XPS15 laptop randomly hibernates

Hi TACOCAT,

What is the exact system model?

If the system was working fine earlier, then perform a system restore to restore the machine to an earlier point where it was working fine - http://dell.to/1Sg6khF 

When you mean hibernate, do you get the message stating - the system is logging off and does the procedure occur like it is shutting down? Or does the system still stay on, however the display goes blank intermittently? 

These are 2 different scenarios and need to be isolated accordingly.

If the system does hibernate - then disable the hibernation and delete the hiberfil.sys file - http://bit.ly/1jQEo5V - restart and check again. This should resolve the issue.

Restart and check in safe mode.

Enable the built in admin account and check - http://bit.ly/1Bgok2R 

If the screen goes blank intermittently, however, the system is still on, then there is a different set of instructions you could follow to help resolve the issue.

Based on your response, I shall advise further course of action.

Also, please click my DELL-username and write me a private conversation with the service tag and your Name for case records.

Let us know if you have any other queries.

Hello Rishi,

I sent you a private message with my service tag and computer specs.

I am not certain if what is happening is defined as sleep or hibernation.  But when this happens, there are no messages about logging off.  Both of my screens go black, the fan turns off, and the hard drive turns off.  The system is still on because when it does come back up all my programs are open just the way they were before and you can hear the hard drive start back up.

I followed the instructions in your first link and deleted the hiberfil.sys file.  I re-booted but this did not help.  I am still having the same problem.

I could not enable the built in admin account per your link because it said this was not allowed in Windows 7 Home Premium.

What is strange now is that almost every time the laptop comes back up, it swaps my home screen to the laptop and the next time it is on the separate monitor.  When this happens, the other monitor is black.  But, once in a while both screens will work as normal.

Thanks for helping me.

Brad

Today, I disabled everything that would put the computer into sleep or hibernate, including closing the screen and pressing the power button.  The computer now has quit going to sleep/hibernation, but now my laptop continuously switches between the laptop screen and the separate monitor.  When this happens, both screens go completely black for a few seconds, then one of the screens come on and the other goes black.  I know that the computer is still awake because I can keep typing while both screens are black and what I have typed shows up once one of the screens comes back on.

I shut down and unplugged my 2nd monitor.   Doing this caused the laptop screen to go black randomly and then it would randomly come back on.

I started windows in safe mode and I do not have the problem.

What could be causing this?  All drivers are up to date.

I had already updated my Bios and the video drivers were all up to date.  There were no driver issues reported in the reliability history chart.

Before your last reply, I had given up and taken my laptop to a local repair shop.  They opened up the laptop and found that there was no thermal paste under any of the heatsinks.  They added thermal paste to all of these and set my fan to run continuously at a low level.  It has been 5 days so far and the problem is gone.  It seems to have been an overheating issue.  I am a little puzzled as to why my computer started running hotter, as nothing that I use it for has changed since I first purchased it.  I mainly use it for email and internet.  I never do any gaming.

Brad

It has been almost a year but my problem has returned.  I have the exact same symptoms as before.  I disassembled the laptop and re-applied thermal paste.  This did not help this time.  The laptop stills goes to sleep/hibernation at random times.