Repeated HP keyboard and software component updates and hotkeys stopped working

[trs3]

For those on Windows 10 or 11 who have suddenly lost the use of hotkeys (Fn keys for volume and brightness, for example), you may also have noticed 2 Microsoft driver updates repeatedly showing up:

"HP Development Company L.P. - Keyboard 11.1.8.1 [or 11.1.9.1]" and
"HP Development Company L.P. - SoftwareComponent - 8.10.29.1".

The latter is the hotkey support package.

=====

The short story:

1) Install the latest hotkey support package sp158514 8/15/2025:
https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp158501-159000/sp158514.exe

You can check the official support list here:

https://support.hp.com/id-en/document/ish_12893367-12893393-16/

However, I've installed it on an older Probook 450 G4 even though that is not listed.

2) Make sure your BIOS settings are the way you want for hotkeys to require or not that the "fn" key be pressed simultaneously.  This is in different places in different BIOSes and may be called "action keys".

3) Also consider blocking (using, e.g., wushowhide) any further repeated installs of
"HP Development Company L.P. - Keyboard 11.1.8.1 and 11.1.9.1" and
"HP Development Company L.P. - SoftwareComponent - 8.10.29.1".

=====

I started with virtually none of my Fn hotkeys working. On my Probook 450 G4, I have dedicated buttons for speaker muting and airplane mode. Those both worked. However, the Fn buttons, brightness (F5/F6), speaker volume (F8/F9), and microphone muting (F10) did not work.

I started by removing and blocking (with wushowhide) Windows updates
"HP Development Company L.P. - Keyboard 11.1.8.1 and 11.1.9.1" and
"HP Development Company L.P. - SoftwareComponent - 8.10.29.1".

Not as simple as it sounds. It required repeated uninstalls of the keyboard driver along with deletion of the driver for
"Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard for HP Hotkey Support" until I was back to "Standard PS/2 Keyboard". Likewise, repeated uninstalls of Software component "HP WAN/WLAN/WWAN Switching and Hotkey Service" until I had "Generic Software Component" 10.0.26100.1 dated 6/21/2006

Next, just to be sure, I reinstalled sp151095, which is the latest
"HP Hotkey Support - UWP" (V8.10.40.158 Rev.A 1/25/2024) for my Probook 450 G4.

Finally, as MKazi suggested in another thread, I went into the UEFI/BIOS setup and found the setting for activating the hotkeys without having to simultaneously press the "fn" key.

At this point, all the Fn hotkeys now worked EXCEPT for the brightness keys.

It finally occurred to me that I had no such problems on my Probook 460 G11. So, as a final step, I installed sp158514, the latest "HP Hotkey Support - UWP" (V8.10.46.337 Rev.A, 5/2/2025) for that notebook (W10 and W11). That package is several versions newer. Voila!! Everything works!

[Update 2]

On my Probook 450 G4 I ended up with keyboard driver "Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard for HP Hotkey Support" 11.1.9.1 dated 4/3/2025 and "Generic Software Component" 10.0.26100 dated 6/21/2006. I subsequently updated that with the already installed "HP WAN/WLAN/WWAN Switching and Hotkey Service" V8.10.29.1 dated 6/30/2025, and everything continues to work.

On my Probook 460 G11, I have a V11.1.9.1 keyboard driver dated 6/30/2025 (there are also 3 others with the same version number and earlier dates) and an "HP WAN/WLAN/WWAN Switching and Hotkey Service" V8.10.29.1 with a 6/30/2025 date.

I'll have to decide what updates it's safe to unblock now.

Here are the contents of sp158514 

Build Version: 8.10.46.337
Keyboard driver Version: 11.1.9.1
HP Lan\Wlan driver Version: 8.10.29.1
HP System Information Version: 8.10.46.0
HK Service exe version: 8.10.46.337
HK LanWanWwan exe version: 8.10. 46.337

The last 3 are services that would appear to be necessary and are (now) in my services list, but only the first two are being continually reinstalled by Windows Update, not the entire package.

[trs3 · Accepted solution]

Another month, another "HP Development Company, L.P. - Keyboard - 11.1.9.1" update. Blocking with wushowhide doesn't seem to work.