Sudden high fan noise at night (XPS 15 7590)

Happened again. I came to my bedroom and XPS 15 was sitting on a laptop desk stand, attached to the Dell's own, official dock (WD19TB). The system wasn't making much noise, but I tried it with my hand, and it was really warm, especially from above the F1...F12 button row.

I pressed space bar and the system woke up; fans went to high speed. I launched the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility. I have that installed for monitoring heat. I have a screenshot attached here. The heat was nearly 100 degrees, but it started going down. The Windows showed that my ethernet connection (from the Dock!) was still up, but it didn't have internet connection. I deplugged the dock and replugged it. Heat went back up; this can be seen in the graph.

At this point, I restarted the computer. The heat settled down back to around 50 degrees C.

This is bad. I've paid 2000 euros of this device and 300 of the dock. This is not acceptable for a premium laptop. Not at all.

There's a ton of warnings in the Event Viewer:

Warning 06/07/2020 23.12.26 Perflib 1008 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.12.26 PerfProc 2002 None
Error 06/07/2020 23.12.26 PerfNet 2004 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.12.26 Perflib 1008 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.12.26 Perflib 1008 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.12.26 Perflib 1008 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.51 PerfOS 2017 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.37 Kernel-EventTracing 1 Logging
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.33 ESENT 642 General
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.33 ESENT 642 General
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.33 ESENT 642 General
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.33 ESENT 642 General
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.28 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.28 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.10.28 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.09.14 PerfProc 2002 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.54 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.48 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.47 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Error 06/07/2020 23.08.47 Kernel-EventTracing 2 Session
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.46 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.45 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.45 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Error 06/07/2020 23.08.45 Kernel-EventTracing 2 Session
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.45 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.27 User Device Registration 360 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.25 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.25 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.25 PushNotifications-Platform 1247 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.25 LMS 2122 LMS
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.25 ESENT 642 General
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.25 ESENT 642 General
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.20 Kernel-PnP 219 (212)
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.17 Kernel-PnP 219 (212)
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.17 Kernel-PnP 219 (212)
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.17 Kernel-PnP 219 (212)
Warning 06/07/2020 23.08.16 Kernel-PnP 219 (212)
Warning 06/07/2020 23.07.44 WLAN-AutoConfig 10002 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.05.50 Netwtw08 6062 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.05.19 DistributedCOM 10016 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.03.23 PerfProc 2002 None
Error 06/07/2020 23.03.22 Perflib 1023 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.03.22 Perflib 1008 None
Warning 06/07/2020 23.02.37 Netwtw08 6062 None

Warning 06/07/2020 22.34.43 Kernel-PnP 225 (223)
Warning 06/07/2020 22.34.08 USB-USBHUB3 196 Surprise Removal
Error 06/07/2020 22.33.37 ACPI 13 None
Warning 06/07/2020 22.33.20 Netwtw08 6062 None
Warning 06/07/2020 21.35.20 USB-USBHUB3 196 Surprise Removal
Warning 06/07/2020 20.35.52 Kernel-PnP 225 (223)
Warning 06/07/2020 20.35.17 USB-USBHUB3 196 Surprise Removal
Warning 06/07/2020 20.33.41 Netwtw08 6062 None
Warning 06/07/2020 19.35.12 USB-USBHUB3 196 Surprise Removal
Warning 06/07/2020 19.33.37 Netwtw08 6062 None

I'm starting to suspect that this has something to do with the Thunderbolt Dock's USB ports.

If I attach Dell mouse and keyboard dongle (KM717) to the dock, what often happens is that my computer loses internet connection while sleeping.

If I attach the dongle directly to the laptop, this doesn't seem to happen.

This is annoying and not really acceptable. I'm using Dell's laptop, Dell's dock and Dell's input devices. They should work together better. These are supposed to be premium devices!

No, it's not that. Internet still cuts after the system wakes from sleep. I suppose Dell XPS 15 isn't as compatible with the Thunderbolt Deck as one would think. You know.. them being from the same manufacturer and stuff. And  being plugged together in promo photos.

I regret buying the Dell laptop.

Update: I finally managed to get a number to Dell ProSupport. I reinstalled Windows 10 (2004) as a clean install. I removed all partitions and all. Let's see if this helps.

Have you tried laptop without the dock?

I have similar issue when I use the charger plugged in.

If I allow the laptop to go in to sleep mode while charger is plugged in, after a while the laptop gets very hot, and the fans come on at crazy speed when the laptops awakes !

Hi,

Thanks for the reply! The laptop seems to work better when it is without the dock, like if I'm working from sofa. Having this said, I think I can expect that a 2000 EUR laptop works with 300 EUR dock just fine, especially when those two products are shown in promotional photos together. If they don't, I'm going to make Dell give me my money back and I'll buy an Apple product. Finland has fairly strong consumer rights.

I don't need a lot of computing power. I want reliability. They reason for buying a Dell device is that it is a premium device marketed towards companies. It SHOULD WORK with Dell devices. If I need computing power, for e.g. machine learning, I'll remote use Amazon S3 machine.

So far, it seems that the clean install of Windows 10 (2004 update) seems to work, but I need to check for a day or two. If the same problems continue, I'll contact Fainnish Consumer Advisory services and Dell Support (for which I finally got a number. Dell didn't help here... I had to contact the retailer/importer).

P.S. I managed to get the Support website to work in correct language. If you Google "Dell ownership transfer", you'll find a form that will allow you to change the devices country. This is something I hoped that the Admins or this community or the so-called Tech Experts would have helped me with. So far, the tips have been about "Have you checked the updates" (which I said are in place in the original post) or "Have you tried restarting the system" or some other nonsense, that should be a part of IT Crew TV show as a joke... not a real-life case.

Oh, surprise surprise. After the clean install, some problems remain.

I went to the shop and came back. My system had rebooted, so I visited the event log.

Error 10/07/2020 12.50.11 BugCheck 1001 None

The computer has rebooted from a bugcheck. The bugcheck was: 0x0000007e (0xffffffffc0000005, 0xfffff8043908c03f, 0xfffff405294d6668, 0xfffff405294d5ea0). A dump was saved in: C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. Report Id: 63a82c82-615d-4b71-a255-c57a5095aef8.

Hi, 

I understand you've updated all the drivers for your system. I would like to clarify if you have the latest version of the Killer Control Center? Could you share the version number?

- Ritika

Hi,

I have replied to you via a private message but for the sake of transparency, I will also reply out here.

"The guide was to "disconnect all external devices from your laptop then check", but I don't know what I would need to check."
The idea behind that instruction removes all external peripherals from the troubleshooting equation. Making it easier to ascertain the fault.

"I want my money back."
The Dell worldwide policy states that a refund/return is only allowed inside the first 30 days from the Dell invoice date. Once outside that initial 30 day window, the parts warranty begins.

"There is NO NEED for a premium laptop to have Modern Standby on by default."
Modern Standby is discussed here in this Forum FAQ. Modern Standby is a Microsoft initiative, not a Dell initiative.

Killer Control Center is version 2.2.3216.0

All updates offered by "Dell Command | Update" application or the "http://dell.com/drivers" are in place.

Today I noticed that Dell doesn't install the Killer Wireless AX1650 UWD Bluetooth Driver by default. I installed it from the Dell's website. I'm not using Bluetooth currently, and Event Log doesn't hint towards problems with Bluetooth, so I'm not expecting for this to fix the problem.

Anyhow, this is a 2000 EUR laptop.  I'm not supposed to be going through all this trouble to get a normally running Windows 10. I've already been asked to check various software versions, de-connect all attached items (by communty TechExpert) including Dell mouse&keyboard and dock, and install the Windows 10 as clean install whilst removing all partitions etc. (by Dell Pro Support, which has been outsourced to a company Data Group JH Computer.) You cannot expect that a customer does all this stuff! I'm an IT student, so I happen to be capable of doing this, but I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO. If I buy a car, I'm not expected to open the hood or enter some diagnostics mode to get stuff working. If my car would start itself during night, no company would have the decency to claim that "This happens sometimes. Try detaching the wheels and shut down all electric items such as mobile phones. It's not us - it is you!"

I want my money back. Stop the excuses and do something towards this. Please. Make at least something right.

This is an update to this post, but not really a solution.

Most of the "Computer wakes and up makes sudden high fan noises" problems have disappeared after the latest BIOS update that was released (1.8.1, released 29th of July 2020.)

Anyone buying a Dell device will have to notice that a laptop in sleep mode (e.g. lid closed) will keep some amount of fan noise. This is due to Modern Standby (Connected Standby-capable), that has replaced the old S1...S4 sleep states in Windows. There is an option called Disconnected Standby, which behaves closely to the old S3 sleep state, but sadly Microsoft seems to be the only vendor who knows how to give users an easy access to this. We, owners of a thousand-of-euros-worth "premium" Dell machines, will have to edit registry.

Guide to do that is in this guide: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/108378-add-networking-connectivity-standby-power-options-windows-10-a.html

After changing the registry key, there is a new option available in the "Change Advanced Power Settings" dialog. Screenshot here: https://www.tenforums.com/attachments/tutorials/259447d1576523967-enable-disable-network-connectivity-modern-standby-windows-10-a-networking_connectivity_in_standby_power-options.png

This will allow the laptop to actually behave like a laptop should. There is NO NEED for a premium laptop to have Modern Standby on by default. Dell should react to this and  Dell Power Manager application should allow users to change this behavior. Even better, it should suggest this as a default. Editing Windows registry based on a non-Dell tutorial is a sad, sad state of support. Any Windows update might break this behavior.

If I had the option, I would still want to take the refund as a principle. Dell has lost all my remaining respect as a company. The only "support" I got was requests to run some diagnostic tools. They even asked me to record the fan noise of my PC... not kidding. What, they have a neural network that will analyse the fan noise? Let me laugh.

Any update? I have the exact same issue with my 7590 and Dell TB3 dock

The steps mentioned above are the steps have helped me, kind of. So replace the Modern Standby with an actual Sleep Mode.

Make sure your BIOS is up to date and the dock firmware. I reinstalled the Windows 10 as a clean install before the sleep mode fix. If the sleep mode doesn't fix it for you, you might want to reinstall Windows 10 too.

Click the links below for resolving fan noise.

Undesired fan noises on Inspiron/XPS Notebook/Vostro Notebook/Mobile Precision/Latitude systems

How to Troubleshoot Fan Issues