This post is more than 5 years old
43 Posts
1
788837
XPS 8900 BSOD's out of box. Exchanged XPS 8900 does the same thing.
RESOLVED! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Main fix: Disable this driver: bcmwl664.sys (Broadcom 802.11 Network Adapter wireless driver, Broadcom Corporation)
This can be done by finding and disabling the wi fi card in the Device Manager - find the WIRELESS driver - not the regular network driver, under Network Adapters, right click, and select "Disable".
If you've already begun to reinstall Windows out of frustration, or in a last ditch effort to save yourself the trouble of another return (like I did), make sure to NOT install the Broadcom Wireless driver from Dell's site. Otherwise, you'll be back where you started.
User dbark has also found another issue, slightly OT but it might help some of you - on his 8900 file explorer won't open when left-clicking from the task bar. Screen flashes, icons reload and wallpaper changes (slideshow mode is on). Right-clicking and selecting a folder works. Right-clicking on a file or desktop icon crashes.
He read that a shell extension was the likely culprit and using ShellExView he was able to ID NVIDIA's "OpenGLShExt Class" (file nv3dappshext.dll) to be the cause by process of elimination. We're still working through the fix there, details on page 7.
Original post below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posting my story here so that I'm using all available channels. Also, the three reps I'd been working with over email have gone dark since I mentioned the word "refund". So I thought maybe I could find some help here. I'm spending my last shreds of hope here, before all becomes darkness.
I ordered an XPS 8900 system on 10/15, and received it on 10/27. Within a couple hours of powering on the system, I got a BSOD that said "UNCORRECTABLE HARDWARE ERROR". I'm somewhat computer saavy but I had never seen this BSOD before. After using my other older computer (also a Dell - still works great) to research the issue, I determined that I did not have the skills to diagnose or fix whatever this might be (most resources said power supply issues, bad RAM). I did see that a RAM clamp was not fastened tightly, so I clamped it in. But no dice.
I called Dell and started the age old customer service tradition of, did I try restarting, yes I did. Yes, I tried restarting. Overall my experience was OK. Mostly I feel like there's one guy in any group of phone reps who actually knows stuff about these machines, and everyone asks him what to do. That's my theory, because after each answer I gave, I was placed on hold for several minutes. In the end, the decision was made to try a new motherboard. The conversation moved to email and a Dell authorized tech was scheduled to come out and install the board.
On 11/2 the new board was installed, but the computer would not boot at all now. Before, it went to Windows but BSOD'd after anywhere from 30 min to 2 hrs. Never more than 2 hrs. The Dell tech spoke with customer care from my home and more parts were ordered - a cable and hard drive. A 2nd visit was scheduled for 11/5, after which the computer was still not functional. That same day I heard from a sales rep who asked if I wanted an exchange, to which I replied, yes, I would like an exchange.
The new computer arrived 11/17 and I sent back the broken one. I ran through Windows first time set up. As I prepared dinner, I started installing my programs and getting other stuff set up. Holding a pan of simmering taco meat (I use ground turkey, try it - it's great), something caught my eye in the periphery. I set down the pan and saw that the screen had changed to the BSOD. It said: UNCORRECTABLE HARDWARE ERROR. Yes, the new computer gave me exactly the same error.
Quick aside - last night, 11/18 I received an email from the original rep asking if I ever got that hard drive and cable.
So here's the sequence of events that took place:
1. Original BSOD - UNRECOVERABLE HARDWARE ERROR on 10/27
2. First visit from Dell technician to install new motherboard (did not resolve issue) - 11/2
3. Second visit by Dell tech to install cable and new hard drive (did not resolve issue) - 11/5
4. Same day, heard from Sales rep regarding exchange 11/5. I replied I wanted to go ahead and exchange
5. Sales rep initiates exchange and new computer goes into production - 11/6
6. Receive new computer and pack up/send back nonfunctional one - 11/17
7. New computer is unpacked - 11/17 6:00pm
8. New computer gives same BSOD UNCORRECTABLE HARDWARE ERROR, 11/17 6:27pm while software is installing
And here are the steps to repro the BSOD on my system. Remember - this is right out of the shipping box.
1. Hook up my monitors, keyboard/mouse, network cable and the power cable provided
2. Windows 7 Pro first time setup
3. Install Google Chrome
4. Log into Autodesk account, download Maya installer
5. Begin Maya installation - never finished, BSOD
I have written back to the sales rep and the original rep requesting that we start the refund procedure. Normally the original rep would get back to me pretty quick, but not this time. And I asked the sales rep about a refund about two days ago now with no response. What are my other options at this point? My situation is this: I have spent a lot of money on something which does not work. What can I do about this?
ThurstonFarnsworth
43 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 12:00
Thanks again, but I'm done. I'm not going to cop to that last paragraph, but I'll say this, it's not user error if the machine BSOD's out of the box. I've probably purchased say, 5 computers from Dell over the years. None have done this or anything even remotely similar, despite my staggering through the setup process. This is just, bad.
As I see it I have two options, have a glorious day and continue with the refund process tomorrow by heading over to FedEx, or spend hours on the phone with tech Support starting this whole ordeal completely over again. In my experience, brand new computers can and should work without having to do that. Once the refund goes through I have other options I can pursue.
I notice you edited, that last paragraph I will respond to: I'm pretty bummed that you think I ignored your instructions. In case it wasn't clear before, first thing I want to tell you is how much I appreciate your help, and that I did everything to the letter up to and including the Win 10 upgrade. Where I went wrong, unintentionally, was after the upgrade. I missed where the ISO changed from optional to mandatory. It seems both the ISO and the Dell disc have language screens at the start, I thought I was still doing everything per your instructions when I got the Reset PC option.
This whole thing has been a real nightmare. It's worse if I thought you felt your time was wasted. It definitely wasn't, I did my level best to follow your instructions but between my frustration and misunderstanding I'm afraid a solution was beyond my grasp here. Thanks again for taking the time to help, I really appreciate it.
kirkd
5.2K Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 15:00
Once you had Win 10 installed and it worked OK, you should NOT install the Dell drivers. Most are not needed. I never upgrade the MS drivers installed by the upgrades unless there is a problem with some hardware item. The MS drivers work OK in most cases. Over many upgrades over many systems and OSs, the only drivers I needed to upgrade were video and printer (always) and occasionally touchpad or wifi. Never BIOS. When I do upgrade I usually do not look at the Dell drivers but go to the equipment suppliers or to sites that provide full featured drivers where Dell usually has more bare-boned versions.
JW0914
105 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 17:00
The problem is there's no way to know what's the issue because without clean installing Windows 10, there's no way to rule out drivers. A clean install is necessary because during an upgrade, drivers [incl. their dll's and sys files] are copied from the previous Windows version's Windows directory to the Windows directory of the new version. Many users don't realize this and it's due to this, coupled with not researching what programs aren't compatible and which need to be uninstalled, majority of users with issues on Windows 10 are experiencing these issues due to the two aforementioned reasons.
While it is possible for the same exact BSODs to occur on two separate brand new PCs due to the same issue, it's highly improbable. Take into the account the process by which an OEM pushes a Windows image onto a new PC via SCCM [or an equivalent], it becomes even more unlikely.
The issue isn't which media you install from, but because Dell's install DVD for Windows is branded, for troubleshooting purposes, it's best to keep everything original and simple. Also, the advantage to using the ISO created by the Media Creation Tool is it usually incorporates updates from the previous months (each month Microsoft release an ISO of all updates from the previous, and while not all updates may be incorporated into the Install iso, many are).
To keep KISS in mind [Keep It Simple Stupid], here's what would need to be done to definitively rule out hardware:
Prerequisites
Steps
JW0914
105 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 18:00
I apologize, as I read posts with Maya in it yesterday, but it didn't register immediately what it was referring to... what version of Maya is it?
Disregard my prior posts about a Windows 10 clean install for the moment... Do the BSODs only occur when attempting to install Maya (or if you were able to to, after running it)?
From a bit of searching online, numerous threads reference a common theme... if receiving BSODs, it's most likely regarding the graphics drivers and/or card.
ThurstonFarnsworth
43 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 19:00
It's Maya 2016. I did have the graphics card installed, the thing is it wasn't really installing Maya when I got the BSOD, it was downloading components. I got the BSOD while it was pulling the application from their servers.
I actually saw this post after starting the list of clean install steps. Since you took the time to write that out neatly and make it super clear, I thought it would be worthwhile to give it one more go. I'm at step 7b right now. The only hiccup so far is that my larger storage drive (D drive) disappeared in Windows, though it seems to be recognized in Device Manager.
Per your last post, when I do eventually get to graphics, I'm going to try installing the latest Nvidia driver directly from their site, instead of my Dell product page.
JW0914
105 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 20:00
The drive that disappeared probably just lost it's mount point assignment (Drive letter).
For graphics drivers especially, it's always best to utilize the ones directly from the manufacturer [Nvidia] vs Dell. Tech Support will tell you different many times, however Dell is usually a year or more behind manufacturers in releasing "dell approved" drivers. (Think cell service providers and how they treat android updates)
If you do start getting BSODs again, I would encourage you to email Executive Resolutions, provide a link to this, and any other threads on other sites, and request a 10% discount if you decide you want to stick with Dell. You have far more patience than I, as your experience has to be quite frustrating.
JW0914
105 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 21:00
DO NOT write anything to the HDD,
DO NOT attempt to access it outside of the program below
As long as you don't, it's a fairly simple process to get your partition back
Just so I understand correctly, 2TB disk was mbr and you accidentally converted it to gpt? Or was it already gpt and you simply ran the clean command?
Download TestDisk
Prior to running it, please read the following:
ThurstonFarnsworth
43 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 21:00
Will do, thanks. I finished with the drivers, I'm creating a restore point now and starting windows updates.
During all the driver searching/downloading, no BSOD's. So far. Of course I was also manually restarting constantly.
I still can't see the 2TB drive though in WinX. I think what might have happened is this morning, when running your Command Prompt steps the first time, I ran the diskpart steps so literally that I set disk 0 to GPT, and it turns out disk 0 is actually the 2TB drive. This latest time I correctly GPT'd drive 1, which was the OS drive. Can I get disk 0 back from GPT by reformatting somewhere?
ThurstonFarnsworth
43 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2015 23:00
Ah never mind, found the missing drive. It was hidden in the bottom pane, I had to scroll around and format it.
dbark1
8 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2015 03:00
Edited post since it took all day for it to clear moderation it's irrelevant. I defer to my later post below
cathaleen
135 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2015 07:00
Thurston,
It is nice that all your troubleshooting efforts seem to have paid off, but the computer is not what you wanted or ordered. You ordered a Windows 7 pro machine and now have a Windows 10 machine. You may want to check out if Maya works on that as Adobe does not state compatibility with Windows 10 for any version of Maya.
Good luck.
ThurstonFarnsworth
43 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2015 08:00
Thanks Cathaleen, it's true that I did order a win7 machine specifically because I was concerned about compatibility. But I've got my apps working so far. Last night when I finished the clean install, I then installed only the essential drivers, like the ones JW had in red, Intel RST, and then for audio/video I'm using NVIDIA's drivers from their site, instead of the Dell ones. I left Networking as the generics. I then set a restore point and started installing my apps. No BSOD's. In fact, overnight I set up a 1000 frame Maya render and downloaded the Unreal Editor, woke up this morning, rendering was done and Unreal was ready to go.
Closest I can figure out is that one of the drivers available for download on my Dell product page is corrupt/incompatible. It's either the Dell version of the Nvidia drivers or maybe one of the networking drivers as JW mentioned previously. But I think I might be in OK shape here. I'm going to keep letting it soak and check it again around lunch, make sure Photoshop installs.
cathaleen
135 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2015 09:00
How you ran into this problem with two machine in a row us quite remarkable.
You said it happened right out if the box which means it was preloaded with corrupt software and that seems highly unlikely. Very odd. You paid up to get a Windows 7 pro and you are not even using it. Worse you had to spend hours and hours trying to sort it all out by troubleshooting yourself calling Dell, and installing 10. This has got to be one of the most costly new pcs ever. If I was not recently exposed to the new complete lack of interest by Dell's management in understanding and learning from events like this I would suggest that you write a letter to Mr. Dell. But alas that will just waste more of your time and it will fall on deaf ears.
ThurstonFarnsworth
43 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2015 09:00
Oh I'm definitely writing them something. Since they likely pre-install all the Dell drivers in the manner JW described, using some ghost image or something, that's probably why the previous system failed as well. I likely could've got up and running by doing the same steps on that one. Instead, tech support recommended a motherboard replacement, and we couldn't get back to windows after that was done.
If I had more time I'd install those Dell drivers one by one and try to soak each until I found the bad one. But I think I've spent enough time troubleshooting at this point. I'll suggest they try that so hopefully no one else has to deal with this. I haven't seen a lot of posts like mine about the 8900 failing people, I must have an unusual hardware combo or something. Or I have hardware that happens to need that broken driver.
Regarding cost - Fortunately this is my personal/home computer and I had a lazy weekend where I could work on the other machine while attempting these various fixes. Would've been nice if it, you know - just worked - without all the extra effort. Thankfully I had you guys to help guide me through. BTW Just got Photoshop installed, everything still seems good.
ThurstonFarnsworth
43 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2015 11:00
Hey JW, I didnt get an email update about this post til this morning. Yes, I did accidentally set it to GPT using the diskpart process.
Using WinX, it does show up though. Right clicking it in WinX allows me to convert it to MBR and do a quick format. Seems OK, I have not used it or written anything to it at all. Since I missed your post - have I already borked the drive? Or can I still run your testdisk steps?
dbark, that is a really interesting discovery. The broadcom drivers I currently have installed are the Win 10 generics, not the Dell ones. Could that be why I haven't had any more BSODs I wonder...