Cannot Update HP Pavilion p6730f Computer to Windows SP1

Noel: That is a link to the original HP Intel HD 4000 driver. My friend has that driver and it is the source of the issue as far as I can tell. The first link is an HP Forum link which describes the problem. I did try the solution in a post that referenced another thread and post #33 but that just caused the hard drive to go to 100% and stay there. We could see Windows SP1 and other updates, but could not download and install them because the computer hard drive was fully occupied with multiple instances of "System" (30 or 40) and several "svchost" processes.

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Not Listed - HP Support Forum - 539343

This is the Microsoft Windows reference to this issue - Note Number 4:

You do not have the option of downloading Windows 7 SP1 when you use Windows Update to check for updates

I tried the suggestions there and that did not work either. The problem is the hard drive going to 100% and staying there.

Perhaps I need to get my friend's Windows SFC integrity errors fixed before doing anything?

I appreciate your help, but she already has the driver you mention - it was the original driver and has never been updated by HP. I have uninstalled it and reinstalled it, but as long as that driver is installed, Windows SP1 will not appear in the list of available Windows updates.

Thanks again. Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil

I had the same problem as you had, but on a different HP model laptop (I have a G62). I never had the Windows SP1 update listed on the WU service.

What I did was download an image mounting program, there are many good freeware programs available such as daemon tools (not recommended as it may contain unwanted software such as adware) or PowerISO (recommended) and then I downloaded the Windows 7 SP1 ISO from microsoft download center and then just proceeded to install it. It was just like if I had a retail CD, everything went smoothly, no problems.

Jonguy30:

Thank you for your response. I have Imgburn installed on my friend's computer (got to watch the PUPs there) and I do have a registered copy of Power2Go 7 on my personal computer, so I could handle an ISO file. I have lots of DVDs since I am a retired person who does a lot of videography. I am somewhat reluctant though to proceed to downloading that 1.8 GB separate downloadable file. I am living in rural Nova Scotia with a 1.5 MB/sec download speed.

I am also concerned with whether SP1 would install when my friend's computer is showing Windows System Integrity errors. I regret the day I ever recommended that "great buy" to her. It was a great price, but I assumed that HP would support it through the Windows 7 life cycle. That all said, I will give it a try if no one else can come up with a better solution. I will just do another full system image with Paragon HD Suite 12 before attempting the installation and then see what happens.

Thanks again for your helpful advice. No one in the HP Forums has had a word to say since I posted back that killing Norton did not solve the problem. It would be so nice if HP would just do what consumers expect and issue an updated driver so that their customers can download and install Windows updates and service packs. That is the last HP that I will ever recommend and when my HP colour laser printer dies, you can bet that I won't be buying an HP replacement.

Have a great day, and if I go your route, I will post back. I am desperate to get my friend's computer, who is a senior on fixed income, up and running and I appreciate any help.

I am hoping that somewhere there is a compatible HP Intel HD 4000 driver and an answer to resolve the sfc errors that were reported.

Regards,
-Phil

You're very much welcome. Back when I downloaded the Win 7 SP1 ISO I also had a 1.5Mb/s download speed, but we have since upgraded. So don't feel bad about your slow download, you're not alone.
It took about 1.5 hours to download it for me.

I should really have researched more about laptop brands before I made my decision. My HP laptop isn't bad by any means but it has some annoyances I don't like. Mainly the awful support they have. Also its hardware isn't top quality either, an example is the laptop fan (I think it's not functioning properly), sometimes it's just, weird.

It seems to me like HP only releases one version of their drivers and be done with it. I also don't understand why the WU service doesn't offer the SP1 update on many HP laptops. On most "normal" computers it is offered and if it isn't there is a small trick you can do, I tried that but it didn't work either. I can't wait to replace my computer... there are way better ones out there. But for now I'm stuck with this.
I also uninstalled all of the HP "bloatware" software that came with it. Stuff like the HP "support center" and whatever.

Anyway, please do post back if my suggestion works.

Jonguy:

Thank you for your email. I am a bit concerned about trying to ram in SP1 via the offline installer for the following reasons:

My friend's computer has:

1. SFC integrity errors that SFC, and I, are so far unable to repair. Noel was going to post back with a cure for that if he could find one after he reviewed the SFC CBS log files that I attached to a previous post in this thread.

2. A Windows Update Hotfix, being initiated by the Windows System Update Readiness Tool, keeps saying it installed correctly and then tries to reinstall the next time SURT is executed. It shows in the Windows Update History as installed (twice), but is not listed as an installed Windows Update via the Control Panel, Uninstall Program, Windows Updates. Something not quite right with that.

3. The Window KB article on SP1 states (Reference 4) that there are known compatibility issues with the HP Intel HD driver (8.15.10.2119) that is installed in my friend's computer and we can't find an alternate driver (so far) that doesn't cause the hard drive to go to 100 percent and start consuming disk space writing, we don't what. I am leery of what compatibility issues might arise if we try to ram in SP1 via the offline installer.

I am going to suggest to my friend that she send a registered letter to the CEO of HP Canada complaining about their lack of support for her computer. She has a right to expect that HP will support her computer through the life cycle of the OS that it was shipped with (Windows 7 Home Premium x64). There is an implied warranty of merchantability that her computer should be supported, according to my understanding of civil law here in Canada.

If we get nowhere there, and with complaints to the Better Business Bureau and government consumer agencies here in Canada, then I would consider the approach you are suggesting, if my friend consents. It is her computer. By the way, do you recall the exact driver version you had - is it the same as my friend has (8.15.10.2119)?

The other obvious issue is that your computer is a laptop and a different model than my friend's computer which is a desktop. The motherboard and architecture will be different, so what worked for you might not work for her.

Please don't get me wrong. I appreciate, very much, your advice, and Noel's efforts to resolve this problem, but as you can see from my initial, very LENGTHY, post, I have tried everything that I could think of, and that I could find through web research without success, with the exception of trying to ram in SP1 via an offline installer.

If we do go down that route, I will post back with what happens, but I can't say as I am optimistic that it would work, and we have already had to restore her complete computer from system images three times. Obviously I would make a fresh system image before attempting the offline installation of SP1.

I completely concur with your comments about HP. Never again will I recommend, or purchase, an HP product after this experience. The only advice from the folks on the HP Forum was to kill Norton Internet Security, which I did, and when that didn't work, I have heard nothing further from anyone there.

If my friend does get a response from the CEO of HP Canada, I will be sure to post on the HP Forum and here what support/fix that was offered and whether it worked.

Thanks again, Jonguy, for your interest, time, and expertise. It is much appreciated. Have a great day.

Regards,
-Phil