HP Pavilion ZD7000 Notebook Review
HP Pavilion ZD7000 Notebook
HP Pavilion zd7000 series notebooks are optimised for desktop performance and speed in a sophisticated design. The
HP Pavilion zd7000 is loaded with features for rich multimedia. It includes a 5-in-1 digital media card reader for wirelessly transferring files from other devices and standards to your notebook. You get HP Image Zone for organizing, editing, sharing, printing, protecting, and storing photos and video clips.
The zd7000 notebook PCs feature NVIDIA GeForce 4 440 Go and GeForce FX Go 5600 GPU with 8X AGP (up to 128MB dedicated video memory) for high-performance graphics and special effects.
Theres plenty of scope for memory expansion, all pavilions can accomodate 2GB or RAM.
The zd7000 supports the most frequently used ports, some that are often ommitted in more expensive notebooks: four for USB 2.0, one for FireWire (IEEE 1394), one for FIR (Fast Infrared), and one for S-Video TV out, plus you get a 5-in-1 digital media card reader.
The new Pavilion notebooks are obviosly aimed at the consumer market range from £699 to £1,699 and are based on P4 chips and 64MB graphics cards from ATI or, at the top end, 128MB cards from NVIDIA. They could also be considered by anyone starting a business on a tight budget.
Your Comments/Opinions
Well, mine's a beauty, but other people hang on! The ZD 8000 is equipped with PCI express and further graphics enhancements. Jasper
I`ve owned mine for about a year and it has already died twice!! once it was the secreen, and a second time it was the hard drive.
Each time I hear about this machine I learn of other people having trouble with it.
I suggest that we get together and claim for a replacement at least!!!
ignaciogda@gmail.com Ignacio
I WOULD LIKE TO ORDER ANOTHER OWNERS MANUAL I CAN NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO BURN A CD NO READ ME FILE I WOULD NOT BUY ANOTHER ZD7000 COMPUTER I HAVE HAD IT REPAIRED 3 TIMES NOW. MY E-MAIL IS
acampbell4@verizon.net archie_l_campbell
I too must say that after three repairs on the proble, I will be purchasing an Apple 17" notebook. See ya, HP! scott_webb
I too had to send my zd 7000 back for repairs three times within the last year???? I will never buy another HP product again. But without ranting too much I must say that HP failed in creating a desktop replacement notebook computer. The zd 7000 overheats, has an non-existant battery life, and is very heavy. And no I do not work for a rival company. Zu
Never buy an hp zd 7000. I have a zd 7000 notebook and I have sent it for repair 3 times in less than one year. I know several people who sent this laptop several times fo repair. There is a serious defect in this model. Think twice before buying a zd 7000. mack
On a serious note...if you are like me and have had problems with your zd7000 let's get the word out-LOUD and CLEAR. We deserve a full recall of the zd7000 and a refund (or at least replacement). Maybe a little bad publicity would go a long way....blog, podcast, chat this issue up. aukabam@gmail.com...send me your story. Zu
I am getting ready to send my zd 7000 back for a fourth time. I have had it for 9 months. I am going to try for a replacement. david
I'm now sending in my zd7000 for the fourth time, this time because the hard drive crashed. Before that it was the screen itself, then the video card, then the mother board. I'm going to ask for a new computer. Brian
I buy my ZD 7000 about 12 months ago. After 9 months my laptop power jack start smell really bad and after 2 days laptop dosent work (burn inside) they change some stuff inside probably only a/c inside . after one week and 3 days they send me back. After 4 days LCD /Dosent work at all and i send back to the factory they upgrade me mother board but i have problems with my graphic card ( frozen on games B&W 2 and Battlefield 2 i was playing before and it work perfectly). I download new graphic car software from hp old new and it still this same maybe someone know how to fix it??? Help
Shemek
just bought hp zd 7000.
the above comments are extremely discouraging.
what is your advice.
my email is pnachongali@yahoo.com nyongesa
I've gone through the trouble with HP and the zd7000 as well. 4 video failures. What I've learned is that there are very strict Lemon Laws in California for comsumer goods, including computers, so after 2-3 repairs on the zd7000, cite the Lemon Laws and get a replacement. Also, the replacement must be substantially identical. A replacement is on it's way to me now. wolfe
Hmm, I have had mine for 2 years, its heavy and non-existent battery life but thats no secret. But it hasn't died or gone bad. Works fantastic as a desktop replacement(beats every other desktop my friends have), sucks as a laptop. Neeraj Korde
I had my zd7000 for about a year. I had my screen go dead after 3 months. Then my HD started going and crashed 2 times. Then i called them and told the technician that i demand a new laptop. Well the 1-800-invent refused. The next day i got a call from teh corperate head office, and they said they woudl send me a faster and better laptop. So they sent me a new one. :) Better graphics card, double the HD from 40 Gb to 80 Gb. dr_k
HP puts out the best prdouct on the market, and they stand behind it.
I have my ZD 7000 for 2 years and NO trouble with it at all.
If you over load and abuse any machine with out maintance it will crash.
As a wireless is picks up fine over 1300 feet. Pat F
"HP puts out the best product on the market, and they stand behind it" when the customers are yelling at them for their poor quality ZD7000. The fact is that the ZD7000 has a faulty video card with no updates for it. The video card has no support from neither nVidia nor HP and asking for an updated driver from a support rep will result in you getting an older driver. There is no "overloading" a machine when you simply want to play a game and "abuse" would probably be using it to download, work on projects, write documents, and other "abusive" uses. I used the ZD 7000 with no problems until the 5-7 month and as it approaches a year old, I got the extended warranty. To my luck it breaks down again and they are not accepting my warranty just yet. I'm going to get them back with all my fury soon. More info when it comes about. Hopefully I'll get a ZD8000. Golin
'I have had my 7260us just over a year…in time for the warranty to expire and the RW drive gave out. I found another drive on the Internet for $120.00 and installed it myself. That was simple, as the warranty was void either way. I upgraded the RAM to two 512’s. Since that moment, the 7260us needs to be booted up, then shut down and rebooted, in order for the screen to work. The HP helpdesk stated that the RAM I put in there was too high for the system, however, the book shows 2 – 1 gig’s can be used. I have had it with HP and am not sure what to do. Any advise or HP bigwigs that can put the hammer down on these $2400 systems that have a user fee every 6 months with something going wrong? Either way, HP is on my “Live and Learn” list.' deric
'Had it 13 months returned it for new dvd burner and now the video card is shot. As it is part of the MB you can forget about it getting fixed. tHE 1 YEAR WARRENTY is over and they want $ just to talk to me.' pavilian_zd7260us_
'Mine just gets very hot, then the fan gets noisier and it switches off, I find if you lift it off any surface more it does not get so hot.
Just the heat bothers me !' andy
'As an add on to my previous post, the laptop was supposed to be back from the repair center today (I even called two days ago and confirmed). Guess What? It never showed! I called and they said that they have a backlog of this model to repair and ran out of the parts. They offered to replace the 5700 board with a 5600. I told them that they have some nerve to offer downgrading my computer when it is their bad design that caused the failure. Now I am waiting for a case worker to call me.
I am so angry for having spent so much money to get both a lousy laptop and lousy service.' robin
'i have had three hp laptops, the first i think was a ze 5602ea this was repaired X2 in the first year at hp's cost v quick the first time - back within a wk the 2nd time it took about 3 wks. it eventually blew up about a wk aftr i sold it causing me much embarrassment as i knew the person i sold it too ! hp could not be faulted in their service to me but wouldn't honour the g'tee to the buyer.i dont know how this was resolved as i lost touch with the buyer.call me cynicle but i always write sold as seen on reciepts when i sell my own second hand gear!
the second bought with the £s from the sale of the first + £x was bought the next day and was a zv 5255 amd 64 £1000 was great but needed to be returned twice the 1st time it was back in a week the 2nd (i cant remember what all these faults were buy the way) it never reappeared !! they took until january (lost in early dec) to admit it was lost and after quite a few phone calls i got put onto a very nice french based lady who initially in the scheme of things offered me some piece of crap £695 dvxxxx and then after a rant a zd 7377- supplied by dabs within a day once i faxed over the confirmation i alo got a free bag total value £1300 ! result !! especially when the current equivalent of the zv5255 was £750 on the day i got my zd 7377 in mid feb 05.its bin back once since for a mboard i phoned the head office first and had a bit of rant at some manager and started asking for the md!! he said he would personally ensure its speedy return and i guess he did.left on a monday and was back fri morning !! that was june 05 and its now just out of g'tee but touchwood ok (dare i say great guns after what i have just read ??)
i am real sorry to hear about everyone elses problems but i have to say this about hp they have always fixed at their cost when bought new yes all of my laptops have broke a rare 100% hitrate maybe ? but they are usually back quickly and fixed and when hp really fubr, they do with a bit of a rant (always be polite but firm and make clear with each and every soul thats its not personal even if it so blatantly is- i used to work in retail so i know my rights -know yours !!) deliver the goods
now anyone interested in a just out of g'tee zd 7377 ??' d3nni5
'Hi,
My notebook went out twice under HP's warranty, and one time under the extended warranty.
It is out again and I am tired of sending this jewel back .
Is there a lemon law? I own a Hp desktop and don't seem to have any problems with it
P.S. Should have bought a Dell or really stepped up in class and purchased an Apple' carl_burris
'I own a zd8000 laptop and haven't experienced the first problem with it. Tell them to upgrade your 7000 to an 8000 it would be cheaper on them than the continued service problems' jack
'I have had my ZD7000 for about 20 months. the first 18 months everything worked great. Now in the last three months the motherboard or video has went out three times. this times it has been the shop for three weeks, and HP has not even called to let me know why it has not been repaired and returned. I will never buy HP again. Go DELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' james
'My zd7000 has had to have its system board replaced 5 times now in a little over a year. Every time I call I have to struggle through heavy Hindi accents until I can get transferred and then wait while they repair my computer. I get to use the computer lab at college to do everything every time this happens. I'm fed up.' raven
'I have had my zd7000 since March of 2004. I have had the screen failure 4 times now. After the third time HP said they would replace the whole laptop if it happened again. Well guess what the fourth time just happened and they won't replace it. Liars! But the good news is that they are fixing it for free. Although they tried to put an FX5600 graphics card in it instead of the FX5700. Nice try cheap bast^$#s.
I am going to try to only run it while it is sitting on a cooling pad from now on. The design flaws make it run way too hot. Three of the four times it went down we were just browsing websites not even playing games. My reccomendation is to either not play games or get a cooling pad and an extended warranty. I am game for a class action lawsuit, anyone else??' riley
'I am having the same problems. The screen went blank right before the initial one year warranty was up, it went in for repairs (after many hours spent dealing with horrible HP tech support) and I extended the warranty just in case. Well sure enough, two months after they replaced the motherboard, the screen went blank again. It is going in for repairs tomorrow, I will give them one more shot on the video before I start citing Lemon Law.
' robin
'Junk look eleswhere unless u got time to waste and money to burn.
' joe
'I came across this post today because I just got my zd7380us back from repairs for the THIRD time. Each time it messed up I begin to have problems booting the machine and overheating. Eventually the machine will not turn on at all. Everytime I've sent it in the motherboard is replaced and the hard drive is re-imaged. I am guessing it is only a matter of months before this problem occurs again. When this happens I am going to refer to the comments on this post and tell HP I demand another laptop. In reference to a previous post I do not do anything out of the ordinary to this machine and it is well taken care of. For $3000 I should be able to play any video game I want and not have to worried about the board overheating and failing after three months.' corey
'I was going to purchase the 7000, you can bet I won't now after all the negatives I've read. Thanks all you people for voicing your opinions, Maybe if manufactures and their retailers read this once in ahile, we the consumers might get quality product. But I doubt it.' greg
'I work in the IT department for a company that has two ZD7000 laptops and about a hundred brands and models of other laptops.
Both of the ZD7000s have had serious issues. The power plug interface on the motherboard broke on the first one, just like many of the others I have read about here and other websites. The second one has had two hardrives go bad and now crashes frequently. From the looks of what is being talked about on this forum and others, this is related to a major heat issue with the laptop. I have tried swapping out RAM to see if that would remedy the situation, but it has not. Of course, this product only came with a one year warranty, which it is now past. I was able to get the first hardrive replaced just under the deadline though... the drive expired ONE DAY before the warranty. Usually, it's the other way around.
We used to reccomend Compaq laptops due to their ruggedness, but after the merger and consequent HP branding of laptops, we have been very dissatisfied with them.
We see a lot of laptops here, just about every kind really because our execs like to pick their own regardless of what we reccomend. The percentage of failures with our HP laptops compared to any other brand is signifigantly higher.
Sony makes a good laptop (hopefully they don't have rootkits pre-installed!!), and I have been reasonably happy with IBMs, Toshibas, and Apples. I am also an ASUS fan (the makers of the best motherboard ever made!) and would also hope to give their laptops a shot as I am really happy with all their other products.
I hope this helps out!' chris
'My HP Pavilion ZD7260us has died.. AGAIN.
There is a defect related to the NVIDIA graphics chip / motherboard.. from what I have read, this problem relates to overheating.
I have sent my laptop back to HP - and am paying one last time the $320.00 fee to have it repaired.
After this, I will be contacting a California law firm about joining a class action suit against HP. I have informed HP of this.
Here is a link to the law firm's website:
http://www.classcounsel.com/news/hp.html
As you notice, HP has discontinued the entire 7000/8000 product line. They are aware of the defect yet force people to pay for repairs (if your laptop is out of warranty).
Johnathan
' johnathan_
'I didn't realise that this was such a widespread problem. My Zd7377 has now crashed for the third time in fourteen months with the same graphics problem. I have had no written response from HP to my complaint, and after finally getting some functionality I'm joining the forum. Its discouraging to hear just how poor HP's customer service actually is! I would strongly advise anyone against purchasing ANY HP product and my company is now in the proces of negotiating with DELL.' andy_s
'We purchased the zd7020 in December of 2004 with an extended warranty. We kept having problems with it overheating and turning off but got no where with HP. One day while using the computer we heard several horrible explosions. The screen busted from the overheating. HP will not repair it because it happened 1 month after the year's manufactures warranty. Circuit City would not replace it because the extended warranty does not cover screens. HP offered to fix the screen for us for $1300. NO WAY! We purchased and new laptop. Gateway this time. No complainsts!' charity
'Mine still gets very hot and I just jack the rear of it up with a strip of wood, it seems to cool better.
They do cooling stations but none fit the 17" laptop.
I'll never get another HP !
' andy_walsh
Wow, I am glad I found this thread... I had my zd7000 for about 20 months or so before it quit. The video card fried and the screen freaked out with really really weird distortion any time I ran anything that used video acceleration. Soon, the distortion showed up constantly from bootup, until finally it wouldn't boot up at all. I tried everything I could to fix it, until I finally called HP and was told it would be over $700 for a repair. I did some more research and realized that I need an entirely new system board (motherboard) which I can get for $400-750 myself, depending on what graphics card I want with it. I wasn't sure if I should do that, or sell the whole thing on eBay for whatever I can get and put that towards a new system. After reading everyone's experience with multiple failures, I am not going to keep this thing any longer! I do have to say however that while it worked, the zd7000 served me well for high-performance gaming, video-editing, and dvd-burning. It was a great power system and mobile desktop, better than most desktops I know. It is just too bad it isn't as reliable or fixable as a desktop! Not worth the hassle and expense, as far as I am concerned. Now to figure out if I should go with the zd8000 or just screw it and get a desktop. Thank you all for sharing your accounts, as I'm sure it saved me many further frustrations! Mark C.
I'm afraid to write in case I jinx myself.... I've had my zd7360 for almost 2 years now, and not a single problem....except now the power adapter is getting very hot. I thought it may be hot enough to catch on fire. I went searching to see if there has been a safety recall and found this. I can only hope I have one of the unusual laptops that really works with no problems in the future. Spent butt loads of money on this, so it had better last a bit longer. My household has had good luck with HP/Compaq products - 2 Compaq desktops from 1998(still have and still work great), 1 Compaq laptop that is 5 years old, and 2 HP laptops almost 2 years old. Hope my lucky streak will last. Good luck to the rest of ya'll. Deb
for those suffering from the the overheat -> switch off problem: raise the machine up by putting a couple of magazines under to make sure those fans are exposed. I know, not what you would expect from a 'higer end' laptop, but what can you do when you have passed the crossroads. Apart from that, she seems to be working fine Mad Frankie
I have the HP7260us - all of the same problems -- my motherboard blew twice. First time under warranty the second one a month after warranty. I wrote them a letter and the fix it for me for the $100.00. I think it is in the cord. I have a short in my plug. I have had it fixed once because it broke off. Now I have a short in my plug. I have to plug in my computer -- then plug the cord into wall socket. And it still spark. I am afraid that it is going to blow the mother board again. I am looking for a new plug. I am ready to give up and buy me a new non-hp computer. carolyn jamieson
I bought my zd7000 in dec 04. Took it to Iraq and even with blowen tons of sand out of it with a compressor(cans didn't really work) it still rocked. Games, photoshop some 3d apps. Hit a snag when a spike blew my lan card and media buttons. used a pc card to get on the net. After about a year and some change sent it in and they fixed it changed the motherboard, hard drive, lan card and new keyboard. Two weeks after I got it back it started having probs booting. Long time to boot but did. It is on it's way back from repairs. Performance rocks. Display is killer for games and graphics work. Through the hell it went through it has worked and performs. For it overheating. It is a desktop replacement notebook not a little "laptop". Performance rocks. Can't really complain. They do sell different options to raise it or tilt it off a desk to help with airflow. Don't think chillpads will work seein as 1 of the 2 fans is an air intake. Pads extract the hot air. Anyway I am about to renew my warranty/ accidental coverage and if it should fail it will go again. But on my way back to the sand and that's my little buddy that'l be hagin with me. I would buy another hp notebook. I have had a good experience. As for desktop. Still want an alienware. Carlos
I have a zd7377 and the screen has just failed. I can just make out the icons, but only just as if the back light has failed. HP UK have just said that it will cost approx £300 to repair, well that's probably what a two and a half year old zd7000 series is worth. The real joke was that they said that they were unaware of any issue with screen failures on the zd7377. i.e no alerts! Ashley
Same problem here, computer gets so hot that I have to put it on a really high box so that the fans are sufficiently exposed. If I want to play a video game on it I have to put a friggin ventilator next to the laptop, can you imagine that?? All of that from a maching that cost so much money - ridiculous, I'm just waiting for the first piece of hardware to melt due to the overheating issue. This laptop really has a huge design flaw and I wish I would have known this before purchasing. sov
I purchased a zd7000, 18 months ago, with the standard one year warranty, surprise surprise 2 weeks after the warranty ran out the laptop would not boot, displaying no graphics, the only way to get the screen on is to leave it turned on for 10mins, then turn it off and straight back on, I have developed a single pink line in the middle of the display. I contacted HP who said they are not aware of any faults like this. I have e-mailed watchdog (uk) so they can get the word out to others not to buy HP, and see if they can get all us sufferers some reimbursement from HP, Lou
I have the zd7000 for over a year and not a single glitch, the battery life is short but I realized that this was a 'Desk-Top' replacement when I bought it. As far as the video, mine is excellent and am able to play most of the latest games at a good resolution. The processor and graphics card are power hounds. The machine does run hot, but any fool knows not to place it so that there is little air flow D.Bell
my mom bought me a HP zd7000 at costco , sure it was nice 17 inch screen 75 gs pentium 4 2-processors, the only problem is like hundreds of others i have read about on internet , you can't hardley get updates. I have had to send mine back 2 times and pay a local guy almost 200 dollars to fix it , I think its a shame when a billion dollar company puts out a computer on the market that cost just short of $2000 and wont stand behind it and after a year they wont even talk to you unless you give them a credit card number charging you a minimum of $100 dollars,YES I AM VERY UPSET WITH HP OVER THIS ONE ....DJ SPOKANE,WA D.J
I wish there was a ZERO rating for these worthess pieces of TRASH!
I service computers for a living. All HP's and their knockoff Compaqs, excepting for the old, bulletproof Vectra PCs, are nothing but Chinese junk - with no pun intended.
Next time, buy a Dell, Acer or even a (gag) Gateway. They're junk too, but generally cheaper, so you won't feel as bad when they inevitably take a giant dump on you. Matthias
just for the benefit of owners of the zd7000 these are other web links . if you know of more please post them here and lets connect and unite all owners of the zd7000 . lets send a clear message to hewlett packard .
http://zd7000forums.com/index.php
http://www.ihad.de/2006/02/26/hp-zd7000-woes/
http://www.planetfeedback.com/index.php?level2=blog_viewpost&topic_id=282991
the same problem is in europe .
redknight ireland redknight
I just picked up a Lian-Li notebook cooler stand from CrazyPC.com in Michigan. It is specifically designed for the zd7000 and fits like a glove. No question the machine is running much cooler now, and i have not heard the fans in high gear for the past 45 minutes since the setup. Do yourselves all a favor and buy this item from CrazyPC.com for 35 bucks and quit whining. BobMatt
HP 7020. Lost the hard drive after 18 months, runs hot, goes into hibernation at will. The service rep got me to take out the battery and hold the on/off switch for 10 seconds. Solved the static discharge hibernation problem for now. Can't wait for the next problem. dmac
14 mounths and $2600 later my zd7260 took a crap lines on screen only runs in safe mode. called hp they first tried to push a new lap top on me for $1049 ha i dont think so.next call oh we will fix that for free no charge ser but it will be a down grade i dont think so. 5 calls later waiting for superviser to call back well see. joe p
My zd 7000 has run Microsoft Flight Sim 2004 for no less than 1 hour a day for 2 years now, and I have it plugged into and running programs from the internet 10 hours a day. Never had a problem.
I also watch an occasional movie on it. I gotta assume this is a rare machine based on everyones comments.
And yes, "IT DO GET WARM". Randy
I have owned my ZD7000 since july of 2004 and already had the harddrive crash, the motherboard replaced, had to have the RAM replaced and experienced numberous problems due to overheating and being unable to get out of hibrenation mode. I am so sorry I bought this product. It should just be recalled. HP tells me you have to send it out for repair twice before they will even think of elevating your tech support case to a quality case manager. Apparently they don't care if I am going to make my next notebook a Dell. My old Dell is still running after 10 years!
After $2000 and loss of business due to downtime I've had it. Tweety
Hey they are computers; how else would these guys make money if the lasted forever. Anyhow had mine for two years and just did about everything with it; even some dj work and yes beer was spilt but nor harm ever came of it until this sunday. Boot but no screen. so i ram or vga funny the hdd led was on and i could hear a brief spin. Been playing halflife 2 on it and need for sped so it must have died at least then. I tried booting it 5 times until i just put in my windows cd and voila presto all is go. Donno for how much longer but at least i get to keep the cpu and build a little download machine with it.
PS It was a nice little handwarmer waiting for busses and trains in the english winter. and it has traveled the world with me. Keit
I've had a zd7377ea since Nov 04. a year ago something was burnt around the socket of the machine when I plugged in, paid 350€ to fix it/something. Now i get vertical lines on my screen - almost everyday a new one. I also feel a nasty electric tickling, coming from the metallic speaker screen, in my wrists when i work (it was always there, i just thought it was the wiring in my house...). so, tired of this machine... total waste of money. Aleksi
Hi I totally agree with all bad coments on the ZD7000 mines running so hot it switches off after few mins. and wont switch on for a good few hours sometimes a good 24hours before it lets me turn it back on. at times when i go online and try to play a game online its turns off then other times when trying to do a anti virus scan it goes off so fast. it doesnt like games or scans or anything. a very dissapointed user of this laptop.
any suggestions of help please feel free to email me at cardie2210@aol.com j n d
I've had my zd7377ea for 2 years and it is a great machine although it has always run hot. Recently I started to get vertical lines on the screen. By luck my brother read about the "known issue" with the over heating GPU and so I contacted HP on a premium rate phone line and nobody seemed to know anything about the problem until I quoted the "Goods and Services ACT" (UK) within 3 days my machine was picked up and, with no charge, I had it back within a week - new Mother Board and Panel and it is as good as new. Although I suspect it will do the same thing in two years time I have been told that a desktop stand, to allow better ventilation, will help prevent the problems caused by HP omitting a heat sink and fan on the GPU in preference of a more aesthetic case. Ben
Power supply connector crapped out. Docking station useless. Now back to HP for motherboard failure, or some other fatal stoppage. You definetly lost my future business HP, after being a long time customer. George
I own a HP ZD 7160us I had it for 2 years and it is the worst computer I've ever had. The HP customer service is completely unresponsive the power adaptor and power jack has broken twice. The power Jack is flimsy and placed on the side of the laptop (instead than on the back of the computer, which makes it quite breakable.
The fans have always been very noisy but now, after 2 years one of the fans actually broke down and it is making the loudest sounds.
Save yourself the hazzle and buy a Sony Vaio Toshiba or Dell there are far better machines. Millo Antola
i own a zd7255ea which as failed twice,the first time in warranty - gpu failure,the second time out of warranty - inverter/display failure. the cost of repair was 270 pounds (uk). hp vigourously deny there are any issues with this range,while at the same time quoting long repair shedules. it is obvious that demand is outpacing supply for replacement mainboards, and inverters for the wsxga screens. like many other posters,i have spent a lot of time and money on this laptop,i will not forgive hp if it's problems occur again. Richard H
another zd7000 here, 3.4 P4. (custom build_by_hpshopping)My graphics too took a dump. a smart buddie tweaked it back to an O.S. driver. that worked. didn't mind the safe mode thing one bit. then just today after a weird three day bout of what seemed to be power jack issues. i returned to the room where she sat and heard two little pops, looked over and saw the death smoke rolling up off the fried power jack. haven't even sent it in at all yet though i had it up to the send in confirmation number stage just before my buddy smacked that bitch up, a very smart coder friends' magic touch with the video issue, no you cant and have his number . in the last hour i've spotted three separate issues each containing forums and a long list of complaints like this one. O.S. disk partition class action lawsuit, graphics cards smoking left and right. and now just what took mine down today, the power jack. and oh yea one more i spotted, a hit and miss issue with the keyboard not reading keystrokes, i was cool with that one too before today, only because it was just as here and there as the rest of its issues. dammit, i loved that machine it kept me so warm this last washington winter. never a let down, i'd just find the smallest room, and in under an hour i'd start peeling of the layers. I nearly had to chuckle when she finally melted down today. knowing that nothing less than a complete replacement will be so much shinier jet
I've had my ZD7380US for 16 months before the video card completely crashed my laptop. I had it repaired at the HP Service Center for which HP charged me $460 since it was already out of warranty. My laptop came back after a week. According to the packing slip, they replaced the motherboard. Two weeks later, the same video problem crashed my laptop again. I sent back my unit for the 2nd repair but this time I didn't get it back until after about 10 weeks later. The laptop worked for about 4 HOURS before the very same video problem crashed my unit again. Again, they had replaced the motherboard, which was the main reason for the long delay. The motherboard was on back order since there are several more units with the same problem. I am sending my laptop back for the 3rd time for the very same video problem but I don't expect it to be the last.
I repeatedly asked HP for a replacement laptop but they repeatedly refused since they said my unit was already out of warranty and they could only continue to try repair it (unsuccessfully). HP did refund my original repair charges after I had complained on the 6th week that the repair delay was costing me considerable lost income. I’m not sure how long this has to go on before HP admits that it would be beneficial to both parties if they would just replace the defectively designed laptop with an equally configured unit. At least they would have kept a future customer.
If you want to view more complaints and comments about the ZD7000 series, check http://www.zd7000forums.com/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=ef1ec4267c3e7120bc9f1f4eb69a17be
Askal
I've had my laptop for 2 years now. It has been through a 5 month deployment on an aircraft carrier and other travels. I have done nothing to it but upgrade the RAM. True it does get hot but so has every other laptop I have used. The screen is huge which is great for movies and games which probably doesn't help. I've had no problems and feel that I definitely got my moneys worth. I will buy another HP when this one is too outdated. Mikereviews
I agree with the negative comments, sadly. I had my zd7000 for 13 months when the video screen died and never came back. After three repairs, Best Buy is now giving me a new computer. I have to say that I loved that machine when it worked. It was reliable...up until it died. Can anyone suggest a suitable replacement computer for my dead zd7000? PJ
I just found this forum and wanted to add my frustration with respect to the inferior DVD/CD combo drive. I bought the laptop in September 2005 as it was to be a portable "office" as I design custom homes and need a good computer to show my work.
I bought the HP7000 Pavillion from Best Buy and have had to take it in about two months after purchasing it due to the combo drive not writing to DVD +R media. Today, I tried the thing again, after a number of months of just using it casually, and the thing still does not recognize the DVD media. I've tried everything as far as checking drivers, attempting a firmware upgrade (with no luck), etc. etc.
I'm taking it back to Best Buy and am hoping they can repair it, or get me a different laptop. One thing is certain, I will never buy any more HP equipment ever again... Dave
i try to format this thing a zd 7000 keep shuting down in the middle of format even if power cords on same with games when trying to used them any help JR
Same story with my hp zd7258ea. First MB crash was perfectly handled under warranty. Now it has crashed again and I'm not shure if I want to spent that much money on a replacement without warranty...Very sad situation, I truly loved the performances, the huge display and the amazing onboard sound.
For those who still are eagerly awaiting there first crash: from time to time unscrew the cooling fans and remove the dust. as you will see once you have removed the fans, there are 3 metal tubes who join at one point: the processor. This area is no more than a square centimeter and was at one time completly closed off with dust parts.
email: Pieter-Jan.Sedeyn@telenet.be Pieter-Jan Sedeyn
I too have have a lot of trouble with this machine the hp pavilion zd7000, I would welcome clubbing together with other to demand a refund.
I had sent it back as the cable connection was fautly after 3 months, HP claimed that i had twisted the connection in the machine. While the machine was with HP they further claimed the screen had been damaged. I was/am under warranty, i feel the machine is flaky and the service for maintaining the machine in Germany is no different.
TS TS
I think I too can join the club of disgusted zd7000 owners. I bought my zd7255 in Oct 04 with a one year warranty. Worked fine for one year then the screen started to act funny, the computer wouldn't boot up unless something ws plugged in one of the usb ports at the back. Touchpad and graphics card weren't working properly either. After 3 months of working erratically, it has died, and it's out of warranty. Tried to contact HP support in Spain where I live, they're totally useless. I'm getting quotes from indie repair centers: around 950 euros. After the comments I read on this page, it's probably not worth wasting more money on it. I love this machine though... when it works. Valerie
HP Piece of Shit
Had my ZD7360us for about a year and a half now and as of today there are 27 vertical lines in my screen.. it constantly overheats even though i have a cooling fan under it.. not to mention my power jack is fried and i had to purchase a cord from hp that cost me $100.00 i sent it back when it was 6 months old.. needed a new system board...all i want is a refund i will never buy an hp again........ Laura
These machines are nothing but a nightmare, My ZD7000 went off for repair as it was no longer charging - off for repair and came back with cosmetic damage! Left my retailer with very little option but to replace laptop so I got the newer 7377 model which I was a little concerned about heating as the last one ran hotter than satans pit and the 7377 had a faster 3ghz processor!
I had my 7377 for about 7 months and the problems started! A precursor seems to be the fans staying on for longer and running faster (more noise).
Seems to occur mainly when playing games (3d), laptop switches off (id guess a safety cut out in the bios to prevent damage from overheating). Then comes on fine.
Gradully this worsens to the screen not working for a number of boots (increasing) until it suddenly works. Finally it ends with a laptop that appears to work fine but wont display a thing!
This issue is definately with the NVidia graphics and HP's insufficient cooling!
If you look at the new 8000 series they now come with radeon graphics cards which run considerably cooler that Nvidia's and the air venting around the case has gone in to overdrive!
As has been said you need to be careful to allow ventilation, making stands, propping up etc, i normally balanced on one leg! But its utter nonsense to be expected to do that with a laptop I want to use it on my lap!
To be cynical, HP know its an issue, HP have resolved the issue for the 8000 series, HP are not going to acknowledge that this is an issue as they know its going to cost them!!!
................... Mike S
I had my zd7020 for almost 3 years and never had a problem with it. I use it for heavy apps so the CPU is always on 80% and generates a lot of heat. I can use it as hair dryer as well as a PC! The secret is to keep it cool, never block the air inlet, build a raised stand e.g. use 4 rubbers to extend the feet when used on a desk.
Well, maybe I got the lucky one... HB
I am so happy to see that I am not the only person who's had problems with my HP ZD7360us. I've sent it back 3 times within a year for the same problem, a faulty video card where the computer turns on but the screen is pitched black. now i am getting ready to return it a 4th time after 17 months of ownership. And yes, the machine does overheat, it's too damn hot!!
Daniel Yen
All, you can get this fixed FOR FREE from HP. I wish I had the phone number right off hand but here's the scoop: Call the support number. Yes, they will tell you like they have told me that I am out of warranty. IGNORE THEM. Tell them this: Check your Global Alerts around April 2006. You will see there is a recall for the NVIDIA video card on the zd7000s. It requires a replacement of the motherboard with a new one with an ATI video chip. The man you need to speak to is Grahm Greek, he kinda leads up this replacement process. I got this info from another forum and I ended up talking to the same guy. IT works. I'm typing to you all on my ZD7260 "A" (the A designation is one with the replaced MB) with a little ATI sticker just below the num pad. :) Samuel
Thanks for the info,I work on these ZD 7000,s .
M j. Mel
I also just got my ZD7000 MB replaced and it is running much better now. Bobby
I purchased zd7000 in Nov 04 and till sometime back it was working fine. However now a days it cd/dvd combo drive has stopped working and it turns of suddenly due to overheating.
I am in Delhi, Indian and the service is not available easily. Probably on my next visit to US i will take it with me to get proper service. Atul
i was just about to buy an HP zd7258ea in less than a day i guess but now am not buying it. thanks for all of these reviews. i guess i wont be buying any HP now :) amit
I will never ever go for HP again. I bought a HP ZD7000 series laptop in March 2004. This sucker heats up so quickly that the system goes into hibernation. Moreover if you play applications like Windows media player or use the combo drive, then you'l be lucky if the laptop works for longer than 10 mins. I am in India (bought the Laptop in US) and I have already spent a fortune on this laptop, but with no luck. Anyone found a permanent cure to this overheating problem???? Please help !!!!!! Sai
For those fighting to get their zd7000 (because of the screen/video/socket/overheating etc. problem)replaced in the UK, I got this reply from HP today. It seems there isn't much hope:
From HP Customer Care
dcvc_emea_en@mail.support.hp.com
http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html
...The class issue you are quoting is not an known issue in the UK and the global alert is only applicable to US customers and no issue is known for UK bases purchases of this model of laptop. Due to the UK not releasing a known issue for the Pavilion 7000 series laptops for this issue, we would now see the unit as being out of warranty and all repairs would be chargable.
If you feel that there has been some breach of your rights as a consumer, this is a matter that should be taken up with the retailer from which you purchased the system.
Kind Regards,
Jay Reich
HP Customer Care
Aleksi
I have a Pavilion zd7260us. I have had it for 3 years and it has worked fine except for two issues: the battery went bad and barely holds a charge (the battery life was already low) and the computer overheats and when it gets too hot, it shuts down suddenly. I have tried using many a chill pad to try to keep it cooler but nothing has worked very well. The fans also run very noisy. I had a tech clean the insides and try to install new cooling fans, but didn't make a difference. They are recommending a new motherboard. You can find them on ebay for $485-$550, BUT do I want to put that much money into fixing it vs. going out and buying a Dell or Asus laptop? Still debating...oh, one other thing...it's a heavy mother when you're walking through the airport! Randy
I've had the zd7000 since 2004. The hard drive had to be replaced within the first year. It overheated from day 1, and constantly went into hibernation. I had to remove the battery to restart it. You cannot run this machine on a flat surface. It has to be propped up, or the motor has to be off the edge of the desk. The power cord had to be giggled after the first 6 months or it wouldn't run, and it just got worse and worse until it died. My brother worked for HP, and he told me that I should throw it out because the power supply was attached to the motherboard and it was fried. He told me that it would be cheaper just to buy another machine (at 14 months!) I looked for a rebuilt motherboard on eBay,and instead I found a woman in San Jose who sold rebuilt motherboards. She knew about the ZD7000 problems and puts an extra strong solder on the rebuilt motherboard. Long story, but $400 later, my machine has run pretty well for another 26 months. All in all, my problems are totally common with those of other users. HP has heard all this time and time again, and they are not addressing the buyers issues. Emily
i have a hard drive witch has come up with coms checksum error-defaults loaded tristan harman
Aug. 24, 2007 - Have had mine for going on three years now. Never had a failure, and have used it probably more than most. The machine is our main PC and runs almost 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. The machine started getting very hot and shutting itself down. I removed the fan covers (one outer black, and one inner silver) and couldn't believe how must dust/dirt had accumulated in the cooling fins. They were almost completely blocked. Cleaned it all out with a fairly stiff artist brush along with a vacuum cleaner. Machine runs like new now....and nice and cool. Wow...what a difference. I love my zd7000 again. I highly recommend that anybody who is having overheating problems...to remove those covers and clean out all the dust/hair/dirt that is blocking your cooling fins. John
Sorry to hear of all the problem you all are having. But i have had mind for 3 years and have never had a problem with it.I carry it with me all the time,stores it in the trunk,back seat, I mean I am a rough user,it heats up a little,but that's it.I love it.The bad thing about it,is I brought there years INSURANCE with it Lesco Gardner
I've had my 7255 about three years with no problems/failures, however as John states (and others) clean the cooling fans monthly or when you notice they are working hard. I also use a Akasa cooling unit under the laptop which helps when im pushing the system. The Akasa unit is smaller than the laptop however you can easily place the laptop over the cooling fans and i have used small rubber spacers to ensure free airflow.
Sounds complex but since setting this up the keypad is worm rather than hot. NickB
i have hp pavillon zd 7255 ea series,giving too much head ache ,dvd drive unable to write,reason loose contact between lense ,cd drive,graphyics chips gone due some reason ?,technician advised me need replace ,cost me £300 around ,i won't perfer hp in future.bare in mind it has been three years . sel.uk
yeah I have one of those zd 7000 s and it has to be the worst quality computer ever. between the video HD and MB. HP sucks. They are made in china so more then likely it is the tears and sweat of the 7 year old boys and girls assembling them causing all these problems madatlaptop
Interesting, i have my zd 7000 for three years, it still works perfectly, never crashed, i must be lucky. lasbord
i've had my zd7000 for nearly four years. HD crashed after 3rd year. replaced 80g w/100g. has always run hot and shuts down if placed on flat surfaces. i've made the proper adjustments and always keep a clear lane to the cooling fans. otherwise, has performed relatively well as a portable gaming system (lower video settings, of course). i am joining the class action to have the MB and VC upgraded as it is clear they are bound to malfunction. Thanks to all for the postings (supportive or otherwise) as consumers who shell out hard earned dough deserve to be heard! joaquim
There is a class action lawsuit that covers certain HP zd7000 systems. The class action lawsuit was started due to the system's inability to dissipate the heat from a faulty video graphics card.
Please quickly read the below information. If you have a model that pertains to the information below, then you should definately visit this link:
http://www.classcounsel.com/news/hpzd.html
http://www.hpnotebooksettlement.com
You are a Class Member if you purchased or received as a gift an Affected Graphics Card or Affected Power Connector Model notebook
computer as follows:
• Affected Graphics Card Models: (a) an HP zd7000 series, which bears one of the following SKU numbers on the computer label:
(i) DN730AV; (ii) DN730AVR; (iii) DU887AV; (iv) DU887AVR; (v) DU888AV; (vi) DU888AVR; (vii) PD294AV; (viii) PD295AV; (ix)
PF163UA; (x) PF163UAR; (xi) PF164UA; (xii) PF164UAR; (xiii) PF166UA; (xiv) PF166UAR; (xv) PF167UA; (xvi) PF167UAR; (xvii)
PF169UA; (xviii) PF169UAR; (xix) PM018UA; (xx) PM018UAR; (xxi) PM021UA; or (xxii) PM021UAR; or (b) an HP Compaq nx9500
series, which bears one of the following SKU numbers on the computer label: (i) PF031UA; (ii) PF030UA; or (iii) PF032UA.
• Affected Power Connector Models: (a) an HP zx5000, zv5000, or R3000 series that has a serial number of xxx409xxxx or lower
and which bears one of the following SKU numbers on the computer label: (i) DX995U; (ii) DS481U; (iii) DS479U; (iv) DV563AT; (v)
DV562AT; (vi) DV561AT; (vii) DZ314U; (viii) DZ313U; (ix) DS477U; (x) DS476U; (xi) DS474U; (xii) DS472U; (xiii) DS471U; (xiv)
DS473U; (xv) DR892A; (xvi) DR891A; (xvii) PC897U; (xviii) DU912U; (xix) DU910U; (xx) DS502A; (xxi) DU913U; (xxii) DU607A;
(xxiii) DU608A; (xxiv) PC896U; (xxv) DZ329U; (xxvi) DZ332U; (xxvii) DZ330U; (xxviii) DS516U; (xxix) DS515U; (xxx) DS513U;
(xxxi) DS512U; (xxxii) DS511U; (xxxiii) DV192AT; (xxxiv) DZ191AT; (xxxv) DZ338U; or (xxxvi) DZ337U; or (b) an HP Compaq
- 4 -
nx9100 series that has a serial number of xxx409xxxx or lower and which bears one of the following SKU numbers on the computer label:
(i) DV102U; (ii) DW787AA; (iii) DW786AA; or (iv) DV112U; or (c) an HP zd7000 series that has a serial number of xxx420xxxx or
lower and which bears one of the following SKU numbers on the computer label: (i) DM788A; (ii) DM789A; (iii) DM790A; (iv) DM791A;
(v) DM793A; (vi) DP446U; (vii) DP447U; (viii) DP448U; (ix) DP684AS; (x) DR089U; (xi) DR341U; (xii) DS487U; (xiii) DS488U; (xiv)
DS489U; (xv) DS490U; (xvi) DS491U; (xvii) DS492U; (xviii) DT859U; (xix) DT860U; (xx) DV601U; (xxi) DZ378U; (xxii) PF163UA; (xxiii)
PF164UA; (xxiv) PF166UA; (xxv) PF167UA; (xxvi) PF168UA; (xxvii) PF169UA; (xxviii) PM016UA; (xxix) PM018UA; (xxx) PM019UA; or
(xxxi) PM021UA; or (d) an HP Compaq nx9500 series that has a serial number of xxx420xxxx or lower and which bears one of the
following SKU numbers on the computer label: (i) PF030UA; (ii) PF031UA; (iii) PF032UA; (iv) PR039UA; or (v) PR040UA. JoshW
I have had a ZD7000 for three years. I bought it in Florida whilst on holiday from the UK. The machine has always run hot, VERY hot. I have had the back off and cleaned out the fans and vents a few times, and this has always resulted in it running cooler ( but still far too hot for a laptop). The hard drive broke after 18 months. I paid for a replacement as I had no extended warranty. Just after that, the power socket started to come loose from the mainboard, and I had to "prop" the cable up to make a contact. (I could not run the machine on battery as it only lasts around 15 minutes). I got this fixed, but it has now gone again - same thing, only this time it seems to have taken out the mainboard (shorted) so I think this time its for the bin. I bought this as a laptop, not a desktop replacement, If I had known about the overheating & battery life problems I wouldnt have bought ths model. I have a desktop computer already (although this has also jsut packed up) - not really having much luck at the moment, my HP C6180 printer has also just died 1 year and 1 week old & yes, still no replacement warranty. Guess I just dont learn. Pete
I have had my zd 7020 HP Pavilion for >3 years and no problem except one of the USB ports is such that if I reboot with the mouse in it, it won't come up. Easy fix, just reboot without the usb mouse or plug into one of the other two ports. I guess I'm just lucky. Dan
I have had mine for over 3 years with no problems. I realized from the start that the fans were placed in the wrong spot so I tried to accomodate this. For the last year the fans were on high. I just cleaned the fan intakes on the sides of the computer and so far its quiet again. They were plugged bad. Remove the fans and blow through the intakes on the side. Dom
as there are so many disgruntled owners out there would anyone care to donate me thier old duff unit as I need a replacement screen .My machine has worked fine save for a hard drive replacement so i don't mind making the effort to stick another screen on it? can anyone help I have a ZD 7245 EA Thanks !UK 01594 564783 mobile 07711 491658 or philip.a.cooper@btinternet.com phil