Updating to Windows 10 Version 2004/Conexant Drivers

I had almost given up hope, but I finally received my 20H2 update yesterday for my T420 in WU. After the update finished I checked to find that the same old Conexant sound driver from 2012 is still there, with no change, and the sound still works fine. Have patience.

I have a HP envy x360 notebook with the Conexant audio ISST drivers.  Since 1909 updates expires in about a month, I decided to try what I read previously.  I still get the block on windows update. I used device manager to disable the Conexant audio drivers. I did not delete the drivers. I did not reboot since that would have reinstalled the audio drivers. Went to the windows web site used the update for 2020 H2.  It installed without any problems. (It took a very long time for the installation to complete). Following installation I checked device manager, the Conexant audio drivers had been reinstalled and everything worked fine. No audio problems or other problems. I used windows update to install the 2021 updates to win 10 2020 H2. 

PS: I made a complete backup of my 1909 installation before starting just in case major problems should occur. Didn't need it.

Microsoft attempts to deliver the drivers, but doesn't take responsibility for the drivers themselves. That responsibility belongs to Synaptics, and to the OEMs who sold the machines.

But Microsoft is going to have to make a decision. I suspect there are a lot of machines out there that have this problem and in most cases the owners don't even know it yet. Microsoft's arbitrary end-of-support date for 1909 is May 11, 2021 which is getting pretty close. It'll be interesting to see what they do. If they let these machines go without continuing security updates I hope it generates a lot media attention.

It's possible that neither Microsoft nor Synaptics yet understands why these drivers are suddenly getting in the way of Windows Feature updates beginning with 2004. Or, Microsoft may have made some new rules, and Synaptics doesn't want to be bothered. So it's arguable who's at fault. But there's an easy fix in the short term: Just make the corresponding generic Microsoft driver the preferred driver. No more complicated hacks would be needed.

I can see why Microsoft wouldn't want to unilaterally do this, they'd be taking over responsibility for the device's performance and letting Synaptics off the hook. But both parties need to put the users first. Microsoft should replace the Conexant drivers with Microsoft drives and Synaptics should agree to continue to accept responsibility.

If May 11 comes and goes with no compromises, neither Microsoft nor Synaptics is going to look good.

Your analysis of this is absolutely spot on.

If MS and Synaptics cannot come up with a solution or a replacement driver, then the Microsoft driver in its place looks workable. It certainly runs ok on my machine.

Replacing the Conexant driver will in many cases need the associated services and other software to be removed, which I think can be done quite simply by a powershell or batch file routine.

January 21, 2021, and the issue is still not resolved.

LG GRAM owner here.

I contacted LG and they don't provide any solution/updated driver either.

The support service response was to download a "REALTEK" audio driver for another laptop model. As if a Realtek driver had anything to do with Conexant.

Really pissed off, since the laptop is a 2019 model and not able to update Windows anymore.

I contacted live Microsoft support and a guy told me "Run the Windows updated manually using the media creation tool". It seems they don't even know their own advice of not doing that because the computer will crash...

Quoting some parts of Damien Vasse's post of 11/21/20;

"...The workaround was to change the driver of the Conexant audio device with the Microsoft High Definition Audio.

<snip>

Then, I launched the Windows 10 2020 H2 update using the Windows Update downloadhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

It all went well, and after several reboots, I logged in and found the audio driver again being Conexant SmartAudio HD, the one previously used before this workaround.

Seems like the issue really is DURING the update not after it's done...."

That was exactly my experience with updating an HP ENVY laptop.  Are you listening MS?  Perhaps you should remove, or at least lessen the update restrictions so people can get past your roadblock.

Update:

Hmmm.  I just ran Device Manager, and something has changed.  Under the 'Audio inputs and outputs' category there had been 2 entries, one for the microphone array and one for audio.  I'm pretty sure this was true after the 2004 update, but can't say for sure after the 20H2 update.  The entry for audio is completely gone, there is only one device.  The 'Sound, video and game controllers' category had 2 and still has 2 , the 'Conexant ISST Audio' and 'Intel(R) Display Audio'.  In any case, the audio is still working fine.

Actually I agree with both of you- the problem is the existence of the Conexant HD Audio Driver DURING the Windows 2004 update process; it works perfectly fine after the update! Apparently the Conexant driver doesn't play well with Microsoft together during the ACTUAL Win 2004 update (who cares who's at fault). So after many months of delays searching the web for a solution to update and finally reading here that I could get my HP Envy I9 Desktop to possibly install the Windows 2004 update, I decided today to MANUALLY  launch the Windows 10 2020 H2 update from the Microsoft Windows Update link AFTER first just simply UNINSTALLING (not "deleting") the Conexant HD Audio Driver in Device Manager and then running the Windows 2004 update from Microsoft's site. Since I was coming from Windows 1909 it took quite awhile to complete the update itself but there was absolutely no hang-ups or problems or intervention needed from me during the update. The beauty of doing it this way was that the same Conexant HD Audio driver that I uninstalled before starting the manual update simply reinstalled itself during the update's the final rebooting and when the Windows lock screen came back after it was all done, lo and behold, I had sound with nothing more to do (and Device Manager showing the HD Conexant HD Audio driver was installed and working properly)! "It's a good thing"