Spectre x360 13t-aw100 on Firmware F.26 USB/TB3 Issues

[Epsilion]

After updating my Spectre x360 13t-aw100 to the recommended F.26 firmware I have been suffering from USB 3 and Thunderbolt 3 issues.

I use an eGPU, a Razer Core X Chroma with a Asus TUF Geforce RTX 3060 Ti, and have been experiencing what seems to be connection dropping to the eGPU since updating the firmware. The initial connection is now intermittently working: when it works successfully it can take up to 5 minutes for the eGPU and all downstream USB components to be added to the laptop successfully and begin using my docked set up. Occasionally the initial connection (cold clean boot or subsequent reconnections after disconnecting) partially fails and leads to all the devices being added, the external monitors connected via the RTX 3060 Ti to come on briefly and then go dark as the graphics card is listed as connected, but because the connection was momentarily lost and the Nvidia eGPU software closed out and will not load again despite disconnecting and reconnecting the eGPU until I reboot. Occasionally I have a different type of partial failure where the GPU device shows as connected but some other device, such as an High Definition audio device, a PCI downstream component, or a USB extensible hub, will have an error like cannot start or operation failed. Occasionally connecting the eGPU results in my trackpad and fingerprint scanner no longer sending input at all despite showing as properly working in Device Manager. Occasionally another partial failure will show the external monitors working briefly and then the connection will be lost momentarily and the Nvidia eGPU software will close out and leave my laptop screen as the only display "working" but it only shows my mouse moving and the wait icon, but everything else is black like the desktop rendering failed to switch back to my iGPU. Occasionally the initial connection completely fails and the eGPU cycles on and off repeatedly seemingly without end but I have only let it go for about 10 minutes before unplugging it out of fear it will ruin the hardware and while the eGPU is cycling I can see the devices on that connection appear and disappear from Device Manager.

In the event of a successful connection occasionally I have noticed that the eGPU connection will drop suddenly with or without me actively using the system  (idle, playing youtube in chrome, loading an excel spreadsheet, etc.). Sometimes the sudden loss of connection will result in the laptop screen only showing my mouse over black. Regardless of the behavior after the connection is lost I have not been able to re-establish connection by physical disconnecting the TB3 cable and reconnecting it, I always have to restart the laptop to even attempt at getting the eGPU working.

I did not have this intermittent connection issue with the laptop prior to updating to the F.26 firmware. I was on the F.15 firmware and using it successfully since December 2020.

[Echo_Lake]

@Epsilion

Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.

I appreciate your efforts to try and resolve the issue. I would suggest performing system factory reset will put the computer back to the original factory settings in this way all corrupted and outdated software will be removed. 

While doing the recovery there is an option to back up your personal files. If you have not previously done one now is a good time. 

Restoring Files that were Backed Up Using HP Recovery Manager (Windows )You can also contact HP support for assistance. They can remotely access your system to help alleviate difficulties: www.hp.com/contacthp/

The HP Cloud Recovery Tool allows you to download recovery software to a USB drive. You can use the downloaded recovery image file in order to install the Windows operating system. 

• Click here: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c04758961#AbT3to perform System Recovery (Windows 10) 
• Click here: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c06162205 to Use the HP Cloud Recovery Tool (Windows 10)

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

[Epsilion]

So before I go through with the system factory reset I want to note that after further attempts I have confirmed that the intermittent issue only occurs when I use the USB C/TB3 port on the corner of my Spectre. The side port does not suffer from the poor connection issue it seems and it is able to reliably connect and disconnect from the eGPU without issue. All USB devices (with Razer Synapse not running so far at least, I will test with it running soon) and the GPU seem to behave correctly when using the side USB C/TB3 port.

Does this indicate a hardware issue with my corner port?

[Epsilion]

I have not extensively used (played any games) the set up with Synapse 3.0 (and 2.0 for older peripherals) running, but since starting Synapse, I have not seen any device dropping and reconnecting frequently behavior that I saw previously.

This all bodes very well for the Firmware F.26, except for the fact that my corner USB C port seems to be very unstable.

[Echo_Lake]

@Epsilion

Thank you for posting back. 

I appreciate your efforts to try and resolve the issue. As we have limited support boundaries in the support community as of now.

I would request you to contact our Support and our Support Engineers should be able to sort this out. HP Support can be reached by clicking on the following link: www.hp.com/contacthp/

Please feel free to contact us here anytime you need any further assistance. Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.