Dv4-1275mx freeze for few mins and disk 100% highest active time.

Question

           I bought a dv4-1275mx in june and about a week ago, my laptop started to freeze for few minutes and come back.In that time, i didn't do anything and when i checked Resource Monitor (already opened), i saw 100% in Highest Active time in Disk with small data read. This happened several times and when i checked the events, i found following,
Error    6/23/2009 10:08:42 PM    atapi    11    None    The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.
Error    6/23/2009 10:01:48 PM    atapi    11    None    The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.
Error    6/23/2009 10:01:48 PM    atapi    11    None    The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.
Warning    6/23/2009 9:52:40 PM    ESENT    510    Performance    "Windows (500) Windows: A request to write to the file ""C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Application​s\Windows\Windows.edb"" at offset 2482176 (0x000000000025e000) for 8192 (0x00002000) bytes succeeded, but took an abnormally long time (60 seconds) to be serviced by the OS. In addition, 1 other I/O requests to this file have also taken an abnormally long time to be serviced since the last message regarding this problem was posted 84 seconds ago. This problem is likely due to faulty hardware. Please contact your hardware vendor for further assistance diagnosing the problem."
Warning    6/23/2009 9:51:15 PM    ESENT    510    Performance    "Windows (500) Windows: A request to write to the file ""C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data\Application​s\Windows\Windows.edb"" at offset 2523136 (0x0000000000268000) for 8192 (0x00002000) bytes succeeded, but took an abnormally long time (60 seconds) to be serviced by the OS. In addition, 0 other I/O requests to this file have also taken an abnormally long time to be serviced since the last message regarding this problem was posted 5515 seconds ago. This problem is likely due to faulty hardware. Please contact your hardware vendor for further assistance diagnosing the problem."
Error    6/23/2009 9:49:06 PM    atapi    11    None    The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.
Error    6/23/2009 9:49:06 PM    atapi    11    None    The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.
           In yesterday, I got and error message after windows start saying there is a problem in svchost module.Therefore i restart my laptop and then i didn't get any error messages.Then i tried to start firefox after about 5 mins and got a error message saying it stopped by data execution prevention.After about 1 min, i got a message saying windows will restart in 1 min and in restart, it did a checkdisk.After that i didn't got any error messages but i couldn't open firefox, therefore i installed it again and i found following events.
Warning    6/29/2009 7:26:35 PM    Ntfs    130    None    The file system structure on volume C: has now been repaired.
Warning    6/29/2009 7:26:01 PM    Ntfs    130    None    The file system structure on volume C: has now been repaired.
Warning    6/29/2009 7:25:49 PM    Ntfs    130    None    The file system structure on volume C: has now been repaired.
Error    6/29/2009 7:25:02 PM    Service Control Manager    7000    None    "The GSRestartSvc service failed to start due to the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified."
Error    6/29/2009 7:25:02 PM    Microsoft-Windows-WMI    10    None    "Event filter with query ""SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA ""Win32_Processor"" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99"" could not be reactivated in namespace ""//./root/CIMV2"" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected."
Warning    6/29/2009 7:23:51 PM    Microsoft-Windows-WLAN-AutoConfig    4001    None    "WLAN AutoConfig service has successfully stopped.
Warning    6/29/2009 7:23:51 PM    Microsoft-Windows-WLAN-AutoConfig    10002    None    "WLAN Extensibility Module has stopped.
Module Path: C:\Windows\System32\bcmihvsrv64.dll
Warning    6/29/2009 7:23:49 PM    Microsoft-Windows-Winlogon    6001    None    The winlogon notification subscriber <Profiles> failed a notification event.
Warning    6/29/2009 7:23:49 PM    Microsoft-Windows-Winlogon    6000    None    The winlogon notification subscriber <Profiles> was unavailable to handle a notification event.
Warning    6/29/2009 7:23:49 PM    Microsoft-Windows-Winlogon    6001    None    The winlogon notification subscriber <Sens> failed a notification event.
Error    6/29/2009 7:23:47 PM    Microsoft-Windows-EventSystem    4621    Event System    The COM+ Event System could not remove the EventSystem.EventSubscription object {CEB8B221-89C5-41A8-98CE-79B413BF150B}-{00000000-0​000-0000-0000-000000000000}-{00000000-0000-0000-00​00-000000000000}.  The HRESULT was 80070005.
Error    6/29/2009 7:22:41 PM    Microsoft-Windows-WMI    10    None    "Event filter with query ""SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA ""Win32_Processor"" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99"" could not be reactivated in namespace ""//./root/CIMV2"" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected."
Error    6/29/2009 7:19:31 PM    Service Control Manager    7032    None    "The Service Control Manager tried to take a corrective action (Restart the service) after the unexpected termination of the Server service, but this action failed with the following error:
An instance of the service is already running."
Error    6/29/2009 7:19:31 PM    Application Error    1000    (100)    Faulting application svchost.exe_BITS, version 6.0.6001.18000, time stamp 0x47919291, faulting module bitsigd.dll, version 7.0.6002.18005, time stamp 0x49e040c9, exception code 0xc0000005, fault offset 0x000000000000232c, process id 0xb98, application start time 0x01c9f8c04759c999.
Error    6/29/2009 7:18:27 PM    Microsoft-Windows-WMI    10    None    "Event filter with query ""SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent WITHIN 60 WHERE TargetInstance ISA ""Win32_Processor"" AND TargetInstance.LoadPercentage > 99"" could not be reactivated in namespace ""//./root/CIMV2"" because of error 0x80041003. Events cannot be delivered through this filter until the problem is corrected."
Error    6/29/2009 7:17:40 PM    PlugPlayManager    12    None    The device 'JMB38X xD Host Controller' (PCI\VEN_197B&DEV_2384&SUBSYS_30FB103C&REV_00\4&2a​995034&0&0428) disappeared from the system without first being prepared for removal.
Error    6/29/2009 7:17:40 PM    PlugPlayManager    12    None    The device 'JMB38X MS Host Controller' (PCI\VEN_197B&DEV_2383&SUBSYS_30FB103C&REV_00\4&2a​995034&0&0328) disappeared from the system without first being prepared for removal.
Error    6/29/2009 7:17:40 PM    PlugPlayManager    12    None    The device 'JMB38X SD Host Controller' (PCI\VEN_197B&DEV_2381&SUBSYS_30FB103C&REV_00\4&2a​995034&0&0228) disappeared from the system without first being prepared for removal.
Error    6/29/2009 7:17:40 PM    PlugPlayManager    12    None    The device 'JMB38X SD/MMC Host Controller' (PCI\VEN_197B&DEV_2382&SUBSYS_30FB103C&REV_00\4&2a​995034&0&0028) disappeared from the system without first being prepared for removal.
Error    6/29/2009 7:17:27 PM    Application Error    1000    (100)    Faulting application svchost.exe_BITS, version 6.0.6001.18000, time stamp 0x47919291, faulting module bitsigd.dll, version 7.0.6002.18005, time stamp 0x49e040c9, exception code 0xc0000005, fault offset 0x0000000000002339, process id 0xff8, application start time 0x01c9f8c023973749.
Error    6/29/2009 7:16:26 PM    SecurityCenter    6    None    The Windows Security Center Service was unable to load instances of AntiSpywareProduct from WMI.
Error    6/29/2009 7:16:20 PM    Application Error    1000    (100)    Faulting application svchost.exe_BITS, version 6.0.6001.18000, time stamp 0x47919291, faulting module bitsigd.dll, version 7.0.6002.18005, time stamp 0x49e040c9, exception code 0xc0000005, fault offset 0x000000000000232c, process id 0x1c4, application start time 0x01c9f8bf81c900ad.
Error    6/29/2009 7:14:34 PM    Service Control Manager    7000    None    "The Norton Internet Security service failed to start due to the following error:
The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion."
Error    6/29/2009 7:14:34 PM    Service Control Manager    7009    None    A timeout was reached (30000 milliseconds) while waiting for the Norton Internet Security service to connect.
Error    6/29/2009 7:14:34 PM    Service Control Manager    7000    None    "The GSRestartSvc service failed to start due to the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified." 
I can attach Full events if want. Is this problem comes due to an hardware or OS error? Pls help.
Thanks. 

Answer 1

I own two of the dv4-1275mx laptops.  Both machines were purchased around June of 2009 from Best Buy, and both machines are doing the same thing as what has been described here.  It appears that this model has a flaw, or certain production runs have this flaw.  I have done an exhaustive amount of research about this problem and know quite a bit about it.
But, good luck getting HP's Customer No-Service department to actually fix the problem.  If you try to get them to fix it, you are about to be taken for quite a ride.  They have been absolutely no help in diagnosing the problem, and I am still trying to get them to acknowledge and fix the problem with these laptops.
The problem is with the hard disk controller.  It happens both with the built-in hard disk drive and with an external disk drive.  It occurs whenever you place a significant load on the disk controller.  When the problem occurs, the machine will lock up for 60 seconds at a time.  Eventually, the driver times out, resets the disk, and drive activity continues until it happens again.
Normally, the problem is very intermittent because normal usage of the machine doesn't always trigger this problem.  However, I have been able to replicate the problem consistently using a backup program called Macrium Reflect (free edition).  If I use Macrium Reflect to back up or restore the hard disk image using an external disk drive plugged into the eSATA port, then the ATAPI errors in the log appear immediately after it begins copying data.  Eventually, the backup will fail.
The worst part about this is the data corruption.  If the lock-up condition occurs when a disk write is happening, then the data being written will get corrupted and you will lose data.  I have had disks that have gradually gotten so corrupted that they won't boot anymore.  I have spent a countless number of hours backing up, restoring, and attempting to use the machine despite these problems.
After doing further research and testing, it appears that this type of problem is not uncommon to the AMD M780G / ATI Radeon 3200 chipset that these laptops use.  If you search the Internet for this type of error, you will find a number of HP and Non-HP customers complaining about this same issue with this chipset on different machines.  This leads me to believe that the problem might be with the chipset itself.
I have attempted to find a software remedy to the problem with no success.  This included trying all of the following:
- Trying Windows Vista 64 with various configurations of service packs and updates.
- Using the Microsoft AHCI driver and the ATI-supplied AHCI driver for the Radeon 3200 series
- Using different BIOS revisions
- Trying to find a magic combination of AHCI driver and BIOS revision that would work
- Trying various settings for disk write caching
- Turning of DMA on the controller
- Uninstalling every piece of HP-supplied software that I could think of that might have even the slightest possibility of interfering with the hard disk controller
None of this worked.  Eventually, I concluded that this is a hardware problem that isn't going to get fixed through software.
Sadly, after doing all of this research, HP has not been helpful with getting this problem fixed.  In the past, I have owned laptops from Dell and Toshiba, and while I know that no manufacturer is perfect, I have not had many issues getting prompt and reliable service from either of those two companies when I needed it.  This is the first time I have purchased an HP laptop.  And after the customer no-service experiences I have had, it is likely to be the last time I purchase an HP laptop.
HP's technical support seems to think that re-imaging the drive to reset the machine to factory defaults cures all problems.  Over the phone, they have made me do this a couple of times, insisting that the problem is a result of a virus or something I installed on my machine.
Recently, I sent both of my laptops to them for service.  To assist them, I included the details of all of the research that I had done.  I gave them copies of this information both electronically, and included inside the box with the laptop.  The information had details on the steps that I tried, and links to websites documenting problems with the M780G chipset.  It also had details on how to replicate the problem with Macrium Reflect.  I even re-imaged the machine back to the factory image, and installed Macrium Reflect for their convenience.  And what did HP's service department do?  They re-imaged the hard drive again and sent it back to me without even bothering to run my test!  This is just absolutely moronic.  Either the service technician can't read, or the service technician just doesn't care about fixing customer problems!
My complaints about HP's service are as follows:
There is no sense of urgency about fixing problems.  I have been enduring this issue for 9 months now.  But no one seems to care.
It takes forever for them to turn around machines in their service department.  With Dell, I used to have a working laptop in my hands in 5 days, tops.  What's worse is that they ship the packages via FedEx Ground with signature confirmation.  (If you work a normal day job, good luck trying to get your package from FedEx Ground, which is only open when I am at work.)
The telephone and online support personnel often don't listen to you, and the details of problems don't ever seem to be recorded anywhere.  I have had to explain this problem over and over for various people who seemed almost completely ignorant about the problems I have been experiencing.
The technicians are not competent, even when you tell them what needs to be fixed.
As far as I am concerned, HP has not been honoring the warranty on my machines.  This is has been frustrating beyond words.  I am at the point where I just want two new laptops without this chipset, but I seriously doubt I will ever get that.  To all of you who are experiencing the same issue as I am, I wish you the best of luck in getting HP to resolve this problem--you are going to need it!