Problems with faulty Nvidia graphics chips that caused large numbers of notebook computers to fail last year may not be over yet -- at least for some.
Some HP users are complaining that their laptops, which were not included in the company's official list of affected machines, are facing problems similar to what other users experienced last year.
"When I boot up my laptop, it says there's no driver and I can't install one. That means my machine locks up and shuts down," says Dana Hight, a HP notebook user who runs a web development company. "It is clearly related to what happened with Nvidia chips last year." Hight has bought his laptop about a year and half ago.
But he, along with other users in one of HP's online support forums, say the company won't recognize his laptop model as one of the versions affected by the faulty Nvidia chips. Hight has the DV9549US model. HP did not respond to a request for comment about the complaints.
Last year many consumers saw notebooks and desktops PCs that refused to boot up, did not detect wireless networks or offer any video on the monitor. HP acknowledged problems with about 38 desktops and 14 notebook models. In October, 2008, HP issued BIOS fixes and a limited extended warranty for these machines. Nvidia has said a problem with the packaging material for some of its chipsets led to the high failure rates. Dell and Apple also reported problems with Nvidia chips in 2008.
But Hight and other users in HP's forums complain that their notebook models from the dv95xx series are facing similar issues.
"About two months ago I started noticing flickering and the system locking up, shutting down and rebooting," says Hight. "It started getting worse but HP told me their technicians are not aware of anything with my chipset."
Hight, who had bought extended warranty with the now bankrupt Circuit City says he has two options: to pay up to $400 to get a new motherboard, but with the same chipset from Nvidia; or buy a new machine that will cost hundreds of dollars.
A quick look through a thread on one of HP's online support forums reveals similar complaints. HP technicians, say the users online, will not acknowledge their problems as being related to the bad Nvidia chips.
HP has not responded to Wired.com's request for comment.
Hight says HP should step up and replace the faulty laptops instead of offering piecemeal fixes. "I would expect HP to give us a solution," says Hight. "Why should users who paid $800 to get a HP laptop have to pay now because they got a bad machine?"
Photo: (DeclanTM/Flickr)
