HP Image Assistant and 26H2 support lacking

[Antradidoo]

Please HP update your reference files / SoftPaqs for Windows 11 26H2.

We've use HPIA (HP Image Assistant) to install drivers.

Since Win11 26H2 these models are not handled by HPIA / still have a bunch of unknown devices;
HP EliteBook 640 14 inch G10 Notebook PC
HP EliteBook 640 14 inch G11 Notebook PC
HP EliteBook 6 G1i 14 inch Notebook AI PC

Our current workaround is to fallback to install the drivers with HPCMSL where target OS can easily be set to 25H2 instead if HPIA returns code 16386, 4104, 4096, 256. We have seen no issues using drivers for 25H2 in 26H2.

HPIA supported platform list state "v26H2 (Updated: 2026-10-20 ) *"
* This product did not ship with this operating system. HP Image Assistant will provide recommendations based on SoftPaqs available on HP.com.)
https://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/imagepal/ref/platformList.html

[haythamkha]

Hi,

Thank you for sharing these detailed findings and the HPCMSL workaround.

This is an important issue for enterprise deployments, particularly when managing multiple HP business notebook models running Windows 11 26H2.

I checked the current HP Image Assistant Supported Platforms list, and all three models are listed for Windows 11 26H2:

• HP EliteBook 640 G10
• HP EliteBook 640 G11
• HP EliteBook 6 G1i 14-inch Notebook AI PC

However, the 26H2 entries are marked with an asterisk (*), indicating that HPIA provides recommendations based on the SoftPaqs available on HP.com rather than a configuration originally shipped with that operating system.

This distinction is important because having a platform listed does not necessarily guarantee that all device-specific drivers are correctly identified and recommended.

Regarding the HPIA return codes:

HP documents return code 4104 as indicating that HPIA could not find a supported operating system for the platform and therefore used a generic reference file for analysis and recommendations.

That may explain some of the behavior you are experiencing, although the other return codes and missing devices should be investigated separately.

My recommendations:

1. Confirm that you are using the latest HPIA release (currently version 5.3.7).

https://ftp.ext.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/HPIA.html

1. Generate HPIA analysis reports and debug logs for each affected model.
2. Record the Hardware IDs of the remaining unknown devices in Device Manager to identify the missing SoftPaq recommendations.
3. Compare the recommended SoftPaqs for Windows 11 25H2 against those returned for 26H2 on the same hardware.
4. Continue using the tested HPCMSL 25H2 fallback as a temporary deployment workaround, provided the drivers are verified for compatibility and stability in your environment.
5. Escalate the issue to HP's Client Management Solutions team, including the affected System IDs, HPIA version, return codes, debug logs, and missing device Hardware IDs.

The key issue appears to be the completeness and accuracy of the Windows 11 26H2 reference data and driver recommendations, rather than basic hardware compatibility.

I agree that HP should review and update the applicable reference files and SoftPaq mappings so enterprise administrators can deploy Windows 11 26H2 reliably without having to force an earlier OS target.

HP Image Assistant Supported Platforms:

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/imagepal/ref/platformList.html

Thank you again for documenting the behavior and sharing a practical workaround. This information should be useful to other IT administrators experiencing the same issue.

Regards,
Haytham

[Antradidoo]

Thanks for the reply!

We will assist HP in this matter if they contact us directly but I do not feel the need for any further analysis from our side.

HP need to test and classify all their drivers for 26H2 and coming releases as soon as possible on the listed models so that HPIA can be of use in enterprise deployments.