Blue screen + missing GPU

Question

I am using an XPS15 9530 with an NVIDIA RTX4090 GPU

I keep getting these issues and have done for a few months. I must have had this BSOD 50 times by now:

- For some weeks now, multiple times a day I seem to get atleast a blue screen error at apparently random times, where my laptop freezes and a few minutes later it says 'something went wrong :(', the stop code is: DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE, and it forces a restart.
- Inspecting the minidump files show is an issue with nvlddmkm.sys: ''*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for nvlddmkm.sys''
- This BSOD always triggers the GPU to go missing from my display adapters as well. I can get the GPU back by booting into uefi mode, but the BSOD will happen again soon after.
- There appears to be no strong relationship between what I'm doing on the laptop and whether the BSOD happens. It can happen when I have one single word doc open, when I was trying to post on this forum earlier (only with chrome open), but it does perhaps seem to happen slightly more when running mulitple things at once.

Things I have tried:

- After BSOD I can bring the gpu back by booting into the uefi alone (smashing f2 at restart). However, BSOD will happen again soon after.
- Updating windows
- Updating all drivers
- Running the SupportAssist hardware scan and other tests
- I have tried multiple bios version, its still happening on the latest 1.12
- The full DDU uninstall reinstall route for the nvidia drivers
- Many others things I can't remember to write down here.

I contacted Dell support who have been no help so far (and actually recommend very poor counter productive measures imo):

- Round 1: Recommended I downgrade to bios v1.11 which I have just tried. The GPU has come back, but I as mentioned above often just booting into the uefi does this anyway. UPDATE: The blue screen error happened again within 1 hr of installing v.11. Back to dell support tomorrow I guess.

- Round 2: They are suggesting I reinstall windows. This is reallly really poor, that will take me days to reconfigure everything and I can see from others on similar threads has never fixed the issue. Can anyone say it did? I think its unacceptable they would be willing to push this kind of huge inconveniance on to a customer, knowing it will likely not work, a proper fix is needed.

- Update: Once again my GPU randomly reappeared the next day, towards the end of the day I got another blue screen error and its gone again.

More updates:
- Despite me pointing out on several forums that replacing the motherboard did not help, dell said it was the only thing they were willing to try. So we went ahead. After replacing the motherboard my laptop acted very difficult on restarts, it would: i) fail to sign in, ii) freeze at the sign in option. Eventually I got through.
- To resolve these issues dell support had me run windows updates and support assist scans and updates. This then COMPLETELY BROKE MY LAPTOP. Upon restart everything would freeze within seconds of turning on. Keyboard and mouse would work for a few seconds then go.
- Dell then said I need to do a complete windows reinstall. However, I asked before the motherboard if I should back up everything and they said the motherboard would not affect my data. Despite this I backed up most things. However, I will now lose everything I didn't back up.
- I said to support that their bad advice (which I said was bad advice as it hadn't worked on other dell community posts) has now caused me to lose data. They are responsible for this. Support gaslighted me very hard throughout the whole process and now haev said if I want that data I have to pay for a local technician to back it up first.
- I will have to do the windows reinstall. I then strongly suspect the BSOD/GPU errors will happen all over again (the technician who replacd the motherboard said this was likely).

More updates:

- It is now 16 days since I first posted

- I had the motherboard repalce. This completely bricked my laptop. It would freeze within 1-2 mins of turning on whether I'm on windows or the bios menu.

- Dell support suggested I reinstall windows which of course did not work because they laptop would freeze whatever was being run

- They have now scheduled another technician appointment. I changed my day enourmously as I need this fixing asap and they did not turn up.

This is unbelievably poor from a laptop and support that cost >£3000, and once again really poor support would so readily make me waste time on reinstalling windws. I'm using it for AI work. This has already cost me lots of stress and days of lost time.

jeannette9728miller · Answer

Hello MaximTimeClock@feerlessbee ,The problems with the NVIDIA RTX4090 GPU not being detected and the blue screen errors are indeed frustrating, especially considering the cost and your reliance on the laptop for AI work.Ensure you are using the correct power supply for your laptop. An underpowered supply may cause the GPU not to be detected.Uninstall and then reinstall the NVIDIA drivers. Use the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) for a clean uninstallation.Try resetting the BIOS to default settings. Sometimes, a BIOS update or downgrade can cause settings to change, affecting hardware detection.Run a hardware scan to check for any issues with the GPU itself. You can use Dell’s SupportAssist application to perform this scan.Ensure that your Windows OS is up to date. Sometimes, compatibility issues with the OS can cause hardware to malfunction.Overheating can cause both the GPU to disappear and blue screen errors. Make sure your laptop’s cooling system is functioning properly.If the issue persists, contact Dell support again and insist on a more thorough investigation. It might be necessary to have a technician look at your laptop or consider a replacement if it’s under warranty.Best Regards,

robotmatt · Answer

I've had the same issue for a while now. Multiple reinstalls of drivers, BIOS resets, motherboard replacement etc.

The best I can get is I can force the BIOS to redetect the GPU, but then the blue screens of death soon follow and the GPU is no longer detected.

Brettoni · Answer

I am seriously disappointed in my Dell laptop. I have had the same issue, NVidia card just disappeared after a BIOS update. Calling support they wanted me to send the laptop in for a motherboard replacement.

I'm not accusing but I wouldn't be surprised if this is purposeful to sell support and replacement parts.

Never buying a dell again.

By the way, the support reps hang up on you if you don't have a current support plan. Took me three calls and begging for them not to hang up on me!

RoHe · Answer

If it's crashing while in BIOS setup, it may be overheating as was suggested above. Plug in power adapter, reboot, and tap F12 when you see the Dell screen. When the F12 menu opens, run the Diagnostics, starting with the fan tests. If both fans pass, run the RAM and CPU tests next.

Assuming PC passes all diagnostics, here's a long shot for the disappearing GPU. Open the NVidia Control Panel. Click Manage 3D settings in left pane. Now scroll down right pane to Power Management. Change that setting to "Prefer Max Performance". Close NCP and reboot. See if that helps,...

ziza-set · Answer

Hi I am having  bsod with note 'acpi bios error' for several days now  and the main issue is the gpu

RoHe · Answer

@ziza-set​  - We need more info. Exactly what PC model and what version of  Windows? Why  do you think the issue is the GPU? When do you get that BSOD, while booting up or while using PC? If your PC model has a coin cell battery on the motherboard, it may need replacing...

Brettoni · Answer

@TracyJackson12​ Very sorry to hear you have this too. I also was hung up on several times.  never buying Dell again.

RoHe · Answer

@TracyJackson12​  - Always include exact PC model and version of Windows in your posts, if you expect any help here, aside from just having a place to rant.

feerlessbee · Answer

UPDATE

This is not a full fix, but rather a work around for a very particular use case. Posting in case useful to anyone else.

1. See my full post above.

2. I had a second motherboard replacement, this time without the login issues.

3. I want to use my GPU for machine learning work. I use windows for microsoft office etc.

4. I decided to try setting my laptop up with dual boot, so I can boot into either windows or linux. I followed this incredibly helpful video on how to do it for a Dell XPS 15: https://youtu.be/uqZIp4ay-3s?si=8utM6PR6UxHf1kLi

5. I have since had no issues on accessing the GPU when booting into linux. This seems to confirm to me what I suspected and the technician explained, that it is a software issue between microsoft and Dell that ultimately causes this issue.

6. I have not checked if the GPU is still found on windows, but I no longer need it here as I now do all my work using the GPU on linux.

Hope this might be helpful to anyone who could use this solution.

Brettoni · Answer

@feerlessbee​ sorry I don’t buy this. This is a hardware issue and nothing but a hardware issue.   There are times when you boot the machine and the Nvidia card is not recognized by the bios. This is a hardware issue and Dale is trying to circumvent the problem

feerlessbee · Answer

@Brettoni​ It has been working for several months on my linux OS just fine. All the issues come from windows. Define it how you like but thats my experience. My suspician was hardware damage caused by software, perhaps leading to overheating etc, but I haven't looked into that. Perhaps if the hardware were better integrated that wouldn't happen.

XPS

Blue screen + missing GPU

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