OS, Hardware and user

[Johan]

I just bought a new HP Pavilion DV6 1020ei notebook. Great machine....up untill you try and use it with the pre installed OS - Vista. I am an expert computer user as well as programmer MCSE, MCSD, CISCO, IBM, APP and Toshiba 12+ Years.

I am using this forum to complain, because I know for a fact that my complaint is not unique - and a LOT of consumers are feeling exactly the same gripe. I am on my 4th HP notebook, and because I trust and know what to expect from a HP I never recommend anything else to any of my clients and the product lasts "forever".

My Issue: Selling a product, and not host the proper drivers for a downgrade (Vista to XP) from the HP support site. Why should I pay ZAR16000+ for a product which I have to spend 2+ days trolling the Net for drivers - and not wierd drivers required by a person who want's to run NASA, just the simple drivers.

Come on HP, it is not like the product was released yesterday... My complaint is not to throw toys, but a wake up call. Check and host the drivers on-line for the major OS's before launching a product - It was like that for years, so no reason to change anything: BRING THE QUALITY BACK!

[melanchete]

XP is no longer being distributed and you will need to bite the bullet and buy XP from someone that is still selling it and hunt for drivers.  You could wait for OS 7 to be delivered in 5 months or you could use LINUX. Vista, really isn't that bad...  The problem really isn't with HP, Dell...  it is really with the chipset designers as they write the drivers for most of the devices.

[Johan]

Thanks for the post reply.

I Accept the fact that most of the new hardware ships with and is only capable of Vista, Linux etc. The issue is that the hardware I purchased is XP capable, has XP restore discs (available for order $15.95) but NO XP drivers available for download or in the box.

I don't need a XP Iso restore disc or anything in that region - just the simple operating drivers. I would even be happy if HP just posts a list of the required XP drivers, so techs wouldn't have such a hard time getting a product up to requirement.

[melanchete]

You can root around HP site for machines with the same chipsets and test the drivers for each of the items that are banged out.  You will also have to do some googling and visit many of the chipset manufactures to find all the drivers that you will need.  Once you have them burn them to cd or dvd.  HP CS may or may not assist.

[TArbour]

I agree with Johan - it's obvious HP has brainwashed it's employees - Windows XP IS still the choice OS for Business Use - no matter how much Microsoft wants to try and push Vista down everyone throats.  It's a great HOME OS but practically useless for Business. 

Wake up HP and support the community and your customers, not some OS company that says "It's our way or no way"

[Rakhmad]

Johan,

Your complain speaks for all XP downgraders!

Many of senior members of HP forum has spoken the same issue before, ask Cheryl G for further details.

I suggest you to write an email to HP CEO Mark Hud, here 

From my understanding, HP offers XP for business notebook/desktop only, not for consumer notebook/desktop (Pavilion or Presario)

If you wish for XP, HP will recommend you to buy their business models. 

[JohanEls]

OK, I got everything sorted, eventually after a week and a half. Just sorting the issues is not a solution. Hp and other vendors alike must realize the fact the the market dictates the requirements and NOT the hardware vendors. I have no complaints about the product quality, but I have many complaints about the service delivery on said products.

Our HP distributor in South Africa was mainly selling desktops etc with Vista pre-installed - so when quoting a client you ALWAYS work in at least 2 days for roll back to XP in the quote. The problem is that my clients required quicker turn around on delivery, so I had to quote on different brands. The local supplier woke up with pre downgrading to XP with the option available for upgrade to Vista - direct implication that sales were back to, and even better than ever.

My vision of what I require with hardware is a stable, faultless OS that has been proven over at least 2 years. Vista is the typical brain-fart that microsoft dreamt up, while trying to cash in on a stable market. We all remember the Win98 to Millennium Ed, to XP/2000 roll over. MS claimed that Millennium was going to stick for around for a while and we all know how that went. XP is proven to be stable, because we had many years to figure out the bugs - and it could run on almost anything.

Vista, on the other hand is still buggy, and you need just short of a NASA setup to run it.

If Vista was SO reliable, and SO stable why then Windows 7??????

I would however still recommend to HP and other vendors, stick with the mass-used OS o(Windows XP)) out there, because people trust it, it is bug free, and also easy to use - If having a newer OS as option, have it as an upgrade.

The fix for a DV6 (Any version, to my opinion) setup - after a lot of trying:

1. Download the ICH9 driver from Intel, and with using an external USB floppy drive, install XP (F6 on XP setup to install the driver). The NIC driver is PnP and XP recognizes it - the nLite setup does not work properly.

2. Starting from the top on the available DV6 Vista 32 drivers - install as is. XP will complain about driver signing, but click on continue anyway.

3. HD audio requires both the newer and older version of the SAME driver - both are available from the same download point.

4. NVidia drivers - get them directly from the site

5. Also install the LightScribe drivers, webcam etc (Labeled HP drivers) - they work

6. Do a Windows update, because this will get the latest Touchpad, Broadcom and NVidia drivers

This should solve any DV6 issue..... hopefully.

Thanks for the replies, and if you find the we can get more from HP, then state your case properly on this thread, because we use the hardware - so we shouldn't be abused by the same hardware.