Intermittent screen freeze on HP Spectre x360

[MateT]

Dear all (especially HP),

I purchased a 13" HP Spectre x360 notebook in February this year. I am very satisfied with my purchase, it's a fantastic machine, except for one really annoying problem that has been recurring since day one. I will explain the symptoms in a moment, but based on a thorough online search (especially on the HP support forums), an employee of yours called Nitesh is supposed to be already familiar with this issue. Here is a relevant discussion:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Video-Display-and-Touch/Intermittent-screen-freeze-on-HP-Spec...

This is what I'm experiencing:

At seemingly completely random times the screen freezes for a few seconds (can be even longer) then continues, then freezes again, then continues, and so on. Usually each interval (freeze, unfreeze, freeze, unfreeze...) lasts a few seconds. When the issue is triggered, it is only the screen that is affected. Everything I've "done" during the screen freeze becomes visible when it unfreezes. For example, the audio keeps playing without a problem, it is completely unaffected during a screen freeze.

As far as I was able to isolate the problem through a thorough internet search, it is a display driver issue without a solution to this day. My latest update and ongoing hope is that a new UHD Graphics 620 driver update will fix this issue, but it never does. I configured the power button to switch off the display when pressed. That stops the issue momentarily and unfreezes the screen once I turn it back on (no need to restart), but it's not a solution as the problem keeps coming back. And it's very annoying to be honest that I have to turn the display off and on again multiple times a day (sometimes even multiple times an hour!) to be able to use a £1000 laptop in such a way that even the cheapest machines out there are able to function. I understand that this is a tricky issue to deal with, and if anyone has a solution, that would be amazing, but otherwise HP, please make it a priority and try to resolve this as soon as possible, because sometimes the problem gets so frustrating that I feel like I should have bought a different machine. Also, I know for a fact that I'm not the only one affected and driven half-mad by this.

Thank you.

P.s. The problem occurred four times while I was typing this post. If I had not been aware that I was taking a hopeful baby step toward fixing the issue by writing this post, I'm sure I would've needed medical help not to throw the laptop out the window.

[Jeet_singh]

@MateT,

Thanks for engaging in HP support Forums! This is a wonderful location to converse with the community, get assistance and find tips! I see from the post that you are having issues with the computer freezes randomly. No worries, as I'll be glad to help you.

Splendid effort and fabulous description of the issue before posting. Kudos to you on that score.  You are a valued HP customer and it is paramount to assist you here. I take it as a privilege to share this platform with you. 

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

Could you provide me with the exact model of the PC? Use this link to find it:  https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c03754824  (Ensure you do not share any of your personal information such as serial, phone number, email ID, etc...).

Have you tried to update the device drivers either from HP support website or from manufacturer's website?

Have you tried to run any test on the computer from F2?

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

Perform a Hard reset on the notebook: A power reset (or hard restart) clears all information from the computer's memory without erasing any personal data. Performing a power reset might fix conditions such as Windows not responding, a blank display, software freezing, keyboard stops responding, or other external devices locking up.

Let's start off by uninstalling the display drivers from device manager: 

Right-Click on start button> click device manager> expand display adapters>then select the display drivers that are listed and right-click on it and uninstall the drivers.

Check the box that states delete the software for this device.

Now restart the computer and then reinstall the drivers from recovery manager - HP PCs - Using Recovery Manager to Restore Software and Drivers (Windows 10)

If the issue persists, uninstall the display drivers from device manager.

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

Also, 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.

Alternatively, you can follow the steps suggested in the support document for - HP PCs - Computer Locks Up or Freezes (Windows 10, 😎

HP Spectre products offer the option to switch to a lower power CPU state in which the computer runs cooler. The power switching option is different depending on the Spectre model. The two options, selecting the low power mode in the BIOS, or turning on Cool Control using the desktop interface, are very similar. Some of their features are:

• Both options for switching to the lower power CPU achieve the same result. The only difference is that Cool Control has a Windows interface.

• The default setting for all Spectre products is Performance mode in the BIOS or Off for Cool Control.

• Selecting Balanced mode in the BIOS or selecting On in Cool Control reduces maximum power usage resulting in lower system operating temperatures, which causes slightly lower system performance.

Could you please respond to this post with the details of the product and with the results of the troubleshooting as this will help me in further assisting you.

Eagerly waiting for your response!

I hope you have a good day ahead,

And Feel free to ask your queries as this forum has some of the best people in the world available and ready to help.

Regards,

[MateT]

@Jeet_Singh,

Thank you for your reply and willingness to help, I really appreciate it. However, I'd like to be honest and straightforward right at the start and say - this is not what I need. As I said in my original post, I've had this issue and been trying to find a solution for months. Obviously I have tried all of your tips. Nothing works. I don't want to and I don't need to go back to square one and start troubleshooting from scratch. This specific issue has been on the HP Support Forums for a while now without a clear, universal solution, so HP should be more than familiar with it by now. Unless you know exactly what I'm talking about, please simply submit it to whomever it needs to be submitted in order to get it thoroughly analyzed and fixed. That's all I'm asking - show some genuine care, focus on it, make it a priority. I find it completely unacceptable that a high-end machine not only has an elementary flaw like this, but it remains unresolved for months.

For a more in-depth discussion please go to https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Boot-and-Lockup/HP-Spectre-15-BL012DX-Completely-Freezes-Mome....

This particular thread started more than a year ago. Still no solution.

My exact product is a HP Spectre x360 Convertible 13-ae0xx.

[Jeet_singh]

@MateT,

Thank you for replying,

I see from the previous post that you have already performed all possible troubleshooting and still having the concern with the screen freezing. Don't worry I'll do my best to help you with this.

In this scenario, I have gone ahead and  escalated this concern to the R&D team

I'm awaiting their response as the solution needs to be validated by them before I could have it sent out,

To ensure I'm providing a complete fix, I may have to request you to wait for a TAT of 72hrs while I reach out to them.

And I shall keep you updated about the same.

In the meantime, please be patient as patience is a virtue 😉

If you would like to thank me for my efforts to help you,  

feel free to give me a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, 

Followed by clicking on "Accept as solution" button for my efforts to help you.

Have a great day!

[MateT]

@Jeet_Singh,

Sure, I have been exercising the virtue of patience for months. 🙂

Thank you, looking forward to hearing back from you.

[Jeet_singh]

@MateT,

Thank you for waiting,

I have got an update from the R&D team, Let's try these steps here: 

Let's launch Intel HD Graphics Control Panel- Right click on the empty space on the desktop - From the drop down click on Intel Graphics Settings

1.Open the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel.

2.Select Power.

3.In the Panel Self Refresh section select Disable.

4.Close the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel.

Restart the computer and then check.

If the issue persists, I would suggest you go ahead and shutdown the PC, now while turning on the computer start tapping Esc key until you see the startup screen

On the startup screen press the F10 key to enter into the Bios.

On the Bios, Click on System Configuration - Scroll down to Virtualization Technology - Enable it.

Save the settings and restart the PC and now check how it performs.

Let me know if those steps worked for you.

If they did, that’s awesome!

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.

[MateT]

@Jeet_Singh,

Thank you, this is very specific, that's what I need. I have tried disabling panel self-refresh before, but I did it again now. I got the same result as last time: when the mouse pointer passes over any feature (such as a desktop icon - I don't even need to click on anything), the screen starts shaking, vibrating and duplicating itself. Very strange and very bad. So unfortunately I can't keep panel self-refresh disabled.

I enabled Virtualization Technology as well (haven't done this before), but unfortunately the issue still persists. Probably a bit less frequently than before, but it's hard to judge as it all seems random. Shall I disable it again, or is it okay to keep it enabled?

Thank you for your help so far, please keep it up.

[Jeet_singh]

@MateT,

It is great to have you back and your patience is greatly appreciated.

I see that you have enabled Virtualization and ti seems to have cut down the frequency, and your question is should you disable it or keep it enabled, No, you don't have to disable it as long as it does not harm. since the issue has not resolved completely, I would personally suggest you run an extensive system test as well as an extensive test on the hard drive and memory from F2 and get back to us with the results. Please remember to capture the failure ID for further assistance. 

Keep me posted,

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.

[MateT]

@Jeet_Singh,

Thank you again, I ran all the tests that you suggested. I haven't found a single failure. Hardware-wise we seem to be absolutely fine.

[Jeet_singh]

@MateT,

Thank you for replying,

As I see you have performed the test which passed without any errors, In this scenario, the next option would be to perform a system recovery.

Doing this will wipe off everything and set the computer back to the original factory conditions. So, please remember to back up your data before initiating system recovery. If for some reason the recovery fails. The only other way to install Windows would be to order the recovery media for your laptop and using the recovery media you can install Windows. You can check if the recovery media is available online on www.hp.com/drivers by entering the exact model no. of your laptop. To find the exact model no. click here: http://hp.care/2bygf7l

HP PCs - How to Reset Your Computer to Factory Settings (Windows 10, 8, 7)

Otherwise, you could also reach HP phone support to order the recovery media. If your product is out of warranty, please choose paid options to get the tech support number.

HP PCs - Obtaining HP Recovery Discs or an HP USB Recovery Drive

I'm sending out a Private message with the information you need to get this sorted,

Please check your Private message icon on the upper right corner of your HP Forums profile 

Next, to your profile Name, you should see a little blue envelope, please click on it 

The reason we are utilizing the private message now, is because the instructions are critical

Keep me posted,

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.