HP EliteBook 840 G3 no longer works correctly with HP Audio Drivers!

To be clear, starting a few weeks ago every day I would get a NEW "Bang & Olufsen stopped working" error message! (winver 22H2),

The HP Audio Driver is listed in Device Manager as Conexant. However, B&O/Bang & Olufsen is bundled with the Conexant software, though Bang & Olufsen is only indicated by Windows 10 in the PC as "B&O Audio Control Panel".

I have removed and installed several official HP Conexant Audio Drivers specifically indicated for this PC model which I have been using for many years. That includes the latest HP Audio Driver for this model downloaded from the official HP download site, plus two older previously downloaded and used HP Drivers already stored in the PC in compressed form.

ALL of them technically worked perfectly and the same with NO actual audio issues .... except the daily new *Bang & Olufsen stopped working" error messages. After the error message I would uninstall the "B&O Audio Control Panel" ... and later get the same *Bang & Olufsen stopped working" error message.



Finally I removed the official HP Conexant Audio Driver and let Windows automatically replace it with its generic "High Definition Audio Driver". As with all the previous official HP Audio Drivers, consecutively using the PC speakers, earphones and a Sennheiser headset, I tested this generic driver with a stored music vid as well as a recording + playback test with Audacity and a Skype call + playback audio test. And the audio seems the same ... but no *Bang & Olufsen stopped working" error message.

So .... is there any reason NOT to use this generic Windows Audio Driver? The only thing I can think of are SECURITY and other Audio Driver updates. And that might be very important to keep my PC uninfected, etc.

So far, so good ... but I will wait a week before deciding the problem is solved (by Windows, of all things )

Well ... that Generic Widows Sound Driver lasted for 2 days until Windows installed another weekly Conexant MEDIA update .... which totally disabled ALL sounds and audio. Up till then, my only issue was the constant "Bang & Olufsen stopped working" notices, while the actual sounds and audio worked PERFECTLY!

So I had to reinstall the newst HP Audio Driver .... followed by another "Bang & Olufsen stopped working" notice, but at least the SOUND and AUDIO worked as before.

Then I found solution advice that because it seemed that Windows keeps trying to update old hidden but not used Audio and Sound Drivers, to delete/uninstall ALL Audio and Sound Drivers, especially including hidden ones. After restart, Windows had not installed its Generic Audio Driver as before, so I had to reinstall the latest HP Conexant Audio Driver.

Since then no new Conexant MEDIA updates and the Sound and Audio drivers are still working with no new "Bang & Olufsen stopped working" notices.

We'll just wait and see ....

Thank you for the advice. However, the issue here is that Conexant seems to be involved with many drivers in this HP device as I discovered, so rather than messing up everything connected to Conexant ... i have opted to eliminate what I think were superfluous (and outdated) drivers as per the online advice I read which seems reasonable.

So far that may be working, but I need to wait for the next "Conexant MEDIA" update, when and if it comes. I helped my now ex-wife eventualy become head of Testing at MS Redmond and from her stories I am grateful anything with these interacting over million-line code programs works at all.

The running joke there was, "It's a Design Feature" ....

So far ... still so good this time, with no "Bang & Olufson stopped working" error messages. But to be sure I need to wait until the next Windows Update which usually includes a Conexant MEDIA update.

Intesestingly, yesterday the entire audio dropped out. This has periodically happened for years and the Troubleshooter NEVER found a cause. So yesterday I did the simple fix which ALWAYS worked by just re-starting. That again worked and there were no error messages in that regard!

My working assumption was and is that some of the electriciles involved had a "Design Feature" problem with each other [old in-house joke in the MS Redmond/WA (Windows software) Test Dept.].

I will continue to wait until Windows tries another big Windows Update which would normally include another Conexant MEDIA update ... but till now there have been NO "Bang & Olufsen stopped working" notifications since I removed ALL the Audio and Sound Drivers, incl. hidden ones, and reinstalled the latest Conexant Audio Driver.

Hmmmm ....

Well ... till now Windows has not put in its usual monthly updates, and there have been a few minor error reports .... but NONE even slightly relating to "Bang & Olufsen stopped working"!

So at least the issue seems to have been solved by removing ALL the hidden and unhidden Audio and Sound Drivers. Nonetheless I will still wait until the next major Windows Update, which previously always included a Conexant MEDIA update before "officially" declaring the problem solved. But provisionally it does seem to have been.