XPS 13 9305, Zoom crashes, internet connection lost

Question

I consistently have the following issues when using either of two Dell XPS 13 9305 laptops when using Zoom:

Zoom is very slow to respond on any of the functions like admitting people from waiting rooms, sharing screen, opening chat etc
Zoom tends to crash out when sharing a screen with a group and then try to re-initialise - a real pain when I am the meeting host running a webinar or workshop!
The laptop is using a wired LAN connection for internet but I get temporary losses of internet connection even though other computers like my Dell desktop do not suffer the same outage issues on the same network at the same time. It feels as if the network card is temporarily disabled on the laptop. I do not see these outage issues when not using a video conferencing package.

I have also noted the same issues using Vsee which suggests this is not a Zoom software issue.

I do not have these issues when using any other type of computer with zoom or on my network which leads me to believe there is something about the Dell XPS12 9305's which is at fault. So far I have tried:

Uninstalling and reinstalling latest zoom client software
Updating all Dell drivers

If anyone can shed any light on this I would much appreciate it as it is compromising my workflow and client meetings.

d5123101 · Answer

Do you have any particular power settings on the laptop? Does this happen only on battery or AC power too?

pwatts2 · Answer

Hi  d5123101, the laptops are always plugged into AC power when used for video conferencing.

d5123101 · Answer

Are they on Windows 10 or 11? These laptops were released about a year ago so when did these issues begin to take place?

pwatts2 · Answer

The have always been on Windows 11, I have had the issues since getting them, it is not a new thing.

d5123101 · Answer

Have you ran any of the Dell diagnostics yet, both inside of Windows and inside of the BIOS? You said you updated all drivers (through where?)

pwatts2 · Answer

I have run Dell SupportAssist regularly to keep the system up to date. This is done through Windows. It has updated the BIOS at least once since I have had the machines, but otherwise I have done nothing within the BIOS itslef.

d5123101 · Answer

Try running the Dell Diagnostics that are within the BIOS itself and do the diagnostics in Windows through SupportAssist as well (then report back).

pwatts2 · Answer

I have done that on both laptops. The BIOS check was clean with no problems on both. The SupportAssist on both resulted in a firmware update. I also did a full anti viral check on both machines.

As a result, the response within Zoom on one seems better (have not yet used the other). However, the laptop with LAN connection still had an "unable to connect to internet" issue after about 50 minutes of being on Zoom with a client (which blew up the meeting) and would refuse to connect again via either LAN or WiFi even though the desktop connected to the same router via LAN did not show an outage and the laptop has no issues with LAN connection when not using Zoom.

I am going to keep trying with Zoom to see what continues to happen and will report back. It may take a few days to see what patterns show up.

d5123101 · Answer

How were you able to restore connectivity to the laptop? By restarting it? The built in Windows network troubleshooter is very useful to use because it can usually 'reset' the network adapter without restarting Windows or resetting any of the network settings.

pwatts2 · Answer

Hi 2 Jasper. This problem has happened in 3 out of my 5 Zoom meetings today. The LAN connection is broken, the laptop will connect to the WiFi network if I ask it to (not automatically) but will still not access the internet. On all these occasions I have unplugged the docking station and re-plugged it in. That seems to solve things.

However, I must not that I do not have these problems with the network access when not using Zoom. I can try another docking station to see if that is the issue, but I doubt it

d5123101 · Answer

Have you tried the WIndows network troubleshooter when the connection dropped? Also I have heard negative things about docking stations, so that definitely could be something to troubleshoot. I'd either try another docking station like you said or use a USB C to Ethernet adapter (no docking station just a direct simple adapter).

DELL-Chris M · Answer

* Launch Zoom and click on your profile picture
* Go to Settings- Video
* Click the Advanced button
* Under, "Use hardware acceleration for", untick all
* Open Control Panel and then select Sound
* Select Speakers, click Properties, select Advanced, clear Enable audio enhancements and then click OK

MarkSmith445 · Answer

Hi Dell-Chris, I did what you mentioned above.

In addition to Sound Uncheck "Enable audio enhancements", should I also disable hardware acceleration for Sound? (see green box below)

You told us similarly to disable "Hardware acceleration for Zoom. Thanks !

Picture URL: https://ibb.co/s3t3gW7

XPS

XPS 13 9305, Zoom crashes, internet connection lost

Was this post helpful?