HP drivers - should xyx driver be reinstalled?  

This is a discussion thread, not a problem thread.

Started so one of Doc Brown's thread wasn't hijacked.

The posts from Doc Brown's thread that initiated the conversation, but might be off topic there.

Slartybart said:

I should note that I had difficulty finding the correct drivers for
Bluetooth - HP did not list it for my machine - had to search HP
--> Note: the BCM card is a combo card (BT & 802.11)
AMD USB 3.0 & SMBUS - had to install base offered on HP download page for chipset (only HP called it AMD Graphics) and then update Graphics to newer versions.

Biometrics - found the drivers searching HP, left it uninstalled last time (current)
Coolsense - found it ok, just had issues with it. Seems as though it was causing high temps. When I removed it, temps were in range, left it uninstalled last time (current)
DriveGuard - found it ok, left it uninstalled last time (current)

If I think of anything else.....

Oh wait..... HP laptop.... which one?

gregrocker said:

The two HP programs which you mention and are debatable about reinstalling after a Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7, Cool Sense and Drive Guard, are worth more discussion since they safeguard critical temperature and HD hardware on the PC, yet they can cause issues. What do others here think about their net value for reinstall?

I am facing this issue right now on an HP and don't want to fall short of Best Practice. The tutorial also needs something more determinative on this.

Coolsense on my machine seemed to interfere with the OS temperature monitoring and the machine actually ran hotter with it installed. Additional testing on different machines might show whether this is an issue on all HPs running Coolsense or it is only manifested on my machine.

Driveguard sounds like a good idea, but how much additional protection does it really provide?
If people are walking around with their machine awake and accidentally drop it, then Driveguard might be a worthwhile thing to have running. The question is "How fast does Driveguard park the heads"?

Best pratices: Shutdown or sleep when transporting a laptop.

I fully understand and your name is on the tutorial (or advice given).

I'd have to read the warranty to answer the hypothetical. My initial repsonse is HP would most likely honor their warranty regardless of whethr Coolsense was installed and running.

I decided to search Coolsense for issues, found this (only one, didn't dig too deep)
Does HP CoolSense actually do any significant? : windows

It seems to support my observation of Coolsense INCREASING temps.
no, that wasn't my post I post here, nowhere else

I don't know how much time you've committed to this, but have you observed temps with Coolsense running / not running.

I'm not going to ask if you threw the machine up against a wall to see how well Driveguard works.

HP Intel Rapid Storage Technology-Disable Acceleration & Rapid Start

HP IRST (pgs 27-28) Disable Acceleration & Rapid Start.pdf