HP Envy 13 and 15 - Linux thread!

Hello all! I've just purchased one of the new HP/Voodoo Envy 15 models and I plan to be dual booting Linux on it, so I figured I'd make a thread here so that Envy 13 and 15 users can report, tweak, and help troubleshoot Linux installs on this new set of ultra-premium notebooks.

Some possible stumbling blocks or interesting tidbits I can think of, regarding primarily the Envy 15.

Processor - Core i7 720 or 820 models. Apparently it can dynamically increase the speed and power to different cores as needed. I wonder how Linux will handle the power efficiency.

Graphics. Both Envy models use brand new ATI RadeonHD mobile cards. The Envy 13 uses a 4330 w/512mb and the Envy 15 uses a 4830 w/1gb. Since these are new, lets hope they are supported quickly by the community with the RadeonHD driver, and by ATI themselves for the fglrx. I plan to use the binary driver if at all possible. Oh, and the highest resolution display variant is the 16:9 1920x1080. I assume this isn't a problem for modern drivers, right? Finally it also utilizes HDMI video output.

Wireless+Bluetooth - Wireless is thankfully Intel wireless, the 5100 model which I read works well under Linux with 2.6.29+ kernals?. I do not know the specs of the bluetooth.

Audio - "Beats Audio" speakers and audio interface. I have no idea what this means, but the website suggests a more "premium" sound experience. Could this be a different chipset than a normal integrated model? The motherboard is reportedly an intel PM55. It appears there is an integrated headphone/microphone interface instead of two plugs. Hopefully ALSA won't have issues with this.

HDDs and Storage- The default configuration is actually 2 hard drives to make up the total gigabytes they list on the website! For instance the default is a 500gb 7200 RPM setup, with 2 250gb drives. Great if you want to RAID or dual boot. I am unsure what sort of chipset RAID is set up by default, if any. There is also an E-SATA port, as well as a "2 in 1" media card reader.

Trackpad - Multitouch glass "Clickpad" made by Synaptic, similar to a MacBook Pro trackpad. Reports suggest some of the gesture support is glitchy on pre-release models using Windows. I hope the Linux Synaptics touchpad driver is up to par and includes support for this model.

Well that should be enough to get the ball rolling. I'll probably chronicle my attempts to get Arch Linux installed and dual booting in this thread. Everyone feel free to discuss and post your experiences with this new notebook, and thanks in advance to the NBR Linux team as well as all those who offer assistance! Enjoy!

 

congrats on your purchase!
you should be ok with an ati 4830..what has worked best for me is going to the website and downloading the driver from there..i noticed my games have always worked better! :]..i use ubuntu.
the "beats audio" was developed by dr. dre..[the new beats audio headphones and earbuds] "With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear, and listen to the music the way they should: the way I do." - Dr. Dre
I'd like to know how good the audio is when u get to it.:] also..what are your specific specs..did you customize it to your liking or leave it as is?

anyways..good luck with your new laptop..[would love to get one myself] and linux!

 

Thanks! I did a little bit of customization, but the way the website was set up on the first day deviating too much from "high end" is actually MORE expensive. For instance, the "default" was 6gb of DDR3 RAM. To drop down to 4, or 2, it was +$899! To go up to 8, it was $100, and max it out at 16gb was a more expected +$899! I assume they wanted to sell their "high end" models first, possibly to coincide with the cashback?

My specs are as follows, but they are far from "complete", just what is listed on the purchase summary.

HP ENVY 15 customizable Notebook PC

* • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
* • Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-820QM Processor (1.73GHz, 8MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
* • 6GB DDR3 System Memory (3 Dimm)
* • 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* • 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4830
* • 15.6" diagonal Full High Definition LED HP Ultra Brightview Widescreen Display (1920x1080)
* • Webcam Only
* • Intel Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
* • Envy Instant On Solution, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Corel Paintshop Pro X2, Stardock My Colors
* • HP Color Matching Keyboard
* • One 6 Cell Lithium Ion Polymer Battery + One 9 Cell HP Envy Slim Fit Extended-Life Notebook Battery
* • External Tray Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW w/Double Layer Support with 2 USB Ports
* • No Productivity Software
* • HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope

Estimated build date: October 28, 2009
No tracking number available

The main "upgrades" I purchased were the 820 processor (which has more cache and higher speed), the 6 cell standard battery and new "slice" 9 cell slim fit, and the external DVD supermulti burner that also has a couple of USB ports to be used as a hub. I will also be buying another stick of RAM (2gb) so I can fill the last slot for a total of 8GB, run in dual channel, as soon a I figure out what the speed of the RAM is (ie 1333 vs 1066).

I was reading that the speakers and audio were somehow "enhanced" or tuned for "beats audio", even on the Envy versions that weren't the "Beats Audio Limited Edition", which comes with a black glossy paint, Beats headphones, Traktor DJ software, and a dongle for connection multiple audio inputs. I wonder if this means it will have upgraded audio hardware in the DSP and/or speakers.

The HP summary really isn't very complete as it doesn't show the motherboard chipset for instance.

 

quite a nice laptop..
yea i looked at that limited edition..very nice indeed..IMO..if i had the money i would get one...it would be good for my media! and i like the way it looks..

definately enjoy your envy 15! you should post personal user pix!

 

aawww you already bought one!!! they aren't even released in Canada!! I'm planning to buy one, if you hadn't guessed.

 

Aww, well I hope our health care having neighbors to the north get them soon. I rather thought that CA would have simultaneous release with the US.

 

that's pretty nice...but I would consider that a replacement for my precision....pricey

 

wow!! its here HOLY CRAP!!! I could fly to the US and pick one up for the same cost as here! it's 2200$ for 15, the base model!!

 

Well, I tried and failed (Ubuntu 9.04 and 9.10). The Envy's BIOS contains non ACPI compliant code, which results in Linux not finding the thermal sensors and fans. The result is an overheating laptop. The same happens on the Dv6T Quad.

Read more about it here. Let HP know this is an issue for you too by contacting them through here.

 

Just found this bug ticket from that post you linked to above:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/463940?comments=all

Looks like it should be possible to patch the Envy 13's DSDT just like the 15 in this bug.

Unfortunately since 2.6.30 there is no way to load a custom DSDT since the patch has been dropped from the kernel. This means Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic won't let you do this without some effort. There is some discussion here about using the patch on a newer kernel, but I'd try 2.6.29 if you want it to be "easy":
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1247168#5
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1247168#8

Of course the *real* solution to this has to come from HP. But this is a possible workaround until they get the BIOS fixed.

 

My experience with Ubuntu 9.10 amd64 can be read at http://qabe.net/envy15/

Launchpad bug #463940 also has valuable information.

In short, there are BIOS bugs that prevent proper operation of the Envy 15.

If you have F.04 BIOS and you want to run Linux, you are probably out of luck. If you have F.05 (currently not available for download), then you will at least be able to use your laptop although there are still bugs that remain.

Hopefully, a new version comes out soon that fixes all our problems!

 

Thanks for posting all this. I'm very disappointed to learn about the Bios flaws. I've a few other hardware misgivings with the laptop (lack of edge to edge glass that was reported on the day I bought it, lack of backlit keyboard), but this bios issue is pressing me towards returning my Envy. I'll be sure to call and contact them on monday about these issues. If I can't run Linux without tons of unnecessary workarounds because of a bios issue, it seems too much trouble to be worth it. Thanks for your input especially, jager, abescully and Groceries!

 

FYI, the F.05 BIOS is now available for download from HP's website.

 

Sorry to ask such basic questions, but how does one check the Bios version? Also, how can I get the Envy to boot from CD? It seems to go from Instant on to starting windows and skipping everything else..

Edit: Fn10 got it. Looks like I got it to boot by changing the boot sequence in the Bios. Finally, my Envy 13 came with F.05 which is great. Anyone know whether 2.6.31 works with this latest Bios?

 

I read your blog post on the envy 15. I'd be willing to wait for a bios that worked with my envy 13, but when I booted a linux live cd the trackpad was basically unusable. Did you find any settings to make it work? I couldn't even click the "buttons".. I had to tap.

 

Just a gamble, but did you install the synaptics package by any chance? Some distros come with it, others don't.

 

Has anyone tried the HP Envy 13 (not 15) with Linux?
We've got 15 users so far, but no 13 users.
http://launchpad.net/~hp-envy

 

Tried it using the Ubuntu 9.04 and 9.10 live cds... I believe both come with snyaptics, don't they? Didn't want to risk a full install given the issues with the F.05 bios as well. Probably going to send my Envy 13 back. Shame.. I do really like the hardware otherwise..

Edit: just curious what distros people have used where the mousepad click works? If there's a live cd where clicking does work I'd be willing to keep the machine.

 

The touchpad on this laptop works much better with xf86-input-synaptics driver versions 1.1.99.? and later. I discovered this by using a PMagic LiveCD (actually, the USB stick version). The buttons work well and the touchpad "behaves" better. I know that's a very qualitative description, but I didn't spend much time testing. The minute I knew that the experience was going to get better, I felt relief. Also, my very limited effort to build the driver in ubuntu 9.04 or 9.10 wasn't successful.

More background...

I convinced myself that this would be the computer for me using the following logic: it's not an ultraportable, but I'd buy it to replace my desktop (thereby reducing clutter, weight, volume, and power consumption). I forgot all of this by the time the laptop arrived, and I was unhappy with this laptop as long as I used it like a laptop. As soon as I got over the "because it's a laptop, I have to use it like a laptop" attitude, my main complaints were addressed. All I had to do is use it to replace my old desktop (i.e. Leave it at home, always on).

Note that I don't use my "Desktop" like most people. It stays on all the time, and I remotely log in using NX server. I used to use freenx-server, but I'm giving neatx a shot right now. Currently, I remote in using whatever computer I have available to me (work computer). I think I'll be buying another laptop to satisfy my portable computer needs (Asus ul20a, Lenovo X200s, any opinions?). Most of the time, my "desktop" (and now my Envy) might as well be a rack-mounted server thousands of miles away.

The ACPI problems don't bother me much anymore because:
1. I'm not turning it on and off frequently.
2. I don't use "sleep".
3. As long as I boot unplugged, it idles cool and runs fast (F.05 BIOS).

The sub-par touchpad drivers and hot-running (but fast) open-source drivers don't bother me anymore because:
1. It's gonna get fixed eventually.
2. I log in remotely.
3. I'm using CLOSED-SOURCE display drivers right now. I haven't had to do this in many many years, but I want to play with OpenCL, so I've suspended my open-source ethic (fanaticism?) for the time being. As a side-note, this is the only exception I've made for this computer.

The buggy fglrx ATI OpenCL BETA drivers don't bother me anymore, because:
1. I log in remotely now, so I don't care about painfully slow 2D.
2. It's gonna get fixed eventually.
3. Eventually, X doesn't hang at startup (Ubutu 9.04). I just have to reboot a few times, or play tricks with the timing of loading the kernel module. Once I'm in, everything is fine.

So, to summarize...

I've settled on using Ubuntu 9.04 with the AMD BETA OpenCL drivers. This means poor touchpad drivers, no open-source 3d drivers, no working sound, and lock-ups with fglrx at startup in addition to the BIOS bugs that affect other operating systems as well. But that's OK, because I use it like a rack-mount server.

In the end, it has been a fine replacement for my old desktop. As a small low-power server, it's doing great. I don't have any issues with stability once I am up and running. My "old" desktop is a Phenom II X4 w/8GB ECC RAM in an Antec Sonata II case. I actually just moved the Intel SSD from that computer to the Envy 15 and booted. That was nice.

The 21-day window to return my Envy 15 ends soon. I'm giving this some serious thought. Maybe I should just return this thing?

 

Can people confirm that these BIOS problems are all related to the HP Envy 15, which has one of the newer Intel CPUs, and not the HP Envy 13, which has an older more common CPU model?
I would like to use Linux on the HP Envy 13, but at least the 15inch model seems to have BIOS problems...

 

I ran a few more benchmarks in windows just to make sure I have not been complaining of problems only experienced in Ubuntu Linux. Details are at http://qabe.net/envy15/. My testing confirms that the bugs I've been reporting in the BIOS affect the OEM Windows 7 install as well as Linux, which is what I hoped to see.

Considering that the remaining BIOS bugs affect Windows users as well, I am surprised that HP has not stood by their product. Although, judging by the technical expertise of the HP employees trolling this forum, I think there is a disconnect somewhere between this forum and any engineer.

The real surprise, however, is what I've learned while trying to get support for this laptop. After many many google searches, I've learned that HP has systemic ACPI implementation problems that are not specific to this laptop. Many people report simple heat issues. Some people have even gone so far as patching their own BIOS ACPI tables to address issues that HP has not addressed. The Insyde and Intel tools for doing this are available various places to download.

It's a sad day, considering how excited I was to get the Envy 15. I'll be shipping my computer back soon. :-(

I've never had issues like this with Dell or Lenovo. I'll be avoiding HP laptops for a while.

I can't find any report of serious problems with Dell's XPS 16 i7 laptop, and there are reports of everything but sound working great out-of-the-box with Ubuntu 9.10. In addition, screenshots found in the owners i7 XPS 16 owner's thread of CPUID CPU-Z reveal that Dell's ACPI implementation is working correctly and hwmon reports good temperatures at idle and load!

 

Has anyone tried installing Linux now that the new F.06 BIOS is out?

F.06 is available here http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3995938&os=4063&lang=en

 

I'm really interested to know if the new F.06 bios has helped. I bought a dv7t quad core, so if there is hope with the Envy 15, there should be hope for the dv7t.

I'd hate to return this nice notebook, but if a solution isn't in the works, I might just have to.

 

I am reanimating this thread. Any updates?

 

I'm afraid the problems were a little too much for me and I sent mine back. I'm hoping the next revision makes a few hardware updates and fixes a lot of the little problems out there. If anyone still has an Envy with the latest Bios, we welcome your replies.

 

Part if not all the problems with the BIOS in Linux will be solved by the work that's been done in the linux kernel 2.6.33:

http://marc.info/?l=linux-kernel&m=126163681219693&w=2

 

Good find, do you know when they're planning on releasing that kernel?

 

Yeah and does anybody know when it will be rolled out for Ubuntu?

 

Looks like the 2.6.32 was released on the 3rd of December and they were aiming at a 4-6week shedual for versions last i heard so it shouldn't be long.

Its not that hard to roll your own kernel if you want to try it as an rc in the mean time, im sure there are plenty of guides on the ubuntu forums.

 

I'm getting one of the refreshed models, so I'll hopefully be able to test some of that soon. I'm kinda wondering how the whole i5 thing will work out with Linux, what with the integrated graphics and all

 

Any installations with kernel patch? I am interested on envy 15 buying, but I am using linux only.

 

I wonder how you guys installed Linux like Ubuntu on your HP Envy 15. I just got mine, and I can't make the install CD boot from the external DVD drive that comes with the laptop.

After it starts up, I select the Install Ubuntu option, and goes on for a while, then I'm dropped into initramfs' busybox prompt, saying it cannot find a live filesystem. I've tried with Ubuntu 9.10 and 9.04, with the same results.

also tried to install the Windows Ubuntu install boot option via wubi.exe, and the result is the same.

what am I missing?

 

I would not get an Envy if you are interested in using Linux, not in the near term. It's brand-new technology, and it'll take a while for HP to patch the BIOS and such to get it properly compatible, as well as getting Linux DSDT tables and such. There is an Envy Ubuntu newsgroup: https://launchpad.net/~hp-envy

 

My apologies on taking over the thread but has anyone tried Hackintosh on the Envy 15?

 

<whisper> It's against the forum rules to talk about circumventing licensing on apple software. </whisper> But if there is a problem with the DSDT (which there is apparently), you can be sure it won't work without a modded BIOS.

 

Hi all,

I just got an Envy 15 today, and I'm currently running Ubuntu 9.10 off of a USB stick. The first thing I realized is that there is no ClickPad support. Scrolling and tap-to-click work (presumably because of whatever synaptics driver comes with Ubuntu) but the buttons don't work at all, and so I have no right-click.

Has anyone else had to deal with this issue, or is anyone not having mouse issues? I am new to Linux and open to any suggestions. I'm not married to Ubuntu, but I haven't found any evidence of any ClickPad drivers for Linux at all. I did find this patch - http://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/67335/ - but I wouldn't know how to incorporate it into my build. Presumably I would merge it with some source code somewhere and rebuild the driver (I shouldn't need to rebuild the kernel for a single driver, right?), but locate synaptics.c turned up empty for me (though I did find synaptics.h).

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

 

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SynapticsTouchpad

 

I had seen that, but unless I am missing something that is for the Touchpad (and is likely the driver that came with Karmic). The Touchpad driver shouldn't know how to interpret the Clickpad's "button clicks".

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Just a hypothesis, but I don't know how new Karmic's Synaptics package is. If its like most of Ubuntu's core driverset, its using a kernal and drivers as they were released in October. Check for a newer version of the driver on the Synaptics website, and then see if there's either a source package you can find or perhaps someone who already made a .deb of that version. One of the reasons I've used Arch on new hardware is that its a rolling release, so I don't have to worry about old kernals or drivers. Alas, this does have some stability downsides.

I'd make sure i'm using the vary latest of Linux Synaptics support.

 

you need to patch the kernel to have clickpad support. I've collected the way I've managed to make most of the things work here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1406691

I'd be interested in your results

 

I don't think Envy has a clickpad. The top half of touchpad is not even clickable.

 

the new one does. see also here: http://www.chizang.net/alex/blog/2009/12/21/linux-on-the-hp-envy-15/

 

Cool, I went through the thread and will definitely give it a try when I get home.

The main takeaways I got from it (correct me if I'm mistaken on any of these):

- Use 10.04 rather than 9.10

- Manually install the fglrx modules / drivers.

- Integrate the clickpad patch.

A couple of questions -

For the fglrx module, you say I need to "manually get an xorg.conf that uses the fglrx driver from somewhere" - not sure what you mean by that. Do I need to search for an example of an xorg.conf using fglrx? Can you post yours or would that not work for me?

For the clickpad patch, whats the simplest way to apply it? Will I be able to build the driver in isolation (rather than the whole kernel)?

Thanks,
Dan

 

actually these two don't work together. the fglrx driver only works with kernel 2.6.32, and also only with the X server up to 1.6.4. while you can replace the kernel from underneath ubuntu 10.04, it has a more recent X server which it is not easy to replace.

this you have to do, yes

sure, here's mine:

Code:

Section "Device"
    Identifier    "Configured Video Device"
    Driver        "fglrx"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier    "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Default Screen"
    Monitor        "Configured Monitor"
    Device         "Configured Video Device"
    DefaultDepth    24
EndSection

Section "DRI"
    Mode        0666
EndSection

no, you have to build the whole kernel. the simplest thing to do is to follow these steps: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/GitKernelBuild , but instead of checking out the kernel source from git, just download it from kernel.org

 

Well, that didn't go well. On my first install attempt, the installer crashed at the step where I choose partitions, saying something like ubi-partman crashes with error 141. I tried to apt-get install ubquity (to see if there was a newer version), but it said that libparted0 was broken. So I reinstalled libparted0, then ubiquity. Now I can get all the way to the end, but ubiquity crashes on the final step (where I tell it to start installing).

I'm at a loss. Did you run into any issues like this with Lucid? I'm using alpha 3, if it makes a difference. Any suggestions? I may try posting this on the ubuntu forums as well.

 

Update - this seems to have something to do with the existing windows partitions, and/or the RAID controller. I've posted the error log at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=8990380

 

Well, getting closer. I have Lynx running, but after suspending the machine, I can't seem to get networking enabled again. I've tried looking in the preferences, and reloading iwlagn. Did anyone here have any similar problems?

 

glad to hear you got it working at the end.. so you actually _can_ suspend? is this with 10.04? what kernel?

 

This is with the Lucid 3 image - whatever kernel comes with that (can't check right now as I don't have the machine with me).

It might be a stretch to say that I can suspend, since I couldn't get the machine back up without a hard reboot.

 

did you try unloading the xhci module, before suspending?