XPS 13 9350 Windows 10 Update stalled because of out-of-date Intel RST driver

I share the concern of others because the Intel download site (probably the same as the link given) emphasises the importance of obtaining confirmation from the equipment manufacturer that the generic driver is supported.

My personal take is that my laptop is running the Windows 10 with which it was supplied and I expect it to last for longer than 2.5 years before it gives me out-of-support messages. It is imperative to have a maintained OS for well known security reasons. DELL are obliged to continue to provide "spares" (or "updates" in computer software terms) for a reasonable time. To cease to do this with a device that costs around £1000 is not reasonable, I am sure any judge would agree.

So DELL lets have your official line. If you endorse the generic driver download from Intel then tell us officially please.

Thank you.

In the meantime is there a track record of success with the generic driver?  

Thank you for joining this thread.   

Upon selecting the link you provided I am taken to a list of drivers.  I presume it is the first RST in the queue (Intel Rapid Storage Technology - User Interface & Driver) that I would select?

Also if I select that first option I am taken to the Available downloads page.  On that page I am at a loss as to which option to choose:  SetupRST.exe OR SetupOptaneMemory.ex  OR f6flpy-64.zip.   

I would assume I am selecting the first option on this page as well?  As stated I am not computer savvy and fearful of doing something boneheaded.  (which is why we rely on the updated drivers on Dell page).

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thank you 

@jkdelllaptopuser yes please do it as you described, (the .exe is what you need) and then please let us know if your PC is working! you will be our hero if you will try unofficial driver for us!

If update will pass and PC will still work normaly - try to copy something from one place to another on disk and check speed

CorkyC,

The driver normally gets released by the manufacturer & we test the same on our machines & release the same post making the changes if required as per our platform needs.

There are actually two issues here:

1. Updating RST (specifically the driver iaStorA.sys) to a non-problematic version. The versions of iaStorA.sys deemed problematic are between 15.1.0.1002 through 15.5.2.1053.

2. Once you update RST, the problematic iaStorA.sys may remain on your system still causing the standard method of upgrading to Win10 v1903 to fail as the installer still detects the existence of the bad driver.

What to do?

3. Open Device Manager > Storage Controllers > and double-click "Intel Chipset SATA Raid Controller". This will bring up its Properties.

4. Click the "Driver" tab and then the "Driver Details" button. This will show you what driver is associated with the device. It should be iaStorA.sys. Go back to the "Driver" tab and verify that your version is within the range of the problematic ones.

5. For my XPS 9550 the latest RST driver that Dell has available is v15.7.5.1025 which is outside the problematic range. Although Microsoft is recommending v15.9.6.1044, they claim that v15.5.2.1054 or later should work. Check with your Dell driver downloads to see what version is available for your system and whether it is deemed acceptable.

6. If the Dell driver download site has an acceptable RSTversion for your system, download and install it.

7. Repeat steps #3 and #4. Check to see if iaStorA.sys has been replaced by another driver (possibly iaStorAVC.sys). If iaStorA.sys has been replaced as the driver for the "Intel Chipset SATA Raid Controller" device, verify that the new driver has an acceptable version, then go to step #8.

If iaStorA.sys has not been replaced as the driver for the "Intel Chipset SATA Raid Controller" device, verify that its version has been updated in Device Manager to an acceptable version. If not, punt. I don't know what to do.

8. If iaStorA.sys has been replaced, open File Explorer and go to the C:\Windows\system32\drivers folder. [NOTE: you may have to enable "View" > "Hidden items" in File Explorer to access this]. Scroll down to the drivers that start with "i" and see if iaStorA.sys still exists there. If yes, rename it to something else such as iaStorA.sys.OLD.

9. At this point you can resume the installation of v1903.

If you have not done so before, it is highly recommended that you do a complete system backup, using backup software such as Macrium Reflect, to an external USB hard drive. They have a "free" version.

JohnD

Try this in Chrome - it detects the driver and installs it:

https://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/support/detect.html

davidlpotts,

The warranty has expired on your computer. You can wait for a reply from other community members or contact the Dell Out of Warranty Support Team by clicking here

I keep getting errors. I've tried at least 5 times to post about my experience trying to update. It won't go through.

Bottom line: what JohnD says is correct.

Hey davidlpotts,

I see your post.

This is a test. I cannot seem to post here anymore.

Thanks, JohnD, for for your good work here. Every one of your posts on this thread has been accurate, and I appreciate it.

As we know, the RST driver that Dell supplies for the XPS 13 9350, version 15.2.2.1030, is within the range (15.1.0.1002 – 15.5.2.1053) that prevents the Windows 10 version 1903 update from installing. I tried installing the driver supplied by Intel. It installed version 17.5.1.1021. The driver files were changed, per Device Manager. But the iaStorA.sys file was not removed from System32/Drivers. I renamed it and clicked the Fix button under Windows Update. The Windows 10 update proceeded. It got to 61% completed and stalled. After more than three hours stalled, I put the computer to sleep and went to bed myself. This morning, still stalled at 61% complete, I restarted Windows. It started with the "Getting Windows Ready, Don't Turn Off Your Computer" screen, which stayed up for 1.5 hours. Just as I was beginning to research ways to recover from this, Windows started.

Hi Jesse L.

Yes, I know my computer's warranty has expired. The link you provided is to a page that "failed to load or no longer exists."

My current situation is that I'm stuck at Windows 10 version 1083. Windows Update has not tried to restart an update to Windows 10. Perhaps in a day or so, that will happen automatically. My computer is getting stuck now when starting and restarting. My advice to others in this situation as of now would be to sit tight and see if Dell eventually releases an Intel RST driver for the 9350. If you do try installing the generic Intel release, make sure everything is backed up first!

If I continue having boot problems, I may uninstall the generic Intel driver and go back to the Dell-supported one.

This Intel link/idea provided by Shep914 in his replies to this topic worked!  Thank you Shep914!   I did NOT use the exact link that Shep914 provided since it had UK in it; I am in the US.   So I just did a google search on "Intel Driver & Support Assistant" and immediately this Intel service link was shown in the results.

I installed this Intel tool.  This Intel tool scans your computer and updates any outdated drivers automatically.  When I ran it, it immediately found the old Real Storage driver was out of date.  Long story short - it updated the Real Storage and my Windows update was finally successful.  NO FILE renames or other nightmares. 

Notes: 

1. The Intel tool took around 3 minutes to download, install, and run

2. The windows update took at least 40 minutes.

3. My computer actually runs faster now.  This windows update is nice.

Thanks again to Shep & this community forum.  I unfortunately am not happy that Dell is no longer providing necessary updates for their computers.  This is planned obsolescence through software neglect.  I understand hardware time limits, but refusing to update software drivers is a bit ridiculous. I am extremely disappointed in Dell.  

Thanks