HP Omen system hangs

[TomMacGovery]

Even if I had a Backup of the Recovery, I would always prefer a clean install from a source like Dreamspark. I did a clean install with Windows 10, wanted to start over, but yeah i know it is my fault. But this specific Error is absolutely not my fault, correct? 😉

So, no awesome beats driver under Windows 7, and whats with Central Ops, Omen Control, etc. pp?

[whoisAEK]

Technically yes, it is your fault, because you're always always always always ALWAYS supposed to have a recovery of the original system that'll take it back to its state as if you just bought it and it JUST came to your house 😛  Not saying I always abide by that rule (I don't, and paid for it each time :D)

I started over with two ISOs from DreamSpark.  My Windows 8.1 Pro ISO has the same problem, so it's either an HP thing or a SanDisk thing.  Another theory of mine is replacing the SSD with one from a manufacturer that's better supported (Samsung for example) should solve the problem since neither the 512GB Omen SSD or aftermarket SSD's are specifically made for the laptop.  The 512GB is just an OEM Samsung SSD that you can get for US$400.  That way you can update the firmware and see if that's the issue.  I still think it's a SSD firmware issue, and since SanDisk doesn't provide the firmware, it's up to HP to provide it.

But anyway, Beats works in Windows 7.  Again, everything works minus the weird fan controls and F.26 breaking media controls, and F.09 forcing you to boot into the BIOS to re-enable Legacy support so Windows 7 will boot in the first place.

btw the SSD is fastest in Windows 8.1 and slowest in Windows 10, with Windows 7 being in the middle.  I hit 700MB/s in Windows 8.1, around 680 in Windows 7, and almost 600 in Windows 10.

[TomMacGovery]

I can agree with that: My Windows 8.1 Pro ISO (Dreamspark) has the same problem.

Just wondering: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?wireId=1954096

Yep, sure HP 😄 working like a charm ;(

I agree with your thgought about replacing the SSD. I do think that the Problem would be "fixed" with replacing it. May it be the 400$ NVME, or just a "simple" Transcend or 850 EVO for about ~200$.

Like I already said: I talked with the SanDisk support and they told me "since this is a SSD, specially made for the HP Omen, please contact HP regarding any SSD Firmware Updates. We will not release them."

What i don't understand is why the SSD is so slow with Windows 10 (compared to Windows 7 and 8.1), since Windows 10 should be made/optimized for SSD's.

[whoisAEK]

Actually from what I can tell Windows 8.1 is the most optimized system for SSDs.  You can't even defrag a SSD in Windows 8.1.  It'll run TRIM instead.  Windows 10 puts the speeds right above 600 and Windows 7 puts it right under 700, with 8.1 being at 700, or in some cases slightly faster.

If HP is claiming everything works like a charm, then it makes me believe you REALLY need to keep their original recovery.  Come back 9/11 (LOL irony in that date) to see how it works...........maybe.  I still need this laptop for two upcoming gigs 😛  If I catch a break in this madness I'll try both and report back what I find, since usually it only takes about a few hours worth of installing, updating, and driver optimizations for Error 129 to show its ugly head again.

Since none of the Google fixes work for us, it leads to it being a hardware problem.  Either our SATA ports are garbage (for $1600+ it better not be), or the SSD isn't functioning properly (read; missing important firmware that HP won't release).

I don't think anyone upgrading their SSD would have this issue, and would probably benefit from having a clean ISO to install clean, install drivers, BIOS update, SSD manufacturer firmware, and call it a day.  I haven't heard this problem in any other form of the Omen except for those of us with the SanDisk drive, that you can't find ANYWHERE else.  It's not even on their website.

[TomMacGovery]

Maybe there will be SSD improvement features in the upcoming updates of Windows 10.

I think it is horrible if you buy a Notebook for 1600$+ and you need to buy a new SSD, just because the manufacturer of the Notebook won't give you Important FW updates.

Yes, this SanDisk drive is not listed on their Website. You can't find any FW update, not with SanDisk Dashboard, nor with the mighty power of google.

But your argumentation sounds pretty good, and it would really lead us to the point - we need a FW Update for the SanDisk SSD if we want a proper function.

I too, did never hear about such a problem from the other Omen users - only the SanDisk users seem to be affected.

Just in case ... i might search for another SSD, what's your favourite until now?

[whoisAEK]

Personally if I had the money to burn I'd get the Samsung NVMe, just in case I decided to do more intensive work and REALLY wanted to save on time.  If I had to pick I'd go, again, a Samsung 850 EVO, only because I don't know how well Transcend supports their SSDs, if at all, and I know Samsung released a few firmware updates for desktop SATA 3 SSDs for some random problems they were having and are supporting their products.

I DO know they don't work well in Linux because it'll basically erase itself under Linux.  I haven't heard if it's a Linux problem or a Samsung problem.

I agree with you on that, but once again, we are supposed to keep the recovery media that came with our laptops.  The one guy that did a refresh did it through Windows, so unless it used the HP recovery (which I doubt since he didn't mention it), that won't fix the issue.  Simply put people, KEEP YOUR ORIGINAL HP RECOVERY PARTITION, AND MAKE A COPY OF IT.  Save yourself the worries we're going through.

[TomMacGovery]

Okay, thanks for your opinion about the SSD 😉

@ all yes, do keep your recovery partition ... just in case.

But again, if there is something in it, I'm pretty sure that it is not an FW Update for the Sandisk SSD and that would lead us again to some sort of driver / Software issue.

I'm still wondering when a HP representative will answer in this Thread 😄

[whoisAEK]

maybe not a firmware update but some optimization tools in there that we either don't know about or have to do some registry hacks (read; noobs need not apply) to achieve the same results HP did before pushing out the laptop.  Again, I'm only saying this because I owned the laptop for 8 months before coming across this problem, and only because I completely wiped the drive clean and re-installed Windows 8.1.

btw, they may never respond.  It's HP.  Their support is hot garbage.  I once called for a driver issue with the Pavilion because they had two WiFi drivers for the laptop and only one of them worked.  Long story short, I'm not dropping another $300 for a warranty extension just to have some clown tell me I downloaded the wrong driver that shouldn't even be on that website in the first place.

[TomMacGovery]

Sigh, yeah HP really - good support - .... You get the joke, right? 😉

I think i will wait for the NVME Version and purchase it, either that one or a EVO. NVME still needs another month before it is available here. Are you sure our Motherboards are at least compatible with the NVME Standard? I don't want to burn antoher 400$. I might try to avoid that 😄

Aside from that, thanks for your help so far. That was a better help than the 4 HP Technic's. All they did was installing antoher BIOS F.09, the other Guy installed F.26, the next wanted to update Chipset and RST Driver's... not that i told them "hey i tried that already!". -.-'

Wish you a good time with your gig's.. 

[whoisAEK]

Our m.2 SATA SSDs use the M+B (looks like a three-prong fork with the middle being the longest of the three) connector, which is compatible with m.2 SATA ports that accept the M connector (the one with only two prongs/teeth/whatever).  Really confusing but basically the difference is M is faster than M+B but both go in the same slot no problem.  In other words, our SSDs can easily be swapped for the faster (sometimes twice as fast for reads) NVMe Samsung.  The OEM you'll get online is probably the same one in the HP Omen.

Which also leaves me to believe that you might want to grab the recovery like I did in case you don't have it anymore.  Spending that much on a SSD makes an extra $50 or so for the recovery media a worthy investment for peace of mind.

Yea, only because hardly any of that has anything to do with Microsoft's stock AHCI driver not liking the SSD already in our systems 😛 and we can't even change the AHCI settings in our barebones BIOS.  Pretty sure my Pavilion 6145dx had a more detailed BIOS than the Omen (meaning they really didn't want you messing with the laptop in the first place).

Thanks 🙂 The one on my birthday is going to be one to remember 😉