Elite e9150t Feezes/Locks up

[new_e9150t]

The replacement PC that I received on Friday has the ver 1.04 motherboard, so far absolutely no problems. I tried running various apps at the same time but no issues so far. HP knows the problem that is the reason they are replacing the system for all those who report a problem within the first 21 days of purchase. The rest who report the problem later than the return period of 21 days will get a motherboard replacement.

[eots]

Keep us informed about the new mobo.  Mine hasn't frozen for the past 2 days and I still have the 1.03 mobo, I removed all the HP junk from the startup in msconfig and it's been ok since (knock on wood).  I think before I go to the trouble of sending in my system for a motherboard replacement (which is a major pain) I'll install a generic copy of Vista on my system without all the crap HP puts in their image.

If I ever buy a prebuilt system again it won't be an HP, at least Dell will send a tech to your home for this type of repair.  HP has a lot to learn about customer service!

[vln]

Hi, thanks to one and all for sharing your experiences with e9180t, had I read this form earlier my decision to by this model or an HP product might have been different. My system is arriving tomorrow. I will follow the instructions of looking thru PC doctor after the initial setup. One freeze or one blue screen its going back to HP for full refund (21 day policy). There is no way I am going to spend time with tech support after spending so much money on this model. By the way can any one of you tell me how many PCI 2.0 x16 ports are available on the mobo. Thanks in advance, Please keep posting the status of your systems (new arrivals as well as replaced desktops)

[skinny_sc]

Found the specs for the system: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01792852&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=400...

• PCI Express x16: 2
• PCI Express x4: 1
• PCI Express x1: 1

it doesn't specify if the 2 PCI-E x16 slots are 2.0 or standard, but my guess is they are both 2.0. The graphics cards available for selection by HP are all 2.0 cards.

[Cee-Cee]

vin, You already have most of the answer as to the PCI slots.  However, as to how they are taken up:  the Graphics Card will take up one of the x16 slots, the TV Tuner (if you ordered it) will take up a x1 slot.  That leaves the rest for whatever else you ordered or plan to get.

Let us know what motherboard they sent you (per my original how-to, above).  I want to know if they are sending the new v1.04 MOBO with new orders, or if they are hoping to dump some of these v1.03's on the meek.

[eots]

I give up trying to resolve this without a mobo replacement.  It hung again today with nothing running in the startup and no running applications.  I've had this piece of crap for more than 21 days so it's off to service!

[XStan]

Here is some new information. Firstly, I had the exact same problem with a 9600t. Diagnostics never found anything wrong, and a complete system restore did not fix the problem. I returned the pc to COSTCO. I ordered a e9150t and still get the same problems. Diagnostics show nothing wrong.

I contacted customer support and asked to be put in contact with a supervisor. I just got a phone call from Michelle at HP Technical Suport (800-474-6836). Here is what she told me:

1. The problem is a software problem and it is probably because Microsoft Outlook was not designed for Vista and causes hangups and possible file corruption. She recommended that I do a system restore and not install outlook.

2. I apprised her of the comments on this web site and she said that HP has no responsibility for the comments. I explained that some of you, who seemed to pass all diagnostic tests, were getting replacement PCs. She said that could not be correct, because HP will not replace a PC unless there were 3 hardware problems that needed fixing. After that they woulde replace the pc.

3. I expressed surprised that if HP knew the answer to the problem that it wasn't being publicized, but she responded to the effect that HP takes care of its computer problems, not other vendors software.

Now it is perfectly plausible that a software problem can be the root cause, but it doesn't explain why my Gateway 32 bit Vista machine ran Outlook without ever having a problem, nor does it jibe with what most of you are saying in this forum.

I would appreciate if someone who really got a computer replaced although there were no hardware problems would call Michelle and find out why HP has two different approaches to this problem, and neither party seems to know what the other is doing.

Here is another one of my symptoms besides hangs and blue screens: The PCcomes with high speed USB ports, but I occasionally get pop-ups telling me that my device could run faster if it was connected to a high speed port. I have to clear the dialog box and then another one pops up, until I go through all 10 of my USB ports. The computer either runs extremely slow during this process, or most likely, hangs before I can get through all the dialog boxes. What makes this especially irritating, is that one of these devices is an HP Personal Media Drive, which plugs into the bay in the front of the computer, directly into an internal USB port. So by definition it can only be connected to a high speed port without the possibility of a cable problem. The same thing happned on the e9600t

[eots]

Michelle at HP support fed you a complete line of BS!  I'm running Outlook 2007 and it is most DEFINITELY Vista compatible.  The HP techs are completely useless, if it was a software issue there would be errors logged in the Application Event log and there are none.  Michelle is a perfect example of how stupid the HP support techs are.  The mere fact that other customers are getting this issue resolved with a motherboard swap to revision 1.04 is proof that this is a hardware problem, specifically the motherboard!

[skinny_sc]

XStan, I found that to get a replacement (provided you are within the 21 day period), you have to tell support EXPLICITLY to connect you with someone to talk about getting a refund or possibly a replacement. When you say that, they will send you over the the much more friendly and helpful customer support/sales end. They are all about sending you a replacement (just watch out for them trying to charge you more if you got any discounts on the initial purchase becuase those won't be there for the new system you order).

I too received the messages about the USB ports opperating better if a 2.0 device was plugged into them, and often i would get them when no USB device other than the mouse was plugged in!

The consensus is that the 1.03 rev of the Pegatron IPMBT-TK motherboard is just a badly put together board. It probably just has a lot of shorts in it that causes different items to fail randomly, seemingly most often during the first 20-30 minutes of a cold boot.

I just received my replacement last evening and it ran like a champ. I just talked to my wife (who often thought it was what she was doing since the old one would seem to freeze only on her since she was the one who started it everyday) and she said it has run all day with no issues at all. This is with the 1.04 rev motherboard.

While HP has no responsibility to the comments posted on these boards, it by no means doesn't mean what we are saying isn't true. I'm sure many of us know just as much, if not more, about the systems we're using than Ms Michelle of Tech Support. I work in Production Support for a large insurance company, and I can tell you from experience that the Tech Support people get on the line are definitely not that knowledgeable in the tech they support.

[Cee-Cee]

XStan, I was going to respond, but skinny_SC said pretty much what I was going to tell you.  I will add the following.

In today's culture, there are a lot of people who somehow move up the ranks of an organization by kissing up, being yes-men/women, et cetera.  These people have bull-$%#ed their way through grammar school, high school, and college (if they graduated).  They will never say, "I do not know the answer, but I will find out".  So, they will bluff an answer and sound convincing doing it.

On the other hand, she might be saying what the HP official party line is, namely, see how many people you can get to keep the e9150t with the lemon motherboard.  Outlook has nothing to do with it, because I have never used Outlook and never will, and I had the lockup problem exactly until I got the replacement v1.04 motherboard on a brand spanking new e9150t.

That is the whole truth, and I am sticking to my story.  Good luck.