Still - anyone else have any experience with or thoughts on this?

 

Makes you wonder... a company like photoshop ought to be the first to utilize the power of 64bit..... if they are not, its obvious they are limping in survival mode without vision for the future but rather just trying to stay afloat.

No one wants to spend big bucks on a prog thats not progressive.. I would think their best chance at survival was to prove to the public they mean business at the issue of excellence.

 

I have had my DV8t since November with little issues. We purchased a 2nd one for one of our designers to work on. It arrived and all seemed to go well initially. However, one of the programs that he uses requires it's license key to be bound to the Network card so that it cannot be used on different machines. SHould not be an issue. However the software does not see the wireless network card at all, so it cannot bind to that MAC address, and there does not appear to be a traditional wired ethernet card installed!

Ok....that's what I thought. It does not show up in device manager or under network adapters. But....if you plug an ethernet cable into the jack, windows magically displays an Realtek Family GBE series adapter. The license software immediately sees the hardware address and begins to function. However, as soon as we unplug the ethernet cable, the network cards pulls a David Copperfield and vanishes again, leaving the licensing software not working, thus we cannot use the program. To be clear this laptop will be wireless 98% of the time so leaving in plugged in is not an option.

I checked on my DV8t and it has a different driver and does not behave like this. It is always there, wether plugged in or not. So how to resolve this?

Have there been actual hardware changes? HIs wireless NIC is different also....

 

I'll say one thing, you dv8 owners are much nicer than the Studio XPS owners. Anyone complain to HP about the lack of driver support yet?

 

I did notice that Adobe CS5 was announced today, to be released in mid-April. The biggest change? 64-bit support on Photoshop.

Of course, I couldn't find anything about Premiere.

Still curious if anyone's gotten video editing to work on the dv8t via PE8 or Premiere Pro CS4?

 

I think plenty of people have complained to HP, but the complaints are falling on tech support staff via phone.

It leads one to believe either HP either doesn't care about supporting this product and porting the NVidia driver, and/or they just have bad communication skills about what they're doing/not doing about it.

 

Hi there,

Just to clarify a point, Photoshop CS4 already has native 64bit support in Windows, but not for Mac. Support for Mac is expected in CS5.

 

Does anyone have any information on the brand/model of SSD 256GB hard drives that HP is using with the DV8? I ordered mine with the 256GB SSD + 500GB option but it hasn't shipped yet.

 

Here's something interesting, when I run the HR driver detection software from their download site, the HP software identifies my DV8t 1100 as a Compaq Presario 7001cl Desktop PC.

 

Thanks.. I"ll remember not to run that!

 

Here's my latest progress report:

The second hard drive I ordered from Newegg arrived, and the mount kit I ordered from HP arrived, so today it was time for surgery! I got the drive installed okay, though I am a bit concerned about the fact that I had to sort of kink/wad up the cable to get it to fit in the minimal space provided. I experimented a little but was unable to get it to fit into the tiny space without doing that, though I did do my best to try and insure it would not be in there in a way that might damage it down the line. Oh, well, I'll just have to hope it holds up.

Anyways, it's running a full format now. Sometimes I forget that a 500gb drive is "big" until I format it!

On the Slappa case, the DV8T fits nicely, not too tightly at all. There is actually a bit of extra width, maybe 1.5 inches or so, enough that I'm thinking of adding a bit of extra padding, and I may also add a little padding under the machine, in the bottom, maybe 1/2 inch thick of foam. The strap seems to hold the machine in place well, but I worry whether it is sufficiently cushioned. That may just be me being paranoid, but there is enough room to add some extra, so I think I will. Otherwise the case is great. There is room for all I carry in there, and pouches for the cord/brick, mouse, and some folders. You couldn't use this as a book bag though. There's not room for even one book, unless it's thin and soft-covered. And if you wanted to carry, say, an external drive, it would have to be a pretty compact one. Altogether the whole thing packed up to travel weighs a good twenty pounds, too, certainly no lightweight setup. But the case is very sturdy, well made, up to the task. I think it will hold up nicely.

 

Bios F17 released for the DV8T....

 

I would like to get a copy of the email that HP sent you. I received mine in November and have the same issue with the keys fading. I called HP after reading this and they want me to send my machine in for repair. Don't think so!!! I want to call them back once I get your email.

 

I would like to get a copy as well =).
Why didn't I think of this myself lol

 

Ok all. Took a little digging (I had posted this to the thread with my name, email address and phone number in the correspondence and had to edit it out - took me going through every post to remember!)

So, below is in chronological order. I believe the first case manager email came as a result of a call I made to HP Tech Support. Note that the follow up from my first call to HP to my receipt of new keyboard was one week! Note also that the time from assignment of case manager to sending of replacement keyboard was 3 hours!

On the downside, when I tried to find out if HP had identified the cause of the problem and rectified it, I hit several dead ends, as reflected in notes I made from the last conversation I had. **I strongly urge all those who call in to get new keyboard without sending your computer in to please push for answer to question: what is causing this and have you fixed it - or will my replacement keyboard fade in the same length of time.

I got mine on December 12, 2009. Thing is, they are making dv7's, dv6's and dv4's with the same colors. This has to have been a fluke or there would be a massive consumer revolt.

Hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

Received this email within 24 hours of original call about keyboard “disappearing ink” problem:<o></o>
<o></o> <!--[endif]-->[email protected] <o></o>
To:<o></o>
Cc:<o></o>
Bcc:<o></o>
Date: Thu, Feb 4, 2010 2:59 pm<o></o>
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id='_x0000_i1026' type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='width:.6pt;height:.6pt'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Jeff\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.gif" o:href="http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/31203/images/common/space.gif"/> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]-->
Hello,<o></o>
My name is Luke. I am a Case Manager with Hewlett Packard. We are attempting to contact you in reference to your recent complaint with HP. We want to make sure we get a Case Manager assigned to your case as soon as possible.
<o></o>
Please call us today at 877-917-4380 ext. 08. Our office hours are Monday - Friday 7:00am - 10:00pm CST . You will be asked for your Complaint(or case) number. That number is . <o></o>
We will continue to attempt to reach you by phone over the next few days, before closing your case. Please feel free to respond to this message with any information about your case; or to let us know when you can be reached.<o></o> <o></o>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o></o>
Received this response, only 3 hours from the previous email:<o></o>
<o></o>
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
To:
Sent: Thu, Feb 4, 2010 5:41 pm
Subject: HP Case Manager Alexandra G. <o></o> <o></o>
Hello Jeffrey <o></o>
I already request the Key Board for you, and here is the order information: <o></o>
Order #: <o></o>
You can check the status of your order by either going to: www.hp.com/go/csostatus or by calling HP Customer Care at 1-800-hpinvent. (1-800-474-6836). <o></o>
In this case, once you get the part, you can take it to Best Buy so they can exchange this part for you and have it working properly. <o></o>
<o></o>
Please let me know if you have any other questions. <o></o>
<o></o>
Thank you, <o></o>
<o></o>
Alexandra <o></o>
Case Manager <o></o>
HP US TCO Escalations Team <o></o>
Tel: 1-877-917-4380 ext. 19 <o></o>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<o></o>
Notes from conversation with case manager asking if there was any internal awareness of a widespread problem and whether my replacement keyboard was from a “fixed” batch. Unfortunately, no response of any value:<o></o>
Call received 2-17-10 from Alexandra at 10 PM.<o></o>

There is nothing on the public or HP's internal web site referring to problems with the keyboard. Might need to call back again if the new keyboard is defective as well.

My Case #

She can email a department internally to ask if a problem has been identified.<o></o>

 

****Warning, warning. Danger Will Robinson! (for those of you old enough to remember "Lost In Space")*****

With all of the problems people had experienced with new BIOS flashes from HP for the dv8, I think some extreme caution is advised before anyone even contemplates flashing BIOS f.17 on their dv8's. What is the benefit of this BIOS over any of its predecessors? Should one only flash it to cure a problem, eg with graphics, or is there an implication that this is a "general release" BIOS, with improvements from which all will benefit?

(We lost a great HP partisan, Mattmjb, over the bricking of his dv8 a couple of months ago by the notorious f.15 BIOS - he got it repaired by HP, sold it on eBay and got a Dell SXPS 1647, which he is very happy with and does not intend to change. Matt, hope you don't mind my re-telling that portion of your life story that you had excruciatingly shared with us in real time!)

So, if anyone can shed some light on this, you will be doing the community a great service. I fell I am doing the same by warning all those who might not be aware - generally with BIOS flashes or specifically with HP's horrendous track record with them on this machine - to LEAVE EVERYTHING ALONE until someone gives you a good reason not to!

 

agreed!!!!
ohh yea, by the way Lovelaptops, I just sent an email to HP regarding the fading keyboard. Hopefully, everything will go perfectly and I receive a new keyboard from HP =D

 

I had F15 when I got mine, it flashed to F17 without incident.

I think there are some turbo boost enhancements.. but not sure of all the benefits.

 

dang.. HP support is so annoying. They still want me to send my notebook and are not leaning towards the replacement keyboard.
What should I say?

 

I see in the other forum that you finally got them to send you a keyboard. Did you happen to ask about whether they acknowledge a defect and if your replacement will fix it? If not, now is the time for you to ask. I have had mine too long (saving it in case I want to sell) to ask the question (again) after all this time. You would be doing us all a great favor to hold their feet to the fire - after you have a tracking number, lol. Seriously, if they just continue to ship shoddy keyboards, you'll be back on the phone to them in 30-45 days. Aint right, just aint right!

 

Say that you need your computer for work/school and that you cannot afford to lose it because its your only computer. Also say that you are great with computer hardware, etc. They should finally decide to send the keyboard to you and will warn you that if you mess up the installation they are not liable to repair your computer.

 

What about creating a system image or repair disk of your whole system to disks with intentions of loading it all on the new one after a wipe?
Would that not install on another computer of exact type/features?

 

I actually did ask the question that you posted and here is what they said, directly from the email from tech support:

As well, I have to say that HP's CS is actually awesome!!! In the end I did get a keyboard from HP and it is expected to be at my door step next Monday.
However, I did have to ask him directly for another keyboard. Although I found out that they would not send me a keyboard at first because most are not tech savy enough to install it themselves.Here is what they said:

So in order to get the keyboard I had to take full responsbility for the keyboard. Aw wells. I least I now have a free $75 keyboard =D

 

I don't understand, what are you saying? Was that even relevant to my previous post?

 

What versions were causing all the problems? I got my dv8 at the end of January, and it only has F.13? 4 releases in 2 1/2 months??? Sounds pretty bad to me. Should I upgrade to F.17? My laptop worked fine for the first 2 months, except for the occasional nvidia driver crashing and restarting. But all of a sudded in the past 10 days or so, it spontaneously locks up and I have no choice but power off. I suspect it is the new network driver causing the problem, but rolling back would be a major pain. Anyone else experiencing the same thing?

 

Unless I totally misread your post, I gathered your keyboard was having issues and rather than fixing it with a replacement keyboard they were wanting to replace the laptop and you were against that.

I assumed that would be because you didn't want your system wiped.......

By ghosting or backing up you could get a new computer with your existing setup.
Sorry if I misinterpreted.