XPS 8940, does yours freeze randomly?

@itccs 

"It's easy to prove I'm wrong . Why don't you just try it and see it your computer still lock up? "

Did you see my screen capture of the setting above? It IS UNCHECKED!

"For me, unchecked that option lead to lock up in the same day."

As it shows, unchecked and has been like that forever it seems, probably over a year for sure.

There are many subjects here dealing with 8940 lock ups. I'd say over 90% of them have the same symptoms, started with BIOS V2.4.0, continues but less frequently with later BIOS releases, and all have Nvidia cards. A few have different symptoms such as black screens or BSOD's even.

More that one subject has the 'cure' or suspected cause. BIOS changes, like Turbo off, RAM Rank, This program or that program caused it. Fast Start, slowing down the Nvidia card, use the Studio driver, etc.

None proved to work over time or for everyone.

I assume you also know that at least one Linux user has the lock up problem? That would also rule out Windows and any Windows code as part of the problem. Yes, Linux does have similar functions, and they might be close to the same code, but you can't be sure. Even the Nvidia drivers have the same functionality, but the code is different.

I should also tell you that it seems rolling back BIOS versions can cause a mismatch with the BIOS code and the embedded IME in BIOS, but overall, that doesn't seem to cause a LOGGED problem.

I'll also tell you that since V2.9.0 my lock ups have been DRASTICALLY reduced. Of the few lock ups I did have, they were 'different'. Not a total OS lock up, but a subset. Mouse may not work, but I can move it, only a window would not close, etc. I couldn't power it off via a Reboot or Shutdown, and like other lock ups, only the power button would do it. On V2.10.0, longer times between fails. Oh, Linux user has the same situation too... completely unknown WHY this appears to be basically fixed?

I suspect what you experienced is due to the change? Similar to what I had installing a video driver. Later, weeks later, installing a new Nvidia driver did NOT lock up, so it was a one time thing?

I don't think the problem has been fixed, or any  one knows what is or does cause it. I suspect some code change somewhere by someone has altered the code path or operations of an API that reduced or mostly eliminated the true cause. I also suspect at sometime this problem could come back to haunt us.

If you REALLY think that is the cause that you discovered, then try to REPRODUCE it. Uncheck, boot, check it, boot, uncheck, boot, and do that cycle for a few days using the PC with the changes and see if the lock up is repeatable as you basically claim it would be.

---

@ispalten wrote:

Did you see my screen capture of the setting above? It IS UNCHECKED!

"For me, unchecked that option lead to lock up in the same day."

I'm asking you to "CHECKED" to test it out. That's what I did.

@itccs 

OK, lets look at this again... you first instance of what to do was"

==============

I believed changing Power Management of "Intel Management Engine Interface #1" from UNCHECKED "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" to CHECKED keep my PC from locked up.

============

Now you said:

=================

I'm asking you to "CHECKED" to test it out. That's what I did.

=================

So, I'm telling you I have NOT locked up with it UNCHECKED, and now you want me to CHECK it and test it out?

Test what? With it UNCHECKED which I showed you and I didn't LOCK UP for a long period of time, and you stated with it CHECKED you didn't lock up for a long period of time, what would either of those prove since we BOTH shouldn't lock up by your hypothesis? All I think it proves is that setting doesn't MATTER for the lock up scenario.

What is worse, neither of us know what allowing the IME Interface to turn-off could do to the operation of the XPS? Delay in some operations? Produce and error code and then a retry?

Maybe I'm missing the point here?

To be clear, as I see it:

• You had lock-ups with the IME Interface not allowed to power off.
• You allowed the IME Interface to power off and you had no lock ups.
• I had the IME Interface not allowed to power off and I had no lock ups.

In a nutshell that is what I understand.

So to boil that down, I would probably not have a lock up with either way it was set according to you then.

Which begs the question, WHY did that work for you?

I suggest you also look at this Google Search, Intel Management Engine Interface #1 property allow the computer to turn off this device and not one references a lock up it seems... but other problems with it off/on.

@itccs 

---

@itccs wrote:

@ispalten 

I misunderstood. I thought you still have lock up.

---

Yeah, that is what I thought, no problem.

The Linux user just hit the lock up after 59 days on BIOS V2.9.0 and some days on BIOS V2.10.0.

Things, somewhere, has changed? Do not know what or where.

Oddly enough, the Linux user had Turbo off until yesterday. He turned it on, next day, a lock up. Doesn't prove much though. I have NEVER turned it off? There was a theory here about that being the cause, but it never bothers some users with Turbo on?

Until SOMEONE SOMEWHERE determines why this happens, you can't be sure of ANY purported 'fix'. I still think it is a timing issue. Some changes can change the timing, but not happen all the time, it takes more than one thing to have an issue at the same time is my best guess? If it were not that, then only a specific action would make it happen. It happens under too many different scenario's to be a single set of occurrences to happen at the same time. If they did, the failure would all happen in the same situation, PC sleeping, closing a window, opening an icon, just moving the mouse, etc.

What bothers me more, if no one can figure out 'why' it happens, then the problem will appear again. Back to the point of seeing quite often, more than once a day, daily, or many times in a week.

Have not had a lockup. The computer is been rock sold, Only issue I ever had with the computer is the very very underwhelming cooling in it. 

I'm on bios 2.10 and nvidia driver 531.68 for like at least 70 days now and still stable.

I am on BIOS version 2.13 and I have not had a freeze since 2.11.

Processor 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-11900K @ 3.50GHz 3.40 GHz
Installed RAM 64.0 GB (63.6 GB usable)
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Display Adapter NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060Ti