Omen Intel graphics drivers for Windows 10 ver.1909

[CMCurley]

Hello,

I've recently purchased a new Omen laptop, and after downloading the drivers from the HP Support/Software page, I've hit a roadblock. While trying to install the Intel graphics driver (sp98260), the following error is displayed:

"The driver is not supported on this OS version (10.0.18363)"

On the driver page, it mentions that the driver "provides support for Windows 10 v1903", whereas I am using Windows 10 v1909. As this is a new Windows Installation, I do not have the option of rolling back to an older version of Windows 10, or uninstalling the the 1909 update.

After using the laptop without this driver, I've noticed that gaming  on an HDMI or mini-DisplayPort connected display will cause the laptop to fully freeze after about 30-45 minutes semi-consistently, requiring a hard reset. The freeze is not due to overheating. Using the inbuilt display without an external display connected does not seem to trigger this problem. I've assumed the fault lies in this missing driver.

My question is two-fold: what is the ETA of an Intel graphics driver for my particular laptop model (OMEN 17-cb0006nq), and whether the freezing issue is indeed caused by this particular driver.

Thank you.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Unfortunately, no one can answer your first question as to when HP will release a graphics driver for v1909.

You can contact the HP executive team at the link below and see if you get a response.

https://ssl.www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/connect-with-hp.html

As for updating the Intel graphics driver, since your notebook only has the onboard Intel graphics, read my knowledgebase article at the link below for how to update the Intel graphics driver to the latest version...

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebooks-Knowledge-Base/Updating-the-Latest-HD-Graphics-Driver-from-I...

If you try this approach, you may get the answer to your second question one way or the other.

[CMCurley]

Hello Paul,

Thanks for the answer. Regarding the second part, I can't try updating the Intel driver since I can't install it in the first place - it doesn't appear in the device manager at all (not even as an unidentified device, despite the fact that the processor does indeed have an integrated GPU).

The laptop actually has a discrete Nvidia card (an RTX 2070). I forgot to link a spec sheet for the laptop, my bad (it's somewhat incomplete, unfortunately). The discrete GPU's driver installed without a hitch, and everything works as it should. I do not intend to use the Intel card, not even for power-saving, so my only real problem is stability when using external displays.

As such, I'll try to get in touch with the HP team and see if I have any luck there.

Cheers!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Here's the problem.  The HP specs for your model are wrong.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06458726

It shows your notebook only has the Intel graphics.

In reality, your notebook is one of those new models that only has the discrete Nvidia graphics adapter.

There is no Intel/Nvidia switchable graphics setup in your model like on older model notebooks.

That is why only the Nvidia GPU shows up and not the Intel one.

Here is the link to the service manual.   Chapter 1 shows the specs.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c06367528

So that solves the mystery.

The good news is you can probably always use the most recent driver from Nvidia since there are no custom drivers needed for the Intel/Nvidia switchable graphics, and your notebook should always have great graphics performance.

The bad news is that without the Intel graphics, you may find the time between battery charges is less than what you expected it to be.

[CMCurley]

Hey again,

That's actually great news, since graphic drivers won't be an issue anymore. As for battery endurance, as long as I use this laptop, it'll live and die next to a power socket, so that's not a problem.

What is a problem is the fact that the non-installable Intel driver was my only lead towards sussing out why the laptop isn't stable when it comes to external displays, so now I'm back to square one. I've found a bunch of suggestions around the web which I'll try out, and I can only hope it's not a hardware related issue.

That being said, thanks for telling me about the Intel GPU (or lack thereof) on the laptop. It's good to know, so I don't have to stay on this wild goose chase for the drivers anymore.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

If you haven't tried the latest graphics driver from Nvidia, now may be the time to do so.

This is the standard driver...

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/153946/en-us

This is the DCH driver...

https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/153948/en-us

[CMCurley · Accepted solution]

Well, I've found the problem. It was actually a thermal issue, despite my initial impression. While gaming/rendering (and when it froze), the CPU was at a reasonably steady 85 degrees Celsius. However, when using a stress test, the processor temperature shot up to 98°C-99°C in less than a minute.

Since it was newly bought, I exchanged it for another laptop of the same model. The new one is stable with external displays connected, and has the CPU stay below 80°C while under a 30 minute stress test.

So, even if the solution has nothing to do with the thread title, the issue is solved.

Cheers!