HP Developer Community Blog

Starting with Windows 10 and Windows 11, 22H2 Driver Pack releases in December 2022, HP is delivering combined Driver and UWP/HSA driver applications in single Softpaqs. Organizations who inject drivers during imaging will be able to download a single executable that will provide both the device’s hardware enabling drivers along with their corresponding HSA (UWP) control applications.

HP’s System Software Manager (SSM) has helped many IT organizations deliver updates to end user devices for a long time. SSM was deprecated by HP after decades of service and other tools provide different methods for achieving similar results. Here, we are going to review how existing SSM workflows can be replaced with the HP Image Assistant.

HP Image Assistant (HPIA) analyzes a system by downloading a daily updated Reference File from HP. However, it can also analyze and take action from a local Reference File (scripting support added in version 5.1.6 - prior releases only allowed this from the GUI).

Configure Sure Admin using PowerShell modules to protect your BIOS from unauthorized access using a Password free modern security technology. Sure Admin uses public-key cryptography to eliminate the risks that are associated with legacy password-based approaches. Although this steps provides a step-by-step method for testing or implementing HP Sure Admin management, note that HP Connect for Microsoft Endpoint Manager can configure it up as well, from the cloud - see admin.hp.com for this feature.

The ability to use current, up to date, Driver Packs for Windows imaging needs is clear. Official HP Driver Packs are released on a cadence that often require IT departments to update specific drivers immediately after deployment. Why not create your own, as needed?

This blog post will cover how to inventory the battery health manager setting for a collection of devices leveraging a PowerShell script to generate a .csv file. We will cover a solution for Configuration Manager and one without it. 

The hybrid working environment, where users are working from home or not at a fixed desk location poses additional challenges for IT resilience. One of those areas is the recovery of a non-functional device that requires a fresh Windows image to get the end-user productive again. HP Sure Recover is built into the hardware & firmware of selected HP business devices and helps to securely install the operating system from a network location.

Configuring new devices for company use is traditionally a complicated and time-consuming process. Windows Audit mode condenses the number of steps it takes to get new devices up and running through hardware-agnostic configuration profiles that can be deployed anywhere with internet access. Devices can be sent from HP straight to users, who, once registered with Autopilot, just need to log in with their work email to get quickly provisioned and start work.

HP Image Assistant (HPIA) is a vital tool that assists IT admins to manage their fleet more efficiently with a simpler setup and execution process.In this blog post we will cover how you can setup HPIA in a Microsoft Intune environment and push it to all your client devices with a few simple steps.

BIOS Updates, a How-To Guide

In order to provide a more secure access to the BIOS, HP introduced Sure Admin on commercial systems. HP Sure admin depends on a cryptographically secure infrastructure, the Secure Platform Management (SPM), previously released in the BIOS to support features such as HP Sure Run and Sure Recover. 

Find out how to keep your system BIOS up to date using Microsoft Endpoint Manager Proactive Remediation and HP Client Management Script Library.  

Find out how easy it is to manage battery health with Microsoft Endpoint Manager Proactive Remediation and  HP Client Management Script Library (HPCMSL)  

Learn how to deploy HP Client Management Script Library (HPCMSL) via Microsoft Endpoint Manager

The combination of a remote workforce with Work From Home (WFM) needs in the age of Covid-19, and mobile users now utilizing their notebooks always plugged in, increases the likelyhood of battery damage.

Version 1.5 of the HP Client Management Script Library has been released.  

HP Image Assistant can install/update drivers and other components from an offline repository that has been populated with Softpaqs for HP supported business systems. A Repository folder, if to be used by HPIA, requires to be configured correctly. Configuring can be done with HP's Client Management Software Library.

With the move to the DCHU driver model many of the typical tray applications have migrated to a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) application. These applications are typically installed from the Windows Store into a specific user profile.

Modern Standby: Why HP System Default Settings The HP System Default Settings Softpaq was developed to optimize settings and battery utilization on HP systems. HP recommends the Softpaq be installed on all supported mobile platforms, with and without Modern Standby support.

Installing Driver Appx packages during MEMCM/OSD 4/30/2020 The implementation of the UWP driver model by Microsoft imposes restrictions on how a complete driver package can be deployed when a PC is (re)imaged. Drivers with a control UWP application are split between the hardware-enabling driver and an appx package, typically installed with DISM.

HP Image Assistant (HPIA) has become a useful tool for IT shops helping to automate the deployment and updating of PCs in an Enterprise. HPIA can be used to (not-including capabilities such as, quick access to Readme and CVA files, Advisories and Bulletins, etc.):

HP Image Assistant (since version 4.5.4) and the HP Client Management Script Library (since version 1.4.0) can team up to deliver intelligent and efficient installation of HP drivers, bios, and other HP software in a Microsoft Endpoint Management Configuration Manager (MEMCM), or other similar management environments.

Read what's new in HP Client Management Script Library v1.4.3 (hint, just bug fixes) and also an important note about addressing potential issues caused by a recent security bulletin.  

Learn how to provision HP Sure Recover with the HP Client Management Script Library.  

Managing Driver Packs as Software in a MEMCM environment

Learn how to configure the HP Secure Platform with the HP Client Management Script.  

Check it out, HP Client Management Script LIbrary 1.4 has been released.

Announcing HP Client Management Script Library 1.3.0. Please read on for what is new in this release.    

Learn how to leverage the HP Client Management Script Library to automate driver management and injection for a Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) Deployment Share 

Second post in the Zombieload Special series. In this post, we consider an alternate way of working with security bulletins and the HP Client Management Script Library.

This the inaugural post in a Zombieload Special series. Here's how you can leverage the HP Client Management Script Library and a little bit of your own PowerShell magic to quickly identify whether your platform needs a softpaq mentioned in a security bulletin.