HP has just released a firmware 1.9.0.0 update that will kill your battery!

[mdgdb]

On 27 Jun, after a notification came up to restart for the firmware upgrade, I unsuspectingly restarted my laptop. It went on and raged for some 15 minutes – on and off and lighting up and revving up like I had never ever heard before or knew a laptop can rev up so furiously – so after all that, it started apparently as per usual, but it actually completely drained the battery down to 9%. Well, it did not in reality, but only showed the battery at 9% when mouse hovered over the battery icon. Left it plugged in all night but it was still at 9% and not charging in the morning. HP Assistant did not think there was anything wrong with the battery, but the HP Power Management software said it was at 9% and charging. IT WAS NOT CHARGING. There was absolutely nothing I could do to make it start charging.

On the phone with tech support, he suggested to go back to previous version firmware, HP Bios and System Firmware 01.08.00, which I downloaded from HP site, and installed, and upon logging in, it showed battery as normal at 95%, but then it immediately came up with another message to restart. So I did, and it again went on and installed the new firmware version, this time with no light or sound show, but it came back and I logged in,  and again the battery was showing 9%. So now I cannot unplug my laptop from the power supply any more!

Surely I can’t be the only one experiencing this? What could possibly be the solution? I cannot go back to old version firmware because as soon as I do, the next restart it will again go ahead and install the new version.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

The only suggestion I can offer would be to try this:

If the firmware update is being pushed by Windows update, you should be able to prevent the update from re-installing.

Download and unzip the Microsoft Hide Windows Update utility that I zipped up and attached below.

With firmware version  01.08.00 installed, run the app.

It should find the firmware 1.9.0.0 update pending to install

Check the box to hide the update.

The utility will run again and report that the problem is 'Fixed.'

Restart the notebook and the firmware 1.9.0.0 update should not try and reinstall.

[mdgdb]

Thanks for the suggestion, Paul. That would probably work if it were pushed by Windows update, but no, this one is actually pushed by HP Support Assistant, and it is even more intrusive than Windows update. With Windows Update, at least it will leave it alone for the day until inactive hours, but HP Support Assistant is just relentless; it actually gives you 2 or 3 chances to postpone, all along sitting in your face. You can only minimize it but it does not go away, and eventually, it pops up and cannot be minimized any longer until you run the update. It is aggressive and relentless, and what it does, it forces crappy firmware updates on you, like this one!

So, after this little rant, I think I will uninstall HP Support Assistant and then re-install the previous version firmware and see what happens. I will let you know if it worked, later probably.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome. 

Yes, that's a good idea. 

Then you won't be bothered by that update. 

Before you do that, I opened my HPSA app on my HP Elitedesk 800 G3 DM PC and there are settings you can change.

Click on the settings gear on the lower left side of the HPSA window.

You can turn off the software update setting or you can leave it on and just check the boxes for the updates you want to receive.

I have BIOS updates unchecked as well as printer updates, as I don't own any HP printers.

Maybe that will take care of the problem for you.

[mdgdb]

Yep, did that. It was actually set to automatically do the updates. How did that slip through I wonder. I always purposefully go around, disabling auto-updates where ever possible!

It used to be like that, what you are saying, but does not seem to be the case any more. I remember seeing many updates sitting there in HPSA, and with boxes to tick what to install but I think with Windows 11, HPSA also looks different and does different.

Anyway, after disabling it, I went and installed the old BIOS again. When finished and logged in, again there was a message to restart but it did not force it and I did not restart. The battery was back to its old self, showing 100%. And after that, I uninstalled HPSA.

Maybe it was a mistake to install the old BIOS without removing the HPSA first! Now I do not dare to restart! Not that I need to at the moment, but I wonder what will happen next time there is some update from Windows and I have to restart.

I poked around system settings and saw there was the right version of BIOS listed, i.e. 1.08, and also showed no to auto-updates, and there was an option to lock BIOS version. I didn’t do that, but if this drama repeats later, I will try that option.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

That's interesting...

So, if you de-select the install BIOS updates, it does so anyway...geez.

I don't use the app much, so if I uninstalled it, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.

Periodically check your notebook's driver page for updates.

That's all the HPSA does anyway.

It does not install updates that aren't on the support page.

[mdgdb]

Yep, that’s what I plan to do from now on, just periodically check the driver’s page.

But I didn’t quite explain properly, sorry. With “after disabling it” I meant: after disabling automatic updates in settings in HPSA, I went and installed the old BIOS again from the file I downloaded. There was nothing on the updates page anyway. I had not seen anything there in ages and I actually occasionally wondered why there was never anything listed on the updates page (in HPSA). Not even when manually checking for updates. But there used to be tons of updates sitting there, I think before Windows 11. And I always ignored most of them.

I am still to find out if the new BIOS will attempt to install itself the next time I restart!

Thanks for your help and for the chat!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

[mdgdb]

As per the title, and my previous post, there was the firmware update 01.09.0.0 on 26 Jun, which ends up showing the battery at 9% instead of 100%, thus preventing me from ever unplugging my laptop from power source and using it as, you know, a laptop.

I tried to fix it by installing the previous version, i.e. Firmware 01.08.00 in an attempt to get rid of this wretched 01.09.0.0 update, and even uninstalled HP Support Assistant to stop it from forcing this crappy update on me, but to no avail. I thought it worked and shut down my laptop for the day, but the following day, i.e. this morning, I unsuspectingly started the laptop and immediately started updating itself! And now it’s back to 01.09.00, and laptop showing 9% power in the battery!

And the support is taking its time and not replying, even though they said they would escalate the matter and provide on-site support!!!

Is HP able to fix this?

[mdgdb]

Hey, I have posted another post coz nobody is probably looking at this one any more. As suspected, the laptop just started updating itself this morning and there was nothing I could do to stop it. This beggars belief really, that I can be held hostage like this, by my own laptop that I paid good money for, and I don’t even have a choice in the matter, and HP just forces these crappy updates on unsuspecting customers. It is just unbelievable.

Do you have any more ideas anyway?

Thanks!