Post Windows10 Dec 2018 Patch - Networking (Ethernet & WiFi), Audio - not working

[007Jimbo]

After the most recent patch, the notebook lost the Windows Networking configs for both the wired & wireless adapters.  The devices are still listed in device manager, but not within settings.  More importantly, the big issue is that there are services that the network is dependent upon that have not started - and I can't track down which Windows services those might be.  Even event viewer can't start because of dependent services.  I haven't tried to debug the audio - which the remote user also says is non-functional.

Some of the debugging led us to a message of "win32 the service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it."  I thought that message was odd on a Win10 x64 OS.  

Tried rebooting into safe mode, to no avail.

Tried to do a recover to a past restore point, but none are listed.  Likewise, no patches are listed in the patch history - which is odd since the most recent patches is what led us to this point.

So, I suspect that Windows patch killed some service somewhere which is preventing us from going forward and getting the networking working.  Restoring networking drivers via download is going to end up being difficult because the user doesn't have valid PC networking at the house (does have a tablet, so wifi is working).

anyone else experiencing this - or know what service, drivers, or files I should be looking at?

TIA  

[Jeet_singh]

@007Jimbo,

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 related to your HP notebook. Don't worry we'll work together to help you find a solution.

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

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

Did you install a retail copy of Windows or OEM version of Windows?

Have you tried to update the drivers either using Windows update or using HP Support Assistant?

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

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

Let's start off by performing a Hard reset on the notebook: 

Before power resetting your computer, do the following:

1. Disconnect or remove all peripheral devices. Start up the laptop and test the computer by itself, and then reconnect one peripheral device at a time.

2. Turn over the computer and look for a battery compartment door.

   • If there is a battery compartment, use the steps in Reset a laptop with a removable battery.

   • If there is no battery compartment, use the steps in Reset a laptop with a sealed or non-removable battery.

 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 Windows Updates - 

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 ethernet, wireless card and audio drivers  on your PC from device manager.

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

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

Similarly uninstall the audio drivers from Sound, video and game controllers>now select the drivers and then uninstall it

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

Now restart the computer and then update the Bios, Chipset, wireless card drivers, ethernet card drivers, graphics card and Audio card  drivers on your PC either from our HP support website, using this link or download it using HP Support Assistant

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 the next option would to perform a system reset on the PC. For more details, please follow the steps suggested in the support document for - HP PCs - Resetting Your Computer (Windows 10)

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.