*OLD: HP dv8t QUAD Edition Owners Lounge*

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.

- - Phil

 

That is encouraging. Thank you.

 

whether true or not.. I just bought a DV8T 1100 and the salesman assured me it supported up to 16gig of ram but nobody took advantage because of the price. He volunteered that info without me asking.

I did order the 256gig SSD for primary and 500gig HD for secondary.... he also said if you use the secondary drive as backup (Ie: don't install a swap file to it or any programs that need to be accessed), the drive spins at a mere 30RPM instead of the rated 7200 until you access it, then it spins up.

I"m not if there are two or 4 dimm slots. But I did have the max available choice of 8 ram installed.

Mine is due to ship Mar25.

I intend to install and virgin copy of windows 7 OEM.

I downloaded all the drivers from HP website and I'm hoping I don't have "issues" as some have had in the past... hopefully those bugs are gone.

I thought about just "cleaning" the existing system, but my prior laptops screamed after getting rid of the advertisement, teaseware crap they had installed by doing fresh install from a new windows CD.

 

Word to the wise. this is an "orphan" dv8t owners lounge forum. note the most recent previous post to yours was Feb 13! I would recommend you ignore this one and just use the other one, showing many, many pages

MODS: Please get rid of this one@

 

Thanks for the heads up.... I'll see if I can find the other one thats really "official"!

 

I have the Dv8T-1100 with 256Gb SSD and 500Gb SATA drive and 6Gb memory. It blazing quick and doesn't have hardly any useless HP advt. or teaseware. I haven't had any "issues" with it and all the gadgets (WiFi, BT, etc.) work great. Mine has only two memory slots so 8Gb would be its max until larger memory (3 or 4 Gb) is available. My fan and HDD shut down unless lots of activity uses it.

Good luck with your Dv8t-1100 and I hope you enjoy it! Congrats!!

- - Phil

 

Thanks Phil... I went for the 256GB SSD drive mostly because the larger drive was a good price and the fact that its SSD means better battery life and far better speed.... I"m excited....

I"m almost guessing this package is so fast that you don't notice the baggage, but could be wrong....

If you feel its so fast with the factory package for software, I'm even more excited to think of what a virgin system may do.

As computers get faster and faster, seems computer companies see it as a license to steal the desktop, add proprietary wizards, advertisements, and trialware and tons of stuff that run in ram, check for updates, etc......in an effort to drive the price down and raise the profit margin.

Lets face it... the price of the computer would be 3K "like it used to be for cutting edge" if not for all the adware and junk they throw on as they get handsome fees on the side for the exposure for the other software companies.
Then they turn around and charge you "included in the price" for the windows OS thats riddled with stuff you didn't want to buy.
They don't even make it an option to buy with a virgin system.

If fact, I bet it would cost "more" to have "no operating system" because the adware would not help with the cost.
Plus if it had no OS they would have tons of hours in support time helping people get up and running.


With the blazing fast SSD drives and 8gig of ram it may be barely noticeable that there is stuff slowing it down.....

I still think a virgin system will be better IMO.. simply because I can't imagine HP is putting "less" on than they have in the past and in the past, there was a very marked difference in the factory system verses the system after I wiped it clean and installed a virgin system.

This was true with my ZV6000 pavillion and my ZV5330us before that.

Just saying.......

 

Do a google search for win7 take ownership.

 

I agree that you'll be very excited with the OS interaction running from
SSD.

I doubt that teaseware, etc., matters much unless you use it. I do agree that the teaseware companies must pay HP for the placement on their PCs and that goes to increase HP profits or lower prices (who can be sure which it will be?!).

Avoiding it will surely make a machine faster (shorter load times for registry info, faster defragging, etc.) but whether the time saved will ever add up to the time for installing or configuring your machine from scratch is yours to judge. It's sort of a "pay-it-forward" situation and depends on how you'll use the machine after you finish getting it ready.

I simply uninstalled the non-useful items from the Programs menu of Control Panel in less time (40-45 mins) than it would take to install and configure from scratch. Others here have indicated that the net result is about the same after doing that as it would have been after installing the OS clean. Plus I got to run and test the entire machine before performing the uninstalls to see how well it worked, etc. I find that a compelling thing to do in the early days after receipt of a new laptop!

Those are my thoughts on the clean install issue but I reiterate how nice the Dv8t-1100 is and how happy I am with mine.

Regards,
- - Phil

 

HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition customizable Notebook PC

* • Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
* • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-820QM Quad Core Processor (1.73GHz, 8MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to3.06GHz
* • 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • 1TB 7200RPM SATA Dual Hard Drive (500GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* • 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
* • 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
* • Lightscribe Blu-ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
* • Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Espresso Black)
* • Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
* • HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
* • HP Color Matching Keyboard
* • Extra 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* • $10 OFF! System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
* • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

 

I received my dv8t (820-QM, 8GB 1333 MHz RAM, 500GB HDD @7200, other bells and whistles) three weeks ago (ordered Feb 14, shipped Feb 25, delivered Feb 28). Like it for the most part. Still wish the monitor were 1920x1200 rather than 1920x1080. Some other minor annoyances, but it's a good value for money.

Bought a HD caddy and an 80GB Intel Gen2 SSD last week. Decided to reinstall the OS on the SSD. After some pitfalls (all my mistakes) I was successful. My case may help others who might want to do the same.

Step 1. Make Recovery DVD's
Step 2. Back up files and settings on an external drive.
Step 3. Install the SSD in the caddy.
Step 4. Shut down and disconnect the power supply. Ground yourself nicely.
Step 5. Flip the dv8 and loosen the screws and carefully take off the cover. The cover is flimsy and *may* break if you apply too much pressure. If the cover resists, check the screws. It may be helpful to know that the cover is hinged using tabs at the edges. Just be careful, and you will be fine.
Step 6. Remove the drive from Bay 1: Gently pull the black plastic tab to undo the connection. push up the end near the connection and then slide the drive out. Again, be careful. It's not rocket science. Just don't apply too much force. Put the drive aside.
Step 7. Insert the caddy with SSD and connect it. It should be easy after Step 6.
Step 8. Put the cover back on. Don't tighten the screws too much. [Don't put the other HDD in. I did the first time around and that created problems for me.]
Step 9. Boot with the Restore disk and restore to factory settings. I have to credit HP for providing the Minimal (or is it minimized restore). This restore does not install the bloatware and trialware that comes with the machine.
Step 10. Feed it the disks as required and wait patiently. No other interaction is required. After about an hour or so, you should be at the stage where you can provide a user name and computer name and personalize the machine.
Step 11. Shut down the machine. Turn it upside down, Open the cover. Insert the original HDD in the second bay (If you have an external enclosure for 2.5" HDD's, I would suggest using it to blow away the partitions and format the drive first; that's what I did.).
Step 12. Close the cover and screw it in. Don't tighten it too much; just in case you have to reopen it. It is not supposed to be too tight anyway.
Step 13. Power on, and the computer should show the other drive. Use Management tools to delete the partitions, and format it.
Step 14. Restore your backed up personal files. Install other software. Backup frequently and live happily ever after; or until the next shiny computer beckons you (well, I should just speak for myself).

I paid $218 for the 80 GB SSD (Gen2, so it supports TRIM), $32 for the Caddy. So, for $250, I upgraded my system to a dual drive system. HP will upgrade you from 500 GB HD to 128 GB SSD + 500 GB HD for $240. So, doing it yourself saves you $90 (for a slightly smaller drive; also I don't know whether the SSD that HP installs is Gen 2 or not).

Improvement? The Windows experience rating for primary drive went from 5.9 to 7.7! The overall system rating is 6.4 because of Graphics. CPU is 7.1 and RAM is 7.4.

Hope all this information will be useful to some people out there.

Now, I am in the market for 8 GB SoDIMM modules to test if DV8t can handle 16 GB. Haven't found any manufacturers yet. Will report the results of my experiment here when I am able to conduct it.

 

Wholly Molly!.... too funny!.... thats quite a bit just to take ownership...
I think I'll learn the hard way so it all makes sense rather than cheating and using the .reg file.

I suppose you could click on your whole C drive and to that right?

I"m not into all this security, fighting permissions etc...

When I'm logged on as administrator, I expect full access.

 

Phil based on what I've read, I don't intend on defragging my SSD drive... even though it will be primary.

I sounds like those drive automatically poise themselves for maximum assess by how the locations are titled and allocated... some feel defragging may actually slow them as well as wear them out sooner.

There are no moving parts, and while it makes sense to my brain to have everything in one place, in reality its not anyway.... its just labeled in such a way it "appears" in one spot.

Unless you wipe the whole disk and reload it all from scratch as from a mirrored backup, its gonna be scattered anyway unless I"m understanding it wrong.

 

I don't recommend purchasing 8GB SoDIMM modules becaues they cost soo damn much. The cost of them will be almost more than the cost of your already expensive laptop. Might as well buy the ENVY with 4DIMM slots(i7 model) =D

 

Multi-touch is now supported download the synaptics driver from here

 

Whats the total ram the envy will handle?

 

depends on if it has an i5 or i7
For the i7 motherboard it is 16GB with 4 DIMM slots
For the i5 motherboard it is 8GB with 2DIMM slots

 

Picking out an example to focus on like defragging wasn't intended in the parenthetical list of examples relating to teaseware. In my install (recovery,etc.), all my data files are on the HDD and non of my s/w is installed to the SSD so defragging applies only to the HDD. Sorry you misunderstood my intent.

As I said, the focus of my reply had been to describe why I don't think a clean install justified the time and effort it entails. It is quicker and simpler to just uninstall the teaseware, etc., that you don't want to retain. That'll have some speed benefits for loading and running programs and takes only about 1/2 hour to do.

FWIW, I use Diskeeper 2010 and its Intelliwrite processing seems to keep the SSD nearly unfragmented (better than 99%) without doing any defragmenting to the SSD. No problemo!

 

Wow- that is an awesome answer! You're the MAN!
Thanks so much!

 

What are you using your SSD drive for, backup?

I would think installing all your programs to the SSD and using the HDD for backup would be much much faster...

Did I misunderstood what you were saying or am I missing something here?

 

You may have missed quite a bit by jumping around between several issues. You seemed to have changed the subject two or three times here. So, to be clear:

1) For operational performance, I repeat that I think you'll do just as well uninstalling the offending teaseware from HP than to do a clean install. Others have posted comparisons that confirm this.

2) I believe the largest and biggest benefactor of using the SSD is Win 7 Pro, including the system drivers, security components, paging file, and hibernation file - that's why I focus on using the SSD for those things that are repeatedly used over and over again!. Thence, most but not all software is installed to the "program files" folders on the the HDD excepting those components (drivers and dll's mostly) Win7 puts on the SSD. This seems to be almost as fast as installing entirely to the SSD (degradation not detectable in practice).

3) While i don't know why this discussion has ranged as far as backup methods, I can respond by saying that I use external eSata 500Gb drives for rotating image backups. I do not want to "crowd" my HDD for speed reasons and backup to external HDD's serves that objective.

 

It's a lot more complex that in first appears. Members of the Admin account must manually exercise many of those rights and permissions on a case-by-case basis, presumably to enhance system security. For example, if you follow the procedure (or use the registry hack) to take ownership of the Docts & Settings folder AND check the box to promulgate that ownership downward thru all sub-dirs, you DON't actually get ownership permissions of all sub-dirs! At each level below Docts & Settings, you'll find that several sub-dirs remain inaccessible, e.g., All Users and Default Users. So, the procedure has to be repeated on those sub-dirs to access the folders below them like Application Data, etc.. etc.

I hope that helps explain it.

Being Admin doesn't make it simple like it used to do under Server 2003 and XP Pro.

 

Anyone know if HP is going to bring back the Blu-Ray burner as an option for this model? I thought they used to offer it. I priced one out tonight and all I see is BR ROM. Anyone know a reason for dropping it? Also for anyone that has one and uses it, how well does it work? Any HDV to BR Burner experience? Thanks.
p

 

Wow!... I had to go back and look.

Your right, its gone!... I'm supposed to get mine tomorrow with the blueray burner.. in fact I canceled my first order to go back and reorder with this on it... I guess that was a good move or they were having problems with it...

interesting... I am most interested to know whats up with that too!

 

Update!!!!

I called HP and its because they are out of stock on the BR burners.

They said they are very hard to get right now and when they run out of stock they pull it as an option so as to not frustrate customers who order and then they can't deliver.

He did say they are about to get a new shipment so it should go back on as an option again!

 

Thanks for the info! That all makes sense as I've seen it on and off as an option for some time. What are you going to use the BR Burner with/for? I'm just burning HDV video to BR. Some basic editing.......nothing fancy yet. I haven't seen any reviews on how well the BR Burner works. I thought by now there would be some real world experience out there with reviews, but if there are, they have eluded me. Does anyone know of another 18" laptop that has a BR burner? Sony discontinued their model. Looks like slim pickens for 18"+ models.
p

 

Hey guys.... I really need you all help.. Which one to buy DV8T or the DV7T Quad editions.... Cuz i have being hearing lots of problems on the dv8t

 

Honestly I wouldn't buy a dv8t... I don't know anything about the Dv7 but I've had nothing but problems from my dv8t-1000 and the expectency is that I can buy a brand new "powerful" laptop and use it without problems but that's not the case..

Why buy a brand new BMW if you have to change the tires and radio before you use it? And to top it off, nobody knows why it's overheating or why the wireless + treble/bass turns up, down, on and off by itself? I'll never buy another hp again whether its a printer, pc, etc.. this experience has done it for me.

I bought the pc for gaming and it freezes me out of games. I even started fresh with win 7 oem and only installed office 2007 and the game + all drivers and it doesn't do me any justice. I'd throw this thing out a window if it didn't cost so much!

 

I disagree, I haven't been having any problems that you have mentioned. I only con I'd say are the lack of new GPU drivers and the fading keyboard, which can be fixed with a silicon cover =)

 

My DV8t runs like lightening... I installed Firefox's 64bit version.... I can run my old photoshop 7 "a few plugins were incompatible" and Office 2003 just perfect.... way faster than my older system..... period.

I did a fresh install and had a tricky situation getting an intel driver to install but finally figured that out... no errors in device manager now and all is well!
"except the touch sliders dont' work".... I think thats because of the fresh install and not getting my hands on the appropriate hp drivers yet.

 

Ok, well I'm honestly glad you got a good model out of the batch, and if anyone who plans to purchase one, I hope you get a good one out of the bunch too....

Here are a few problems you run the "risk" of getting if you get a dv8t -



Video Card issues -

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Display-and-video/dv8t-1000-nvidia-driver-stops-responding-and-periodic-BSOD/m-p/186410/highlight/true#M8823

Volume Bass/Treble indicator -

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-PC-Sound-and-Audio/HP-Pavilion-dv8t-1000-CTO-treble-bass-indicator-keeps-popping-on/m-p/173267/highlight/true#M4348

Wifi Problems -

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Wireless-Internet-and-home/Wireless-Problem-in-windows-7-intel-wifi-link-5100agn/m-p/180064/highlight/true#M5443

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Wireless-Internet-and-home/Intel-Wifi-5100-agn-keeps-going-off-and-on/m-p/228782/highlight/true#M6615


If you're up for a couple of fixes or risking having to spend a couple hours trying to get it to work right, then go for it I'm just trying to save some of the less computer savvy people countless hours of frustration.

Sorry if I sound so negative but I've gone through my fair share of pc's and buying a brand new quad core laptop was supposed to be a good experience and I'm not the only one with a lemon...

Goodluck on your decision!

 

Couldn't disagree more. This is an excellent, remarkably stable computer for such a powerful machine. Remember, the dv8t was a brand new model in November, 2009; it was also one of the first Intel Core i7 mobile cpu machines (HP almost always first to deploy new tech), a relatively new nVidia GPU (and yes, you can fault them for that choice, just because nVidia s--ks and ATI is great. ALL new computers have driver problems before they get sorted out. Many have hardware probs too, and that means certain return to mfr, which few dv8 owners needed, unless they bricked their machines with HP's
recommended BIOS flashes. Safest bet is to wait a few months and you'll see on forums like this one on NBR that the noise about problems died down to almost nothing. Same on the Dell threads. Oh, and, BTW, all German cars have problems, particularly the first year of a new model run. I wouldn't drive anything else, though you may consider me a glutton for punishment!

 

Stickee:

Sorry your experience hasn't met your expectations so far. I agree and echo the others who observed that Dv8t is a very complex and powerful but very new so not every component "plays well" with the others.

I have used mine over 3 months (since mid-December) and have loved almost every minute! The display is terrific and overall experience under Windows 7 Pro 64-bit (pre-installed) has been brisk and fast in terms of performance. The only significant irritation has been an occasional "ghost" application of the F8 key. Unfortunately, it happens in an application (file manager and text editor) where the F8 key performs an irrevocable delete action.

I have stayed abreast of new drivers and installed most of the hardware-related ones approved by members on this forum and system behavior has never been degraded by any of them. The Nvidia driver update HP "pushed" to my machine totally removed all issues in the video behavior of HP Mediasmart DVD player (before I removed most HP software from my Dv8t that I didn't need).

The only other action I have taken was to spend half an hour uninstalling the various pieces of superfluous teaseware and shareware that HP delivered on the Dv8t. While this has reduced the risks of software conflicts, eliminated nag screens, and enhanced overall crsipness of response. it has not measurably improved speed performance (which has been really fast).

I would highly recommend the Dv8t series to anyone wanting great stability and perfomance in a laptop and willing to pay the high price HP gets for it.

I don't use it for gaming so I can't confirm or deny your specific issues in that area. I have been running BD burner, Office 2003, Firefox 3.6, TBird 3, IrfanView, Nikon Photo s/w, Diskeeper 2010, and McAfee Security, without issues from receipt of my Dv8t.

I'm a happy camper!

Regards,

 

I totally agree with you guys!!!! I also have a dv8t quad and I have to say, it is one awesome machine, especially for its price. There were a few kinks at first, like a problem keyboard, but everything has been sorted out. I got a brand new machine less than a month later, and it is terrific!!!!
I also got a free replacement keyboard. I don't know why everyone says that HP's support suxs but for me, it has been a blast =D

 

Stickeee,

I am sorry you have had difficulties getting your dv8 up and running the way it should. I want to note a few things for you - and any prospective buyers reading this - might want to keep in mind:

1) The problems you cite have long been solved (note the dates of your links)
2) Two of them never rose above the level of minor annoyance (video card, tone controls), and there were easy workarounds for both while driver fixes were pending
3) the third (wifi problems) were not known dv8 or Intel 5100 problems; your link is to posts pertaining to the HDX-16. You may have had a router problem.

Just to show I am neither an HP plant or fanboy, I think their driver support for the dv8 - apparently not as bad with their other models - has been deplorable! While occasional 2-second, self-correcting screen "re-boot" (cured by rolling back to earlier drivers, till the correct fixes were available) and the phantom on-screen audio controls (cured by uninstalling the tone control driver and using software to adjust audio) did not exactly disable the computer, it simply took HP too long to publish stable fixes. No excuses.

But, take a look at the Owners' Lounges for every competing notebook computer in this forum and you'll see why those of us with more experience with new model, high end computers were not so incensed. Check out the extremely popular but oh, so flawed Dell Studio XPS 16 threads. I crave that computer, but I don't dare go near it, not only because it has had so many problems, but because owners' experiences with Dell make HP's customer service seem like, uh, Lexus by comparison!

The dv8 has a lousy keyboard - with paint fading from the keys and a terrible flex under the Num keypad, which spreads leftward with use, eventually causing the typing experience to be one of "clackety-clack" noises and different pressure required for each section of the keyboard, it has a whimpy video card that provides only mediocre support to the gamers who expected more from this machine, but which supplies heat and sucks battery life from all, whether you are gaming or not, it rushed to put the Core i7 quad core cpu in the computer because it was the "latest thing," but it will provide no benefit to 90% of us, at least until more software is designed to take advantage of hyperthreading, yet it too cooks our computers and sucks even more battery life, and, finally, it has a gorgeous but technologically prehistoric video screen, that likewise sucks power compared to LED backlit screens available on $400 Acers today.

(Now do you believe I am not a plant/fanboy?)

Well, guess what: I am a fanboy! I LOVE this computer! And, for the price I paid, I find so much more to like about it than to dislike, and after almost 4 months of ownership, I haven't had a single day where "issues" with my computer occupied more than an hour or so, and most of those were when I went "hunting" for things, not when errors occurred that stopped me from working. This computer, bless it's overheated, power-sucking heart, is no 24/7 and it just keeps on working, working, working. The few times it hangs or gives SOD's (of several colors!) it quickly recovers with a re-boot and just chugs along, as fast and reliable as any laptop I have ever owned - or heard of. It gets an 8.5/10 in my book, but when you adjust for the obscenely low prices you could get last December ( under $900), it rates a 9+

As Edward R. Murrow would say: good night and good luck!

Now, as for HP's wireless printers - and the printer division's Customer "Support," well, just don't get me started....!!!

 

Computerstriker, which silicone keyboard cover are you using?

 

I actually haven't actually received my keyboard cover yet. But anyways, I purchased mines off eBay for a bargain: shipped to my doorstep with no taxes from Hong Kong for less than $5 =D. See here
Although the shipping is extremely slow. I'll report back when I receive the cover =)

 

Hi All Very pleased with my DV8, exchanged my yellow screen tosh 500 for it, well I was happy until last night it appears that my LCD is pooped, left it on for a few mins came blank wiggled mouse etc. no go.

Posting this from my 36" LCD TV! So I know its not driver issues.

I cannot download the manual, but I have a button above the mouse pad that looks like monitor releated if I press it it is white ( I assume this is telling me the external monitor is okay) press again and it goes orange, does that mean the LCD is dead?

 

No, that button above the mouse pad is the on/off switch for the mouse pad. White is "On", orange is "Off. It has nothing to do with the screen.

If the screen is completely black you can try this to see if the backlight in the screen has failed: turn on the laptop, make sure to disconnect it from the big screen, then get a flashlight and shine the light right unto the laptop screen, really close to the screen. If the backlight is out then you should still be able to barely see whatever is on your screen from the glow of the flashlight. If the backlight is dead it should be covered under warranty.

 

Are you sure the video card isn't set to only project to the TV? Hold the Function [fn] key and press [f4] until you get to "computer only" or "duplicate". Hope this is your issue -

 

Thanks for that, yes I can see all areas when I shine a flashlight

I use it mostly for work, so @ work I use it with a monitor attached, and lid down do you think the heat has done it? Seems strange that its gone in such a short time with ltd lid open use?

Its going to be a real pain as I have completely replaced my desktop work PC with this and already will be lost. Anyone know how good or bad UK HP service is? I don't really want to go throughthe pain of complete retail replacement as it was bad enough when I gave up on the X500 Tosh. Win Ultimate and office 2007 didn't like it plus all my files etc.

Out of interest, I have backed up to a External source, can this be restored to a identical but different machine?

 

Being in the US I'm not familiar with UK HP service. It's not that hard for them to replace the screen. I had the same problem with my HP DV9000 a couple years ago and it took them about a week to fix it under warranty.

Regarding your backup, did you create an image back up or just copied the files from the hard drive to the external source? if you created an image of the hard drive using a program like Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image then yes, you should be able to restore the image to an identical machine and it will work as before. If you try to restore it to an different machine you may have issues.

 

Seems thats a good question.....

 

Yes it was but it is set as duplicate. I must say I was astounded by the HP response via email, asking me to start opening up the laptop and reseating memory and hard drive. and go in to bios on boot (impossible on an external monitor)

They have now offered to repair but a week is a long time without your work machine. To be honest not sure why I should after all its less than a month old.

 

Agreed.. make them send you another and refund you yours back.... the only hassle with that is reconfiguring everything, unless you swap the hardrives.

 

email support finally gave up on me and my demands, sent me an out of warranty repair PDF and pointed me toward the out of warranty (subbed out) repair centre in Warrington.

I tried their 0844 tech support in warranty number and they pointed me back to the retailer <spit> PCWorld "Tech Guys".

Currently I have requested and been assured of an excalation via email within 48 hours. If they go to the limit it will take me 7 days since my first report and no where forward. I have purchased a 21" WS to work form home, which defeated the object of a 18.4 WS laptop!!

Not quite sure how this is going to pan out to be honest not that impressed with everyone stating 10-15 working days, they are giving themselves 3 weeks to replace a backlight. I asked if I could pre book a slot in advance and hold on to the machine as its usable until my slot comes up and that was a no.

 

Has anyone gotten dual external displays running with this?

What about Centos/Fedora Core dual displays?

Any software raid users out there with the machine? I heard it won't do HW raid, but I am interested in SW raid.

Thanks,

--Eric

 

Yes, the SSD is the fastest way to go with a Dv8t.

It's not a matter of noticing the baggage... I stripped out the teaseware and compared it to a clean install plus fresh drivers and the was no MEASURABLE difference when I was done. HP did a great job with the Dv8t software and a clean install will prove to be a huge investment of your time for "nought" in speed improvement. That's assuming that, in a clean install plus drivers, you don't encounter huge problems (as I did) getting all the drivers to "play well" with the hardware and OS.

I wish you well and hope it all works as well as the original package, less teaseware, does when you're done.

By the way, I found that the HP MediaSmart was worth keeping since it works quite well.

Good luck, anyway.

 

Good to know Phil...I found in the past it just never seemed to be peppy until I did a clean install. Systems are so fast now its hard to compare unless your using benchmarks of some type.
If it helps any here are my numbers with the win 7 benchmarks....(Control panel---> performance information and tools) my video is not tweaked and most of the tweaks I have are to my browser and boot time.

HD Caching off:
Processor 6.9
Memory Ram 7.4
Graphics 6.3
Gaming graphics 6.3
Primary Hard disk 6.8

HD Caching on: - no change with superfetch off, so turned back on. More tweaks, no change
Processor 6.9
Memory Ram 7.4
Graphics 6.3
Gaming graphics 6.3
Primary Hard disk 6.9

I 'm using "Intel Rapid Storage Technology (SATA AHCI) v9.6.0.1014 Mar 26 2010" drivers

I can press the shutoff button and be back up into windows ready to use in 30 seconds.... 33 max.
I turned my waiting time to zero instead of 30 seconds and a few other tweaks..

I've managed to get everything working except the capacitance slider for volume..... I did get the bass/treble one working but it was tricky and I had to find drivers not offered by HP for the dV8T.

I made notes in case I ever have to do it again....

Its good to know the original OEM disks will suffice if needed.

 

Windstrings:

My settings match most of yours but here are my numbers with the original HP installation after removing the teaseware.


HD Caching on:
Processor 7.1
Memory Ram 7.4
Graphics 6.4
Gaming graphics 6.4
Primary Hard disk 6.9

Though I have a bit less RAM than you, all my figures meet or exceed yours. HP install and setup seems pretty good, doesn't it?!