Couple Questions, RE: HP DV7-3178CA

[FanIn80]

Hey, so I bought an HP laptop on the weekend...

(specs: http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...92&catid=25254)

1. The screen is incredibly washed-out. Like everything looks dull and faded. Any idea where I can get a decent colour profile... and how I would even intsall it in Win7?

2. Also, this laptop has a second HD bay, but I need to get a hard drive caddy first. Apparently, HP supplies them but I don't see it on their site anywhere. Does anyone know of a place I can get one from (local or online), besides eBay?

Thanks.

[Cliche]

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/.../t-651014.html

No snarky Let me google that for you either.

Also you could try exploring the various control panel options when you type in Colour/Color into the start menu search.

[FanIn80]

I don't get it... are you saying that I can just use the same colour profile that a mac uses? I always thought it had to be calibrated to the display it's being used for.

I found the colour management thing after I posted this, but asking about that was really just an afterthought.

Btw, I'm on the phone with HP right now, asking about the hard drive bracket. Man oh man, am I ever a fan of getting tech support from India...

[FanIn80]

OK, that rules. Thanks for pointing that out, I never realized I could use other profiles like that. I snagged one that someone posted for their 13" MBP and it's so much nicer.

[burnin_vernon]

Are you happy with this laptop so far? It looks like it has everything I want but I was wondering if there were other comparable models you were considering.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

Are you happy with this laptop so far? It looks like it has everything I want but I was wondering if there were other comparable models you were considering.

Hey good question. I was going to bump this thread...

I'm returning this laptop and going with a Dell instead. For only $50 more, I've ordered the new Dell Studio 17 laptop.

System Color:
Black Chainlink

Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)

Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English

LCD Panel:
17.3” HD+ (900p) Bright LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera

Memory:
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz

Hard Drive:
1TB (2 x 500GB) Dual SATA Hard Drive (7200rpm)

Video Card:
1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650

Combo or DVD+RW Drive:
8X Slot Load CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive

Battery:
85 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)

Wireless Networking Cards:
Dell Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-card

Bluetooth Option:
Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Internal (2.1)

Sound Card:
High Definition Audio 2.0

Base:
Studio 17 Laptop

Keyboard:
Back-lit Keyboard

Backlit keyboard, double the HD space (1TB) and a better graphics card... for $50 more. Plus it's a Dell instead of an HP...

When I bought this HP I'm using right now, I took it home and wiped the hard drive before installing Win 7 Pro 64bit. Everything went fine with the Windows install, but the 64bit Win 7 drivers I downloaded from HP for this laptop wouldn't install. I called them and they tried to tell me that "drivers made for Win 7 Home Premium will not work for Win 7 Pro." It was one of the most ######ed conversations I've had in a long time.

Anyway, I argued with them for about half and hour before finally hanging up in disgust. Then I grabbed a 4GB USB thumb drive, and went back to Best Buy. I stuck it in the demo model that was on display and then copied over the Driver folder from the root of the C drive. I went home, stuck it in my laptop, installed the drivers and I was good to go. Since I'm used to dealing with Apple support, this whole thing with HP really pissed me off... I stewed on it for a couple days, and then went to Dell's site on the weekend. That's when I found their laptop and I ordered it right away.

My personal recommendation to you is to do the same. Take a look here: http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/...kc=studio-1747 (you'll have to configure it yourself for the 1TB drive and the backlit keyboard though).

[burnin_vernon]

Yes, that is a much better buy. After seeing that I checked Costco as I would like to buy it from them for their 2 year warranty. Theirs, however, wasn't the 1TBHDD and I'm not sure if it is backlit.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10328849&whse=BCCA&Ne=5000001+ 4000000&eCat=BCCA|84|22494&N=4009835%204294966474& Mo=13&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ns=P_Price|1||P_S ignDesc1〈=en-CA&Sp=C&topnav=

[FanIn80]

Yeah I checked Costco too. You have to order it online only (from Costco.ca), and it's just the base model. The 1TB HD and backlot keyboard are Dell-only customizations. The 1TB HD is free btw.

Sucks though. I really like Costco's free 2 year warranty.