DV8000 Series - Keyboard problems. Anyone else?

[RCL]

Hope this works and can be confrimed by more people. Thanks for your try at solution. This, along with whether I should wait on the dv9000 models, are about the only things holding me back from purchasing this machine.

Gary

The dv9000 sounds nice with the duo 64 bit processors. I wonder if it will come with SATA/NCQ enabled drives. I looked around for the NCQ and it's still a bit too early for most manufacturers. :-(

[iorek936]

A couple of weeks ago I went to Fry's Electronics and they had the dv8000 sitting next to the Toshiba Qosmio, which I had been interested in. The Qosmio felt cheap and rickety to me and the screen was very hard to see. So I ruled it out. Have they come out with the duo processor option for the Qosmio yet? Last I looked on Toshiba's website you could only get the single processor so nix on that. Just a few thoughts. If you can find a place where they are on display that would probably help you. The only one I didn't try was the Dell Latitude because I couldn't find it on display anywhere and it turns out it's the one I favor now.

Yeah, they have Core Duo in the Qosmio. I actually think duo is all that's offered in them now, but I may be wrong. I like the looks of the dv8000 more than the Qosmio, and I also like the fact that it has a numerical keypad... I mean, what's the point of having a 17" screen and enough room for a numerical keypad, if it doesn't have one? That's just my opinion. I'll check out the Dell Latitude, even though I'm not a fan of Dell for various reasons, but I really need a new computer, and soon....

[RCL]

Yeah, they have Core Duo in the Qosmio. I actually think duo is all that's offered in them now, but I may be wrong. I like the looks of the dv8000 more than the Qosmio, and I also like the fact that it has a numerical keypad... I mean, what's the point of having a 17" screen and enough room for a numerical keypad, if it doesn't have one? That's just my opinion. I'll check out the Dell Latitude, even though I'm not a fan of Dell for various reasons, but I really need a new computer, and soon....

I ended up on the Latitude by accident. I read some good and some bad reviews about Dell and my only experience with them was through friends who had the desktop version but didnt' know anyone with a notebook. The Toshiba Qosmio has a sucky graphics option last I looked, it was integrated and I don't really like that. The one thing I did like about the Qosmio was the ability to configure the two drives in RAID0 or RAID1. Having been a network/systems engineer for a long time I am very big on redundancy. The Dell does have an optional modular drive that you can get which can be booted from. I ordered mine refurb'ed and the 100gb modular drive was not an option so I would have to wait for them to sell it directly off their site; however, if you order a new one you can get the secondary modular drive pretty reasonable. I would imagine using Ghost or another similar type program it's easy to make up for the actual RAID and just back up daily or every couple of days, that way if your main hard drive takes a dump you can still boot off the modular drive. I ordered the dv8000 from Costco because of their great return policy...although, I have to say one other thing that is attractive about the Latitude is it's a business notebook and came standard with a 3 year onsite warranty, not the mail in option like HP gives you.

[Samwise42]

Just posting a follow up to my earlier keyboard "repeat delay" workaround.

When I started working on my laptop this afternoon, I started getting some of the same keyboarding issues, so I went back into the keyboard setting of control panel and moved the "repeat delay" setting back to its original position. This went ahead and cleared up the problem again for me.

As a result, I don't think that it is any one setting that clears up the problem, but the process of resetting it that helps. Reading other posts, I don't doubt that there might by physical problems with the connectors, but based on my experience I think that the issue I have on my keyboard anyways is software related, and I hope for a patch in the future.

It is annoying to have to do this workaround (it feels like taking out the trash every so often), but in my case the value of having this large a screen at a price I can afford is the driving force. I am working on my PhD dissertation, and the ability to have two documents (word and PDF, two word documents, etc.) up at the same time and not having to toggle between them more than trumps that occasional inconvenience. So, I'm staying the course and keeping my dv8000 (while hoping for a patch in the not-too-distant future).

Besides, I get the opportunity to take out the trash a fair amount in the non-virtual world, so I'm rather used to it .

[RCL]

Just posting a follow up to my earlier keyboard "repeat delay" workaround.

When I started working on my laptop this afternoon, I started getting some of the same keyboarding issues, so I went back into the keyboard setting of control panel and moved the "repeat delay" setting back to its original position. This went ahead and cleared up the problem again for me.

As a result, I don't think that it is any one setting that clears up the problem, but the process of resetting it that helps. Reading other posts, I don't doubt that there might by physical problems with the connectors, but based on my experience I think that the issue I have on my keyboard anyways is software related, and I hope for a patch in the future.

It is annoying to have to do this workaround (it feels like taking out the trash every so often), but in my case the value of having this large a screen at a price I can afford is the driving force. I am working on my PhD dissertation, and the ability to have two documents (word and PDF, two word documents, etc.) up at the same time and not having to toggle between them more than trumps that occasional inconvenience. So, I'm staying the course and keeping my dv8000 (while hoping for a patch in the not-too-distant future).

Besides, I get the opportunity to take out the trash a fair amount in the non-virtual world, so I'm rather used to it .

Good luck with your dissertation and thanks for re-posting the keyboard information. I have had my dv8000 on standby for a while and I noticed that it's giving me the same annoyance again...as you mentioned. I won't go so far as to say it wouldn't be the keyboard connector because I've seen just about everything in my experiences working on servers (and workstations), but I won't rule out software bugs either. I'm pretty convinced I'm going to stick with the dv8000 now. I tried out the Dell for a while this afternoon and it just feels rickety to me, even though it's faster and the screen is absolutely putrid. I mean there is no comparison at all. I thought what about buying a docking station and another monitor but then that defeats part of the purpose. Also I forgot to mention the danged Dell wobbles with the battery in it. I read another post here where someone had mentioned their brand new Latitude wobbled. The Dell keyboard is not the greatest and I have to say even with the occasional glitches on the HP keyboard it still feels more solid...not to mention I really like the layout. But the screen is no comparison. If all I was doing was spreadsheets the screen would probably not be so important but I do a lot of image processing. I can't imagine what Dell was thinking when they put such a crappy screen on a kickass laptop. Idiots.

[dljacob]

Well I gave HP a third and fourth chance at fixing their keyboard problem. It was the same as tried on the first notebook and now the third notebook. The old fix was the same as the new. Uninstall the drivers for the keyboard and reboot - basically this with a few more details. Well I'm still getting the hanging cap lock and still getting multiple "c"s and not enough "k"s. I may be be a poor typist, but I have not had any problems like this in my last 25 years with computers. It is too bad too. I custom ordered this last one with all the extra features I was looking for. A real shame that HP screwed themselves with this one. Any chance the new dv9000 will have the same components as the dv8000? All I can say is thank god for Costco. I hate returning computers to them, but hopefully they get all of their money back from HP. It is not their fault. dlj

[Ur ex-wife]

i want(ed) the dv8000t, but now im thinking otherwise...can anyone recommend the Dell Inspiron 9400? or maybe i should just wait for the dv9000's...but then they will be really really expensive!

[brianstretch]

I'd wait for the dv9000z. Better notebook all around. I wouldn't assume it'll be that much more than its predecessor either.

FWIW, my dv8000z's keyboard has become less bad over time. Maybe they just need to be broken in?

[iorek936]

I just got off the phone with HP--it was the second time they've called me back without my knowledge beforehand. So far, I've been rather impressed with their customer service, but we'll see what happens. My case manager is going to give me a call back tomorrow, and it looks like HP will be sending me a replacement computer. My case was escalated because I would not agree to "purchase a new computer, and then get my refund a few days later." I don't see why I should be held responsible for spending another $2600.00 before getting my refund.

I'm a bit scared to get a replacement computer, because I'm afraid the keyboard issues will be more severe in the newer model. I'll let you all know what happens though.

I also told the guy that I had read about many other people who were experiencing keyboard issues on the dv8000, and I asked if HP was doing anything about it. He told me that they were experiencing a number of problems with the keyboards on this model, and that HP was looking into it.

[Ur ex-wife]

hey everyone, i just had a thought...do you think that the keyboard problem is only in a certain maufacturers units? since, how many different companies build laptops for Hp...i think Compal and Qaunta do, just to name a few.

so what if it is just one manufacturer? can owners verify this?