Brightness hotkeys have stopped working

[rogan1]

The brightness function keys (F2 and F3) have stopped working recently.

I have not knowingly made any updates to the system, although minor updates may have been installed.

Now, when I press the F2 or F3 buttons the brightness indicator appears on the screen as normal, but the brightness does not change. 

I can change the brightness by touching the slider and dragging with my finger (touch screen).

I have checked the latest drivers are installed for the keyboard, monitor, intel grpahics chipset, and nvidia graphics chipset, I've checked the lastest windows and hp updates are all installed, and restarted the computer, but the function keys are still not working.

Note, when I press the function button and then press F2 it functions correctly as the universal edit command.

[Jeet_singh · Accepted solution]

@rogan1,

Welcome to the HP Forums 🙂 I would like to take a moment and thank you for using this forum, it is a great place to find answers. For you to have the best experience on the HP forum, you could also visit our HP Forums Guide for First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More. I see from your post that you are having issues with the brightness hotkeys not working on your HP notebook. NO worries, I'll be glad to help you.

To provide you with an accurate solution, I'll need a few more details:

Have you recently made any software or hardware changes on the PC before the issue started?

Did you try to update the driers either using Windows update or using HP Support Assistant?

Have you tried to update the Bios?

In the meantime, let's try these steps here: 

Perform a Hard reset on the notebook: 

Many startup errors and other problems can be resolved by decreasing the amount of power stored in hardware components. Decreasing stored power is sometimes referred to as a "Hard Reset". Use the following steps to perform a hard reset on a computer:

1. If Windows is open, click Start and then Shutdown.

If Windows is not open and the computer has power, press and hold the power button on the computer until the computer shuts off.

2. With the power off, disconnect the power cord from the back of the computer.

3. With the power off and the power cord disconnected, press the power button on the computer for 5 seconds. The power light indicator on or near the power button might turn on briefly but then go out.

4. Reconnect the power cord and turn on the power.

I recommend to restore the BIOS defaults.You could restore the BIOS with this document selecting the reloading the BIOS default settings. That way it will look at the Hardware installed on the Notebook.

Once done, restart the computer and check.

Next thing, I would suggest here is to Run Windows Updates troubleshooter -

Download and install the troubleshooter from this link.

Now try to perform a Windows update:

1) In the search box, type and open Windows Updates. 

2) Check for updates. 

3) If the updates are available, click on install and restart the computer.

If the issue persists, I would suggest here is to uninstall the display drivers from device manager:

Display drivers:

Use shortcut keys Win + X on Windows 10

Select Device Manager.

Expand the entry. Right-click the problematic device and select Uninstall device.

You may need to check the option Delete the driver software for this device, and then click the Uninstall button.

Now restart the computer and then update the Bios, and graphics card drivers from our HP support website, using this link.

If the issue persists, I would suggest here is to uninstall the HP Support Assistant from the control panel and then reinstall the latest version.

Download and install HP support assistant on your PC. It should automatically download and install the latest updates and drivers for your PC.

Refer this link to know how to use HP support assistant.

If the issue persists, I would suggest here is to follow these steps here: 

1. Click the Start button, then click Run.   

2. In the Run window, next to Open, type MSCONFIG.   

3. Press the ENTER key.   

4. In the System Configuration Utility window, click the Startup tab.   

5. On the Startup tab, under Startup Item, ensure that there is a check in the HKserv checkbox.   
    
   NOTE: If HKserv is missing, reinstall the Hot-Key Utility application by Clicking here 
    
   For Windows 10 drivers: Click here  

(ignore the ads, 3rd party link has been sent to ensure your issue is fixed, I'm going beyond my way to help you and if you would like to give me virtual high five, Click on the purple thumbs up 🙂 ) 

Please let me know if this resolves the issue, or if you require further assistance!

Eagerly waiting for your response!

that said, If the information I've provided was helpful, 

give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, 

that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Good Luck.

[rogan1]

Hi Jeet,

Thanks for the comprehensive response.

Have you recently made any software or hardware changes on the PC before the issue started?

-Not that I am aware of.

Did you try to update the driers either using Windows update or using HP Support Assistant?

-After the problem started, I used Windows update to check and update the drivers.  This didn't solve the problem.

-There are no more driver updates available on Windows update or HP support assistant at present.

Have you tried to update the Bios?

-No.  Not since I bought the laptop around 20 months ago.

-I don't particularly want to touch the BIOS settings or version right now since I am 100% sure I haven't modified the BIOS.

Perform a Hard reset on the notebook: 

-SUCCESS

Thanks Jeet.

[Jeet_singh]

@rogan1,

I'm glad you got this issue sorted out.

Do visit our HP Forums and drop us a message anytime you need help.

Thank you 😀