The HP Laptop Out-Of-The-Box Guide 2.0 for Windows 7

it wont let me burn swsetup onto a dvd.. says its bigger than the dvd? any hep?

 

that folder is right around the capacity of a 4.7gb disc. i remember having to delete the corel folders to make the burn. u can use an 8.5gb disc or backup the folder to an external usb flash or hdd

 

curious as to what that 100mb partition is for. windows created it during install

 

thanks! is the file sanitizer protect tool useful, or should i just use something like ccleaner? also, do you know what the embedded security protect tool does?

 

btw ... i tried a factory reset with the recovery dvds, onto an 80gb ssd, software returned the message saying it wouldnt do it because the drive is smaller than the one that shipped with the laptop.

seeing that i try to help others in this thread, its ironic im the one answering my own posts ....

 

Just put some of the folders in SwSetup on a separate DVD if it is too big

 

It has the windows 7 boot files and windows 7 recovery files. If you don't use the windows partitioner during setup, the 100mb partition is not created

Sorry I missed your post earlier but you can try recovering to the HDD, shrinking the partition to 80GB and then use other imaging software to copy the drive

 

I would just go with CCleaner

Keep the embedded security protect tool if you want the advanced TPM features
More here: Embedded Security for HP ProtectTools

 

Ok I'm going the "recovery media creation" right now, and my laptop is making this clicking/humming noise. It sounds like someone is riding a bicycle and someone else is holding a stick to the spokes.

I haven' even put the DVD in yet, it's just splitting image now. I've never heard this noise from the first computer, but I never tried this task...problem or ok?

 

Where is it coming from?

 

it occurred to me to go that route if i needed to, for now i put away the original OS hdd before i powered up my replacement machine, so it's still a virgin installation in case i ever decide to load it to the ssd.

my original concern about getting back the original install was due to an optical drive issue, which turned out to be defective hardware. anyhow, i am sailing smooth now ....

thanks

 

so I did the recovery disks, I backed up SwSetup and I made a ISO WIndows 7 disk. When I installed new Windows 7 all of the crap that was on my computer prior is still on there. I figured it would delete all of the bloatware but that doesnt seem to be the case. I did do all the windows updates.

 

are you sure you did a clean install and not an upgrade? the bloatware should definitely be gone, make sure you erase the old partition in the installer, create a new one, and then install to it

 

Thank you for this great guide! It was a good reference to make sure I got everything. Luckily I did not need most of it though
When booting into the hp recovery manager (by pressing ESC at boot) on my Envy 14, I saw an option marked ""Minimized Image Recovery"" I gave it a try and it took about an hour. It wiped my computer clean, then automatically installed the basic drivers and software needed to make everything work in the computer and nothing else. The only thing on your bloat guide that is in it is the Hp Mediasmart series of applications.
The only thing I have to do is install the application I want
From what I can tell this option exists on more than just the envy, there's one thread about it on the TM2

 

Having done both, I can confidently tell you that a fresh install still has performance gains over the minimized image recovery. Less performance gain compared to out of the box>fresh install, but it is there, nonetheless. If it doesn't bother you then it's fine.

 

I almost considered running benchmarks in order to compare, but I never got around to it, have you run any yet?
The only performance gain I can imagine is a faster boot time - but others have reported that that's disappeared with gfx driver installs.
It definitely does feel faster than the stock install, and it gets all of the small things correct, like wifi light and on screen volume indication.

 

Never really got to benchmarking...

But I can say that temperatures were decreased around 5 degrees Celsius.

53>39 Processes.
38%>29% RAM.

All figures while idle, of course.

 

Having a hard time installing the WiFi drivers for my Envy 17... both Atheros and Intel PRO are not working on it...

 

You can see if Windows 7 can automatically find a driver, it should most likely be able to

 

It hasn't, but I found the little type within the swsetup folder. Thanks though.

 

that's interesting, just for future reference, do you know what wireless card it has?

 

Broadcom. And sorry, but let me clarify a few things. Got a little mixed up between this thread and another... My E17 arrived today, and I immediately began with a fresh installation of Windows 7. I did make a copy of the swsetup folder, but within was the drivers for the Intel wireless card driver (something similar to the Intel Pro?). I had to manually find the driver for Broadcom, after trying to install both the Intel and Atheros drivers.

So- long story short, my swsetup folder had the wrong network driver. My E17 came with Broadcom, which I had to manually find on the internet and install (I used a wired ethernet connection with my router to go online prior to installing the Broadcom driver).

 

AMAZING guide, folks. This worked to a TEE. 100% functionality, improved performance, and no more annoying bloatware. Great, great work!!

Also, big ups to Celibate for figuring out the mysterious Broadcom issue and the "Simple PCI Controller" driver on the Envy 17.

Essentially, if you have a 1011-NR model, you have the Broadcom wi-fi.

Also, the Simple PCI Controller is an Intel driver found in the "MEI" portion of the SWSetup folder on your HP driver disc/folder.

 

osage ... yea this thread is a lifesaver. otherwise ppl would have to go buy a new copy of windows ...

 

HELP!

I just attempted a clean install of Windows 7 on my new Envy 17 using the method on this forum (I downloaded the single ISO file - 3.00GB) and removed the specific file as required in order to install any version.

However, during installation when it is copying the files at about 20% i get the "ERROR CODE 0x80070241" and it says cannot copy files off the disk.
I burnt the disk using the Envy 17's drive which burnt 5-recovery disks flawlessly so i doubt its a problem with the burner or the burning process but I could be wrong.


Also, Just to check you select "Custom Install" instead of "Upgrade" if you're doing a clean install on a factory licensed windows 7 version right?

 

Try redownloading and burning at a slow speed, most iso burning software defaults to MAX, which can result in bad burns

For a clean install, click "Custom Install"

 

Is it safe to uninstall the HP Touchsmart applications? I have a dv6tse with a Touchscreen; is the Touchsmart software required in order for me to use the touchscreen? (I'm guessing no, but I just want to make sure.)

 

I'm not sure since I haven't personally used any of the touchscreen notebooks, but you can uninstall touchsmart as long as it leaves the panel driver intact.

You can always try uninstalling and if worst comes to worst and breaks the touchscreen functionality then just reinstall.

Post back here if it works/doesn't so I can add it to the guide (I'll cite you for discovering it )

 

Hi, I went through this procedure along with all the links to it and everything is running smoothly with the exception of the finger print reader software. I got the dv6tse, the hp driver site doesn't have it unless it's embedded with the Hp bloatware. I used the driver forum to get the driver for the reader, but just need to the program.

 

You can find the folder in your backup of the SwSetup folder

 

^Update to OP to hopefully deal with the increasing number of problems with special peripherals due to people not backing up the SwSetup folder

 

Thx V, yeh I guess I'm one of those people...I figured since I created the recovery disks I wouldn't need to backup the SwSetup folder. I havn't checked yet, I'm not sure if I can access the Recovery disks via windows and get the needed drivers that way...

 

hey where exactly do i go to make recovery disks for my new envy 14? i went to start and put in recovery and i dont see anything about disk creation.

 

Just cracked open my new ProBook 4720s today. . . It appears HP's old recovery disk making option is gone (indeed HP Recovery Manager with it), however it has come with a DVD of Windows 7 Professional.

So far I've made that backup disc with ABRextra, what do I need to do next? Clean install if I wish? Make an image backup with say Macrium Reflect? Start decluttering the bloat? Something else?

Thanks.

 

Quick newbie question. I am attempting a fresh install on my new dv6t SE and I have already created recovery disks, backed up my SwSetup folder, deleted the recovery partition, backed up my Windows OEM, and created a Windows 7 installation disk. I am currently in the Windows 7 installation phase and it has asked me where to install windows. I have chosen "Partition 2 465GB Primary" and when I do it says if the partition selected contains files from previous Windows they will move to Windows.old. Is this a correct part of this step? And do I just delete the Windows.old folder after install?

Also, what is the thid partition I have: HP_TOOLS 103MB? Is this something that can be deleted or is it necessary for HP drivers, etc?

Thanks so much

 

Lazy day at work, so... here comes

In this tc4400 I cannot turn on Bluetooth without Wireless Assistant. Hardware button would switch only wlan on/off.
In my former dv9014ea (thats dv9000z based) Wireless hardware switch would turn all wireless off, but not back on unless Wireless assistant was installed or computer rebooted with switch in ON position.

Wireless Assistant is a prime example how not everything preinstalled is a bad thing Since normal users follow these instructions to the letter, they don't know the reason why they are missing some key functionality afterwards. While it is totally useless in some laptop configurations, it might be mandatory in others.

Problem installing/activating my Office 2007 trial

Nice instructions there.

It is supposed to work like that. One form of piracy check that annoys legitimate owners.

If user has bought OEM Office license with the computer, they do not contain install discs anymore but instead they rely on the preinstalled trial. You only get a credit card sized license key like that:


In case that bloated trial was removed before opening the OEM Office box "what, no disc?" the link earlier instructs how to download install files, alternatively disc can be bought from MS with real money.

 

They apparently do totally different things:

CCleaner - Features

http://www.hp.com/sbso/solutions/pc_expertise/professional_innovations/security.html#diskSanitizer

 

After uninstalling ALL HP Touchsmart applications, the touchscreen appears to still be working fine. I somewhat recall hearing that the dv6tse comes with some sort of touchscreen-oriented OS/program for easily launching common applications with the touchscreen. I don't know for sure, but I think that's what the Touchsmart set of applications were for because they were App names like "Weather," "RSS," "Twitter," etc. Anyway, everything appears to have uninstalled without any problems.

 

Is there any real disadvantage to doing a clean install and reformatting the entire drive on HP systems? I'm receiving an Envy 15 and I'm going to be installing an upgrade copy of Windows 7 Pro (using the trick that allows you to activate it anyway even though it's an upgrade). Then I'm going to take the key given to me for the Envy 15 for Home Premium and installing that version on a different laptop.

What exactly is in the recovery partition? If my HD breaks or my install is corrupted I would likely be doing a fresh install anyway. Is there an advantage to saving it or making recovery disks?

 

Edit: Nevermind, I'm a dummy.

Do you need the HP TOOLS partition (99MB)? Is it possible to delete it?

 

That's why the guide specifically says (and has always said) this:

Whoever my response was for just didn't read the directions properly, I was just restating what was already in the guide.

I assume that the office trial installer is in SwSetup (otherwise anyone who purchased OEM office would never be able to do a clean install) and that people would pay attention to that sort of thing, but I'll add a note to the guide, thanks.

EDIT: it also looks like it can be downloaded here: http://www.microsoft.com/office/backup/en-us/default.mspx
I'll add that to the guide too.

 

Cool, thanks for testing it out, I'll add it to the guide and cite you

 

Nope, there is actually a significant performance gain due to decreased overhead of bloatware apps.

This is illegal and cannot be discussed here. The OEM copy of home premium that will come on your ENVY is tied to the notebook itself. You cannot use it on another computer even if you install your own retail copy of windows.

As long as you make the recovery discs and they work properly, you can delete the recovery partition. But definitely make the recovery discs. Sometimes HP support will make you use them to fix problems (although it may not do much). You may also be denied warranty service if you cannot troubleshoot with them on the phone by using the recovery discs.

 

I've been kinda sussing things out as I go long with my Probook 4720s.

Checked out the in built recovery, made a fresh image with Paragon Backup and Recovery and an image using Win 7's backup. Also I've tried out the Win 7 install DVD to see what it installed.

I phoned up HP for some info and managed to get some recovery discs in addition to the shipped OS(s), which is cool.

One thing I'd like to know from you guys is whether once I do the clean install and bin the HP_Recovery partition (not sure about HP_Tools), re-partition (I like regular program files on one, other stuff and audio apps on another), do I need any of the installers and reg files stored in the swsetup folder I've backed up onto DVD and externally? Or do I only need to go to the support site and download the necessary drivers and packages I want?

For example, in swsetup there is a folder called 'default' it has a reg file called LidSwitch. Should I install that reg key? There's a couple of other examples too.

Thanks.

Edit - Thought I'd have go with a trial of Revo Uninstaller first. Although I'm tempted by a clean install, I'm concerned about not getting the reload of drivers etc 100% correct. Perhaps I have no need to be, but I'd like some reassurance. ;-)

Edit - The Sequel - Went through with Revo, dumped most things bar ProtectTools, however it didn't seem to free up much space even after rebooting at the end. Indeed if I were to create a new image backup of the de-bloated it would be larger (!?) than the previous one. Number of processes is down to 59. I'll do a windows update and then see. Clean install is becoming more likely though.

 

Hey guys, this could be a really dumb question, but I want to make sure before I do a full clean install. My dv6t came with the two Windows 7 Recovery DVDs. This means I don't need to go and create the recovery DVD's correct? I have already backed up the SWSetup folder.

 

Hello once again. I got my clean install of Windows 7 working with everything updated, but I think that I lost the fingerprint reader software. I did back up SWSetup, but the VSAM folder where it is apparently supposed to be does not exist. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Just keep looking, it should definitely be in there, HP probably changed the name sometime recently

 

Just gonna throw this in, this guide was a great help in cleaning the junk off my dv6tse. Thanks.

 

Figured it out last night after looking more. I thought it was the verisoft access manager, but it was actually the digital persona manager.
ALL DV OWNERS: THE FINGERPRINT READER SOFTWARE IS LOCATED IN THE DPFPR FOLDER OF SWSWETUP

 

Just speaking from experience with multiple laptops and clean installs, the thing needs much less maintenance than you would expect. It's not like the laptop isn't going to boot without the correct drivers, and with modern OS's like Windows 7 it will automatically detect most of the essential ones for you.

I'm currently running Windows 7 on a Dell Vostro 1500. It's a few years old now, but whenever I do a fresh install the only thing I really worry about is the graphics drivers. Sometimes I screw with the audio, but for almost everything else it's automatically detected and working great after a few reboots. I plan to do the same when my Envy 15 arrives.