Client has mistakenly bought HP Thin Client T630 as home PC

[wexford1798]

Hi,

I have a elderly client who has mistakenly bought a HP Thin Client T630 as a home PC. Now it is set up such that she can surf and use office 365 web apps, but I can not figure out how to get the PC to read from and write to USB removable drives.

I have searched all of the online help, but they all talk about turning off EWF and using gpedit, neither of which she appears to have access to. Is it even possible to use this machine as a standalone PC for anything other than surfing and web based apps?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[wb2001]

@wexford1798,

Unit has usb ports.

How to use , lesson 1     lesson 2

[wexford1798]

Thank you for the prompt response @Wb2001, but I think you misunderstand the problem.

I know the unit has USB ports as I have eyes. I also know how to use flash drives and have been doing so for longer than I care to remember.

USB drives are not simply plug and play on the thin client T630. In fact by design and by default users can not view locally attached USB drives. I am looking for a way to get around this please.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, @wexford1798 

It looks rather complicated but this guide provides the info I believe you need to review...

Chapter 2, page 2...

Looks like you would want to turn the USB Port manager software off in this situation.

1. Select the desired option:
Option Description
Mode Select one of the following modes: ● Off—Turns off USB Port Manager and allows access to all USB devices.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c06052787

[wexford1798]

Thank you @Paul_Tikkanen.

I had actually already found that document. Unfortunately the Thin Client does not appear to have USB Port manager installed on it. It has something called USB Manager, but this is not the same thing. I have changed some options in there that mean USB drives are loaded locally rather than using a remote protocol. So the PC recognises that a USB drive is attached and even lists it in USB Manager, but there appears to be no way to access it.

I have tried in vain to download USB Port Manager, but the only links I can find are ftp links to an informational text file about USB Port manager.

At this stage I just feel like telling her she has made a big mistake in purchasing this machine and see is there anyway she can get her money back if she buys some form of replacement.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

The USB Port Manager 2.0 software should be included in the thin update software package...

http://ftp.hp.com/pub/tcimages/EasyUpdate/AddOns/Win64/HPThinUpdate-02.05.00-Win64.msi

[wexford1798]

Once again thank you @Paul_Tikkanen

The USB Port manager software is supposed to shift with Thin Clients from everything I've read, but it is not on this T630 (just USB Manager which is not the same thing).

Many thanks for the link. I will try this when I get home and report back.

Regards,

Chris

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Chris.

I found that installation file by reading the manual I posted the other day which has this statement...

HP USB Port Manager is typically preinstalled on HP thin clients. It can also be downloaded or updated via HP ThinUpdate.

Here is the thin client link where I found that file...You may need some other of the software too.

https://www8.hp.com/us/en/thin-clients/downloads.html

I don't understand why HP configured those things to be almost completely useless in a home environment.

[BambiBoomZ]

Wexford1798,

{Edited- Thanks Paul Tikkanen for comments]

In my view, a device of this type is impractical as a home PC:  updates, security services, and disk/file management is complex for the non-expert as compared to a conventional desktop workstation: having capacity for internal SATA SSD OS/Programs, multiple mech'l HD SATA files drive, optical disk drive, and a CPU's with higher clock speeds that emphasize strong single-threaded that benefits most applications; graphics performance.  Workstations have more open cases, with good airflow, and easier to upgrade and service.  I don't imagine that the graphics system is highly developed for tasks such as streaming videos or gaming.- if that's a consideration.

If I might recommend; consider changing to an HP z420 or z620 that supports Xeon E5-version 2 processors, having or adding an E5-1620 v2 (4C@3.7/3.9), a Samsung 860 EVO 250GB OS/Program Drive, 16GB of PC3-14900E or PC3-14900R RAM, a GTX 970 or GTX 1060 GPU and WD Blue 2TB HD or similar.  USB 2.0 and 3.0 just plugs in and works. Nothing is exotic.  A reasonable sound card and inexpensive Logitech 2.1 speaker system such as the z533.  i use a 4K 40" smart TV as monitor and if this commonly used for streaming, a 32" smart TV with and running an HDMI connection is quite easy to live with.

Last year, I bought a low specification z420 : E5-1607 v2, 4GB RAM, a Quadro 600 GPU, 500GB HD for $136 and today that is:

HP z420_3: (2015) (R11) Xeon E5-1650 v2 (6C@ 4.3GHz) / z420 Liquid cooling / 64GB (8X 8GB DDR3-1866 ECC registered / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB/ Samsung 860 EVO 500GB + HGST 4TB / ASUS Essence STX sound card / Logitech z2300 2.1 speakers / 600W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (HP OEM ) > Samsung 40" 4K monitor

[Passmark System Rating: = 5644 / CPU = 15293 / 2D = 847 / 3D = 10952 / Mem = 2993 /Disk = 4858 /Single Thread Mark = 2384 [6.27.19]

I emphasize the Passmark single-threaded performance of 2384 in comparison to a typical server CPU running at 2.4 /2.6/3.0GHz or so which will average a single thread of 1400-1500.

Overclocking is not necessary and the E5-1620 v2 4C@3.7/3.9GHz - only $50 in the US today, would be very competent in this use.

Here's a typical, randomly chosen, completed listing for a sort of starter system ( £340.00 ), in this case a 620- which are even quieter than z420's:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hp-Z620-Workstation-1x-Xeon-E5-1620-v2-3-70GHz-16-GB-RAM-1TB-HDD-Win10-To...

> and a very capable 3D modeling, rendering general purpose system,  almost inaudible. Updates are , and an occasional defrag and/or disk cleanup is easy to manage.

Yes, it's a bit of a fuss to upgrade and configure a new system, but such a system is much easier to negotiate by a non-expert.

BambiBoomZ

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, @BambiBoomZ 

I believe you have this device confused with another model.

This thing can almost fit in the palm of your hand.  It is a business class PC that is used for light office work, where files are stored on a server on in the cloud.

I would imagine it is very quiet and puts out little heat.

https://store.hp.com/us/en/mdp/desktops/hp-t630-thin-client-428003--1?jumpid=ps_com_dt_ns&utm_medium...

Full specs...

http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c04984422

This model is impractical for home use the way it comes configured with the USB ports disabled by default.

Who ever heard of such a thing?

If the person who bought this PC wanted a small business-class desktop PC, they should have gotten the 400 G4 DM.

https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-prodesk-400-g4-desktop-mini-pc-p-4bc38ut-aba-1

That model can work right out of the box as a home PC.