In cross checking my System and Application event logs, I do see some sort of correlation - when I find a crash/restart in System, the last entry made in Application is: "SettingSyncHost (8764,G,0) The beta feature EseDiskFlushConsistency is enabled in ESENT due to the beta site mode settings 0x800000."
I'm only seeing this problem recently reported with Dell laptops.. So, again, what's the deal, Dell?
Just chatted with support.. They remoted into my PC and did some basic troubleshooting - basically rediscovering what I've already disclosed.
The agent concluded the call indicating "Your wireless driver has been updated" - not quite sure why that was shared, since the driver wasn't updated while they were on my PC because it was already up to date with the latest.
Essentially, I was told "the system is clean - seems to be an OS issue. We need to reset it to factory settings by performing a clean install", at which time I pulled the plug on the session, indicating "I'd rather continue to troubleshoot in the hopes of finding a solution that doesn't result in hours of wasted and lost work".
I will continue to try to find an alternate solution in the coming days - and then if I can't, I suppose I will try a clean install... And if that doesn't work, thank goodness that I bought from Costo - so that I can return this for a full refund and then buy a computer that works out of the box.
Something that escaped me earlier when I was recapping my session with support... Again, the agent mentioned upgrading my wifi driver - which they didn't do, because it was already up to date... Something that the agent did do, but that they didn't mention in our recap, was they went in and disabled a bunch of Dell services. Specifically, Dell Data Vault Service API, Dell Data Vault Collector, Dell Data Vault Processor, and Dell SupportAssist Remediation... If the issue doesn't reappear in 24 hours, I am going to begin reenabling these services to see what the real solution is. Interestingly, when I've been sitting here during the crash, I've been listening to music (because I am always listening to music) - and when the crash happened, it sounded like the PC was "slipping into the Matrix" garbled digital noise of what's currently playing... When the Dell SupportAssist Remediation service shuts down, the same "slipping into the Matrix" noise happens...
An update since Dell support basically ended our interaction with "You can reinstall windows, but since you said you will return the laptop to the store we're just going to close out your case"...
I've continued to dig in and research... Issue happened again today - after exactly 24hrs again... This time I caught the bluescreen message - rfeco10x64 with DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL... So this gives me something to go with.. As I begin researching BSOD resulting from issues with rfeco10x64, I found multiple other people who were at their wit's end after continuing to experience the problem and not getting any real solution from Dell... Multiple people who, like me, were told by Dell to reinstall Windows - only to waste those hours and still have the issue in their fresh install...
I also found a lot of discussions mentioning Killer Networking - indicating that if you uninstall the Killer Control panel, that the issue would go away.. Okay, great - but this laptop doesn't have that installed... So.. Keep searching..
Interesting.. So... While not "Killer Networking", this is something very similar... from the same company that was associated with the widely hated Killer Networking product line... And interestingly enough, if you look on your Dell Inspiron 15 7577 for 'smartbyte', you will find an app - that looks to be a control panel for this totes awesome technology... This software reportedly prioritizes certain kinds of traffic over others so that you don't experience data slowdown on preferential communications - why it seems to be crashing my computer every 24 hours is beyond me...
So as my next step in troubleshooting, I've disabled SmartByte from within the control panel... Now to play the waiting game for 24 more hours to see if that gets it... If that doesn't get it, and the crashes continue, then I will completely uninstall this - and then, you guessed it, wait another 24 hours to see if it's resolved... Something tells me that one of these two things will fix my problem... which brings us to the next important topic at hand... Dell, when are you going to pay me for finding the solution to your problem? :)
Thanks for your very thourough and detailed posts! If I ever encounter this problem I'll be very grateful that you did all the digging.
I hope to hear your update soon. I got rid of smartbyte as soon as I got my 7577, it seemed like gimicky garbage that could be one of those things that caused a major headache problem like yours! One of those hidden gems. Thanks again. I'm very curious to know if Smartbyte was the cause.
I plan on doing a clean install of Windows 10 now that I've had the laptop for a little while, and figured out which preinstalled software I want to keep and which to get rid of. Basically just going to keep the Dell Power Management. I was on the fence about Dell Support Assist, but I noticed it was installing programs without my consent in the background. I only wanted it for the auto driver detect on their website, but forget it.
Haha! Thanks for joining in - glad to know that I am not talking to myself :)
Drumroll please...
SmartByte is stupid. I believe that SmartByte was the cause of my problem. Rather than relying on the SmartByte app to do the job, as I indicated I'd be doing in my previous post, I decided to possibly save a couple of cycles and to instead go to the source rather than through the app - choosing to just go and stopping the service directly and to set it's startup to 'disabled'...
26hrs and counting... I've reviewed my logs and it's been pretty much 24hrs on the dot previously, so I'm feeling really positive about 26hrs of uptime for the first time since buying this laptop.
I'm going to continue to monitor for the next couple days before calling this case closed, but it's looking positive.
For anyone who stumbles here, you may want to read this thread to get up to speed and then decide if you want to do what Dell has told you (i.e. "Reinstall windows", which if you reinstall all of the original Dell software won't correct the problem) or if you want to consider disabling the service that's actually causing your crash - "SmartByte Network Service".
Glad to hear! I hope it keeps going strong. Thanks again for sharing. I see you've posted to reddit as well. You've got my upvote!
I'm trying to stay ahead of the weird software bugs, and looking to get every bit of performance out of this laptop. Seems like an excellent piece of hardware. I had an MSI with the same specs (and $500 more on the price tag) which I returned for the 7577. I gotta say, the Dell is by far the nicer computer; better build quality, way better speakers, and better I/O ports. Get rid of the buggy Dell bloatware and it's a winner!
On January 15th, Dell put out a SmartByte update that is supposed to have fixed the issue. There is the confirmation from Dell that it was definitely causing issues!
We apologize for the issues that you have encountered.
This particular crash with Smartbyte was fixed with 1.1.511, which was released back in October. If you are using Dell's auto-update software, it should have updated Smartbyte without so much hassle on your part, for which we do truly apologize. If you would like to opt out, you should be able to remove ‘SmartByte’, or ‘SmartByte Drivers & Services’ from the updater, though there are no known blue screen issues with the current version of SmartByte.
If you decide to use Smartbyte and have any further issues, we encourage you to reach out to us directly at killersupport@rivetnetworks.com (there are other ways via the Rivet Networking page, but this email goes directly to me, so that I can help you out).
-- Anthony with Killer Networking / SmartByte Support
Bought my laptop a couple of weeks ago from Costco and the same thing has been happening to me. I am getting about 2 blue screens per day. Some of the errors are UNEXPECTED KERNEL MODE TRAP and others. Ran the memory diagnostics and it didn't show any problem. Is this a hardware or software problem?!
I bought eight (8) Dell Inspiron 15 7560 laptops straight from Dell toward the end of December 2017.
7 of the 8 all crashed to a black screen within 24 hours. Unfortunately, I waited until after the 30-day return window to stability test them. I initially thought the one laptop I had started setting up was just a fluke and I needed to run on the updates.
I've now sent the 7 laptops back to Dell Support 2 times. Two (2) have been repaired it seems. I still have five (5) that are giving me the black screen crash. (Black screen, backlight is on, only keyboard light buttons do anything, 5-second power button press is only way to restart)
Today, I noticed a notification from the Dell Update tooltray app that said "SmartByte". I told it to run the update but nothing happened. I then start more digging and found this thread.
Another post elsewhere recommended I disable IPv6 on my wifi card. I'm currently testing this on 2 crashing laptops.
I just ran the latest SmartByte install from the Dell Drivers & Downloads page on one laptop. I found it a bit frustrating that I couldn't very easily locate the installed SmartByte version. I'm tempted to just uninstall SmartByte it but I'm also in the "let's see what is causing the problem" mode. I've done a lot of software updating with Windows Update and Dell SupportAssist and haven't seen SmartByte listed.
To the original poster: Thank you for creating this thread! Maybe SmartByte is also my problem. I've had Dell Support swap out SSD drive, "Main Logic Board", heatsink, drivers, and OS to little success. I'm now 3 months from purchase with 5 bunk laptops. I learned my 30-day return window lesson with Dell.com.
The frustrating part is how unpredictable the crash is. I've had it black screen crash during the first 5 minutes of the Cortana led initial OS setup and I've had it wait 24 hours-ish before crashing. I can leave them on overnight and sometimes it will be crashed and other times it will be fine.
I don't believe that SmartByte is causing the issue that you are describing. However, we do have an updated version, which might be worth a try.
The current version being pushed by the Dell updater should be version 1.2.586 as of right now. However, this version may also result in an error with Windows.
If you are currently experiencing an error with the SmartByte software on your Dell Inspiron, you can download the latest version below.
You will first want to verify which version of SmartByte is currently installed in your ‘Apps’, or ‘Apps & Features’ Settings page.
If your machine is still encountering the same problem after updating, you can always simply uninstall SmartByte from your Apps and Features menu, restart, and see if that resolves the issue. And you can always reinstall it using the links provided here.
If you have any other questions about SmartByte, feel free to reach out to me directly at killersupport@rivetnetworks.com
Anthony helped me more than I expected with explaining the SmartByte software.
I have eliminated SmartByte as the potential source of my black screen crashes.
I had laptops setup with SmartByte disabled, SmartByte uninstalled, and SmartByte updated to the latest version provided by Anthony.
All 3 laptops still black screen crashed.
The only solutions I've found thus far are as follows:
- Return to Dell Support over and over until something fixes it.
- Maybe, possibly, doubtful, but it seems that only using the laptops via cat5 connection (no wifi) eliminate or minimizes the black screen crashing. This is difficult to test and I have not verified it. However, it is the only clue I have at this point as I have two additional laptops not crashing and in fulltime use that are connected by Cat5.
Unfortunately, the laptops were needed for live usage so I don't have the luxury of testing them off Cat5 on wifi. At least not at this point in time. I have 4 laptops that continue to crash and I will be sending them back for a 3rd time.
ImMatt
9 Posts
1
January 16th, 2018 10:00
Just happened again... Event Log confirms 23.5hr of uptime immediately preceding the crash - What gives, Dell?
ImMatt
9 Posts
1
January 16th, 2018 11:00
Continuing to dig... Seems related to EseDiskFlushConsistency.
Seeing others discuss the same / very similar issues with similar models of Dell PCs..
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/78abzl/beta_feature_in_windows_update/
In cross checking my System and Application event logs, I do see some sort of correlation - when I find a crash/restart in System, the last entry made in Application is: "SettingSyncHost (8764,G,0) The beta feature EseDiskFlushConsistency is enabled in ESENT due to the beta site mode settings 0x800000."
I'm only seeing this problem recently reported with Dell laptops.. So, again, what's the deal, Dell?
ImMatt
9 Posts
1
January 16th, 2018 11:00
Just chatted with support.. They remoted into my PC and did some basic troubleshooting - basically rediscovering what I've already disclosed.
The agent concluded the call indicating "Your wireless driver has been updated" - not quite sure why that was shared, since the driver wasn't updated while they were on my PC because it was already up to date with the latest.
Essentially, I was told "the system is clean - seems to be an OS issue. We need to reset it to factory settings by performing a clean install", at which time I pulled the plug on the session, indicating "I'd rather continue to troubleshoot in the hopes of finding a solution that doesn't result in hours of wasted and lost work".
I will continue to try to find an alternate solution in the coming days - and then if I can't, I suppose I will try a clean install... And if that doesn't work, thank goodness that I bought from Costo - so that I can return this for a full refund and then buy a computer that works out of the box.
ImMatt
9 Posts
1
January 16th, 2018 13:00
Something that escaped me earlier when I was recapping my session with support... Again, the agent mentioned upgrading my wifi driver - which they didn't do, because it was already up to date... Something that the agent did do, but that they didn't mention in our recap, was they went in and disabled a bunch of Dell services. Specifically, Dell Data Vault Service API, Dell Data Vault Collector, Dell Data Vault Processor, and Dell SupportAssist Remediation... If the issue doesn't reappear in 24 hours, I am going to begin reenabling these services to see what the real solution is. Interestingly, when I've been sitting here during the crash, I've been listening to music (because I am always listening to music) - and when the crash happened, it sounded like the PC was "slipping into the Matrix" garbled digital noise of what's currently playing... When the Dell SupportAssist Remediation service shuts down, the same "slipping into the Matrix" noise happens...
ImMatt
9 Posts
2
January 17th, 2018 11:00
An update since Dell support basically ended our interaction with "You can reinstall windows, but since you said you will return the laptop to the store we're just going to close out your case"...
I've continued to dig in and research... Issue happened again today - after exactly 24hrs again... This time I caught the bluescreen message - rfeco10x64 with DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL... So this gives me something to go with.. As I begin researching BSOD resulting from issues with rfeco10x64, I found multiple other people who were at their wit's end after continuing to experience the problem and not getting any real solution from Dell... Multiple people who, like me, were told by Dell to reinstall Windows - only to waste those hours and still have the issue in their fresh install...
I also found a lot of discussions mentioning Killer Networking - indicating that if you uninstall the Killer Control panel, that the issue would go away.. Okay, great - but this laptop doesn't have that installed... So.. Keep searching..
So in continuing to research rfeco10x64, I inspected the sys file in windows\system32\drivers.... It's signed by Rivet Networks... So I search for that and find this press release: https://www.anandtech.com/show/11442/rivet-networks-announces-smartbyte-for-dell-inspiron-systems
Interesting.. So... While not "Killer Networking", this is something very similar... from the same company that was associated with the widely hated Killer Networking product line... And interestingly enough, if you look on your Dell Inspiron 15 7577 for 'smartbyte', you will find an app - that looks to be a control panel for this totes awesome technology... This software reportedly prioritizes certain kinds of traffic over others so that you don't experience data slowdown on preferential communications - why it seems to be crashing my computer every 24 hours is beyond me...
So as my next step in troubleshooting, I've disabled SmartByte from within the control panel... Now to play the waiting game for 24 more hours to see if that gets it... If that doesn't get it, and the crashes continue, then I will completely uninstall this - and then, you guessed it, wait another 24 hours to see if it's resolved... Something tells me that one of these two things will fix my problem... which brings us to the next important topic at hand... Dell, when are you going to pay me for finding the solution to your problem? :)
Fredderson
11 Posts
0
January 17th, 2018 17:00
Thanks for your very thourough and detailed posts! If I ever encounter this problem I'll be very grateful that you did all the digging.
I hope to hear your update soon. I got rid of smartbyte as soon as I got my 7577, it seemed like gimicky garbage that could be one of those things that caused a major headache problem like yours! One of those hidden gems. Thanks again. I'm very curious to know if Smartbyte was the cause.
I plan on doing a clean install of Windows 10 now that I've had the laptop for a little while, and figured out which preinstalled software I want to keep and which to get rid of. Basically just going to keep the Dell Power Management. I was on the fence about Dell Support Assist, but I noticed it was installing programs without my consent in the background. I only wanted it for the auto driver detect on their website, but forget it.
ImMatt
9 Posts
1
January 18th, 2018 11:00
Haha! Thanks for joining in - glad to know that I am not talking to myself :)
Drumroll please...
SmartByte is stupid. I believe that SmartByte was the cause of my problem. Rather than relying on the SmartByte app to do the job, as I indicated I'd be doing in my previous post, I decided to possibly save a couple of cycles and to instead go to the source rather than through the app - choosing to just go and stopping the service directly and to set it's startup to 'disabled'...
26hrs and counting... I've reviewed my logs and it's been pretty much 24hrs on the dot previously, so I'm feeling really positive about 26hrs of uptime for the first time since buying this laptop.
I'm going to continue to monitor for the next couple days before calling this case closed, but it's looking positive.
For anyone who stumbles here, you may want to read this thread to get up to speed and then decide if you want to do what Dell has told you (i.e. "Reinstall windows", which if you reinstall all of the original Dell software won't correct the problem) or if you want to consider disabling the service that's actually causing your crash - "SmartByte Network Service".
So, Dell - when do I get my check? ;)
Fredderson
11 Posts
0
January 18th, 2018 17:00
I'm trying to stay ahead of the weird software bugs, and looking to get every bit of performance out of this laptop. Seems like an excellent piece of hardware. I had an MSI with the same specs (and $500 more on the price tag) which I returned for the 7577. I gotta say, the Dell is by far the nicer computer; better build quality, way better speakers, and better I/O ports. Get rid of the buggy Dell bloatware and it's a winner!
Fredderson
11 Posts
0
January 19th, 2018 17:00
Update:
On January 15th, Dell put out a SmartByte update that is supposed to have fixed the issue. There is the confirmation from Dell that it was definitely causing issues!
SmartByte
- Fix to memory issue that can cause system blue screen
killernetworking
93 Posts
0
January 20th, 2018 13:00
Hello ImMatt,
We apologize for the issues that you have encountered.
This particular crash with Smartbyte was fixed with 1.1.511, which was released back in October. If you are using Dell's auto-update software, it should have updated Smartbyte without so much hassle on your part, for which we do truly apologize. If you would like to opt out, you should be able to remove ‘SmartByte’, or ‘SmartByte Drivers & Services’ from the updater, though there are no known blue screen issues with the current version of SmartByte.
If you decide to use Smartbyte and have any further issues, we encourage you to reach out to us directly at killersupport@rivetnetworks.com (there are other ways via the Rivet Networking page, but this email goes directly to me, so that I can help you out).
-- Anthony with Killer Networking / SmartByte Support
s1d_
4 Posts
0
February 20th, 2018 23:00
dqvision
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
4 Posts
0
March 20th, 2018 13:00
Anthony,
How can I verify what version of SmartByte is installed?
Running the SmartByte application doesn't seem to give me many options.
The SmartByte diagnostics shows me:
SmartByte Network Service Version:
File: SmartByte Network Service
Version number: 1.2.557
I ran the latest Feb 28, 2018 update from Dell Drivers & Downloads and it shows Version 1.1.511.
dqvision
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
4 Posts
0
March 20th, 2018 13:00
I bought eight (8) Dell Inspiron 15 7560 laptops straight from Dell toward the end of December 2017.
7 of the 8 all crashed to a black screen within 24 hours. Unfortunately, I waited until after the 30-day return window to stability test them. I initially thought the one laptop I had started setting up was just a fluke and I needed to run on the updates.
I've now sent the 7 laptops back to Dell Support 2 times. Two (2) have been repaired it seems. I still have five (5) that are giving me the black screen crash. (Black screen, backlight is on, only keyboard light buttons do anything, 5-second power button press is only way to restart)
Today, I noticed a notification from the Dell Update tooltray app that said "SmartByte". I told it to run the update but nothing happened. I then start more digging and found this thread.
Another post elsewhere recommended I disable IPv6 on my wifi card. I'm currently testing this on 2 crashing laptops.
I just ran the latest SmartByte install from the Dell Drivers & Downloads page on one laptop. I found it a bit frustrating that I couldn't very easily locate the installed SmartByte version. I'm tempted to just uninstall SmartByte it but I'm also in the "let's see what is causing the problem" mode. I've done a lot of software updating with Windows Update and Dell SupportAssist and haven't seen SmartByte listed.
To the original poster: Thank you for creating this thread! Maybe SmartByte is also my problem. I've had Dell Support swap out SSD drive, "Main Logic Board", heatsink, drivers, and OS to little success. I'm now 3 months from purchase with 5 bunk laptops. I learned my 30-day return window lesson with Dell.com.
The frustrating part is how unpredictable the crash is. I've had it black screen crash during the first 5 minutes of the Cortana led initial OS setup and I've had it wait 24 hours-ish before crashing. I can leave them on overnight and sometimes it will be crashed and other times it will be fine.
killernetworking
93 Posts
0
March 20th, 2018 16:00
I don't believe that SmartByte is causing the issue that you are describing. However, we do have an updated version, which might be worth a try.
The current version being pushed by the Dell updater should be version 1.2.586 as of right now. However, this version may also result in an error with Windows.
If you are currently experiencing an error with the SmartByte software on your Dell Inspiron, you can download the latest version below.
You will first want to verify which version of SmartByte is currently installed in your ‘Apps’, or ‘Apps & Features’ Settings page.
If you currently have ‘SmartByte Drivers and Services’ installed, you can update to the following version:
https://www.rivetnetworks.com/support/SmartByteDriversServices_1.2.600_x64.exe
If you do not have ‘SmartByte Drivers and Services’, but instead just ‘SmartByte’, you can update with this version:
https://www.rivetnetworks.com/support/SmartByte_1.2.600_x64.exe
If your machine is still encountering the same problem after updating, you can always simply uninstall SmartByte from your Apps and Features menu, restart, and see if that resolves the issue. And you can always reinstall it using the links provided here.
If you have any other questions about SmartByte, feel free to reach out to me directly at killersupport@rivetnetworks.com
-- Anthony with Rivet Networks
dqvision
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
4 Posts
0
April 5th, 2018 15:00
Anthony helped me more than I expected with explaining the SmartByte software.
I have eliminated SmartByte as the potential source of my black screen crashes.
I had laptops setup with SmartByte disabled, SmartByte uninstalled, and SmartByte updated to the latest version provided by Anthony.
All 3 laptops still black screen crashed.
The only solutions I've found thus far are as follows:
- Return to Dell Support over and over until something fixes it.
- Maybe, possibly, doubtful, but it seems that only using the laptops via cat5 connection (no wifi) eliminate or minimizes the black screen crashing. This is difficult to test and I have not verified it. However, it is the only clue I have at this point as I have two additional laptops not crashing and in fulltime use that are connected by Cat5.
Unfortunately, the laptops were needed for live usage so I don't have the luxury of testing them off Cat5 on wifi. At least not at this point in time. I have 4 laptops that continue to crash and I will be sending them back for a 3rd time.