Don't buy HP

[lewmur]

I just replaced a hard drive in a not so old HP Pavilion dv6605us notebook only to find out HP will no longer sell Vista recovery media for it. But neither will they provide Win7 drivers so that it could be upgraded. Also, the forums tell a sad tale of people who have upgraded anyway, only to find Win7 destroys their battery life. HP support informs me that my only choice is buy a new retail version of Vista. Big time rip off!!! :pirate:

[Guest LilBambi]

My gawd! What a horrible situation!

[burninbush]

I just replaced a hard drive in a not so old HP Pavilion dv6605us notebook only to find out HP will no longer sell Vista recovery media for it. But neither will they provide Win7 drivers so that it could be upgraded. Also, the forums tell a sad tale of people who have upgraded anyway, only to find Win7 destroys their battery life. HP support informs me that my only choice is buy a new retail version of Vista. Big time rip off!!! :pirate:

 

 

Maybe ... you can download an iso at Digital River, and install with that using your existing key. And then I suppose you could download the vista drivers from HP. What you get is an iso that must be burned to a dvd blank [or copied onto a specially prepped usbstick].

 

I have a Tosh laptop that did not come with any OS disk, called MS and was told yes that would work. Apparently the distribution disks are all alike, not tied to any particular key.

 

http://downloadsnfix.blogspot.com/2012/08/microsoft-windows-vista-official-iso.html

 

Alternatively, borrow someone else's Vista install dvd and install from that using your key. I think in either method you'll have to call in to activate it, but you have 30 days to do that step. Maybe you can activate online, dunno.

 

I had an occasion recently to replace a mobo in an HP desktop [several years old] -- used the XP install dvd that came with the desktop, but immediately began to get nagging notes from the OS. I explained about the mobo swap to the MS guy on phone support and he gave me a new product key.

[lewmur]

Maybe ... you can download an iso at Digital River, and install with that using your existing key. And then I suppose you could download the vista drivers from HP. What you get is an iso that must be burned to a dvd blank [or copied onto a specially prepped usbstick].

 

I have a Tosh laptop that did not come with any OS disk, called MS and was told yes that would work. Apparently the distribution disks are all alike, not tied to any particular key.

 

http://downloadsnfix...ficial-iso.html

 

Alternatively, borrow someone else's Vista install dvd and install from that using your key. I think in either method you'll have to call in to activate it, but you have 30 days to do that step. Maybe you can activate online, dunno.

 

I had an occasion recently to replace a mobo in an HP desktop [several years old] -- used the XP install dvd that came with the desktop, but immediately began to get nagging notes from the OS. I explained about the mobo swap to the MS guy on phone support and he gave me a new product key.

Actually, I already have a Dell Vista OS disc. I'll give that a try tonight when I have some time.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Sad. I used to love HP, too.

[crp]

Been a long time since I liked HP. Basically , to me, the company has gone down hill since the coup against CF, which I did not understand. Well, I did understand, but i didn't understand why HP directors changed so much that they just wouldn't look past 2 quarters of time. This was also the time when I learned not to assume pundits actually know more about finances and mega-mergers than me. I never got an answer from a pundit as to why buying Compaq was such a bad idea other than 'because it is' from these people.

To me, when the jerk bought that British company and then dumped webOS - they were off the list for even used items.

[lewmur]

Maybe ... you can download an iso at Digital River, and install with that using your existing key. And then I suppose you could download the vista drivers from HP. What you get is an iso that must be burned to a dvd blank [or copied onto a specially prepped usbstick].

 

I have a Tosh laptop that did not come with any OS disk, called MS and was told yes that would work. Apparently the distribution disks are all alike, not tied to any particular key.

 

http://downloadsnfix...ficial-iso.html

 

Alternatively, borrow someone else's Vista install dvd and install from that using your key. I think in either method you'll have to call in to activate it, but you have 30 days to do that step. Maybe you can activate online, dunno.

 

I had an occasion recently to replace a mobo in an HP desktop [several years old] -- used the XP install dvd that came with the desktop, but immediately began to get nagging notes from the OS. I explained about the mobo swap to the MS guy on phone support and he gave me a new product key.

Turns out the Dell CD I have worked but was only for Home Basic while my key is for Home Premium. Went to the site you linked and downloaded the three files and followed the instructions to create a Vista install DVD. Took a long time 'cause I'm temporarily limited to about 80KByte downloads. But it did the job so thanks much for the info.

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

Perhaps the recovery media can be sourced from eBay?

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[lewmur]

Hello,

 

Perhaps the recovery media can be sourced from eBay?

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

Sure, you can buy Vista install disc on eBay. For about $70. That's the first place I looked when HP said they couldn't furnish one. There were dozens of ads for "recovery discs" that depended on there being a "recovery partition" on the HDD. And there may have even been what I was looking for buried somewhere amongst all of the useless ads, but I couldn't find one. The closest I came across was an "upgrade" disc for $15 that would have required me to install something like XP first before I could "upgrade". Edited April 22, 2013 by lewmur

[Guest LilBambi]

You can also get many recovery disk sets from here: http://www.myrecoverycds.com/

 

Of course, you no longer need that lewmur, but others may benefit from it.

Edited April 22, 2013 by LilBambi

[JerryM]

Is there a good poll or evaluation of laptops?

I don't need one now, but not sure what I would buy. I don't care for my ASUS, and would probably buy Toshiba or maybe Dell right now. What are your favorites with 6GB or so RAM?

Thanks,.

Jerry

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I sure can't complain about any of the Dells I've owned or worked on.

[ross549]

Dells generally have parts that can be easily found, especially if you buy a model designed for business.....

[zlim]

One poll http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/laptop/3419512/most-reliable-laptop-makers-revealed/

And another with different results

According to Rescuecom, Samsung has the least problems compared to its market share. Followed by Lenovo and Asus. It shame for Apple to be 4th while selling Premium Laptops only. According to Rescuecom, premium laptops have less problems that budget models.

1. Samsung (422)

2. Lenovo/IBM (255)

3. Asus (159)

4. Apple (130)

5. Toshiba (117)

6. HP/Compaq (109)

7. Dell (79)

8. Sony (49)

9. Acer (28)

and a 3rd http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415494,00.asp

and a 4th http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-worst-notebook-brands-2013/3

 

As you can see it varies about who you ask and who answers any given poll.

 

You'll have people praising and panning almost every brand out there.

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

One thing I always do when purchasing a new pre-built system is to purchase (or make) the recovery media, and use that wipe and reload the system right out of the box. That way, I have verified that the recovery media works, and if it didn't, I can return the system while it's still considered "DOA".

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[JerryM]

Thanks. I am surprised to see Samsung at the top.

My ASUS came with the wrong driver for the control deck. It was for Vista instead of W7, and caused a slowdown at start-up. I never was able to find the correct driver so I gave up. It seems to be OK now, however.

Thanks,

Jerry

[Guest LilBambi]

Hello,

 

One thing I always do when purchasing a new pre-built system is to purchase (or make) the recovery media, and use that wipe and reload the system right out of the box. That way, I have verified that the recovery media works, and if it didn't, I can return the system while it's still considered "DOA".

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

Excellent way to do that if you create your own disks.

 

I generally suggest making them but getting a copy of the CDs/DVDs from the manufacturer as well.

 

The ones you create generally will work on the same hard drive, but if the hard drive goes bad, you will generally (not always but generally) need to use the system restore disks since the extra partition(s) is/are gone.

 

I have recently had some clients say I will get them from the manufacturer if I need them and when it was needed, the manufacturer no longer was providing them. That was a bad thing on the part of the manufacturer.

 

That doesn't often happen but since it happened once, I don't take chances anymore. I suggest they get the manufacturer system restore disc sets with drivers, etc. direct from the manufacturer. They are a real pain about it but it's worth it.

 

Sometimes they are free except shipping and sometimes they are free with paid shipping and sometimes they are not free and you pay shipping, but even then generally it's usually not more than about $30 give or take. Well worth it in case your hard drive fails.

Edited May 8, 2013 by LilBambi

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

Another thing I do is purchase computers with the least expensive disk drive and memory configuration available, buy the desired SSD/HDD and RAM from some place like Newegg or Amazon and install when the system arrives, since manufacturers charge a huge premium for those upgrades. This means I'm always working with a blank drive when I test the recovery media.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

 

 

Excellent way to do that if you create your own disks.

 

I generally suggest making them but getting a copy of the CDs/DVDs from the manufacturer as well.

 

The ones you create generally will work on the same hard drive, but if the hard drive goes bad, you will generally (not always but generally) need to use the system restore disks since the extra partition(s) is/are gone.

 

I have recently had some clients say I will get them from the manufacturer if I need them and when it was needed, the manufacturer no longer was providing them. That was a bad thing on the part of the manufacturer.

 

That doesn't often happen but since it happened once, I don't take chances anymore. I suggest they get the manufacturer system restore disc sets with drivers, etc. direct from the manufacturer. They are a real pain about it but it's worth it.

 

Sometimes they are free except shipping and sometimes they are free with paid shipping and sometimes they are not free and you pay shipping, but even then generally it's usually not more than about $30 give or take. Well worth it in case your hard drive fails.

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

I think one of the things to consider is not which manufacturer you buy from, but which of their lines you purchase. Lenovo's ThinkPad, Dell's Precision Workstation, and Hewlett-Packard's EliteBook lines are all targeted at business users, and you get a much higher quality notebook when you get one of these, as opposed to those manufacturer's consumer lines. My personal preference is ThinkPads, but the Precision Workstations and EliteBooks are also very good systems as well.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

 

 

 

 

Is there a good poll or evaluation of laptops?

I don't need one now, but not sure what I would buy. I don't care for my ASUS, and would probably buy Toshiba or maybe Dell right now. What are your favorites with 6GB or so RAM?

Thanks,.

Jerry

[JerryM]

Thanks, Aryeh,

 

I admit that while I do not look for the cheapest, I also do not go for the top of the line. I have had good luck with the few I have owned, except the problem with the ASUS laptop I now own which came with the driver for the Control Panel that was for Vista and XP instead of W7.

It will be awhile before I buy another, but will consider what you have said.

 

Thanks,

Jerry

[Fuddster]

Maybe ... you can download an iso at Digital River, and install with that using your existing key. And then I suppose you could download the vista drivers from HP. What you get is an iso that must be burned to a dvd blank [or copied onto a specially prepped usbstick].

 

I have a Tosh laptop that did not come with any OS disk, called MS and was told yes that would work. Apparently the distribution disks are all alike, not tied to any particular key.

 

http://downloadsnfix...ficial-iso.html...

 

Serendipity indeed.

 

It's been a long time since I've visited the forums here. (I know, my bad.) It just so happens I'm in the process of resurrecting my mother-in-law's Toshiba Satellite lappy, which had a catastrophic hard disk failure after it was knocked to the floor (lost everything including the recovery partition). Stopped by to poke around a bit. Absolutely no reason for me to go to the 3rd page of posts in the hardware forum to read a thread called "Don't buy HP." But I did, and was able to install the Vista image from Digital River to a new hard drive and use her key, saving me $100 on a new copy on Windows 7.

 

Thanks for the info, burninbush!

[abarbarian]

They make fairly decent beans, not quite as good a Heinz but not bad.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Hiya, Fuddster! You've been missed. Wish you'd stop by more regularly, but you probably have a life; unlike some of us here.

[raymac46]

Daughter and son-in-law have done OK with HP laptops. SIL has a 17.3 inch ProBook and daughter a SleekBook with one of those AMD Trinity mobile APUs. Both have worked fine - and neither owner is particularly gentle with their hardware.

[Guest LilBambi]

I like my HP laptop hand me down. But it does overheat at times. I have to be very careful to always allow much more air flow under the hard drive than is normal. I am thinking the hard drive goes into thermal runaway or something?!

 

Jim inherited one that had a thermal problem on the main motherboard that totally took out the system.

 

They really need to think about stuff like that more thoroughly.

 

You don't see that happening with Dells so much, or even Sony laptops, or IBM/Lenovo ones.

[lewmur]

I like my HP laptop hand me down. But it does overheat at times. I have to be very careful to always allow much more air flow under the hard drive than is normal. I am thinking the hard drive goes into thermal runaway or something?!

 

Jim inherited one that had a thermal problem on the main motherboard that totally took out the system.

 

They really need to think about stuff like that more thoroughly.

 

You don't see that happening with Dells so much, or even Sony laptops, or IBM/Lenovo ones.

HP does seem to have more heating problems that any other brand. For years they have had the problem of the video chip getting so hot that the solder joints fail and you lose video. I recommend using a USB laptop cooling pad even if it does shorten the battery life.

[Guest LilBambi]

Agreed lewmur!

[ross549]

It's sad that this would be an issue..... bloody cheap laptops. Having a cooling pad completely kills the whole portability aspect.

 

*Hugs his nice 'n cool MacBook Air*

 

Adam

[Fuddster]

Hiya, Fuddster! You've been missed. Wish you'd stop by more regularly, but you probably have a life; unlike some of us here.

 

Hey there, Eric! I've been more of a user than an explorer these days, except for watching over the death of my old phone and the purchase of the new one. Oh yeah, speaking of new, I'm a Grandpappy now, too! That's definitely been taking up a slice of my time!

 

I do hope to check in more regularly, though. I have to keep up with everything so I can pass the knowledge on to my new granddaughter!! (She's 7 weeks old and she already has a Raspberry Pi waiting for her...)

Edited March 4, 2014 by Fuddster

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Congrats on the new granddaughter. Very COOL!

 

I don't tinker a whole lot anymore either. I just turn the darn thing on a couple times a day and check emails and my board and this one, then I'm outta' here.

 

Don't get completely lost. Stop on by when you're not spoiling the granddaughter and visit with us for a bit.

 

Be good, my friend...

 

~Eric