Ethernet Port Causing "Power surge on the USB port" Error

[TreGOber]

Discovery

1. Turn on PC with CAT5 Ethernet connected to the back of the PC.
2. PC Enters Sleep Mode
3. PC Wakes
4. Repeated and unresolvable 'Power surge on the USB port' Windows Explorer popups

Summary

I bought this OMEN 35L recently and am using both the Ethernet port and one USB port on the back of the tower. I was initially getting the repeated errors when using multiple ports on the back, so I bought a Powered USB Hub to hopefully resolve the issue. After some testing the issue seems to be caused by the Ethernet port even though it is not displaying as such. 

The issue is generated when only the ethernet port is occupied. Even when no USB ports are connected, exiting sleep mode with Ethernet connected creates the issue. It is resolvable by restarting the PC, but I'd like to not have to restart my pc every time I am away for just a few minutes.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @TreGOber 

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for explaining everything so clearly—and I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this odd and persistent error. 

It’s definitely not what you expect from a high-performance desktop like the OMEN 35L, and I can imagine how frustrating it must be to restart every time just to clear the popups.

Let’s walk through a few steps that may help resolve this behavior:

⚙️ Steps to Address “Power Surge on the USB Port” Triggered by Ethernet

Disable USB Selective Suspend Setting

• Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
• Expand USB settings > USB selective suspend setting and set both On battery and Plugged in to Disabled.
• This prevents Windows from powering down USB ports during sleep, which may be misfiring due to Ethernet activity.

Uncheck Power Saving Options for USB Controllers

• Open Device Manager (Win + X > Device Manager).
• Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
• Right-click each USB Root Hub > Properties > Power Management tab.
• Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”.
• Repeat for any USB Input Devices under Human Interface Devices.

Update Chipset and Network Drivers

• Visit the OMEN 35L support page and install the latest chipset and network adapter drivers.
• This ensures proper coordination between USB and Ethernet controllers.

Change Power Plan

• Switch to High Performance or Balanced mode under Power Options.
• Avoid custom or aggressive power-saving plans that may interfere with device wake behavior.

BIOS Update

• Check for a BIOS update on the OMEN 35L support page.
• BIOS updates often include fixes for hardware-level power management quirks.

Use Sleep Alternatives

• If the issue persists, consider using Hibernate instead of Sleep.
• Hibernate fully powers down the system while saving your session, which may bypass the USB surge trigger.

You’ve done a great job narrowing down the cause, and that’s half the battle.  Let’s get your OMEN behaving like the powerhouse it’s meant to be 💪.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye