All HP EliteBook 8 G2i laptops run their fans at full speed after Windows starts
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MellowCedar42
We recently replaced our EliteBook G1i laptops with five HP EliteBook 8 G2i systems, model DJ9V8UT#ABA. On every unit, the fans immediately ramp to 100% as Windows finishes loading. They only slow down or stop during a reboot, then return to full speed once Windows starts again.
The installed firmware is newer than the version currently available on HP's support site. We installed all available HP drivers and also tested a couple of systems with our SCCM image using those updated drivers, but the behavior did not change. The laptops do not appear unusually hot, and the issue happens consistently across all five machines.
HP support walked us through their troubleshooting process and now wants us to ship all of the laptops back at our expense. Before doing that and potentially leaving new hires without equipment, has anyone seen this issue on the EliteBook 8 G2i? Could it be related to firmware, BIOS fan control, temperature reporting, or something specific to Windows 11?
Answers
I would sacrifice one unit for a controlled test: install a completely clean, current Windows 11 build using standard Microsoft installation media, then install only the required HP chipset, graphics, and system drivers. If the fan still runs at full speed before adding your corporate image or management tools, you’ll have stronger evidence for HP that the issue is in the firmware or hardware. It is a relatively quick way to eliminate the SCCM image as a possible cause.
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I have seen similar behavior on older HP systems where the fan stayed at jet-engine speed until a firmware update corrected the fan-control logic. We recently deployed an EliteBook G2i from another series through MDT and did not see the problem, so this may be specific to the 8 G2i line. If HP has released a newer firmware than the one on its support page, a future update may fix it. A clean test installation would also help rule out your image and software stack.
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Try narrowing down whether this is actually Windows-related. Check the fan behavior in the BIOS setup, from a clean Windows installation made with standard Microsoft media, and possibly from a Linux or bootable diagnostic environment. Also check CPU and GPU utilization and temperatures. If the fan is already running full speed in BIOS, that points much more strongly to firmware, sensor reporting, or the system board rather than your Windows image.
MellowCedar42: By “as soon as Windows boots,” I mean just as Windows finishes loading, sometimes slightly before. We tested both the shipped Windows 11 Pro build and our Windows 11 Enterprise image, with the same result. The fan also runs at full speed after rebooting into the BIOS menu, so I’m planning to let one machine cool completely and test it there again. The bottom feels only mildly warm, comparable to our other EliteBooks, which makes a bad fan-control decision more likely than an overheating fan.
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MellowCedar42: We asked HP about rolling the firmware back to the version on their website, but support advised us not to do that. I’m not sure what their reasoning was, since I wasn’t the person on the call.