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HP PAVILION ZD8000 CHECKERED DISPLAY PROBLEM
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AfterDawn Addict
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10. September 2007 @ 13:05 |
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Originally posted by thanki:
ZD8181ea -
Laptop has run like a dream but what always worried me was the heat it generated.
Three fans which seem to be constantly on when no apps were running is a design flaw!!!
I can't believe I spent 1300 pounds on something that now after 2 years has vertical lines (currently 5 of them)
I am from surrey in the UK, pls help with suggestions
Read this thread. Not much for hope in it.
Life is good!
GrandpaBruce - Vietnam Vet - 1970 - 1971
Computer: Intel Core i7-920 Nehalim;Asus P6T Deluxe V2
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bryntowns
Newbie
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10. September 2007 @ 14:11 |
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Hi, I made a stink with the High Street company I bought it from and just received a cheque to have it repaired.
A dicky screen after a mere 14 months having paid £1200 for what promised to be a robust machine, is outrageous.
Don't waste your time with Hewlett Packard - they don't even reply to your emails about this any more.
I have some sixty or seventy lines now - like looking through a blind when I work on my machine - a clear problem with the design of this model and yes, it runs HOT.
I think the only hope we may all have is for someones machine to overheat to such an extent it bursts into flames and we can then report the zd8000 as a fire hazard to the relevant authorities and it will be recalled.
The other alternative I have considered is starting a website called www.hp_sucks.com and letting disgruntled HP users post there, making sure the site uses the same keywords as HP so I can get it to a 'toppish' ranking when people search for HP.
In summary, try to get the store you bought it from to stand by their product - I did and it worked for me; and in the future, avoid all HP products and actively discourage others from even considering them - I am doing this in the business circles I move in and have already cost them a bundle - VERY satisfying!
There is no doubt that the few bucks (to them) it would have cost to fix my machine will continue to cost them dearly as I continue my campaign - innumerable customers lost to HP as a result of ignoring this dissatisfied one.
Good luck - don't take any sh*t!
Regards,
Bryn
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Moderator
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10. September 2007 @ 14:27 |
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i've been following this thread from the start, unfortunately i can't add anything of use though, i've been following it as my main machine is my HP Pavilion ZE2000 which i think is a couple years old now and in constant use (anyone that knows me round here knows that constant is an understatement). Anyway, thankfully my laptop is still perfect though i'm here following this (and i think this problem does only affect the ZD8000) just in case..
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 10. September 2007 @ 14:28
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. September 2007 @ 04:41 |
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As somebody who uses an HP laptop with no faults whatsoever after 2 years, that seems a little harsh. All companies make lemon models from time to time. Did it only carry a one year warranty? If so, you may be able to find a laptop repair specialist to fix the problem, but it won't be cheap.
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bryntowns
Newbie
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11. September 2007 @ 05:27 |
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Hi - no quibbles from me there - just they have recalled the ZD7000 which went up in smoke and should be doing the same with this.
The reason for my 'bad attitude' towards HP is their complete indifference to the problem.
A quick search on the net will reveal a litany of complaints (on various blogs) about the ZD8000. An investigation into the HP website will reveal they are not accepting any more postings about this model - because most of those there are derogatory and complaints!
As a small business owner myself in the manufacturing sector, I find it unacceptable that HP, with all its billions, are not prepared to stand by a product with an obvious design defect - a product priced at the upper end of the market and which in many instances just sneaks through the 1 year warranty period thus conveniently allowing them to abdicate responsibility for the repair thereof - disgraceful.
For those of you wanting to throw good money after bad, you can get your screen replaced for £267 including VAT and collection here : http://h41111.www4.hp.com/oow/uk/en/inde...=ntb&prod=U3260
For those prepared to risk the repair themselves, the screen is available for about £150 including P&P off of Ebay.
For me, I expect an item purchased from a (seemingly) reputable company, for which I invested £1200's worth of my hard-earned money, to last longer than the 12 month warranty period + 1 month - period.
As long as we consumers are happy to put up with crappy after-sales service and support, we will get it.
I can assure you I have cost HP a LOT more than the cost of this repair in lost revenue and reputation. A calculated and deliberate act of revenge and yes, very gratifying.
Stand up for your rights!
Regards,
Bryn
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. September 2007 @ 06:13 |
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It's true of a lot of big companies, HP isn't a well managed company in my mind, and that's proof of it. Unfortunately you just have to expect that these days. I have to do a LOT of research before I buy anything these days, and I never buy a product that's brand new on the market. I didn't research my current motherboard enough and I paid the price for it, my original choice was far better.
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bryntowns
Newbie
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11. September 2007 @ 06:27 |
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Yup - research has become my watchword as well irrespective of size of company, advertising spend and supposed reputation.
There are several sites where reviews can be found - I shall be making a lot more use of them in future.
Regards,
Bryn
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AfterDawn Addict
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11. September 2007 @ 09:09 |
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Indeed, Tom's Hardware Guide and 3DGameMan are good places to look.
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robbelljr
Newbie
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13. September 2007 @ 10:47 |
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A potential (at least temporary) work around:
My ZD8000 began showing a thin line down the right center. At the same time or shortly thereafter artifacts began to appear on the screen, some of which seemed to be related to mouse movements. On occasion the entire screen would pixelate into small horizontal strips or go completely blank, the only way out of which was to force a shut down by holding down the power key.
Anyway, similar problems to those reported here... which eventually became alarmingly more frequent. I decided to try disabling the video adapter entirely. I accomplished that by right clicking on the desktop (XP), choosing Properties, then Settings, then the Advanced Button. Then selected the Adapter tab and clicked on the Properties button. Down at the bottom there is an option to disable the adapter. I did so which required a reboot.
Upon reboot the vertical line was still present but the artifacts were gone. The screen resolution defaulted to 800x600 but I found I was able to successfully change it to 1024x768. At that setting the wide screen causes some stretching but is very usable. So far the horizontal pixelation and/or screen blanking has not re-occurred.
Note: I was lucky to be able to disable the adapter quickly before the screen went haywire on me. I had planned to try booting in Safe Mode to accomplish the same if I couldn't get it done in time. That's what you can try if your screen has become completely unusable.
I hope this helps!
Rob
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AfterDawn Addict
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13. September 2007 @ 12:19 |
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Hmm, that'd be a fault of the graphics card then, not the screen.
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bryntowns
Newbie
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13. September 2007 @ 12:26 |
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Unfortunately my experience was a single line for a few days followed by a sudden almost daily increase to the mess it is currently (60, 70, 80 lines?). This over a period of about 2 and a half months.
No choice now but to send it in as it is becoming increasingly difficult to literally 'read between the lines'!
It sounds like the graphics card is shot as well - a not uncommon combination of problems my Blog research has revealed.
Interestingly I have also seen postings where ZD8000 owners have had 2 or 3 full mother-board replacements in the first 6 to 9 months, and others with the same number of graphics card and screen replacements over the same duration. Not good.
Regards,
Bryn
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AfterDawn Addict
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13. September 2007 @ 15:28 |
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Understatement alert! lol
that is pretty terrible. Usually when you're in that position you can demand hp give you a different model.
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fords42
Newbie
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1. February 2008 @ 21:12 |
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You know, despite being at my wits' end with the problems I've had with my ZD8301ea it seems that I'm not alone with the problem of overheating!
I've decided to contact Watchdog (BBC consumer programme) about HP and their shoddy "aftercare". At first I thought my power supply was faulty when my laptop kept cutting out so I bought a universal one (which won't work cos you can't use non-HP power supplies), so after a little investigation which included downloading a little program that determines the core temperatures etc and talking to a friend of mine who used to work for Agilent (an HP company) we deduced that the laptop is overheating. The good thing is that although the Pentium 4 isn't really built for laptop use, when it gets too hot it simply shuts down. An AMD chip would simply blow up, as most of us know! HP customer service weren't interested as the laptop was out of warranty which is frankly disgusting.
I'd also like to say thank you to the people in this thread who have posted a lot of useful links etc. It's helped me discover the design flaw of these laptops and I can use this stuff as ammunition *grins evilly*
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bryntowns
Newbie
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2. February 2008 @ 03:52 |
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Hi again - long time no post.
I resolved my screen issue as follows: I bought a screen from an Ebay vendor 'SmartMicro' (laptopservicecenter) for £120 including shipping from the USA and installed it myself - not difficult at all, just be methodical and keep the little bits safe as there are quite a few small screws to be removed. I am sure you could get it installed for a few quid if you don't want to do it yourself.
There is a UK vendor on Ebay offering some photos of the screen replacement procedure - print it off as it is useful although not strictly accurate.
I have also invested £10 in a 'cooling platform' off Ebay - quite snazzy with its blue lcd's and making a HUGE difference to the overall temperature of the laptop.
The underneath of my laptop used to get blistering hot - it now barely even gets warm - a vast improvement.
The middle fan also conveniently sits under the cooling grid over the memory module so there is a constant stream of air being blown into the body of the laptop as well. I am hoping this additional cooling will preserve the life of my new screen - only time will tell I guess.
So I managed to replace the screen and improve the cooling for £130.00 - cheaper than a new laptop and half the price of an HP repair which wouldn't have included the cooling station.
With the money I saved I upgraded the memory to 2GB which has resulted in a very nice performance improvement.
I must say I was sorely tempted to buy something else but am glad I didn't. Despite how I will NEVER buy HP again, for the money I spent on the repair, I am hoping to get another 18 months or so out of my zd8000 as I will then feel it has done its time for the money I have invested in total.
Regards,
Bryn
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fords42
Newbie
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2. February 2008 @ 07:48 |
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I upgraded my memory to 1GB a year ago and other than improved performance it didn't really do much for the temperature. I've only just heard of cooling platforms after investigating the laptop's overheating, I must admit! They sound like a good idea though and if it means I can buy more time with my laptop til I can afford another one then so be it :)
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02specv
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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16. March 2008 @ 22:18 |
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my ZV6233nr developed the same problem, started as a vertical blue line on the left side of the screen. then turned into an intermittent garbled mess.sometimes the machine locks when starting up because of the display problem. but like i said it does it most, but not all of the time. ive taken the monitor apart and re-seated the connector, ive taken the top of the keyboard off and reseated the connector to the motherboard. it drives me crazy because the machine is great otherwise! i tried HP's online support and after an hour chatting she figured out the comp was out of warranty! the comp is 2 years old. i notice all the complaint was the ZD series, but has anyone with ZV's had this problem? and i guess that the motherboard is the culprit? any advice would be awesome.
thanks
CT
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AfterDawn Addict
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16. March 2008 @ 22:22 |
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Garbled mess on the screen suggests faulty graphics card more than faulty display, but it depends on the pattern. It wouldn't surprise me if it is indeed related to this issue.
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02specv
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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16. March 2008 @ 22:41 |
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it looks like a waterfall almost, not a very technical way of describing. but hey! sometimes if you fold the monitor or swing it back and forth as it starts you can fix it. but not always.
CT
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steve_ed
Newbie
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16. March 2008 @ 22:53 |
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I just received my zd8000 back from HP after a third annual main board replacement. Always the same problem--video checkerboard display eventually going all white or black. I've argued with HP every year that they have not lived up to the warranty agreement. In other words, they have not repaired my system. I maintain that they have merely replaced a flawed main board with another flawed main board and that the same problem will reoccur in 10-12 months as it has for 3 years now. The HP case manager said, and I quote, "If you received the system back from repairs in working order then HP has met its obligation." He also said that 10-12 months of functionality is adequate as far as HP is concerned. I told him goodbye. I just ordered a Lenovo T61. I'm done with this. Best of luck to you all.
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Moderator
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17. March 2008 @ 03:51 |
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You should send them a copy of this thread; i'm sat here using my trusty 3yr old ZE2000, (touch wood) it's been virtually faultless since day one, sure glad i didn't buy a ZD8000...
Main PC ~ Intel C2Q Q6600 (G0 Stepping)/Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3/2GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500/Zalman CNPS9700/Antec 900/Corsair HX 620W
Network ~ DD-WRT ~ 2node WDS-WPA2/AES ~ Buffalo WHR-G54S. 3node WPA2/AES ~ WRT54GS v6 (inc. WEP BSSID), WRT54G v2, WRT54G2 v1. *** Forum Rules ***
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thanki
Newbie
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17. March 2008 @ 09:29 |
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If there's a problem with the video card then why when I plug in an external monitor it looks perfect.
I currently have 40 lines and a massive chunk of the screen is black.
Still use the machine to host virtual machines and only connect to it via remote desktop.
This is an LCD problem because the heat generated from the unit has nowhere to escape except the keyboard. Keep that lid closed when its left on and your doomed.
Thats my theory!
I was sucked in by the idea of replacing my desktop and now i'm feeling completely shafted.
sorry to rant but i am really anoyed
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bryntowns
Newbie
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17. March 2008 @ 09:46 |
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It's not the graphics card if the external monitor works - it's definitely the screen.
Have a look back at my earlier posting - you can buy and fit a screen yourself and get a cooling station - both affordable and you will probably get another year to 18 months out of the laptop (hopefully more if the cooling station does its job properly).
I am also wondering whether fords42 had any luck with BBC Watchdog?
Regards,
Bryn
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. March 2008 @ 09:55 |
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Agreed, the pattern only usually exists on the screen if there's a fault with either, but if the graphics card's faulty it won't power up an external monitor at all.
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02specv
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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17. March 2008 @ 22:08 |
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i checked the device manager and it said the video card was fine, but i guess thats not a foolproof way of doing it. still pisses me off though.
i actually bought a Toshiba satellite on sale because i was worried that the HP would die at any time.
CT
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AfterDawn Addict
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17. March 2008 @ 22:16 |
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Nah I too think it's the screen, but that box can only really tell you if there's a problem with the drivers. Hardware faults will never register on it.
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