HP Pavilion Gaming 16-a0xxx – RTX 2060 Max-Q Not Detected in Windows

[LuisMiCarrillo]

Hello, I have an issue with my HP Pavilion Gaming 16-a0xxx. My NVIDIA RTX 2060 Max-Q is not detected in Windows. I recently installed Windows 11 without changing anything in the BIOS. I updated the BIOS to the latest version from HP. I installed the official NVIDIA drivers from HP. I used DDU previously but the GPU still does not appear. The BIOS does not show any options to select or enable the discrete GPU. In Windows Device Manager the RTX 2060 Max-Q does not appear even as a hidden device. I think this might be a hardware or firmware detection issue. Can you advise how to make Windows detect my GPU again? Thank you for your help.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @LuisMiCarrillo,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your HP Pavilion Gaming 16-a0xxx is not detecting the NVIDIA RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU after installing Windows 11. Let’s go through a few steps to check what could be causing this.

Check Device Manager for Hidden Devices

Open Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices.

Expand “Display adapters” and check if the RTX 2060 appears. If not, proceed to the next step.

Verify GPU Detection in BIOS

Restart the laptop and press Esc → F10 to enter BIOS.

Check if there’s an option for “Switchable Graphics” or “Hybrid Graphics.” If available, ensure it’s enabled.

If no such option exists, that’s normal for this model; continue to the next step.

Run Windows Update

Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.

Install all available updates including optional driver updates, then restart the system.

Perform a Clean Installation of NVIDIA Drivers

Use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode to remove all existing NVIDIA drivers.

Reboot the system and download the latest NVIDIA driver from the HP Support site for your specific model.

Install it and restart once completed.

Check in System Information

Press Windows + R, type msinfo32, and open “Components → Display.”

See if the RTX 2060 is listed. If only Intel UHD appears, move to the next step.

Test with HP Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI)

Turn off the laptop → Press Esc repeatedly while turning it on → Select F2 → System Tests → Component Tests → Graphics.

Run the test to confirm if the GPU is being detected at the hardware level.

Reset BIOS Settings

Enter BIOS using Esc → F10, then press F9 to load defaults and F10 to save and exit.

Restart and check if the GPU appears after booting into Windows.

I hope this helps.

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