HP Omen 16 freezes and cannot start after closing the lidd until battery is disconnected

[yahyaafe]

Hello,

I am contacting you regarding a critical issue affecting my HP Omen 16 laptop (model 16-xf0xxx),

Detailed description of the problem

Initially, the laptop was working normally. However, after shutting down the laptop and closing the lid for the first time, the issue started.

Since then, whenever I close the lid — whether the laptop is:

• powered on,

• in sleep mode,

• or completely shut down,

the system enters an abnormal state.

When I try to power it on again:

• the screen remains black or frozen,

• the keyboard does not respond,

• the system does not boot normally,

• and I am forced to perform a hard shutdown by holding the power button.

This issue occurs consistently every time the lid is closed.

Important observation

Even when the laptop is completely shut down, simply closing the lid causes the system to become unresponsive at the next power-on attempt.

This strongly suggests a hardware-level or embedded firmware issue, rather than a Windows-related problem.

Temporary workaround identified

The only way to restore normal operation is to:

• open the laptop,

• physically disconnect the internal battery,

• wait a few seconds,

• reconnect the battery,

• then power the laptop on again.

After this procedure, the laptop works normally until the lid is closed again.

This behavior strongly suggests a problem related to the Embedded Controller (EC) or motherboard power management.

Additional observations

I have also observed multiple errors and warnings in Windows Event Viewer, including:

• Kernel-Power (Critical)

• HAL errors

• TPM-WMI warnings

• DistributedCOM warnings

These events occur around the time the system becomes unresponsive or restarts abnormally.

Troubleshooting already performed

I have already attempted the following:

• Fully updated Windows

• Updated BIOS to the latest version from HP official website

• Installed all drivers using HP Support Assistant

• Reset CMOS / performed EC reset

• Checked Device Manager (no unknown devices)

• Verified power settings

• Confirmed the system works normally as long as the lid is not closed

The issue still persists.

System information

Model: HP Omen 16-xf0xxx
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070
Operating System: Windows 11
Warranty status: Under warranty

Request

This issue appears to be related to:

• Embedded Controller (EC) firmware malfunction, or

• motherboard power management hardware failure.

I would like to know:

• if there is an official HP procedure to reflash or reset the EC firmware, or

• if this issue requires hardware repair or motherboard replacement under warranty.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

[Deep_World]

Hi @yahyaafe,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

Sorry for the inconvenience caused don’t worry let me help you.

To better understand the issue, could you please provide a few more details?

• When the system becomes unresponsive after closing the lid, do you notice if the power LED or keyboard backlight remains on, or does the laptop appear completely powered off?
• Have you tested the system with the AC adapter connected versus running only on battery?
• Have you tried connecting the laptop to an external monitor to check if the display output resumes after opening the lid?

In the meantime, here are a few additional troubleshooting steps you can try:

1. Reset Power Management Settings
   • Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what closing the lid does.
   • Set the action for “When I close the lid” to Do nothing temporarily, then test if the issue persists.
2. Perform a Hard Reset
   • Disconnect the AC adapter.
   • Hold down the power button for 15–20 seconds to drain residual power.
   • Reconnect the adapter and try powering on without disconnecting the internal battery.
3. Check HP Diagnostics
   • Restart the laptop and press F2 to enter HP Hardware Diagnostics.
   • Run a full system test to check for hardware anomalies.
4. Update Embedded Controller (EC) via BIOS

• Sometimes reflashing the BIOS also refreshes EC firmware. Since you’ve already updated, I’d recommend reapplying the latest BIOS update from HP’s support website to ensure the EC firmware is properly reset.

Given your description, this does appear to be related to the EC or motherboard power management. If the above steps don’t resolve the issue, the next step would likely be a hardware-level repair

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World

[yahyaafe]

Hello Deep_World,

Thank you very much for your detailed reply and suggestions. I appreciate your support.

I would like to clarify that I have already tried most of the recommended troubleshooting steps, including:

• Updating the BIOS to the latest version from the official HP website (and reflashing it again),

• Performing a hard reset (holding the power button and disconnecting all power sources),

• Resetting power management settings in Windows,

• Testing with the AC adapter connected and on battery,

• Running HP Hardware Diagnostics (no critical hardware errors detected),

• Updating all drivers using HP Support Assistant.

The issue still persists.

Here is the exact behavior I am experiencing:

When the laptop shuts down unexpectedly or when I close the lid, the system becomes completely unresponsive. The screen remains black, the keyboard backlight is off, and the power button does not respond immediately. However, I have noticed that sometimes Bluetooth remains active (my controller stays connected), which suggests the system is not fully powered off.

In many cases, I must wait approximately 20–50 minutes before the system responds again or becomes able to power on. Sometimes, disconnecting and reconnecting the internal battery fully restores normal operation.

Additionally, the issue can also occur after stopping a game, even without closing the lid, which makes me believe it is related to Embedded Controller (EC) power state management rather than only lid settings.

The laptop can function perfectly for hours under heavy load (gaming), which suggests the main hardware (CPU/GPU/RAM) is stable, but the EC seems to occasionally enter an invalid or locked power state.

Based on all these observations and troubleshooting steps already performed, could you please confirm:

• Is this consistent with EC firmware corruption or EC hardware instability?

• Is there an official HP procedure to fully reflash or reset the Embedded Controller beyond a standard BIOS update?

Thank you again for your assistance.

Best regards,

[Deep_World]

Hi @yahyaafe,

Thanks for your response  and thank you very much for your patience and for sharing such a detailed description of the troubleshooting steps you’ve already taken. We truly appreciate the effort you’ve put into carefully testing and documenting the behavior of your HP Omen 16. 

Given the persistence of the issue even after BIOS updates, driver refreshes, and hardware diagnostics, To get you the best assistance, we need to take this conversation to a private chat. We're inviting you to a private message to protect your privacy and ensure that any sensitive information remains confidential. 

To access your private message, just click the little blue envelope icon on the upper right corner of your HP Community profile, next to your profile name. Alternatively, you can click on this link. 

You can use this link as well: 

Private Messages - HP Support Community

We're looking forward to helping you resolve this issue! 

Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience! 

Best regards,

Deep_World