OmenCore

Lightweight local control for HP OMEN and Victus gaming laptops

OmenCore is an independent control center for HP OMEN and Victus systems. It focuses on the local workflows people actually use in OMEN Gaming Hub: fan control, performance profiles, telemetry, keyboard lighting, OSD, power tools, diagnostics, and safe cleanup of HP background software.

It runs without ads, account prompts, cloud telemetry, or OMEN Gaming Hub. Hardware access is handled through local WMI BIOS, EC, PawnIO, Linux sysfs, and platform backends when the device exposes them.

Version: 3.8.1
Status: Patch release - implementation in progress; hardware validation pending
Release notes: docs/CHANGELOG_v3.8.1.md
Release gate: docs/FINAL_RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md

v3.8.1 is a post-3.8.0 field-reliability patch. It focuses on GitHub #141-#145 follow-up, fan-telemetry truthfulness, saved Custom fan-curve selection, GPU OC startup-reapply clarity, OMEN-key field diagnostics, performance-profile relaunch persistence, and Quick Access shortcut safety.

• 8A18 OMEN 17-ck1xxx: conservative exact capability profile, with V1 fan-level fallback explicitly labeled as an estimate rather than measured RPM, and fan verification evidence kept honest about command-success vs. physical confirmation.
• Quick Access popup shortcut is now configurable (Display Off, Lock Windows, or Disabled) to prevent accidental display-off clicks.
• Saved Custom fan-curve selection now migrates correctly when LastFanPresetName is missing or stale, without bypassing the startup fan-write safety gate.
• GPU OC Tuning page shows a dedicated startup-reapply status chip explaining whether a confirmed profile is enabled or blocked, and why.
• The OMEN 16/Victus sensitive-model startup-restore safety override now matches real-world HP model-name variants instead of only the literal "OMEN 16" substring.
• OMEN-key diagnostics now record the last accepted/rejected key candidate (source, VK/scan codes, and reason) for field debugging of #141-class reports.
• HpWmiBios heartbeat, the fan countdown-extension reassert loop, and the Razer Chroma heartbeat are now visible in background-timer diagnostics.
• 8D40 OMEN Slim 16-an0xxx: exact conservative identity added (GitHub #145), replacing low-confidence family fallback.
• Fixed Performance Profile silently reverting to Balanced after relaunch when changed via the tray menu, the Ctrl+Shift+E hotkey cycle, or the General page's quick-profile buttons (GitHub #145) — these paths now persist the choice the same way the System Control page always did.

• Core-control readiness exports summarize fan backend/readback, RGB backend/surface, tuning startup/readback, hotkeys, monitoring health, and next validation actions.
• Exact model routing was expanded for priority reports including 8C30, 8DCD, 878C, 8600, and 88EE, while unsupported control paths stay gated.
• General telemetry now hides unavailable zero-return power sensors as --W instead of showing misleading 0W.
• The Windows installer now calls the bundled PawnIO setup with -install -silent.
• Startup restore is split into separate fan, performance/GPU power, RGB, and tuning opt-ins under the broad safety gate.
• OSD FPS reporting is clearer with RTSS average fallback and explicit unavailable states.
• Game-profile automation now respects feature gates, exact executable-path priority, duplicate suppression, and per-profile restore policy.
• OMEN Max HID per-key RGB routing is included conservatively and still needs real-device PID/segment confirmation.

v3.8.2 is a release-blocker patch for a critical Application Hang reported within hours of v3.8.1 shipping (OMEN 16-xd0010ax / 8BCD, hang within 10-20s of launch). The fix is code-complete and test-verified in this environment, but is not yet confirmed on the reporter's physical hardware — see docs/CHANGELOG_v3.8.2.md.

v3.8.1's own tracked items are unchanged and still gated on physical hardware validation: 8DCD fan-thermal safety, 8D26 key routing, 8E9A identity, background-resource budgets, and GPU OC startup reapply on real NVIDIA/AMD hardware.

The active work is tracked in:

• docs/CHANGELOG_v3.8.2.md - the hang-fix patch release notes and validation status.
• docs/CHANGELOG_v3.8.1.md - prior patch release notes and validation status.
• docs/3.8.1-BUG-REPORTS.md - GitHub #141-#144, saved Custom fan selection, GPU OC persistence, background-resource work, the v3.8.2 hang (BUG-3820-001), test requirements, and hardware acceptance gates.
• docs/3.8.1-MIGRATION-HANDOFF.md - fresh-PC setup, repository state, implementation order, and release procedure.

Prior-release work is kept for historical reference:

• docs/CHANGELOG_v3.8.0.md - field fixes, UI polish, diagnostics, and validation status.
• docs/3.8.0-BUG-REPORTS.md - tracked model reports and issue follow-up.
• docs/3.8.0-CORE-CONTROLS-NEXT-STEPS.md - practical next steps for fan, RGB, tuning, responsiveness, and release gates.

The main 3.8.0 support improvement, a consolidated core-control-readiness.txt diagnostic report covering fan backend/readback state, RGB surface/backend state, tuning startup/readback state, monitoring health, and next validation actions, remains in place. 3.8.1 builds on it with OMEN-key candidate diagnostics and additional background-timer registry coverage.

Release artifacts are published on the GitHub Releases page.

Final GitHub release notes must include SHA256 hashes for every artifact. The in-app updater requires release hashes before it will install an update.

1. Download OmenCoreSetup-3.8.1.exe from Releases.
2. Verify the SHA256 hash from the release notes.
3. Run the installer as Administrator.
4. Keep PawnIO selected unless you only want monitoring and WMI-only features.
5. Launch OmenCore from the Start Menu.

Portable users can download OmenCore-3.8.1-win-x64.zip, extract it to a normal folder, and run OmenCore.exe as Administrator.

See INSTALL.md for the full Windows guide.

VERSION=3.8.1
wget "https://github.com/theantipopau/omencore/releases/download/v${VERSION}/OmenCore-${VERSION}-linux-x64.zip"
mkdir -p OmenCore-linux-x64
unzip "OmenCore-${VERSION}-linux-x64.zip" -d OmenCore-linux-x64
cd OmenCore-linux-x64
chmod +x omencore-cli omencore-gui

sudo ./omencore-cli status
./omencore-gui

Prefer launching the GUI as your normal desktop user. Use sudo for CLI operations that need hardware access.

For bug reports, collect a triage bundle:

./qa/collect-linux-triage.sh

See INSTALL.md and docs/LINUX_INSTALL_GUIDE.md for Linux details.

• WMI BIOS fan profile control on supported OMEN/Victus laptops.
• Max, Auto, Quiet, Gaming, Extreme, and custom presets where capability allows.
• Custom fan curves with temperature breakpoints on models with validated curve support.
• Profile-only fan gating for models where the firmware supports OEM profile modes but not safe manual curve writes.
• Restore OEM Auto action to release OmenCore fan ownership and return to firmware auto mode.
• Fan command history, launch diagnostics, and core-control readiness exports for field validation.

• Quiet, Balanced, Performance, and custom profile routing.
• WMI thermal-policy fallback when direct EC/MSR power limits are unavailable.
• CPU/GPU power apply traces in diagnostics.
• Intel undervolt and TCC controls where the model, BIOS, and runtime allow them.
• GPU Power Boost on supported OMEN firmware.
• GPU OC and power-limit profile storage where backend support is available or power-limit-only routing is exposed.
• MUX switching where the BIOS exposes Hybrid, Discrete, or Integrated modes.

• OMEN 4-zone keyboard lighting with profile, zone, brightness, and backlight operations.
• Model-aware fallback and serialized keyboard lighting writes.
• RGB diagnostics showing backend ownership, active path, and conflict status.
• OMEN Max per-key-capable hardware detection plus first-pass HID per-key routing for known/inferred HP keyboard controller PIDs.
• External RGB provider surfaces for Corsair, Logitech, Razer, OpenRGB, and system providers where available.
• Built-in RGB scenes include static, breathing, spectrum, wave, ambient, audio-reactive, Heat Wave, Calm Pulse, and Lights Off paths where providers support them.
• Readiness diagnostics report the active HP keyboard surface, observed physical surface, and whether a result is verified, accepted/unverified, unavailable, or blocked by a conflict.

Note: OMEN Max dedicated HID per-key routing is intentionally conservative until field logs confirm the correct USB PID list and physical keyboard segment mapping.

• CPU/GPU temperature, load, fan level/RPM, battery, memory, storage, and GPU telemetry.
• Out-of-process hardware worker for crash isolation.
• Telemetry health states: valid, inactive, unavailable, stale, degraded, and invalid.
• Click-through OSD with RTSS FPS integration where available.
• RTSS FPS display falls back to average FPS when instant FPS is unavailable and keeps RTSS unavailable/waiting states explicit.
• Tray quick popup and status badges.
• Diagnostic exports with model identity, RGB path, resource footprint, fan history, launch readiness, core-control readiness, tuning safety, and runtime state.

• Guided OMEN Gaming Hub cleanup.
• Bloatware scanner and removable HP app inventory.
• Memory optimizer and gaming-mode helpers.
• Per-game profile automation with exact executable-path matching, duplicate apply suppression, optional default restore on exit, and feature-gated process monitoring.
• Auto-update with SHA256 verification.

OmenCore is built for HP OMEN and HP Victus laptops. Desktop OMEN systems are treated conservatively.

Model support is keyed by ProductId where possible. Diagnostic exports include a model identity summary so unsupported or inferred profiles can be fixed without guesswork.

• Windows 10 build 19041+ or Windows 11.
• Administrator rights for WMI BIOS, EC, MSR, fan, and power operations.
• Self-contained .NET 8 runtime in release builds.
• PawnIO recommended for advanced EC/MSR features and Secure Boot-compatible low-level access.

• x64 Linux with hp-wmi, ec_sys, or compatible hwmon/sysfs interfaces.
• Root privileges for hardware writes.
• A normal desktop session for the Avalonia GUI.
• Kernel support varies heavily by model and distro.

Windows fan control normally follows this order:

1. WMI BIOS - preferred for modern OMEN laptops.
2. PawnIO-backed EC/MSR paths - advanced access where safe and validated.
3. OGH proxy - last-resort fallback when local firmware paths require it.

Linux control normally follows available sysfs/hwmon capability:

1. hp-wmi / platform profile.
2. hp-wmi hwmon PWM and fan input paths.
3. ec_sys for older models.
4. Diagnostic-only mode when no safe write path exists.

• Some 3.8.0 and 3.8.1 fixes still require physical hardware validation, especially fan ramp-down, RGB surface routing, and GPU wattage parity.
• OMEN Max per-key RGB now has a first-pass HID backend in active development, but it is not fully verified until field logs confirm the USB PID list and physical segment behavior.
• 8DCD Victus 15 fan-speed collapse under sustained load (GitHub #143) is under investigation; treat it as thermal-safety critical until disproven.
• 8D26 OMEN 16-ap0xxx dedicated key and Fn+P event routing (GitHub #141) needs shipped-artifact and physical-hardware confirmation.
• OGH Eco mode parity is tracked but not implemented.
• Direct PL1/PL2 controls remain firmware/MSR gated on many systems.
• Exclusive fullscreen OSD behavior depends on Windows composition, RTSS, game mode, and anti-cheat behavior.
• 8574 legacy OMEN 15 support is partial until fresh diagnostics confirm effective fan command readback.

• 8D40 OMEN Slim 16-an0xxx: exact identity validation, plus Battery Care (Charge Limit) WMI evidence on this new thin-chassis line.
• 8DCD Victus 15: bounded, abortable load test confirming Performance mode no longer drops below 2000 RPM above 80C.
• 8D26 OMEN 16-ap0xxx: Fn+F2 never-intercept behavior and dedicated OMEN-key/Fn+P event path on physical hardware.
• 8E9A HyperX OMEN MAX 16t-ah100: exact conservative identity pending full diagnostic evidence.
• 8A18 OMEN 17-ck1xxx: bounded load test with independent physical RPM/temperature source.
• 8D41 and 8D87 OMEN Max: WMI-only Max fan hold, Restore OEM Auto, and HID per-key RGB PID confirmation.
• 8BD4 Victus 16: conservative WMI V1 Auto/Max handoff and WMI ColorTable RGB confirmation.
• 8C30 Victus 15-fb1xxx: Quiet/Balanced/Performance WMI policy routing and wattage/RPM readback validation.
• 878C OMEN 15-ek0xxx: Quick Profile fan wake/ramp validation after exact WMI fallback routing.
• 8600 OMEN 15-dh0xxx: PawnIO install/reboot telemetry recovery plus Quiet/Balanced/Performance/Auto/Max fan-mode validation.
• 88EE Victus 16-e0194nw: exact ProductId identity confirmation plus fan/RGB/readback evidence before enabling capabilities beyond conservative routing.
• 8BCD Linux: degraded WMI/ACPI reporting with effective fan/RGB/battery readback before claiming full control.
• GPU OC startup reapply: confirmed-profile reboot test on NVIDIA, plus AMD manual-only wording or equivalent persistence.
• Background memory/responsiveness: scenario-matrix measurement against the 3.8.1 budgets before claiming any reduction.
• Startup restore: keep hardware restore opt-in until fan, RGB, performance, undervolt, and GPU OC readback passes on the target model.

git clone https://github.com/theantipopau/omencore.git
cd omencore
dotnet restore OmenCore.sln
dotnet build OmenCore.sln --configuration Release

dotnet test OmenCore.sln

pwsh ./build-installer.ps1

Expected outputs:

• artifacts/OmenCoreSetup-3.8.1.exe
• artifacts/OmenCore-3.8.1-win-x64.zip
• artifacts/SHA256SUMS-3.8.1.txt

pwsh ./build-linux-package.ps1

Expected outputs:

• artifacts/OmenCore-3.8.1-linux-x64.zip
• artifacts/OmenCore-3.8.1-linux-x64.zip.sha256
• artifacts/version.json
• artifacts/linux-version-verification-3.8.1-linux-x64.json

Before publishing a stable GitHub release:

1. Confirm VERSION.txt, project versions, installer version, README, and INSTALL all match.
2. Run dotnet restore, Release build, test suite, and git diff --check.
3. Build Windows installer/portable and Linux zip.
4. Generate SHA256 hashes for all artifacts.
5. Add hashes, known limits, and hardware validation status to GitHub Release notes.
6. Upload artifacts.
7. Tag the release only after the final notes and artifacts match.

The current release gate is tracked in docs/FINAL_RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md.

Windows logs are stored under %LOCALAPPDATA%\OmenCore\. Linux diagnostics can be collected with sudo ./omencore-cli diagnose --report.

• INSTALL.md - installation, upgrade, portable use, Linux setup, uninstall.
• docs/CHANGELOG_v3.8.1.md - current release notes.
• docs/3.8.1-BUG-REPORTS.md - active 3.8.1 field report tracking.
• docs/CHANGELOG_v3.8.0.md - previous release notes.
• docs/CHANGELOG_v3.7.1.md - earlier release notes.
• docs/3.8.0-CORE-CONTROLS-NEXT-STEPS.md - core control validation and practical next steps.
• docs/3.8.0-BUG-REPORTS.md - prior 3.8.0 field report tracking.
• docs/FINAL_RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md - release gate.
• docs/3.7.1-BUG-REPORTS.md - field report tracking.
• docs/LINUX_INSTALL_GUIDE.md - Linux details.
• docs/ANTIVIRUS_FAQ.md - antivirus and driver guidance.
• docs/DEFENDER_FALSE_POSITIVE.md - Defender guidance.
• drivers/PawnIO/README.md - PawnIO backend details.

Older release notes live in docs/.

Useful contributions include fresh diagnostic exports, model ProductId verification, EC/WMI behavior reports, Linux sysfs snapshots, translations, and focused bug fixes. Please include logs and the model identity summary when filing hardware-control issues.

If Diagnostics reports Unknown <Family> Model or "Resolution source: Family fallback / Low confidence" (as opposed to an exact ProductId match), your laptop works through conservative generic defaults rather than a model-specific profile. To get it added:

1. Open Diagnostics (or About) and copy the Model Identity Summary in full, including Capability ProductId, Baseboard ProductId, WMI model, System SKU / HP support product number, and the keyboard identity lines.
2. Note your CPU, GPU, and BIOS version, and whether fan control, Battery Care, RGB, and performance-mode persistence work or fail individually — a feature that already works via family fallback should stay marked as working so the new profile does not become more restrictive than what you have today.
3. Open a GitHub issue with that summary, your symptoms, and (if relevant) what OMEN Gaming Hub shows for the same feature.
4. Exact identity entries always start conservative: WMI fan/profile control only where evidence already shows it working, with direct EC writes, MUX switching, undervolt, and RGB left unclaimed until a tester confirms the surface exists. Capabilities are widened in a follow-up once that evidence arrives — see docs/3.8.1-BUG-REPORTS.md for examples of this pattern (8D40, 8A18, 8E9A).

OmenCore is provided as-is. Fan control, EC writes, undervolting, GPU power changes, and MUX switching can affect stability and hardware behavior. Use restore points, read capability warnings, and avoid enabling unverified hardware restore paths unless you understand the recovery steps.

OmenCore is not made by or endorsed by HP.

• GitHub: https://github.com/theantipopau/omencore
• Releases: https://github.com/theantipopau/omencore/releases/latest
• Issues: https://github.com/theantipopau/omencore/issues
• Discord: https://discord.gg/9WhJdabGk8
• Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=XH8CKYF8T7EBU

MIT License. See LICENSE.

Third-party components include LibreHardwareMonitor, Hardcodet.NotifyIcon.Wpf, PawnIO, and vendor RGB SDK files where bundled. See the relevant source folders and driver documentation for details.