HP EliteBook Dragonfly Max Convertible Review: Sure View Sounds Better Than It Looks

[Redaktion]

There's so much to like about the 13.3-inch Elite Dragonfly Max from its portable design to its 5G options and comfortable keyboard. However, Sure View hampers the visual experience significantly and it can't be ignored.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-EliteBook-Dragonfly-Max-Convertible-Review-Sure-View-Sounds-Better-Than-It-Looks.542712.0.html

[Ish Raqiyun]

Does it come with the spyware HP has been installing through HP Dynamic Audio which is a part of HP Audio Control that is almost impossible to get rid of?

I've managed to confirm it with a handful of other HP business laptop users.

Primarily affects Chrome and is pretty easy to detect. Open Chrome, open the Chrome menu and look at the bottom of it. Does it say "Managed by your organization" and you have no organization as it is for personal use?

Congrats! You have HP spyware called HP Dynamic Audio that allows the extension to "Read and change your data on a number of websites" and "Read your browsing history."

And good luck getting rid of it, the extension can't be removed. It re-installs itself after removing it from C:\ and the registry.

I've even reformatted the SSD with a brand new copy of Windows (not using HP's crap recovery garbage with all of their bloatware, of course). Even before you install Chrome, it installs the ExtensionInstallForcelist registry keys to add it to Chrome. Again, you can delete the registry keys, but once you restart, they are back.

You can remove anything from C:\ and registry that refers to "HP", "HP Audio Control", and "HP Dynamic Audio" and it will do no good: the ExtensionInstallForcelist will be back the next time you restart.

Why not just use a different browser?

I don't use Chrome except for a few tests here and there. Even so, what other spyware are they forcing on you that you don't know about? I'm definitely not ok with that and refuse to use any HP products due to this.

Apparently I'm not allowed to post links here otherwise I'd just point to the various discussions around it instead of rehashing it all again here.

[Mark Brackley]

Does it come with the spyware HP has been installing through HP Dynamic Audio which is a part of HP Audio Control that is almost impossible to get rid of?

I've managed to confirm it with a handful of other HP business laptop users.

Primarily affects Chrome and is pretty easy to detect. Open Chrome, open the Chrome menu and look at the bottom of it. Does it say "Managed by your organization" and you have no organization as it is for personal use?

Congrats! You have HP spyware called HP Dynamic Audio that allows the extension to "Read and change your data on a number of websites" and "Read your browsing history."

And good luck getting rid of it, the extension can't be removed. It re-installs itself after removing it from C:\ and the registry.

I've even reformatted the SSD with a brand new copy of Windows (not using HP's crap recovery garbage with all of their bloatware, of course). Even before you install Chrome, it installs the ExtensionInstallForcelist registry keys to add it to Chrome. Again, you can delete the registry keys, but once you restart, they are back.

You can remove anything from C:\ and registry that refers to "HP", "HP Audio Control", and "HP Dynamic Audio" and it will do no good: the ExtensionInstallForcelist will be back the next time you restart.

Why not just use a different browser?

I don't use Chrome except for a few tests here and there. Even so, what other spyware are they forcing on you that you don't know about? I'm definitely not ok with that and refuse to use any HP products due to this.

Apparently I'm not allowed to post links here otherwise I'd just point to the various discussions around it instead of rehashing it all again here.

Interesting point, worth actual journalistic investigation. Why wouldn't NotebookCheck do some "checking up" on this issue? Sounds like a real dealbreaker for many people!

[Ish Raqiyun]

Interesting point, worth actual journalistic investigation. Why wouldn't NotebookCheck do some "checking up" on this issue? Sounds like a real dealbreaker for many people!

I agree. I wrote NBC through the Contact form weeks ago when I came across it. I've talked to HP Corporate about it and have a contact's email address there, but they have just ignored me after my initial phone call.

The contact at HP just kept putting me on hold to talk to his supervisor.

At first it was: "Why do you think it is spyware?"

A: "Because it literally says it is spyware: 'Read and change your data on a number of websites' and 'Read your browsing history.' That is basically spyware.''

Put on hold for several more minutes.

Then it was: "Why do you think it is HP?"

A: "Because it literally has your name on the extension: HP Dynamic Audio."

I told Michael, the contact at HP, that I could send him all the details to reproduce it and check it. Never heard anything back.

I wrote about a week and half ago to see how the "investigation" was coming along and nothing.

I hoped maybe they fixed it, but I found another user on Reddit around the time of my last email to HP that confirmed they have it to and can't get rid of it. That was I think the fifth person I've come across with an HP business laptop with this. Not sure if there is an issue with the consumer line.

I've yet to have anyone, whether Notebookcheck, Reddit, HP Corporate, or HP Support Forums, even respond with anything indicating any type of solution or that I am mistaken for some reason.

[Spunjji]

How does a notebook that's 40-50% off the performance curve for the SoC and with a potato screen that's both glossy *and* blurry get 91%?!

[Ish Raqiyun]

How does a notebook that's 40-50% off the performance curve for the SoC and with a potato screen that's both glossy *and* blurry get 91%?!

I had a ProBook x360 435 G7 and ProBook x360 435 G8 (for a minute before returning it after noticing the spyware issue)... both with SureView. Can confirm: it looks like absolute $h!t whether it is on or off. In both cases, I honestly couldn't tell if it was on or off just because it was so $h!tty looking both ways.

[Ish Raqiyun]

So what is the status of investigating the spyware HP is force installing on their business laptops? HP isn't going to do anything obviously. Google still allows the spyware to be installed. Time for some actual journalism. I have yet another user on my Reddit thread that I can't link to here for some reason who states:

This is actually a little more troubling than it sounds here... I am a Google Admin at an organization. I just ran into these on a new model we got. I DO have policies (that I write). On a clean install of the windows 10 image that I built myself, this unwanted spyware shows up. It hijacks, supersedes, and interferes with my organization's Google policy. It will not allow me, AN ADMIN, to remove it from Chrome. There is nothing in Windows Update that says "HP". There is nothing in Add/Remove software. I will likely have to write a Group Policy to prevent this install, but I'd rather return them all. This is insane.