HP Image Assistant User Guide

SUMMARY

HP Image Assistant (HPIA) is a Windows® image comparison tool that captures metadata conguration les from

images, compares image conguration les, and provides recommendations to help you develop, maintain, and

support images for an optimal Windows performance.

Legal information

Company, L.P.

Microsoft and Windows are either registered

trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft

Corporation in the United States and/or other

countries.

Condential computer software. Valid license

from HP required for possession, use or

copying. Consistent with FAR 12.211 and

12.212, Commercial Computer Software,

Computer Software Documentation, and

Technical Data for Commercial Items are

licensed to the U.S. Government under vendor's

standard commercial license.

The information contained herein is subject to

change without notice. The only warranties for

HP products and services are set forth in the

express warranty statements accompanying

such products and services. Nothing herein

should be construed as constituting an

additional warranty. HP shall not be liable

for technical or editorial errors or omissions

contained herein.

Eighth Edition: July 2022

First Edition: April 2017

Document Part Number: 936944-008

User input syntax key

Text that you must enter into a user interface is indicated by fixed-width font.

Table Syntax and their descriptions

Item Description

Text without brackets or braces

Items you must type exactly as shown

A placeholder for a value you must provide; omit the brackets

[Text inside square brackets]

Optional items; omit the brackets

{Text inside braces}

A set of items from which you must choose only one; omit the braces

A separator for items from which you must choose only one; omit the vertical bar

...

Items that can or must repeat; omit the ellipsis

iii

Table of contents

1Getting started.......................................................................................................................................................................1

Glossary .............................................................................................................................................................................1

System requirements ........................................................................................................................................................2

HPIA use cases...................................................................................................................................................................2

Downloading HPIA .............................................................................................................................................................3

2HPIA components and conguration..................................................................................................................................... 4

HPIA components ..............................................................................................................................................................4

HPIA user interface ............................................................................................................................................................4

Testing the connection ..............................................................................................................................................4

Basic authentication..................................................................................................................................................5

Negotiated authentication ........................................................................................................................................5

Running HPImageAssistant.exe ................................................................................................................................5

Changing the user-interface language .....................................................................................................................5

Conguration options................................................................................................................................................ 6

Download...................................................................................................................................................................6

Unpack .......................................................................................................................................................................6

Proxy .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Thread........................................................................................................................................................................6

Finding the supported platform list..........................................................................................................................7

User Guides................................................................................................................................................................7

3Analyzing a system image .....................................................................................................................................................8

Analyzing a system image.................................................................................................................................................8

Analyzing the summary.....................................................................................................................................................8

Summary ...................................................................................................................................................................9

Recommendations.....................................................................................................................................................9

Advisories ................................................................................................................................................................11

Device Drivers ..........................................................................................................................................................11

Installed Software ...................................................................................................................................................12

QFEs .........................................................................................................................................................................12

Security....................................................................................................................................................................12

Firmware..................................................................................................................................................................13

BIOS Settings ...........................................................................................................................................................13

Saving a results le..........................................................................................................................................................13

4Downloading SoftPaqs ........................................................................................................................................................15

Creating My Products List................................................................................................................................................15

Creating and using multiple My Product Lists.................................................................................................................15

Finding available SoftPaqs for a specic product...........................................................................................................16

Available SoftPaqs...........................................................................................................................................................16

Advisories ........................................................................................................................................................................17

5Create Driver Pack................................................................................................................................................................18

Finding Driver SoftPaqs...................................................................................................................................................18

Available SoftPaqs...........................................................................................................................................................18

6Running from a command line ............................................................................................................................................20

7Command line error return codes........................................................................................................................................25

HP Software Wrapper error return codes........................................................................................................................26

8Capturing an image..............................................................................................................................................................27

Appendix AConnection or proxy issues..................................................................................................................................28

Index ........................................................................................................................................................................................29

Getting started1

HP Image Assistant (HPIA) is a Windows® image comparison tool that captures metadata conguration

les from images, compares image conguration les, and provides recommendations to help you develop,

maintain, and support images for an optimal Windows performance.

HPIA can compare reference images developed by HP to IT-developed target images to highlight dierences

in such things as the BIOS version, BIOS settings, device drivers, installed software, and Windows updates.

By automating these comparisons and providing an interface to quickly locate dierences and to download

and install updates, HPIA reduces the time needed to develop and maintain quality Windows images with the

correct device drivers, software patches, and BIOS settings for HP business computers.

Glossary

You can refer to this section to nd glossary terms.

● Reference image—XML le extracted from a known, good system image to be used as a reference. An IT

administrator either can use reference images provided by HP, which correspond to the factory-shipping

state, or can create and maintain reference images using HPIA. The image conguration le contains

metadata describing the image, but is not an actual image.

● Target image—XML le of an image that can be compared to a reference image. HPIA can generate a

target image of a system running HPIA or it can use a previously-captured target image from any system.

The image conguration le contains metadata describing the image, but is not an actual image.

● Platform system ID—Four-character hexadecimal string that identies an HP platform.

To retrieve this string, use one of the following methods:

– In Command Prompt, enter the following command:

wmic path win32_baseboard get product /value

The platform system ID is displayed like the following example, where 212A is the ID:

Product=212A

– In a tool with WMI query, such as wbemtest, perform the following query:

select Product from Win32_BaseBoard

The Product value is the platform system ID (for example, 212A).

● QFE—Software update released by Microsoft to a limited-distribution release channel to address severe

instability, security problems, preinstallation problems, and problems reported by customers.

● Driver pack—Bundle of all driver les (INF) that can be injected into an operating system image using the

Microsoft® DISM.exe tool.

● Reference computer—Source of the operating system image that is captured and deployed to other

computers.

Getting started

● SoftPaq—Downloadable software update package released by HP.

● UWP—Universal Windows Platform

● TPM—Abbreviation for Trusted Platform Module, an industry-standard, dedicated microcontroller that

provides basic security-related functions.

● Conguration Manager—Abbreviation for Microsoft® System Center Conguration Manager, which is

enterprise system-management software.

● MDT—Abbreviation for Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a unied collection of tools, processes, and

guidance for automating desktop and service deployment.

System requirements

HPIA requires one of the following versions of the Windows operating system (OS) and .NET Framework 4.7.2.

NOTE: HPIA is not supported on computers with embedded or mobile operating systems.

Table 1-1 System requirements

Operating system .NET Framework 4.7.2

Windows 11 Included in OS release

Windows 10 Included in OS release

HPIA can capture and analyze XML image conguration les from select HP Elite

computers, HP Pro computers, and HP workstations running Windows 11 or Windows

10 operating systems. For a full list of platforms supported by HPIA, go to

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/imagepal/ref/platformList.html.

HPIA use cases

The HPIA tool suite can be used in several stages of an operating system image life cycle: development,

deployment, maintenance, and support.

During the image development process, HPIA can be used by IT administrators to make sure that all required

components are included and updated, which improves the quality of the image without manual verication

or updates.

HPIA also provides information and support for managing BIOS settings, basic security concerns, QFEs, and

optional software. After the reference image is nalized, HPIA can capture, analyze, and save XML image

conguration les from supported platforms for future maintenance and support needs.

After the image is developed and deployed, HP recommends periodically performing image maintenance to

make security and performance enhancements and install bug xes. HPIA can analyze the stored XML image

conguration le against the latest HP reference image to identify, obtain, and install available updates. After

major updates to an image, HP recommends that you use HPIA to capture and save XML conguration les for

future reference.

If you need to troubleshoot an end-user issue relating to the BIOS, BIOS settings, drivers, or software, you

can run HPIA on the system to compare it to the corresponding HP reference image or any other known, good

image XML le.

Chapter 1Getting started

If you need to contact HP for support for BIOS, driver, or software issues, you can capture an XML image

conguration le from the system and send it to HP to help resolve your issue.

After an in-place upgrade, an IT administrator can run HPIA on a reference computer to analyze whether HP

software is up-to-date and then update it, if necessary. For wipe-and-load scenarios, the IT administrator can

run HPIA on a representative system to be migrated and receive the HP OS migration recommendations. These

recommendations include high-level migration steps with detailed recommendations on HP settings, updates,

and best practices to help reduce the time needed to prepare for and execute a migration.

NOTE: When HP Sure Admin (Enhanced BIOS Authentication Mode) is enabled, you cannot update the BIOS

(download only).

Downloading HPIA

This section outlines downloading HPIA.

1. Go to http://www.hp.com/go/clientmanagement.

2. Under Resources, select HP Download Library.

3. Locate and download HP Image Assistant by selecting the latest SoftPaq.

4. Locate the downloaded SoftPaq on your system, double-click, and follow the on-screen instructions to

extract the HPIA les. The HPIA les are saved to the location specied in the installation wizard.

Downloading HPIA 3

HPIA components and conguration2

This chapter outlines HPIA components and user interface.

HPIA components

HPIA comprises HPImageAssistant.exe, ImageCapture.exe, language resource les, and other supporting les.

You can run HPIA from a USB ash drive, a target computer, or any other computer running a Windows 11 or

Windows 10 operating system. HPIA does not update the registry or copy les to the target computer.

HPImageAssistant.exe is the HPIA user interface.

NOTE: HPImageAssistant.exe supports the parameter /debug to write log les for troubleshooting issues.

You can create additional log les including the target and reference xml les by pressing ctrl+shift+s.

ImageCapture.exe is a standalone tool that captures an XML image conguration le that can then be

compared against a reference image.

You must run these executable les as an administrator to capture image conguration les using HPIA.

HPIA user interface

This section outlines the HPIA user interface.

Testing the connection

Many operations performed by HPIA require internet access to get the latest SoftPaq data. By default, HPIA

uses Internet Explorer connection settings to access the internet. Be sure that you can successfully connect to

either of the following links using Internet Explorer:

● https://hpia.hpcloud.hp.com/

● https://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/imagepal/ref/platformList.html

If your network environment requires proxy settings and you cannot connect to either link, run HPIA and

congure the web proxy.

You have two methods to congure the proxy access. HP Image Assistant uses the machine-congured proxy

information, or you can congure the information through the Conguration Options dialog box and command

line. The type of conguration needed depends on the setup of the proxy server in your organization. If there

is an issue with HP Image Assistant using the proxy, run HP Image Assistant with the /Debug command-line

option to get the log le information for the proxy login. If the log le contains a "407 Proxy Authentication

Required" entry, the proxy server is asking for a negotiated authentication. Otherwise, the authentication is

probably basic.

Chapter 2HPIA components and conguration

Table 2-1

Option Description

/ProxyURL:<URL>

The URL for the proxy server. If not specied, HP Image Assistant

uses the OS-dened proxy denition.

/ProxyPort:<portnumber>

The port number for the proxy server. Required if proxy URL is

specied.

/ProxyUser:<username>

The user name used to log in to the proxy server (optional).

/ProxyPassword:<password>

The password used to log in to the proxy server (optional, unless

user name is specied).

/ProxyDomain:<domain>

The domain species the domain or realm to which the user name

belongs. Typically, this is the host computer name where HP Image

Assistant runs or the user domain for the currently logged-in user

(optional and only necessary when the proxy is authenticating

against NTML authentication).

Basic authentication

If the proxy server supports basic authentication, then set the proxy settings in the Tools-Conguration

Options dialog on the Proxy tab or through command-line options. You must include the proxy address, proxy

port, username, and password.

If the proxy does not require authentication, the username and password are not needed.

Negotiated authentication

With negotiated authentication, you can set the conguration through the OS or the Conguration Options

dialog on the Proxy tab or through the command-line options. For this type of authentication to work, the OS

must be joined to an authentication domain for the validation to work.

If the proxy conguration is not specied in the OS, the proxy address and port can be congured in HP Image

Assistant. The username and password are not needed and will be retrieved from the OS login. If the proxy

conguration is dened in the OS, no actions are needed with HP Assistant for it to function properly.

HP Image Assistant is run at elevated permissions, so when this type of proxy authentication is in use, the

group. When a user is elevated to Administrator, the proxy does not have the domain token for that user and

the proxy authentication will fail.

Running HPImageAssistant.exe

This section outlines running HPImageAssistant.exe.

1. Right-click HPImageAssistant.exe.

2. Select Run as administrator.

Changing the user-interface language

Follow the instruction in this section to change the user-interface language.

■

Select Languages, and then select one of the supported languages.

Basic authentication

Conguration options

From the menu bar, select Tools and then select Conguration Options.

You can save the selections and changes made to conguration options for future use or backup.

Download

Use this procedure to change the Download Folder location.

1. Select Browse.

2. Select a location or select Make New Folder to create a new folder.

3. Select OK.

Download options

● Single folder—Downloads all SoftPaqs to a single folder.

● Separate folders by SoftPaq names—Downloads all SoftPaqs into separate folders by SoftPaq

name.

4. To save changes, select OK. To close the dialog box without saving changes, select Cancel. To clear all

changes and set values back to default selections, select Restore Defaults.

Unpack

This section outlines how to change the Unpack Directory location.

1. Select Browse.

2. Select a location or select Make New Folder to create a new folder.

3. Select OK.

4. Select one option from Unpack folder options.

5. To save changes select OK. To close the dialog box without saving changes, select Cancel.

To clear all changes and set values back to default selections, select Restore defaults.

Proxy

This section outlines how to congure the web proxy.

1. Type the proxy IP address or Hostname into the Address box.

2. Type the port number into the Proxy box.

3. Type the username, password, and network domain of the domain user account.

4. To save changes select OK. To close the dialog box without saving changes, select Cancel.

To clear all changes and set values back to default selections, select Restore defaults.

Thread

The Number of simultaneous downloads can be set up to 5.

Chapter 2HPIA components and conguration

NOTE: Entering a number higher than one can impact network performance.

Finding the supported platform list

This section contains the instruction to nd the supported platform list.

■

Select Help, and then select Supported Platforms to display the list of reference images provided by HP.

The supported platforms list can be organized by Product, OS, Architecture, or the date the image was Last

Modied. A keyword search feature is also available for the supported platforms list to assist in nding

specic systems.

User Guides

This section contains the instruction to access user guides.

■

Select Help, select User Guide and then select a Language.

Finding the supported platform list 7

Analyzing a system image3

This chapter outlines how to analyze a system image.

Analyzing a system image

This section outlines steps to analyze a system image.

1. Select Analyze Image from the menu, and then select an option under 1 Choose Target Image.

● Browse—Select the previously saved XML image conguration le to be analyzed.

● <This Computer>—Selects the computer HPIA is running on to be analyzed. When the analysis is

started, HPIA captures the image conguration information and then uses it in the analysis.

2. Select an option under 2 Choose Reference Image.

● Browse—Select the previously saved XML image conguration le.

● <This Computer>—Selects the computer HPIA is running on to compare the target image to. When

the analysis is started, HPIA captures the image conguration information and then uses it in the

analysis. This can be useful in scenarios where the current computer is a known, good image.

● <From HP.com>—Automatically selects the latest XML image conguration le provided by HP.

The automatic XML selection depends on the system ID, OS version, and architecture of the target

image.

NOTE: To receive recommendations from HPIA, you must select this option.

To use this option, you must be connected to the Internet.

3. Select 3 Analyze located to the right of 3 Start Analysis/Compare.

NOTE: If the system ID, OS version, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) of the reference image and

target image do not match, the images cannot be compared and analyzed.

After the image conguration les are analyzed, a summary is displayed.

The Search option is available in the Advisories, Device, Drivers, Installed Software, Firmware, and BIOS

Settings tabs. Use the option to search for a specic subject within that tab.

Analyzing the summary

After you run HPImageAssistant.exe, a system summary is displayed. Select one of the other tabs to see

additional details about device drivers, installed software, security, rmware, and BIOS settings. If you

selected the <From HP.com> option, there is a Recommendations tab. If you did not select the From

<HP.com> option, there is a QFEs tab.

The Summary, Recommendations, Advisories, and Security tabs contain information about the target image

only. The Device Drivers, Installed Software, QFEs, Firmware , and BIOS Settings tabs contain information

about the comparison between the target image and the reference image.

Chapter 3Analyzing a system image

The following table describes the icons used to help you analyze the results and prioritize the recommended

changes to the target image.

Table 3-1 System summary icons and their descriptions

Icon Description

Identies components that exist on the target image only.

These components often include third-party drivers, user-installed software, and

QFEs.

Identies components that exist on the reference image only.

If you are using an HP refence image, all available drivers are displayed.

Identies components that are the same on the target image and the reference

image.

Identies components where the version installed on the target image is earlier

than the version on the reference image.

Identies components necessary for full system function that do not exist on the

target image.

Identies components that exist on both the target image and the reference

image, but are dierent in a manner not described by other lters.

Dierence can include components made by dierent manufacturers or a newer

version installed on the target image.

Summary

The Summary tab summarizes the overall health and overall security of the target image. The tab includes

details about the platform, BIOS and rmware conguration, missing or out-of-date drivers, HP recommended

software, out-of-date software, and security settings.

The Security Settings summary includes details on whether antivirus and antispyware protection is enabled

and up-to-date, whether the rewall is enabled, and whether a BIOS Setup Password is set. This section also

indicates whether the target image contains any root certicates with an embedded private key. For more

information, see Security on page 12.

Under BIOS and Firmware, the section Dierent identies the BIOS settings that exist in both the target image

and reference image, but have dierent values. Added and Missing identify the BIOS settings that were either

added or removed between BIOS releases.

The Firmware section indicates the number of rmware components which are out of date on the target

image.

Recommendations

The Recommendations tab displays the latest versions of the BIOS, drivers, software, UWP applications, and

accessories such as dock rmware and drivers that are installed on the target image and reference image.

Based on the comparison, HPIA recommends installing any missing or newer components on the target

image.

Summary

NOTE: The Recommendations tab is available only if the <From HP.com> option was selected as the

reference image.

There are two views available:

● Component view

● SoftPaq view

The Components column provides the name of the BIOS, driver, or software available for installation.

The Target Image and Reference Image columns provide version information (Component view).

In the SoftPaq column, the SoftPaq number links to the SoftPaq executable le, the document icon links to

the SoftPaq release notes, the CVA icon links to the SoftPaq CVA le, and the UWP icon links to the Universal

Windows Platform application notes.

The Installation Type column provides the type of installation for each component. If there are any

recommendations for UWP application for the target image, the See deployment notes link is displayed

under the Installation Notes column.

The Comments column provides comments from HP that pertain to the deliverable.

NOTE: The UWP icon only shows for components that are UWP titles.

To install or update a component:

1. If additional software needs to be installed before a SoftPaq is installed, it is listed under Prerequisites. If

there is a green checkmark next to the prerequisite, it is already installed on the system. Download and

install any prerequisites until all of them are marked with a green checkmark. After each prerequisite

is installed, analyze the system. Continue this process until all prerequisites are marked with a green

checkmark.

2. Advisories pertaining to the SoftPaq and the target image are listed under Advisories.

3. By default, Critical components will be selected if they are available. Choose the components drop-down

menu to view the following options:

● All—Selects all packages.

● None—Selects no packages.

● Critical—Selects all critical packages.

● Update Recommended—Selects all packages recommended for update.

● Install Recommended—Selects all recommended packages for installation.

● INF Installation Supported—Selects all packages that support installation via INF.

● Unattended Installation Support—Selects all packages that support System Software Manager

(SSM) installation.

● Universal Windows Platform (UWP)—Selects all packages that contain UWP applications.

Select the SoftPaq column, and then select the link to download the SoftPaq.

– or –

To download multiple SoftPaqs simultaneously, select the box next to the name of each update.

Chapter 3Analyzing a system image

4. Select Download (X) where x is the number of packages selected.

5. Select a download option.

● Download SoftPaq(s) only—Downloads the SoftPaqs.

– Extract SoftPaq Files—If the Download SoftPaq(s) only option is selected, you can also select

this option to extract the les after they are downloaded.

● Download SoftPaq(s), extract les, and install—Downloads, extracts, and installs the SoftPaqs on

the computer running HPIA. The selected SoftPaqs must support silent installation to use this

option.

NOTE: Installation works only if you select <This Computer>. This installation option is not active if you

used target reference le.

6. Select Start.

Advisories

The Advisories tab provides a list of customer advisories, product change notication documents, and security

bulletins relating to the target image. Click the link to view the details of the document. A keyword search

feature is available for searching the customer advisories, product change

notications, and security bulletins

list.

To export the list to a CSV le.

■

Select the Microsoft Excel icon.

To display a specic set of documents:

● Advisories— Displays customer advisories.

● Notices — Displays product change notication documents.

● Bulletins — Displays security bulletins.

Device Drivers

The Device Drivers tab provides information about the device drivers installed on the target image and

reference image, including the class description, driver name, device ID, device manufacturer, driver provider,

date the driver was last updated, and driver version. Use the keyword search feature to search the device

drivers list.

To export the device driver details to a CSV le:

■

Select the Microsoft Excel icon.

To display a specic set of drivers, select one or more of the following lters:

● Target Image Only—Displays drivers installed on the target image but not the reference image

● Reference Image Only—Displays drivers installed on the reference image but not the target image

● The Same—Displays drivers that match on the target image and the reference image

● Out-of-Date—Displays drivers that need to be updated on the target image (based on the reference

image); might be identied as a critical update

Advisories

● Dierent—Displays drivers installed on both the target image and reference image, but with a

dierence not covered by the other lters

Installed Software

The Installed Software tab provides information about the software installed on the target image and

reference image, including the name, version, manufacturer, and date installed. This software can be found

under Programs and Features in Control Panel.

To export the installed software details to a CSV le:

■

Select the Microsoft Excel icon.

To display a specic set of software, select one or more of the following lters:

● Target Image Only—Displays software installed on the target image but not the reference image

● Reference Image Only—Displays software installed on the reference image but not the target image

● The Same—Displays software that matches on the target image and the reference image

● Out-of-Date—Displays software that needs to be updated on the target image (based on the

reference image); might be identied as a critical update

● Dierent—Displays software installed on both the target image and reference image, but with a

dierence not covered by the other lters

QFEs

The QFEs tab provides information about available Microsoft updates, including the ID, description, comments

about the x, and the date the update was installed.

NOTE: The QFEs tab is available only if a custom XML le is selected as the reference image.

To export the QFEs details to a CSV le:

■

Select the Microsoft Excel icon.

To display a specic set of QFEs, select one or more of the following lters:

● Target Image Only—Displays QFEs installed on the target image but not the reference image

● Reference Image Only—Displays QFEs installed on the reference image but not the target image

● The Same—Displays QFEs that matches on the target image and the reference image

● Dierent—Displays QFEs installed on both the target image and reference image, but with a

dierence not covered by the other lters

Security

The Security tab provides information about security items.

NOTE: The information in this tab applies to the target image only.

The Security Settings section provides information about the rewall, antivirus software, antispyware

software, and BIOS setup password. You can see whether the rewall is enabled, whether the antivirus

software is enabled and up-to-date, whether the antispyware software is enabled and up-to-date, and

whether there is a BIOS Setup Password. HP strongly recommends that you use a BIOS Setup Password.

Chapter 3Analyzing a system image

The Certicates section provides a list of root certicates and whether each certicate has an embedded

private key. HP does not recommend using root certicates that have an embedded private key.

To export the certicate details to a CSV le:

■

Select the Microsoft Excel icon.

Firmware

The

Firmware tab provides information about the rmware on the computer, including the rmware name and

version for both the target image and the reference image. If they are the same, the version is listed once. A

keyword search feature is available for searching the

rmware list.

To export the rmware details to a CSV le:

■

Select the Microsoft Excel icon.

To display a specic set of rmware, select one or more of the following lters:

● Target Image Only—Displays rmware installed on the target image but not the reference image

● Reference Image Only—Displays rmware installed on the reference image but not the target image

●

The Same—Displays rmware that matches on the target image and the reference image

● Out-of-Date—Displays rmware that needs to be updated on the target image (based on the

reference image); might be identied as a critical update

● Dierent—Displays rmware installed on both the target image and reference image, but with a

dierence not covered by the other lters

BIOS Settings

The BIOS Settings tab provides information about the BIOS settings on the target image and the reference

image, including name, F10 Setup path, and the current value. Only BIOS settings that can be congured are

displayed. A keyword search feature is available for searching the BIOS settings list.

To export the BIOS settings details to a CSV le:

■

Select the Microsoft Excel icon.

To display a specic set of BIOS settings, select one or more of the following lters:

● Target Image Only—Displays BIOS settings installed on the target image but not the reference image

● Reference Image Only—Displays BIOS settings installed on the reference image but not the target

image

● The Same—Displays BIOS settings that match on the target image and the reference image

● Dierent—Displays BIOS settings installed on both the target image and reference image, but with a

dierence not covered by the other lters

Saving a results

le

This section contains the instruction about saving a results le.

Firmware

■

After analyzing a system image, select File, and then select Save Recommendations.

This HTML le can be opened and printed as needed.

14 Chapter 3Analyzing a system image

Downloading SoftPaqs4

HPIA incorporates some of the features of HP SoftPaq Download Manager. IT administrators can use HPIA to

search for and download the SoftPaqs appropriate for supported HP computers.

To simplify managing SoftPaqs for a set of HP computers, the HPIA Download SoftPaq feature allows you

to create a custom list, a congurable My Products List, of multiple HP computer models. HPIA saves My

Products List as part of the conguration settings le. The IT administrator can create and use more than one

conguration settings le by saving and loading each conguration in its own uniquely named le using the

File menu commands.

HPIA will query for available SoftPaqs based on the contents of the My Products List.

Creating My Products List

This section outlines conguring My Products List.

1. Select Download SoftPaqs, and then select the Create or Edit button located to the right of 1 Create My

Products. The button will be labeled as one of the following:

● Create: If your current conguration option does not yet have products listed in My Products List, the

button will be labeled Create.

● Edit: If your current conguration option does have products listed in My Products List, the button

will be labeled Edit.

Once selected the Edit My Products List dialog box will open.

2. Select your version of Windows from the drop-down menu. Once selected, the HP Product Catalog search

results will display all available products for the specied OS. You can use the Search box, to search for

products. For example, you can search by product names (complete or partial) such as “EliteBook” or

product numbers such as “800.” Select the check box next to the products you want to add to the list.

NOTE: You must be connected to the Internet to view or search the list of supported platforms.

3. Items can be removed from the list via the following options:

● To remove a specic product, select the trash can icon to the left of the product name.

● In cases where multiple OSes are listed under a single product, a specic OS can be removed by

selecting the trash can icon to the left of the name of the OS.

● To remove all products, select the check box option Clear all selected products.

4. Select Apply to save changes. This will close the Edit My Products List dialog box.

Creating and using multiple My Product Lists

HPIA remembers your My Products List selections from session to session as part of the default conguration

le. This default le is saved in the same folder as HPImageAssistant.exe.

Downloading SoftPaqs

To maintain more than one My Products List, create a My Products List and then save the current conguration

using the File and Save Conguration File menu items. This lets you specify the name and location of the le.

You can replace the current conguration with the contents of a previously saved conguration le using the

File and the Open Conguration File menu items. This relaunches HPIA using the specied conguration le,

which becomes the current default conguration.

Finding available SoftPaqs for a specic product

This section outlines nding available SoftPaqs for a specic product.

■

To nd SoftPaqs for products listed in 2 Select from My Products List, select Analyze, located to the right

of 3 Get SoftPaqs. By default, all products listed in 2 Select from My Products List are selected. To limit

the SoftPaqs search, clear the products in My Products List before selecting Analyze, and the products will

not be included. After selecting Analyze, the Available SoftPaqs and Advisories tabs open.

Available SoftPaqs

This section outlines available SoftPaqs.

1. After you run Analyze, the Available SoftPaqs tab lists the SoftPaqs or updates available for the selected

platforms and operating system. You can lter, sort, or display a specic set of drivers via the following

options:

● Latest—Displays only the latest version of drivers, software, and/or rmware.

● All—Displays all available versions of drivers, software, and/or rmware.

● Search—Searches for a specic driver, software, or rmware.

● Pencil icon—Selects which columns to show in this tab and in the report.

To export the list to a CSV le, select the Microsoft Excel icon.

2. Choose Select Components to Download/Apply to display a drop-down menu. Choose from the following

options:

● All—Selects all packages.

● None—Selects no packages.

● Supersede—Selects all superseded packages.

● Critical—Selects all critical packages.

● Recommended—Selects all recommended packages.

● Routine—Selects all packages classied as routine.

● INF Installation Supported—Selects all packages that support installation via INF.

● Unattended Installation Supported—Selects all packages that support Software Manager (SSM)

installation.

● Universal Windows Platform (UWP)—Selects all packages that contain UWP applications.

If additional software needs to be installed before a SoftPaq is installed, it is listed under Prerequisites.

Advisories pertaining to the SoftPaq are listed under Advisories.

Chapter 4Downloading SoftPaqs

3. To update CSV les for downloaded SoftPaqs, select Update CSV. Downloaded SoftPaqs will be indicated

by the check mark icon located to the right of the name of the product. If there are no SoftPaqs

downloaded, this option will be unavailable.

Advisories

The Advisories tab provides a list of customer advisories, product change notication documents, and security

bulletins relating to the target image.

For more information on advisories, go to Advisories on page 11.

Advisories 17

Create Driver Pack5

HPIA allows you to nd and download available driver SoftPaqs by OS and product name. The Create Driver

Pack option allows you to download or create a driver pack for a specic product and OS combination. HPIA

does not save the selected product and OS. Each unique time that you run HPIA and use the Create Driver Pack

feature, you must select an OS version and product.

NOTE: You must be connected to the Internet to view the list of Supported Platforms or use the HP Product

Catalog. This feature allows you to select only a single platform and a single OS version for the purpose of

either downloading les into the download folder or creating a driver pack (ZIP, CAB, ISO or WIM).

Finding Driver SoftPaqs

This section outlines nding driver SoftPaqs.

1. 1 Choose OS—From the drop-down menu, select the specic OS version.

2. 2 Choose Product—Specify a product in either of the two following ways:

Select a specic product.

- or -

Search for a specic product by using a partial model name such as “EliteBook” or “Elite” or product

number such as “800.” Select the desired product.

3. 3 Get driver SoftPaqs—Select Analyze.

Available SoftPaqs

This section outlines available SoftPaqs.

1. After you run Analyze, the Available SoftPaqs tab lists the SoftPaqs or updates available for the selected

platforms and operating system. You can lter, sort, or display a specic set of drivers via the following

options:

● Latest—Displays only the latest version of drivers, software, and/or rmware.

● All—Displays all available versions of drivers, software, and/or rmware.

● Search—Searches for a specic driver, software, or rmware.

● Pencil icon—Selects which columns to show in this tab and in the report.

To export the list to a CSV le, select the Microsoft Excel icon.

2. Choose Select Components to Download/Apply to display a drop-down menu. Choose from the following

options:

● All—Selects all packages.

● None—Selects no packages.

Chapter 5Create Driver Pack

● Critical—Selects all critical packages.

● Recommended—Selects all recommended packages.

● Routine—Selects all packages classied as routine.

● INF Installation Supported—Selects all packages that support installation via INF.

● Unattended Installation Supported—Selects all packages that support System Software Manager

(SSM) installation.

● Auto Installable (SSM-Compliant)—Selects all packages that support Software Manager (SSM)

installation.

If additional software needs to be installed before a SoftPaq is installed, it is listed under Prerequisites.

Advisories pertaining to the SoftPaq are listed under Advisories.

3. Select Download (X) where X is the number of packages selected.

Operation—The options are as follows:

● Create driver pack and download driver installation executables—Select the driver le pack create

type (ZIP, CAB, ISO, or WIM) from the File type drop-down menu.

NOTE: WIM packages require administrative privilege and cannot be created on network drives.

● Download drivers—Downloads only the drivers to the download folder.

4. Select Start to begin download.

5. The Get drivers summary page opens in a browser window that provides information about the

downloaded driver SoftPaqs and, if selected, the custom driver packs.

Available SoftPaqs 19

Running from a command line6

HPIA supports running analysis from a command line. An IT administrator can automate the analysis and

downloading of recommendations.

NOTE: For syntax help, see User input syntax key on page iii.

The following table describes the valid command-line options.

Table 6-1 Command-line options and their descriptions

Option Description

/Action:[List|Download|Extract|

Install|UpdateCVA]

Species the action to perform.

[List] Retrieves a list of recommendations. This is the default action if

omitted.

[Download] Downloads recommendations.

[Extract] Downloads and extracts recommendations.

[Install] Downloads, extracts, and installs recommendations. This is

applicable only if /TargetFile is not specied. Only Auto-installable

(SSM-compliant) SoftPaqs will be installed.

[UpdateCVA] Updates any downloaded SoftPaqs, CVA les, and HTML

les. This option is available only if /Operation:DownloadSoftPaqs is

specied.

NOTE: For the actions [Download] and [Install], HP recommends

using /softpaqdownloadfolder. If no user account exists, the default

download location is C:\ProgramData\HP\HP Image Assistant\.

/AutoCleanup

Deletes the SoftPaq les used to successfully install a SoftPaq. This

command cannot be used with /offlinemode.

/Auto or /AutoMyPC Inherited from SDM. Equivalent to /Operation:Analyze /

Action:Install.

/AutoReport

Creates SoftPaq installation status SoftPaqReport.csv le in

%ProgramData%\HP\HP Image Assistant\. Use /TargetFile to specify

the Target. Otherwise, the Target is "This Computer.”

/BIOSPwdData:<base64encodedString>

Species the base64 encoded contents of a BIOS password le that was

created using an HP tool like HPQPwd64. This command cannot be used

with /BIOSPwdFile or /BIOSPwdEnv.

/BIOSPwdEnv:<EnvironmentVariableName>

Species the name of an environment variable that contains the BIOS admin

password in clear text. This command cannot be used with /BIOSPwdFile

or /BIOSPwdData.

/BIOSPwdFile:

Species the complete path of the encrypted BIOS administrator

password le. This command cannot be used with /BIOSPwdData or /

BIOSPwdEnv.

/Category:

[All,BIOS,Drivers,Software,Firmware,

Accessories]

Species the recommendation category .[All] is the default if omitted and

excludes Accessories category.

20 Chapter 6Running from a command line

Table 6-1 Command-line options and their descriptions (continued)

Option Description

/Debug

Enables logging (%TEMP%\HP Image Assistant.log).

If /LogFolder is specied, the debug log will be stored in that path.

If /LogFolder is not specied but /ReportFolder is specied, the

debug log will be stored in that path.

If /LogFolder and /ReportFolder are not specied, but /

SoftPaqDownloadFolder is specied, the debug log will be stored in

that path.

/DownInstall

Inherited from SDM Equivalent to /Action:Install.

/DownOnly

Inherited from SDM. Equivalent to /Action:Download.

/DownUnpack

Inherited from SDM. Equivalent to /Action:Extract.

/File:<CustomConfigFile>

Species the path to an existing HP Image Assistant conguration le (e.g.

HPImageAssistant.dll.cong). If a valid path to a valid conguration le is

provided, HP Image Assistant will load the contents of the provided le.

The menu item "Open Conguration File" will use the /File: parameter

in the command line to relaunch HP Image Assistant with the conguration

le provided via the user interface. The customer can launch HP Image

Assistant with a previously saved conguration le. For example, the user

can launch HP Image Assistant to use a "My Products List" saved in a

specied conguration le by using the /File: parameter.

/InstallType:[All|INFInstallable|

AutoInstallable]

Species the installation type:

[All] Selects all SoftPaqs. This is the default selection if no option is

specied.

[INFInstallation] Selects SoftPaqs which are DPB-compliant.

[AutoInstallable] Selects SoftPaqs which are SSM-compliant.

/LogFolder:<folderPath>

Species the folder path for saving the reference les as a zip le. If /

Debug command-line option is specied, the debug log will be stored in the

specied path.

If /LogFolder is specied but not valid, the /ReportFolder path will be

used, if specied.

If /ReportFolder path is not specied or invalid, /

SoftPaqDownloadFolder path will be used, if specied.

If /SoftPaqDownloadFolder path is not specied or invalid, the current

user's download folder will be used.

/LogZip

If /LogZip is specied on the command line, reference les save as zip les.

If a valid folder location is given via /LogFolder, the zipped reference les

are placed there. If the LogFolder setting is empty, the code tries to use the

ReportFolder.

/Noninteractive

Displays a noninteractive progress bar when running HPIA actions.

/Offlinemode:<path to offline

repository>

Allows you to use Operation Analyze oine. This option requires an

oine repository that you can create using the HP Client Management

Script Library. For more information, see https://developers.hp.com/hp-

client-management/doc/client-management-script-library.

Running from a command line 21

Table 6-1 Command-line options and their descriptions (continued)

Option Description

/Operation:[Analyze|DownloadSoftPaqs]

[Analyze] Analyze, download, extract, and/or install the relevant

SoftPaqs for the current image/system HPIA is running on.

[DownloadSoftPaqs] Downloads and/or extracts, the relevant SoftPaqs

based on the default

conguration, or the conguration specied in the /

File: option, or overridden by other command-line options. You can

specify multiple platforms, OSes, in the conguration le.

/ProxyURL:<URL>

/ProxyPort:<portnumber>

/ProxyUser:<username>

/ProxyPassword:<password>

/ProxyDomain:<domain>

/ProxyURL:<URL> Species the proxy URL. If not specied, Internet

Explorer proxy settings are used.

/ProxyPort:<portnumber> Species the proxy port number.

/ProxyUser:<username> Species the proxy username.

/ProxyPassword:<password> Species the proxy password.

/ProxyDomain:<domain> Species the proxy domain name.

/ReportFilePath:<folderPath\filename>

Species both output folder and le name of the recommendations output

les (.HTML and .XML). This overrides /ReportFolder.

/ReportFolder:<folderPath>

Species the output folder path.

/ResultFilePath:<folderPath\filename>

Species the complete path of the results output le. Default is "Readme

xxxx" in the download folder (/SoftPaqDownloadFolder) where xxxx is the

current date and time. If /ReportFolder is specied, the default is

"Readme" (without the date/time stamp) in the report folder.

/RunHidden

Inherited from SoftPaq Download Manager (SDM). Equivalent to /Silent.

/SelectCritical

Inherited from SDM. Equivalent to /Selection:Critical.

/Selection:

[All,Critical,Recommended,Routine]

[All] Selects all recommendations available. This is the default operation

if no option is specied.

[Critical] If /Operation:[Analyze] is specied, this option selects

all critical recommendations. If

/Operation:[DownloadSoftPaqs] is

specied, this option selects all SoftPaqs with a ReleaseType of Critical.

[Recommended] If /Operation:[Analyze] is specied, this option

has no eect on the operation. If /Operation:[DownloadSoftPaqs]

is specied, this option selects all SoftPaqs with a ReleaseType of

Recommended.

[Routine] If /Operation:[Analyze] is specied, this option has

no eect on the operation. If /Operation:[DownloadSoftPaqs] is

specied, this option selects all SoftPaqs with a ReleaseType of Routine.

/SelectLatest

Selects all latest SoftPaqs (Default). Applicable only in:

/Operation:DownloadSoftPaqs

/SelectSSMComp

Inherited from SDM. Equivalent to /InstallType:AutoInstallable.

/SelectUpdate

Selects all SoftPaqs newer than downloaded SoftPaqs. Applicable only in:.

/Operation:DownloadSoftPaqs

/Silent

Runs HP Image Assistant in silent (no UI, non-interactive) mode.

/SoftPaqDownloadFolder:<folderPath>

Species the SoftPaq download folder. If omitted, the default is the current

user’s download folder.

22 Chapter 6Running from a command line

Table 6-1 Command-line options and their descriptions (continued)

Option Description

/SoftPaqExtractFolder:<folderPath>

Species extraction folder path for SoftPaqs. Default is the same location as

the download folder.

/SPList:<filename>

For /Operation:DownloadSoftPaqs, downloads the SoftPaqs listed

in the provided text le. For /Operation:Analyze, downloads, possibly

extracts, and installs the SoftPaqs listed in the provided text le, depending

on the /Action.

If the path or lename contains spaces, enclose the entire value in quotes.

For example, /SPLIST:"C:\My Path\My SP List.txt"

The le contents are simply a list of raw SoftPaq numbers, without the SP

prex and without .exe extension, one number per line.

For /Operation:DownloadSoftPaqs, the SoftPaqs are downloaded

into the %ProgramData%\HP\HP Image Assistant\SWDownload folder. The

corresponding .CVA and release notes (.HTML) are also downloaded for each

SoftPaq. When combined with the /Action:Extract(or /DOWNUNPACK)

option, each SoftPaq is expanded into its own spXXXXX subfolder.

For /Operation:Analyze, the download and extract locations can be

specied by the /SoftPaqDownloadFolder and /SoftPaqExtractFolder.

The process runs silently (no UI). HP recommends that you use START/

WAIT when scripting so that execution of the following step in the script

does not begin until SPLIST processing completes. For example: START /

WAIT HPImageAssistant.exe /SPList:mySoftPaqs.txt.

/TargetFile:<targetImagePath>

A saved XML image conguration le to be analyzed.

/UWP:[Yes|No]

Further restrict selections based on whether a recommendation pertains to

a Universal Widows Platfofrm (UWP). This selection restriction is applied

after /Selection and /Category are processed.

NOTE: You cannot download or install some non-UWP components if they

are part of a SoftPaq that contains a UWP App.

[Yes] Selects only UWP recommendations

[No] Selects only non-UWP recommendations

/VerifySoftPaq:<SoftPaqpath>

Veries the specied SoftPaq EXE integrity/signature.

/Wait:<delayInSeconds>

The /Wait parameter tells HP Image Assistant to wait the specied

delayInSeconds before showing the UI or running the specied /

Operation command in silent mode. If no delayInSeconds is specied,

the default delay is 60 seconds.

These examples show HPIA command-line switches that you can use in the task sequence:

This command silently downloads SoftPaqs of all categories such as BIOS, driver, software, and rmware to a

specic folder and creates a report in a directory or folder on the client system:

HPImageAssistant.exe /Operation:Analyze /Category:All /

selection:All /action:download /silent /reportFolder:c:\HPIA\Report /

softpaqdownloadfolder:c:\HPIA\download

To silently download and extract SoftPaqs of all categories and create a report in a directory or folder on the

client system, use the following command:

Running from a command line

HPImageAssistant.exe /Operation:Analyze /Category:All /

selection:All /action:extract /silent /reportFolder:c:\HPIA\Report /

softpaqdownloadfolder:c:\HPIA\download

If you prefer to download and extract SoftPaqs to two directories or folders, then use this command :

HPImageAssistant.exe /Operation:Analyze /Category:All /selection:All /

action:extract /silent /SoftPaqdownloadfolder:c\HPIA\download /

SoftPaqExtractFolder:c:\HPIA\extract

This command downloads only UWP SoftPaqs that are available in all categories with any release types to a

specic folder on the client system:

HPImageAssistant.exe /Operation:DownloadSoftPaqs /

category:all /selection:all /UWP:yes /action:download /silent /

softpagdownloadfolder:c:\HPIA\download

If you prefer to download all SoftPaqs except UWP, then use the previous command with /UWP:no

To get or save a list of recommendations to C:\HPIAOut\Recommendations folder:

HPImageAssistant.exe /Operation:Analyze /Action:List /Silent /

ReportFolder:C:\HPIAOut\Recommendations

To download recommended critical driver SoftPaqs: HPImageAssistant.exe /

Operation:Analyze /Category:Drivers /Selection:Critical /Action:Download /

Silent

24 Chapter 6Running from a command line

Command line error return codes7

The following are descriptions of the HP Image Assistant error return codes when using the command line.

Table 7-1 Command line error return codes and their descriptions

Return code Description

There is no error.

The /VerifySoftPaq command returns that the SoftPaq binary

verication could not be found.

The /VerifySoftPaq command returns that an exception occurred.

The /VerifySoftPaq command returns that the SoftPaq binary

verication was signed by an invalid company.

The /VerifySoftPaq command returns that the SoftPaq binary

verication authenticode failed.

The /VerifySoftPaq command returns that the SoftPaq binary

verication certicate chain failed.

256

The analysis returned no recommendations.

257

There were no recommendations selected for the analysis.

3010

Install Reboot Required — SoftPaq installations are successful, and at least

one requires a reboot.

3020

Install failed — One or more SoftPaq installations failed.

4096

The platform is not supported.

4097

The parameters are invalid.

4098

There is no Internet connection.

4099

Invalid SoftPaq number in SPList le.

4100

SoftPaq My Product List is empty, so no data was processed.

4101

The parameter is no longer supported.

8192

The operation failed

8193

The image capture failed.

8194

The output folder was not created.

8195

The download folder was not created.

8196

The supported platforms list download failed.

8197

The KB download failed.

8198

The extract folder was not created.

8199

The SoftPaq download failed.

8200

The SoftPaq extraction failed.

12288

The target le failed to open.

Command line error return codes 25

Table 7-1 Command line error return codes and their descriptions (continued)

Return code Description

12289

The target le is invalid.

16384

The reference le failed to open.

16385

The reference le is invalid.

16386

The reference le is not supported on platforms running the Windows 10

operating system.

20480

The operating system migration cannot be performed because the operating

system architecture is not supported.

HP Software Wrapper error return codes

Some HP SoftPaqs use a program called HP Software Wrapper to install the SoftPaq.

You can nd more information on the support page.

HP Software Wrapper uses the le name InstallCmdWrapper.exe. HP Software Wrapper has dierent logs for

debugging purposes.

Table 7-2 HP Software Wrapper Logs

Log name Description

InstallCmdWrapper.log Chronicle history including the return code from the process that

controlled the installation (for example, install.cmd).

InstallCmdWrapper-InstallCmd.log The standard output of install.cmd when it is used to control

the installation.

InstallCmdWrapper-Appx.log The standard output of UWP installation when it is controlled by

InstallCmdWrapper.

InstallCmdWrapper-DCHU.log The standard output of DCHU installation when it is controlled by

InstallCmdWrapper.

InstallCmdWrapper-Fusion.log The standard output of Fusion installation when it is controlled by

InstallCmdWrapper.

The following are descriptions of HP Software Wrapper error return codes that are coming from the SoftPaq:

Table 7-3

HP Software Wrapper error return codes

Return code Description

9527

Requires elevated privileges

9537

Bypass the return code of install.cmd

9547

Failed to install DCHU/Fusion driver

9557

Failed to install UWP application

9627

Unable to locate anything for installation

26 Chapter 7Command line error return codes

Capturing an image8

If you run HPIA on an HP computer, by default, HPIA selects the reference image provided by HP. HPIA also

supports capturing a reference image from a known, good computer.

ImageCapture.exe is a lightweight command-line executable that can be run on a machine to capture the

image conguration in an XML le for future analysis against target images. IT administrators using MDT or

Conguration Manager can create a software package or task sequence to run this tool on a client and save

the XML le to a designated location to be used with other HPIA features.

The HPIA Image Capture tool generates the conguration XML le in the same directory as the executable,

using the naming convention of SYSID_BIT_OSVERSION.xml, as follows:

● SYSID—HP platform system ID (for example, 2253)

● BIT—Operating system architecture (64 for 64-bit, 32 for 32-bit)

● OSVER—Operating system major and minor versions (for example, 10.0 for Windows 10)

To capture an image:

1. Run ImageCapture.exe as an administrator from a USB ash drive.

– or –

Run ImageCapture.exe as an administrator from the command line.

– or –

Open the directory where you extracted the HPIA les to a computer, right-click HPImageAssistant.exe,

and then select Run as administrator. Select Tools, and then select Capture Target Image Conguration.

2. Save the conguration les to a USB ash drive.

TIP: This ensures that you do not modify the image of the computer you are working on.

Capturing an image 27

Connection or proxy issuesA

Reference image congurations provided by HP require a connection to the Internet. Verify that your

computer is connected to the Internet and then try to use the reference image from HP.com again.

Verify that network connection icon in the notication area shows that you are connected and there are no

issues.

Verify that the primary HP reference le location can be accessed by your default browser:

https://hpia.hpcloud.hp.com/. If this URL cannot be accessed, be sure that your IT department allows the

connection.

Verify that the secondary HP reference le location can be accessed by your default browser:

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/imagepal/ref/platformList.html. If this URL cannot be accessed,

be sure that your IT department allows the connection.

If you are connected to either https://hpia.hpcloud.hp.com or

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/caps-softpaq/cmit/imagepal/ref/platformList.html, but you are still experiencing

connection issues, verify that the HP Image Assistant user agent has access through the rewall. The user

agent for HP Image Assistant is based on the HPIA version being used: "HPIA <major>.<minor>.<revision>".

Example: "HPIA 5.1.0"

NOTE: If HPIA cannot access the primary location, it automatically attempts to access the secondary

location.

28 Appendix AConnection or proxy issues

Index

Conguration Manager 1

downloading

HPIA 3

driver pack 1

MDT 1

platform system ID 1

QFE 1

reference computer 1

reference image 1

results le 13

summary 8

system requirements 2

target image 1

TPM 1

use cases 2

user interface

BIOS settings tab 13

Device Drivers tab 11

Firmware tab 13

Installed Software tab 12

language 5

QFEs tab 12

recommendations tab 9

running 5

Security tab 12

Summary tab 9

Index