*HP EliteBook 8740w Owners Lounge - PART 2*

My 8740w has an 7820 and Dreamcolor and I think my battery is third party but I'm not sure anymore. I went through several batteries for a while, and while none of them came up as incompatible, some of them wore awfully fast, as in no longer holding much charge after a few months.

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Thanks for that. As I said, one of my machines has a 7820, and the other has the power hungry 5000M. I'd like to swap it for the most powerful card which is compatible with third party batteries. I've been informed, including on this forum, that the 5000M with the Dreamcolor is the worst combination for battery compatibility, hence my desire for a swap.

 

I guess my real question is whether it is the Nvidia 5000M or the DreamColor 2
Screen, or a combination of the two that restricts us from using third party batteries?

 

I believe it's only the 5000M equipped machines - The problem is inability to boot on battery if not an OEM of the capacity the BIOS recognizes as sufficient for that video card. This problem started after the BIOS update when HP started making them non-downgradable. Essentially, if you get the battery error message it's too late to revert :-(

The only workaround is to unlatch the battery and start the machine on adapter power and slide the battery back in after leaving the BIOS startup screen.

Another thing - None of any after market batteries I've bought has lasted more than a year of light use. That battery's just a glorified UPS ;-)

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Thank you for that very useful and specific information. So you only by HP batteries? How long do they last on average? Have you found any place to buy one at a good price?

Also, what was the last BIOS that worked with third party batteries in all configurations?

 

No, it's just not worth it. Considering how little capacity they have (maximum 1.5 hours), how fast they wear out (they rarely last more than a year or two) and how expensive they are (close to $200 in Canuckistan), I haven't bothered going that route, I essentially start the machine on power supply and insert the standard battery after POST.

Instead, I've kept the old OEM battery circuit board that is recognized as the right one to have and plan to fabricate a 20 or so cell battery with it. For now, the project is on hold, I have many more pressing issues in my life and now I don't see it happening before I retire in a few years. Besides, I would need a spot welder to actually make the battery pack, which I would have to fabricate as these things are extremely expensive.

As for the last BIOS that can be reverted, I'd have to check, I've discussed this before somewhere else in this thread, I believe it's F.09 and I believe my DC2 machine runs under F.20... There is a description on HP's download site that explains the different versions history.

Incidentally, I have the same issue with my phone, a Galaxy Note 2 which I have total control over but is getting quite worn, I can't seem to find a spare whose bootloader hasn't been 'updated' as part of the Android 4.3 update, which essentially locked the phone hence on for stuff I need it to do. This prevents one from running Jellybean which allows me to take complete control of the machine.

I truly hate how repressive society and technology has become in the last 10 years. Those who believe we still have freedom are deluded.

 

I think greed is the cause.

I meant what was the last BIOS that worked with 3rd party?

Is there a best source for the OEM battery, and if it's HP, do they ever offer deals?

 

Indeed, we are supposed to be and remain sheeple.

Like I said, I believe it's firmware version F.09, but I searched and it was actually F.05. The battery problem appeared with F.08. I haven't been able to actually test this theory, since mine can't be reverted to an earlier version since in runs F.20; I originally acquired this machine from a 'hardware tester' who had gotten it from HP for free (!) and who ran every update he could, never stopping to think whether he should.

After looking further into it, that's what I found:

• HP blocked BIOS downgrade with F.20 to 'improve security' (their own words!). So if you're running F.20 like I am, you're SOL. Don't you love having your freedoms taken away for 'security' reasons? NOT!
• I managed to compile a Revision History for all the BIOS versions for this laptop, here it is:

Code:

Version: F.20
Provides improved security for the BIOS flashing process. - Provides the Secure Erase option. NOTE: After this BIOS update has been installed, prior BIOS versions cannot be installed.

Version: F.0B Rev.
Fixed in this release: - Fixes an issue where the the BIOSConfig utility could not change the "Virtualization Technology" field in F10 Setup. - Fixes an issue where an external mouse or external keyboard would not work in the PointSec Preboot an issue where the battery check utility reports an incorrect battery warranty period. - Fixed an issue where the computer could not boot with Boot Star Boot Manager. Note: This issue only occurs with Microsoft Windows XP SP3.- The warning message that displays during system startup (after the HP Logo displays) regarding not having a wireless LAN (WLAN) card installed has been removed. - Improves the BIOS flashing algorithm to minimize a BIOS corruption issue. - Improves security of the BIOS by enhancing the security protocols of certain firmware functions

Version: F.0A Rev.
Fixed in this release: - Fixes an intermittent issue where the system stops responding (hangs) with a black screen during startup when booting to a Microsoft Windows Operating System.

Version: F.09 Rev.
Fixed in this release: - Fixes an issue where the notebook does not boot from a bootable CD if an external USB CD/DVD drive is used.- Adds a "DriveLock password on restart" option to the F10 Setup Utility to enable users to enable or disable a prompt for the DriveLock password when restarting the notebook. - Adds an option to the F10 Setup Utility that lets users enable or disable the use of USB devices, a notebook expansion bay, or a docking upgrade bay for booting the notebook. - Shortens the time required for the Disk Sanitizer process. - Moves the System Management BIOS (SMBIOS) table to accommodate the way certain third-party programs address SMBIOS memory.

Version: F.08 Rev.
Fixed in this release: - Provides support for the NVIDIA Quadro 5000M Graphics Card. IMPORTANT: If the correct battery (the one that shipped with the notebook) is not installed, the following error is displayed when attempting system startup (boot) and the system does not boot: “Please power off the system and install a newer version of the main battery pack.” - Provides the following three video BIOS updates: * NVIDIA Quadro FX 2800M - 62.92.CO.00.03 * NVIDIA Quadro FX 3800M – 62.92.BC.00.09 * NVIDIA Quadro 5000M – 70.00.37.00.0A NOTE: To obtain the video BIOS updates, you must use the bootable USB method for updating the system BIOS.

Version: F.05 Rev.
Fixed in this release: - Updates the BIOS to include the latest Intel Microcode to support the Intel Core i5-520M, Core i5-540M, and Core i7-620M K-0 Stepping Processors. - Adds an option to the F10 Setup Utility that enables users to disable the use of USB devices, a notebook expansion bay, or a docking upgrade bay for booting the notebook. - Adds an "Auto Power-On" feature, which enables the notebook to automatically power itself on at a specific date and time. - Updates the preboot execution environment (PXE) ROM to version 1.3.52.

Version: F.03
Fixed in this release: - Fixes an issue where notebook boot-up is slow when booting from an external USB diskette (floppy) drive. - Fixes an issue where the notebook stops responding (locks up) and the display panel is blank when booting with the notebook in a docking station. This issue ONLY occurs on notebooks that are running a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System.- Improves hard drive performance for notebooks running IDE mode. This enhancement ONLY applies to notebooks that are running a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System.

Version: F.01 Rev.
Fixed in this release: - Provides the initial BIOS release for the supported notebook models.  

I haven't found one that has had batteries that last... The machine's design is just too power hungry, making the battery cells overheat and die young. It should have come with at least a 12 cell power pack if it was meant to work unplugged.