I had feared the worst after hearing that disgusting sound of crackling speakers coming from my laptop. My trusty HP Spectre x360 Convertible 13-ae0xx (Amazon open boxer ) personal dev machine had finally let me down. Audio troubleshooting, driver re-install, and forums were a dead end.
Spoiler Alert: all i had to do was disconnect/reconnect the battery and the amp/speakers are playing great again!
The fix
To start off my 2021-2022 holiday vacation, I checked out the handy Maintenance and Service guide and then hopped on ebay to order a set of front speakers that would replace my “blown” ones. Fast forward to when I opened the package and found out that I accidentally picked up the wrong parts (┬┬﹏┬┬). I was in a rush to run out the door to a hockey game, so I threw the screws back into the cover and forgot about the laptop for a few days.
When i went to mess around with some personal learning (Github Advanced Security / log4shell) the machine did not power on … crap. After a few seconds of head spinning I remembered unclipping the battery - I forgot to plug it back in :D. After fixing and booting into Win 11… the startup sound did not crackle the speakers! Playing some tunes confirmed it, the speakers were fixed!
Why the Spectre?
Microsoft got me hooked when they graciously handed out 13” HP Spectre x360 at the Build 2015 event in San Francisco. It is that Christmas morning feeling to hear the keynote announcement that I was getting some nice hardware!
From: build@eventcore.com [mailto:build@eventcore.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 3:02 PM
Subject: Important Build 2015 giveaway information
Build 2015
Dear Chad Bentz,
As you heard in this mornings’ keynote, we’re very excited to provide you with the HP Spectre x360! As you might expect there are some details we need to talk about and rules that we need to make you aware of. Bear with us – it’s the law.
Queuing for distribution of the giveaway starts at 8:00pm Wednesday, April 29, and continues through 3pm Friday, May 1, at the Build Registration Desk on the first floor. Eligible Build 2015 conference attendees may pick up one HP Spectre x360 (total retail value: US$1,099.00). Don’t forget your Build credentials and a picture identification.
This of coarse was the beginning of the end for bad-ass hardware handouts at Microsoft events, but I digress. As soon i got back to the hotel room ( 5 blocks and back alleys of SOMA with 5 nerdy dudes hauling laptops ) I was hopping on the hotel wifi to queue up the download the beta of Windows 10 - saying my condolences to Win8. Fast forward to the plane ride home … this thing in flip the screen mode is a tablet… NOT a laptop anymore!!! No need to stowe when taking off was the perfect way to maximize the viewing time for various sessions i had already downloaded onto the machine for the ride home.
Fast forward a few years - my OG Spectre’s battery is not charging. Opened it up and nothing obvious or easy to access :(. HP Support offered to fix for a hefty fee… whatever i love this thing + got it for “free”!
Warranty Status: OUT OF WARRANTY
HP is providing the following service for your product.
BOX PLUS PICK UP & REPAIR, 6 DAY DOOR TO DOOR
Total Charges (including tax, if applicable):
*Materials: $284.99
Labor: $65.00
Tax: $21.00
Total: $370.99
Then one of the strangest things happened, they called me and told me they could not fix it and would ship it back to me with a full refund. Once arrived back, I plugged it back in and got a charging light! Either they had a way to kickstart the laptop, or they snuck me some parts for free - either way i was ecstatic! It is worth noting their support was super nice the whole way … above and beyond level - getting multiple phone calls to keep me updated + even offered me some discounts on future warranty since they “could not fix” this one!
Over the years - my wife and daughter have claimed this machine. This usurping of my Spectre likely started with another flight letting them borrow it as a Plex “tablet”. The OG Spectre still blue screens every month or so with the elusive WATCHDOG TIMEOUT. Eventually this forced me to look for a another machine: Enter the 13-ae0xx. The i5 and 8GB of ram always has me teetering on the edge of acceptable performance for a dev machine, but I make due to keep with the 13” slim convertible form factor.
Bonus points: passed the Windows 11 hardware test on day one!
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