XPS 8930, screen blanking issues after upgrade to Windows 11

do you have the same issue if you do a clean install of Win 10 and not upgrade to Win 11?  just to let you know a inside OS upgrade is never as clean as a clean install of Win 11 on a wiped disk.

if it has been 7 years can try replace cmos battery and then do a cmos clear by mobo jumper.

Have you scheduled chkdsk c: /r in a command prompt window, run as administrator? Accept the offer in cmd window to run chkdsk at next boot and reboot, to see if you have a drive hardware error.

If you reboot and tap F2 to open BIOS setup, or F12 to open the boot menu, does screen  flicker if you just leave it showing BIOS setup or the F12 menu? 

Are you getting that VEN_10DE&DEV_1B81&SUBSYS_33011028&REV_A1 message when the NVidia GPU is installed, and at least one monitor connected directly to it?  Error sounds like an NVidia driver isn't fully installed...

In Device Manager, click View>Show hidden and then look everywhere in DM for any "unknown" devices. Right-click and uninstall all unknowns. Then click Action>Scan for hardware changes.  Exit DM and see if it works ok when power plan isn't set to "never".   

You might want to run DDU (free) to remove existing NVidia driver(s), and then install a new one. (My XPS 8930 with GTX 1660Ti is running NVidia driver 31.0.15.3619.)

1. Download Nvidia driver you want to install, first
2. Fully disconnect PC from internet
3. Reboot PC in Safe Mode
4. Run DDU
5. Install newly downloaded driver
6. Reboot and reconnect PC to internet

See if that helps...

BTW: When was last time you replaced motherboard battery? CR2032 coin cell.

No issues on Windows 10. Tried clean install of Windows 10 before upgrade. SFC and DISM run  on that clean environment with no issues.  To clarify, earller Windows 11 upgrade I tried from Windows Update - failed  3 months ago (works now).  Did upgrade from Windows Update Assistant, it installed but screen blanking problem. Removed 11, then did Windows 11 install in place from USB - same problem.  When I say removed Windows 11, I am actually doing a pre-install recovery from a clean Windows 10 Macrium Reflect backup to get to pre-install state.  Physically removed the Nvidia card and had the same issue with the on-board Intel graphics when trying to diagnose the problem - removed card and the drivers. I manually install Nvidia driver updates for issues only.  I tried a bunch of clean driver installs at different levels for Nvidia.  My card is a GTX 1070 with 27.21.14.5751 installed, which is older but very stable on Windows 10 versus later versions ( I'm not a gamer).  Have not changed the CMOS battery, but suspect if failing would see time / date issues typically on daily automated boots.  I did not see that driver install message until I looked in Device Manager - message there for both adapters. Have done CHKDSK. My background is 37 years of IT services, hardware and software including system microcode. Since problem disappears when I turn off power option to shut down display on timer, Occams Razor says software power bug.  It takes me a day to do a complete clean 11 install, recover apps and data.  That's last resort. Can live with screensaver running for now.  Just looking for other base alternatives I have not tried.

You won't necessarily see date/time issues, even if the battery is totally dead, because Windows automatically syncs them by connecting to a Microsoft server when PC is connected the internet.

is the Windows Power/Sleep screen set to best performance?

You didn't answer my questions:  With Win 11 installed, does screen blink when BIOS setup or F12 boot menu is open?  What happens if you boot Win 11 in Safe Mode?

In BIOS setup is:
Secure Boot enabled/disabled
TPM enabled/disabled
Legacy ROM Options enabled/disabled

SATA Operation set to RAID or AHCI

What Sleep settings selected

What types (eg, NVME, HDD) and how many drives are installed in this PC?  

Are an Intel Chipset and Management Engine driver installed for Win 11?

(And please, use small paragraphs to make reading easier. Press Shift-Enter-Enter at end of each paragraph to insert a blank line ahead of the next paragraph - Thx)

Replaced BIOS battery - no change

Secure boot enabled

TPM enabled

Legacy ROM disabled

SATA set to RAID - was set this way when new although only 1 M.2 drive, replaced Dell 500 GB M.2 SSD with Samsung M.2 980 Pro SSD over 1 year ago, has 3 older SATA data drives 1 TB Toshiba, 2 - 2TB Hitachi

Booted in SAFE mode with networking does not fail, hmmm

Turned off all Startup apps, restarted, still fails

Ran Chkdsk again  on reboot - no file issues or corruption

Power mode is Dell Balanced

Restarted with all apps, changed power mode to High Performance 1 hour screen, never for device - screen blanking went away

Tried  1 hour screen with 4 hours sleep for device, started blanking again, set back to never for device, blanking goes away

I can live with it like this, screen is sleeping, no screen saver, device not sleeping

Other BIOS

AC Power recovery On

USB Wake S3

Deep Sleep S5  ( have tried each of these sleep options enabled / disabled

RTC boots every day 5:30 am, scheduled task shutdown at 9:30 pm

Intel Chipset 10.18019.8144   and Management Engine 2205.15.0.2623 installed with 4/24 date of Windows 11 upgrade

Intel Ready Mode Tech 1.1.70.534 4/1/2019

Intel Graphics Command Center 4/11/2024 no listed version

Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management 3/9/2024

Intel Serial IO 30.100.1943.2 4/24/2024

Malwarebytes install and single complete scan - no issues, running Defender for anti-virus

Thanks for the input.

Try changing AC recovery to off in BIOS setup with monitor set to turn off after a few min...

So, exploring some more, while I have not found a corrupt file through check disk or SFC, I tried to run DISM again and it hangs at 62% ... know problem.

Tried turning Device Sleep on and off again. Then went into Event Viewer and found an Error entry for a Corrupt File in a Groove Music folder.  I actually had the Legacy Media Player Enabled in Windows 10 before upgrade.

Tried removing Legacy Media Player through add / remove windows features, figured it would default back to Windows 11 Media Player, it did not. Only way to get files back is reinstall, so I tried a Windows 11 Upgrade in place with all non Windows Services off.  Install completed, but reboot said Setup error and it recovered back to prior Windows 11 instance..

At the moment restoring Windows 10 image (Macrium) pre 11 update.  Then I have Pandora Dome anti-virus ... will uninstall and move back to Defender.  Will try and remove legacy media player from there. The newer media player under 10 had issues picking up all of my albums and their info - reason I enabled legacy player. 

Will run SFC and DISM under Windows 10.

If I can get that to work will run new Windows 10 backup. 

Reboot and turn off AC recovery in BIOS and then disable non-windows services and set startup programs off.

Then will try an install in place again from Windows 11 iso.

So, completed all tasks

Restored Windows 10, needed to let Media Player finish updates

Turned off non Microsoft services and disabled all startup programs

Installed Windows 11 Home from ISO as before

Turned back on services and startup programs

Media player now runs under 11

Ran SFC again, one corrupt file bthmodem.sys - it replaced

Ran DISM again, hung at 62.3% - fix is to turn on BITS service which was not running - ran clean Restorehealth then for Windows 11

All done under High Performance Power Plan with Device sleep set to Never - screen still blanks if you do this, and worse for Windows 11 you have to enter password again - set Device sleep back to never

BIOS auto power on disabled - does not make a difference

 -

Reached my time limit on fooling with it since I can workaround with High Performance mode and Device sleep never - everything otherwise working

Since screen doesn't blink when you boot in safe mode, it's got to be something in Win 11 or an app loading at startup that's causing this.  BTW: I just got an offer for an optional update to NVidia driver 31.0.15.5168 (Win 10). So maybe try this driver if it's also for Win 11. 

Why was BITS disabled?  If BITS isn't running Windows Update will fail.

Typically, you should run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth before running sfc /scannow but at this point I don't think that's going to help.

Other than that, it sounds like you've done just about everything without finding a cause and fix.  So if you're happy with your workaround...

So, other than hardware, my newer home system that replaced this Dell is a Beelink (11 Pro) with identical Windows 11 application, data, and profile setup.  It does not have any power / sleep / display issues with basically exactly the same apps.  It's got different device drivers and CPU, disk drive types, etc..So I suspect it's a combination of apps / Dell devices / drivers on the 8930 that drives the device sleep / power issue.

In about 6 months I will probably move this Dell to Linux Mint and it's versions of the same apps.  I do periodically sync data from Beelink to Dell, e.g. Documents, Pictures, Music.  I can, and have done before, sharing NTFS data drives outside Linux Home directory.  I have a small guest room Windows 10 system, not compatible with 11, that I will also move to Linux Mint this year.  In the family we have two old Toshiba laptops running great on Linux Mint.

I have my wife's Dell XPS 15 9370 laptop that is the next Windows 11 Home upgrade target.  She uses that one for work, and it is more important from a Windows upgrade / support perspective.  So to an extent, the 8930 11 upgrade has been a trial for what to expect for the laptop.  It's 2 years younger than the 8930.  She is IT background as well, but not tolerant of PC issues .... I get the fix this.

Meanwhile I will just live with my power plan workaround on my 8930.

I noticed BITS not running when the system tried to do first Windows update after Windows 11 upgrade.  BITS is working ok now, starting normally.  Maybe related to when I was turning off startup apps and non-Microsoft services to get the 11 upgrade to install successfully.  Should not have turned off BITS, but something did.  Also, this system is now Windows 11 Home.  In the family there are now 3 Windows 11 Pro systems.... much easier to poke around if needed.  All of the systems are running frequent Macrium Reflect image backups, so we are pretty hardened from a bad change perspective.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Open CMD window, Run as administrator, and run:

DISM.exe /online /cleanup-image /AnalyzeComponentStore

If that says any components need cleanup, run:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

When that's done, reboot PC and run, in order:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

sfc /scannow

Reboot again and test monitor + sleep...

DISM all 3  ran clean and quickly.

SFC found one corrupt file a Bluetooth file different one than found earlier in the week. actually have bluetooth disabled on this system.

Turned on device sleep timer and immediately screen blanked.

Turned back off device sleep.  Still in high performance power mode.

Next time you test and screen goes blank, press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B. Does that stop the screen blinking?

BTW: Did you ever run DDU to do a total removal of the NVidia driver?  Uninstalling it in Windows, or just directly installing a different NVidia driver "on top" of another one doesn't remove lots of things. So a corrupted leftover might be causing the problem, even after a new driver is installed...

It's not an Nvidia problem.  I can completely remove the Nvidia card physically and drivers and go to the on-board Intel adapter and have the same problem.

The screen does not blink.  It goes blank.  After I set the Device power to sleep in 4 hours with the screen set to sleep in an hour, then open a browser or other app, after about 5 to 10 seconds into it, the screen goes blank.  It is going into some uncontrolled sleep mode - it has narcolepsy. 

Have looked at every advanced power setting.  Tried all sleep modes, advanced device power options and hibernation on and off - does not matter.   Wiggling the mouse will then wake it up but in screen lock mode, so have to enter password then in Windows 11, unless I happen to be actively moving the cursor with the mouse when the screen blanks at any pause in movement, sometimes that will restore screen immediately, but then just blank again after a few seconds into whatever activity.  Does this with multiple browsers and multiple apps.

Turn Device sleep off, the problem  goes away.. I did find that I can use Dell Balanced power and as long as I turn Device sleep to never, the screen will not blank.