XPS Desktops

[kinwolf]

Hi,

   Brand new XPS Tower here, and ever since I got it it is suffering from random 4-10 seconds freeze.  Mouse won't move, no alt-tab, all is frozen, then it comes back. I already called Dell support line, only to be told the very helpful "reinstall windows"  Yeah, like it's fun to reinstall and reconfigure all your applications.. (to be fair, the lady had me run diags too before telling me to reset Windows, and then if that didn't solve the problem, it didn't, to reinstall windows)  Anyway, I reinstalled it, lost 8 hours of my life again setting stuff up once more, and the problem is still there.

So I tried to find out what component might be causing the freezing, but trying to diag something that gives no error message is though, but here is something I noticed:  Each time the computer freeze, there is a cpu spike at the same time AND a network(wi-fi) spike too.  The wifi is the onboard qualcomm wifi/bluetooth chip.

Is there any known problem with that chip? Or, anyone else has ideas of what might cause those random freezes?

[rjbards]

@RoHe 

I have been free of random freeze-ups on my XPS 8930 for the last 48 hours running Win 10. Here is a summary of all changes made to the original factory settings:

I turned off gaming:

<< Turn off the "game bar" and gaming mode and the Microsoft game recording stuff. >>

Made these changes in Device Manager:

<< All USB devices - USB Controllers with power options: Uncheck box "allow computer to turn off" >>

<< Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet Controller - Power Management: Uncheck box "allow computer to turn off" >>

<< Qualcomm QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Adapter - Power Management: Uncheck box "allow computer to turn off" >>

I also had issues when I bought the XPS in May 2019 with fan speed, this power setting solved the problem:

<< Advanced power settings: Maximum processor state: set to 96% >>

Dell-recommended solution here:

https://www.dell.com/community/Desktops-General-Read-Only/XPS-8920-Ridiculously-loud-and-annoying-fa...

The XPS was purchased at Office Depot and came with 8GB memory and 16GB Intel Optane memory. Memory testing using BIOS diagnostics showed nothing. Online Dell diagnostics showed nothing.

My memory info - DDR4 8GB Single Channel in Slot 2 DDR4-2666 (1333Mhz) by Samsung PN M378A1K43DB2-CTD Wk/Yr 46/18

I have been running HWiNFO64 (in Win 10) to monitor temps on all sensors - None out of normal range in last 48 hours.

The combination of power setting changes in Device Manager seems to have been the fix. I will try some additional testing restoring gaming stuff in the future.

Bob

[RoHe]

For those how still have the problem...here's a LONG shot...

Go to the Add/Remove apps screen in Win 10. If you have SmartByte software installed, uninstall it or at least disable it so it won't launch automatically every time the PC boots...

Like I said...a long shot...

[paulej]

@rjbards That set of solutions sounds exactly like what I tried.  I first followed the suggestion of turning off the power management on power management on all the USB stuff.  I did not change the settings related to the Killer or Qualcomm network adapters, though.

Nothing seemed to work until I turned off the Microsoft game recording stuff.  I think there is a conflict between that and the Nivida functions that basically do the same.  It has been a number of weeks now since I posted about that here, but I still have not had any freezing since turning off the Microsoft Gaming stuff.  That said, I still have the power management turned off on all the USB devices.  So, that could still be a part of the solution, but it was definitely not the only solution.

I wonder if I should risk re-enabling the USB power management?   (I won't.  I'm chicken.  I'd rather be able to get work done.)

[cameraz99]

Hi rjbards,

Last night I performed all of those steps that you suggested, and I'm sorry to say that my XPS 8930 still keeps freezing up. Right now, I'm pretty disgusted, to say the least.

[rjbards]

@cameraz99 

After my last post and my 48 run of no noted freezes in Win 10, I set the Maximum processor state up to 98% and within a 24 hour period of making that change, I noted 2 freezes lasting 4 to 5 seconds each, one yesterday and one today. So I reset the Maximum processor state back to 96%. I have also been running HWiNFO64 (in Win 10) to monitor temps on all sensors - and none out of normal range the entire time.

How frequently are you seeing a system freeze? I used to average one an hour before making changes.

[savvy2]

all this for sleep mode.

why use sleep ? at all if you game, its the first thing to turn off. (vast things in the PC have sleep modes)

USB, CPU, video, hdd, ssd, wifi, NIC, and for sure the south bridge deeper and deeper modes S1 to Smax.

and worse is hibernate and hibrid

and worse worse is bad drivers for any OF THAT !!!

all this is Energy STAR BS.   USA gov. mandates.  but why not 1st try presentation mode.

google at MS how to setup a projector,  do so and take back control of you ENERGY STAR PC.

if you had , nothing goes to sleep ever. 

in power settings, you can in fact create a custom profile, and call it gaming

and turn all that STUFF off. 

or down load a supplication called (sleep kill)

how you do this is your call, even google at MS.com KIOSK mode, ive done many.

or in the run box.

paste this,

presentationsettings.exe

and use that.

or toms

Don't sleep,, I have not told all 3 ways to do it, 

https://downloads.tomsguide.com/Dont-Sleep,0301-28162.html

10 pages of freeze just for SLEEP, wow, just wow.

my guess is USB was dead (sleeping or deeper) so control + alt + Del was dead too, but never told.

why not study this first

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/system-sleep-states-windows-8

then put and icon on your desktop (short cut) to sleep off,  or Kiosk mode.

do that 1st day you buy a new PC, end this silly pain, of ENERGY STAR.

but if no sleep wanted, just keep it off.

your call your PC but do know that sleep modes LOVE TO FAIL for sure S5

funky bad buggy drivers, are endless. or OP using the wrong ones.

[cameraz99]

I haven't been keeping a record of how frequently my system freezes. As far as I'm concerned, even one time in 24 hours is too much.

Last night I was using my computer for a couple of hours, and it froze at least twice on me.

I would like to note again, that I purchased my Dell XPS 8930 in December 2017, and the freezing problem only started a couple of months ago. Which is leading me to think that a Windows Update is causing the problem.

[HanoverB]

Reply to @RoHe 

" Let's see if there's a common theme here. What brand of memory do you all have in this PC? And what configuration, eg 1x8 GB, 2x8 GB, etc?

If you don't know what RAM you have, you can use the free CPU-z to find out. The Memory tab will tell you how much total RAM is installed and whether Channel # is "single" or "dual". The SPD tab will tell you how much is in each slot, who manufactured it and when.

And if changing Power plan settings and/or disabling gaming or something else solved the problem for you, be sure to mention that too. "

----------

Agree with Rohe here as there are too many variables on an individual machine that can cause the machine to freeze for a few seconds. 

A lot of the time it is third party software.  Older W7/W8 software that doesn’t play nicely with W10.    Checking the W10 Task Scheduler to see what installed program is running an update check every hour that could cause the momentary freeze is also a place to start.

If connected to the internet and locking up, it’s often the content on your home page that can cause the flash crash/freeze issue, especially if that page contains daily news, videos and ads which changes frequently during the day without thorough testing.  If using Chrome, the chromedriver and chrome OS versions not being compatible sometimes can cause issues as well.  Again, a lot of variables when it comes to software.  

Hardware wise, already mentioned ruling out bad or not properly seated RAM would be the first step.  Remove and reseat each stick of RAM. 

Remove your GPU, then use the onboard video to rule out a bad GPU. If you have a stable build, I see no reason to update Nvidia driver software.

I would also try a different display cable as I had problems with a bad displayport cable on my old XPS 8500 machine causing lock ups.  Try running using a different port HDMI vs DVI vs DP.  Unplug/re-plug your monitor to reset the sleep settings on your display as well.  Sometimes it’s the least expected component. 

It could also be firmware on non-Dell third party hardware like an Intel SSD.   But the user should have noted that the problem started once a new piece of hardware (or software) was installed.

I’ve seen RF interference from a USB powered portable HDD installed next to a mouse dongle in the adjacent USB slot causing the mouse cursor to lock up.   

Given the heat issues in this machine, it might not be a bad idea to install software like HWInfo just to see if CPU temps are higher than you realize during the course of your day.  Could be something as simple as reapplying the thermal paste on your CPU. You should hear your fans screaming to alert you to this.  Is your upper exhaust fan working?  Do not be afraid to open your side cover and take a look inside.

I would use the stock Dell keyboard and mouse when trouble shooting.  I would do the hardware testing not connected to the internet initially and all network settings off.  As others have recommended, a fresh install with no third party software would be the place to start.

Typically there should never be an issue with a clean install of a stable Windows 10 build.    Following an install of the OS, always check the Dell XPS 8930 support page.  Dell does test each model with the drivers installed by a W10 build and will release updated drivers (or BIOS) as necessary.  I am staying with 1809 from last year.  It’s a stable build with this machine. 

As far as driver and software packages, with a clean install and not using a Dell recovery disk:

Dell downloads off their site not necessary to install:
Dell Digital Delivery App
Dell Update- Support Assist Update Plug in
Dell Mobile Connect Driver
Intel Ready Mode Technology App
OTB Survey-Dell Customer Connect

For required hardware drivers, W10 will often install a generic driver that Dell has supposedly tested.  Dell will then issue a driver update once a new Windows build is out if an update is necessary.
Check the website to see if any of these updates are newer than the date of your Windows 10 build.
v 1809:  10/10/18
v 1903:  5/10/19

Intel Chipset Device Driver (typically installed first)
Intel Management Engine Interface Driver
Intel Serial IO Driver
Realtek Audio Driver
Qualcomm QCA1x4A QCA9377 WiFi and Bluetooth Driver
Intel UHD Graphics Driver
Killer E2400/2500 Giagabit Ethernet Controller Driver
Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver and Management Console (optional)

Then there are issues that occur with 1) Windows updates and 2) user network changes that can change some of the settings of the XPS 8930 especially in regards to sleep issues. 

It is very possible that a W10 or Dell update could cause the lock up issues as well.  A rollback (if still available) or clean install to a known stable build is the way to troubleshoot this.

The two sleep issues I encountered were related to Windows Media Player.  Both times I was able to fix those issues using Windows Powershell as administrator and used powercfg –requests at the command line to see what system processes were running in the background that were preventing the machine from not being able to sleep.  Shut those off and totally solved my sleep issues.

[HanoverB]

Per Rohe efforts to troubleshoot and looking for a common thread, might help going forward to know what BIOS version you are running and version of Windows, CPU, GPU, HDD setup as well.  Otherwise it’s hard to see if there is something in common that these machines have that contribute to the lock ups.  I am not having any issues with W10 build 1809 and it would be helpful to see if other users have W10 build 1903 and if is stable.

Windows 10:  Version and Build
BIOS:  (any  non-default setting changes)
CPU:
RAM:
GPU:
PSU: (if not Dell OEM)
HDD/SSD:

Any other information such as how you cloned your HHD to SSD, power plan changes, aftermarket mouse/ keyboard, external drives, any software mentioned that could be an issue, ie Steam, Nvidia Driver, etc.

[HanoverB]

I have two Dell XPS 8930 machines. One from August, 2018, another one from May, 2019.   Both used on a daily basis.

Both run without any issues.

August 2018 XPS 8930

Windows 10:  Home 64 bit Version 1809 Build 17763.615 (installed 03/29/19)
Bios: 1.0.12  UEFI Secure Boot Off, other BIOS settings default
CPU: i7-8700
RAM: 16GB stock Dell 2666Mhz DDR4 non-ECC Micron RAM (2x8GB)
GPU: MSI Sea Hawk GTX 1080 using DP
PSU: Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 850W
HDD/SSD:
-Samsung 970 EVO 1TB NVMe PCIE M.2 2280 SSD as boot drive C:
-Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD as data drive

Original OS from Dell, cloned to NVMe SSD using Acronis True Image
Windows updates turned off after Build 1809 installed
Power plan: Balanced, Fast Startup enabled

Nvidia Driver 416.34
Nvidia Control Panel 8.1.940.0

Steam Client 2.0.91.91 08/05/19 update v019 1565057304

This is my main home machine and I have a lot of software on it, using Logitech Mouse and G910 Keyboard and their gaming software, using Start 10 as menu and Winstep Nexus Dock on my desktop.  HwInfo, Kaspersky, Acronis Active Protection, Samsung Magician all running in the background.  I’ve liquid cooled both the CPU and GPU, case swapped 4 times, torn it apart and rebuilt it several times for case mods.  Machine still stable as a rock.

May 2019 XPS 8930:

Windows 10:  Home 64 bit Version 1809 Build 17763.615 (installed 05/18/19)
Bios: 1.1.13  UEFI Secure Boot Off, other BIOS settings default
CPU:  i7-8700
RAM: 16GB stock Dell 2666Mhz DDR4 non-ECC Micron RAM (2x8GB)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1070 Founders Edition using HDMI
PSU:  Corsair RM850X Gold 850W PSU
HDD/SSD:
-Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 1TB NVMe PCIE M.2 2280 SSD as boot drive C:
-WD Blue 1TB OEM 7200 RPM SATA HDD as data drive

Original OS from Dell, cloned using Samsung Magician
Power Plan: Balanced, Fast Startup enabled

Nvidia Driver 416.34
Nvidia Control Panel 8.1.940.0

Steam Client 2.0.91.91 08/05/19 update v019 1565057304

Grandson's gaming machine, case swapped and CPU is liquid cooled.  Machine is abused by him, who knows what stuff he has installed,  but the OS and hardware remains stable on the original Dell motherboard.