*HP HDX18 Owners Lounge*

[lancorp]

If anyone is looking for a carrying case for their HDX18t, I just tried a Belkin 17-Inch Messenger bag (Black/Cabernet), and the '18t fits in the interor pocket perfectly. Almost too snug, but it's fine and is a great, light case for protecting your '18t.

Comes in a girlish color too for you female HDX18t owners!

Belkin 17-Inch Messenger Bag

[vistabad]

Nifty. I'm surprised HP doesn't check your S/N (which you must provide when ordering), for what version of Vista you have...

I guess they either know this and chose to ignore it or they really don't know!

It's actually quite easy to prevent really.

All they have to do when you order the recovery CD is ask for your HP serial number and match it up with their records of what you bought.

Then if you bought Home Premium, the recovery disk adjusts to compensate for Ultimate. And if you bought Ultimate, it would be $16 or something cheap since you already have Ultimate..

Of course anyone would be a fool to let HP know about this..

[nbster]

I guess they either know this and chose to ignore it or they really don't know!

It's actually quite easy to prevent really.

All they have to do when you order the recovery CD is ask for your HP serial number and match it up with their records of what you bought.

Then if you bought Home Premium, the recovery disk adjusts to compensate for Ultimate. And if you bought Ultimate, it would be $16 or something cheap since you already have Ultimate..

Of course anyone would be a fool to let HP know about this..

Hurry up and place the order before HP realizes their blunder (just like the QX9300 pricing blunder) and make changes to its Recovery CD ordering system (just like the QX9300 blunder)

It really doesn't matter even if they realize it. You can still borrow a Vista Ultimate DVD or find the DVD image on the internet and still be able to install it WITHOUT a key. The problem lies in the OEM ID string embedded in the BIOS, and that's just how the SLP 2.0 licensing agreement works between M$ and OEM PC makers.

The only downside to that is you have to manually install all the HP drivers and factory softwares. It will be much easier using the HP Recovery DVDs as it's a one step process.

About SLP 2.0 :
" ...The SLP 2.0 (System Locked Preinstallation 2.0), also known as OA 2.0 (OEM Activation 2.0) is supposedly the improved OEM activation technique of Microsoft, which allows most branded OEM computer manufacturers (such as Dell, HP, IBM, ASUS, etc) to pre-activate Windows Vista in factory before shifting to the market. So, the end users will not have to go through Windows Vista activation process, either by toll-free phone or activation online to Microsoft network. ..."

[Yarseyer]

Hurry up and place the order before HP realizes their blunder (just like the QX9300 pricing blunder) and make changes to its Recovery CD ordering system (just like the QX9300 blunder)

It really doesn't matter even if they realize it. You can still borrow a Vista Ultimate DVD or find the DVD image on the internet and still be able to install it WITHOUT a key. The problem lies in the OEM ID string embedded in the BIOS, and that's just how the SLP 2.0 licensing agreement works between M$ and OEM PC makers.

The only downside to that is you have to manually install all the HP drivers and factory softwares. It will be much easier using the HP Recovery DVDs as it's a one step process.

About SLP 2.0 :
" ...The SLP 2.0 (System Locked Preinstallation 2.0), also known as OA 2.0 (OEM Activation 2.0) is supposedly the improved OEM activation technique of Microsoft, which allows most branded OEM computer manufacturers (such as Dell, HP, IBM, ASUS, etc) to pre-activate Windows Vista in factory before shifting to the market. So, the end users will not have to go through Windows Vista activation process, either by toll-free phone or activation online to Microsoft network. ..."

Aye, Ive been going through a little bit of this. I wanted a clean ultimate install with only the apps I needed and wanted.

Sooo I copied the software folder from the OEM C:/ drive and did a clean VU install and then I started to install apps that I wanted. Well not all the apps were in the folder from the OEM drive.

I then resored the OEM install from the recovery disks that I made and low and behold all the software was in there. Copied that over. So I was thinking at that point what the hell this is taking a long time..I uninstalled the apps I didnt want and tried to use the Vista disk I have to upgrade to Ultimate. That wouldn't work.

...and to expand on that comment someone made earlier. Frak that took forever. I have other computers that I have ghosted and XP installs took less than 10 minutes. Never did a vista one like this before.

So I reverted to doing a clean install and once again reinstalling only the apps I wanted from the now complete software folder that I copied. Took a while but Im happy now.

Im in the process of taking the spare drive and trying to mess around with OS X. I got stalled during the first instal with no love and now Im trying one more time.

[Yarseyer]

Hurry up and place the order before HP realizes their blunder (just like the QX9300 pricing blunder) and make changes to its Recovery CD ordering system (just like the QX9300 blunder)

It really doesn't matter even if they realize it. You can still borrow a Vista Ultimate DVD or find the DVD image on the internet and still be able to install it WITHOUT a key. The problem lies in the OEM ID string embedded in the BIOS, and that's just how the SLP 2.0 licensing agreement works between M$ and OEM PC makers.

The only downside to that is you have to manually install all the HP drivers and factory softwares. It will be much easier using the HP Recovery DVDs as it's a one step process.

About SLP 2.0 :
" ...The SLP 2.0 (System Locked Preinstallation 2.0), also known as OA 2.0 (OEM Activation 2.0) is supposedly the improved OEM activation technique of Microsoft, which allows most branded OEM computer manufacturers (such as Dell, HP, IBM, ASUS, etc) to pre-activate Windows Vista in factory before shifting to the market. So, the end users will not have to go through Windows Vista activation process, either by toll-free phone or activation online to Microsoft network. ..."

On the flip side what would be cheaper is if someone who ordered the 18t with Ultimate would burn some backups and mail em out for postage and very nominal fee that would be nice.

...or post em as a torrent

Not sure if I violated the fourm rules for suggesting such; if so post and I will delete.

This post will self destruct in 5...4...3...2...

[lancorp]

On the flip side what would be cheaper is if someone who ordered the 18t with Ultimate would burn some backups and mail em out for postage and very nominal fee that would be nice.

...or post em as a torrent

Not sure if I violated the fourm rules for suggesting such; if so post and I will delete.

This post will self destruct in 5...4...3...2...

On the other flip side (how many sides are there?), why not just do what was mentioned in the first place...order the Ultimate Recovery DVD for $16.

All these other methods sound so convoluted and now suggesting pirated copies mailed out for a nominal fee? Is $16 too expensive for Vista Ultimate with all the drivers and apps? Seems like a no-brainer to me!

[Yarseyer]

On the other flip side (how many sides are there?), why not just do what was mentioned in the first place...order the Ultimate Recovery DVD for $16.

All these other methods sound so convoluted and now suggesting pirated copies mailed out for a nominal fee? Is $16 too expensive for Vista Ultimate with all the drivers and apps? Seems like a no-brainer to me!

Point taken and a good one I might add. I guess its the expediency aspect of it I was looking at.

[OneSickDV7T]

THANKS LANCORP!!!! I ordered the vista ultimate cd for $16! YOU'RE THE MAN!!!

[vistabad]

There are ways to load ANY version of Vista and patch them so that they think they are using the BIOS or some kind of ID so you don't have to have Vista "phone in" and activate. I know because I've done this "just to see if it works" and it does...

$16 is a great price and I would pay it to avoid the hassles of patching...

[Xirurg]

Hey guys,just got my HDX 18t...it is great!But I have a little problem,everytime I try to run a game it tells me to install dx9 but I have dx10!any suggestions?I have vista 64bit.