plz make pop-up stop
May 6, 2021 12:14 PM   Subscribe

Greetings all! Bought a spiffy new HP computer a few weeks ago - running great, it is now my second child that I call "compy face." Problem: despite my best efforts tinkering with settings, I can not figure out how prevent a "Software & Drivers Update" pop-up from happening (on the order of two or three times every hour). I have told it to NEVER search for updates, but even that doesn't work. Can anyone tell me how to make it stop? Here is what the pop-up looks like.
posted by davidmsc to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)
 
Try looking for something like 'hp software update' or a variation on those keywords in the 'Add/Remove programs' section of your computer and uninstalling it.

Important driver updates will be pushed via microsoft through windows update and that should cover your needs.
posted by kzin602 at 12:32 PM on May 6, 2021


Some HP packages you will probably want to remove, and others you may want to leave installed (which provide useful functionality, but which won't bug you or interrupt your work). Here is a suggested list of both categories, and what steps you can take to uninstall those which are in the uninstall category.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 1:25 PM on May 6, 2021 [3 favorites]


This is probably hiding in the tray.

There are tools to identify which program which window is from, but it's fairly intrusive.

Microsoft years ago bought out the folks who made Sysinternals Tools (Mark Russinovich) and made it an official MS tool. But they are for sysadmins and may be difficult to use for regular users.

Autoruns in the Tools may be able to pinpoint which autorun app is this particular one, and sometimes the name would be obvious, like "HP Autoupdate" (I'm guessing). If you find it, you can disable it.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

You can use another utility, which is again, mainly for sysadmins... WinLister by NirSoft (Nir Sofer) It displays every window that's open, even the invisible ones, and gives you a procesID and name, often with path, that helps you identify them.

https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/winlister.html
posted by kschang at 1:43 PM on May 6, 2021 [1 favorite]


Best answer: That screencap is of the HP Support Assistant. You will want to remove it and the HP Support Solutions Framework from your computer if you don't want this feature at all.

That said, It shouldn't be harassing you like it is. It normally only pops up when it finds updates for you to install and by default it only checks once a week.

Type HP Support Assistant into your windows search and open the main application. Then click the cogwheel symbol in the lower left-hand corner to open the full settings menu. It should look like this. My guess is you have some things ticked off in there that are making it extra annoying. Try unticking everything in the more settings section. You can also turn off the automatic updates if they are turned on.

If it still gives you trouble or you just can't be bothered with it then it is safe to uninstall this. Windows will make sure you get the critical driver and OS updates. The HP package is a bit better at getting HP-specific drivers and will also nab firmware updates that Windows Update won't have, but you're unlikely to ever need those kinds of updates and can always reinstall the assistant if you need it. The other thing HP Support Assistant does is make it easy to access your HP Warranty. If you ever need to file a warranty request with HP you will want to reinstall the assistant from their website. It will make the process much, much easier.
posted by forbiddencabinet at 3:18 PM on May 6, 2021 [5 favorites]


« Older Humans Using Tools   |   Mote+VideoAnt Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.