Using Intel Graphics Driver Instead of HP Driver

[IowaDude]

An HP 15-DW3033DX laptop has latest HP driver for Intel UHD Graphics, which was released about a year ago.  A HoverCam Solo8 Plus document camera is attached to the laptop with a USB 3 cable.  The camera frequently disconnects unexpectedly while in use.  The same thing happens on a second, identical HP laptop.  The camera and same USB cable work fine on a Lenovo desktop computer.  HoverCam says there were previous issues with the *Intel* UHD driver running with an 11th Gen Intel CPU that have been fixed.  The latest compatible Intel driver is about one month old.  It appears the fixes are not present in the HP driver.  These laptops have an 11th Gen Intel CPU.  HoverCam says we should switch to the Intel graphics driver.  Is there any known disadvantage to using an Intel driver rather than the HP-supplied driver?

[banhien]

@IowaDude 

In many cases, Intel drives for iGPU won't install to HP machines. Normally we have to use FULLY tested driver from HP.

Regards.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

@IowaDude 

Since your notebook only has the onboard Intel graphics, I don't see any reason why you can't install the latest driver from the Intel website.

I have always used the Intel graphics drivers directly from Intel for years and never had an issue with them.

Before you try to install the driver from Intel, first, create a system restore point so that you can roll back to the current graphics driver you have installed, just in case the updated driver does not work to your expectations.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4027538/windows-create-a-system-restore-point

If you get a message that states in substance that you have to use the driver from the PC manufacturer, let me know and I will give you the steps to manually update the driver via the device manager.

[IowaDude]

Banhien and Paul Tikkanen,

Thank you for your feedback.  You both reflect views I had been mulling over.

After more consideration, I decided to follow Paul's suggestion for the moment.  I created a restore point and installed the driver recommended by Intel Driver & Support Assistant.  The installation went smoothly.  After a reboot and with no applications open, I immediately noticed a stable 5-10% reduction in CPU, GPU and memory utilization compared to when the HP driver was installed.  I used the document camera for 40 minutes and did not encounter errors (a record).  I also did not notice any non-camera display issues. 

I was never able to trigger the camera errors on demand, so I am hesitant to say the problem is resolved - but I AM hopeful.  We will use this configuration for a week or two, watching for any display issue.  I will report back with our findings.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

[IowaDude]

We have been using the Intel driver for almost two months now.  There have not been any problems with the laptop's display.  So, in our case, there was no harm in using an Intel driver that is newer than the HP driver.  This matches the experience of Paul_Tikannen.  

The Intel driver reduced the frequency of the unexpected document camera disconnections but, unfortunately, did not eliminate it.  At HoverCam's suggestion, we then downgraded the USB cable connecting the camera to the laptop from USB 3 to USB 2.  That eliminated the remaining disconnection problem.  USB 2 prevents the use of the camera's highest available resolution (8K).  That isn't an issue for us since the lost resolution exceeds the maximum display resolution of our projector.

In summary, it appears there were bugs in the older Intel video driver and in the current HoverCam driver's handling of USB 3.

Thank you, again, Paul for your help.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.