XPS 8960, beeps during sleep, loses ability to click on submenus

Beeps might be USB device(s) disconnecting/connecting...

Are mouse and keyboard plugged into the two rear USB2 ports? (See back panel image here.)

Is it a bum mouse? Can you try a different one?

Could also be a power plan issue... 

Reboot PC and open Device Manager. Expand list under USB. Double-click each USB entry and click its Power Management tab, if it has one. Uncheck the box "Allow PC to turn off...". Repeat for all USB entries.

Now expand list under Human Interface Devices in Device Manager and uncheck that same box for any HID entry that has a Power Management tab. Exit Device Manager when done.

Next, open the Windows Power & Sleep screen. Move the slider to Best Performance. Then click Additional Power Settings. On next screen identify the active Power plan and click Change Plan Settings. On next screen, click Change Advanced Power Settings.

On that last screen, disable Hibernation, Hybrid Sleep, USB Selective Suspend, and PCI Express Link State Management (NOTE: not all these options may be available in Win 11). Then click Processor Power Management, and set Min and Max to 100%. Be sure to save the changes to the Power plan and reboot.

See if that helps...

Thank you.  I unplugged the USB link to my UPS and that seems to have fixed the "sleep beep" issue.  

Sigh...it's back again. I will re-read your post and see if any of the other points work.  It does seem it is related to USBs since the constant "tune" during sleep is the same sound I hear when I plug or unplug a USB device.

What other USB devices are connected to this PC?

Does your monitor have a USB connection?

The SD card reader is also USB, so have you accidentally left a card in the reader's slot?

Let us know if changing the power plan settings solves the problem.

Only a corded keyboard and a wireless mouse.  Nothing in the SD slot.  Also taskbar keeps freezing.  Dell is shipping a replacement.    Thank you for you help!

Never fixed.  Dell shipped me a new one.  Having the same problems:

1.  Often fails to display log-in box after awaking from sleep mode.

2.  Taskbar often freezes, not allowing any clicks.

3.  Beeps on sleep.

Never fixed.  Dell shipped me a new one.  Having the same problems:

1.  Often fails to display log-in box after awaking from sleep mode.

2.  Taskbar often freezes, not allowing any clicks.

3.  Beeps on sleep.

Might be a power plan settings issue...

Reboot PC and open Device Manager. Expand list under USB. Double-click each USB entry and click its Power Management tab, if it has one. Uncheck the box "Allow PC to turn off...". Repeat for all USB entries.

Now expand list under Human Interface Devices in Device Manager and uncheck that same box for any HID entry that has a Power Management tab. Exit Device Manager when done.

Next, open the Windows Power & Sleep screen. Click Additional Power Settings. On next screen identify the active Power plan and click Change Plan Settings. On next screen, click Change Advanced Power Settings.

On that last screen, make sure it's set at the top to Best Performance.  Then disable Hibernation, Hybrid Sleep (if an available option), USB Selective Suspend, and PCI Express Link State Management. Save the changes to the power plan and reboot.

See if that helps...

@RoHe​ Thank you.  That did not work.  I have disconnected all three of my monitors from the NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4090, 24 GB GDDR6X graphics card and plugged a single monitor into the motherboard DisplayPort.  No issues since -- which I guess suggests that the problems are being caused by the graphics card?  Note these exact same issues have happened on TWO identical computers so that likely rules out a single defective graphics card.  

Have you tried re-seating the video card in the x16 slot? 

Are BIOS and drivers all up-to-date?

Are mouse and keyboard connected to the USB2 ports (next to Ethernet port) on rear of PC?

If monitor has direct USB connection to PC, have you tried disconnecting it?

If monitor has its own On-Screen Display (OSD) that's opened by pressing a button(s) on the monitor, open it and see how the video input is configured. If it's set to "auto-detect" the type of input video signal, set it to whatever port type you use when it's connected to the video card.

You might want to read this thread about XPS 8940 which has freezes apparently related to NVidia card driver settings and see if making those changes will solve your issue. 

What version of BIOS is installed? 

Which monitor is set as primary dispaly in Windows, the one connected to Intel Graphics DP or the one connected to RTX 4090 HDMI?

Have you tried running with two monitors connected to the RTX and none to onboard Intel DP? If that works ok, make one of them primary display, before connecting 3rd to the onboard Intel DP. 

Better yet, try connecting all three to the RTX 4090. You might need an adapter if you don't have at least 2 HDMI or two DP ports on the GPU.

Also, connect the wireless mouse dongle to a rear USB2 port. That's where mouse and keyboard are supposed to be connected. Using a front USB3 port might cause problems.

@RoHe​ For the first month of use all three monitors were connected to the three DisplayPorts on the graphics card.  That config always causes the issues.

What happens if you use 2x DP and 1x HDMI on the GPU, instead of 3x DP?

And what happens if you use 2x DP on GPU plus 1x DP onboard Intel Graphics?

Have you contacted Dell tech support? The card should be able to support 3 monitors, so it's possible there might be an issue with yours. 

You need at least BIOS v1.0.4 (latest is v1.2.1) to support RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 cards. So you probably need at least v1.0.4 for the RTX 4080.

It seems you've been experiencing a series of issues with your Dell XPS 8960, including problems related to sleep mode, taskbar freezing, and monitor connectivity. Here are some steps and suggestions to address these issues:

1. Sleep Mode Beeping Issue:

   • The beeping during sleep mode could be related to a USB device connecting/disconnecting. This is often associated with a power-saving feature that turns off USB devices during sleep.
   • Ensure that no USB devices are connected, especially any that are connected via USB hubs or extension cables.
   • Check the Windows Power & Sleep settings to configure USB power settings. Under "Additional power settings," click on your active power plan, then select "Change plan settings." Click on "Change advanced power settings," expand the "USB settings" section, and make sure "USB selective suspend setting" is set to "Disabled."

2. Taskbar Freezing Issue:

   • Taskbar freezing can be caused by various factors, including software conflicts or driver issues.
   • Ensure your Windows operating system is up-to-date. Sometimes, Windows updates include fixes for such problems.
   • Update your graphics card drivers to the latest version from the official NVIDIA website.
   • If the issue persists, try creating a new user account and see if the problem occurs there. If not, it might be related to your user profile.

3. Multiple Monitor Configuration:

   • It's possible that the issues you're facing with the three monitors connected to your RTX 4090 graphics card could be related to driver settings or hardware compatibility.
   • Ensure that you have the latest NVIDIA drivers installed for your graphics card.
   • Experiment with different combinations of monitor connections, as you mentioned that using just one monitor connected to the motherboard resolves the issues.
   • Try using 2x DP and 1x HDMI on the GPU or 2x DP on the GPU and 1x DP on the onboard Intel Graphics. This can help identify if the problem is specific to certain ports or configurations.

4. BIOS Update:

   • Ensure that your BIOS is up-to-date. As you mentioned, BIOS updates can sometimes resolve hardware compatibility issues.
   • Visit Dell's official support website for your specific model and download the latest BIOS update if available.

5. Contact Dell Support:

   • If the issues persist after trying the above steps, consider reaching out to Dell's technical support. They may be able to provide further assistance, especially if there is a hardware-related problem with your system.

6. Check for Known Issues:

   • Search online forums and communities for known issues related to your specific Dell XPS 8960 model, graphics card, or Windows 11. Sometimes, others may have encountered and resolved similar problems.

Remember to back up important data before making significant changes to your system, such as updating drivers or BIOS. This helps safeguard your data in case anything unexpected happens during the troubleshooting process.