Dell XPS 13 2015 Skylake Infinity Display Owners Thread

HI everyone,

I asked a question as a separate thread on upgrading my SSD. But perhaps I should have posted it here.

My questions are here.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/xps13-9350-ssd-upgrade-process.786391/

Any answers/directions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Andrew

 

Does anyone has coil whine problem? I've got my XPS 13 9359 (MS SE) couple days ago and I can hear very strange high freq sound between keyboard and display. It's not critical, but its annoying me!
Is it common problem? Should I contact to DELL Support? Will it fix?

Many thx!

 

it is very common, not only with the xps 13. You could try to exchange or asking for repair, however I don't think there is a solution to this. Only thing they probably would do is changing the mainboard which will not have any effects.

I had several different skylake notebooks the last few weeks (800€, 900€, 1000€, 1300€) and each had subtle coil whining. As far as I can see, it seems that this issue is something we have to live with.

Maybe this issue has been there the years before too, but you could hardly recognize it, as notebooks tended not to be absolutely silent, now talking about the fan. With ultrabooks which turn off the fan when doing normal stuff, it now gets more apparent.

so if you even can hear it when sitting in front of your book, you should exchange it. there are xps 13 with very moderate whining you can only hear if you put your ears next to the letter g of your keyboard.

 

I can hear the coil when sitting in working distance at my desk, but only very slightly and in absolutely quiet environment (no background noise - people talking, radio playing, noise coming from the street, common daily noise). I can hear it usually when scrolling, running programs, playing video in flash etc. - because all of that drives CPU slightly (7-20%) and that makes it audible. It is like there is an old HDD reading/writing something but it is about 95% quieter, so it is basically almost absolutely quiet. When completely idle, I can hear only some random even less obvious noise when putting my ear closer to the laptop. When in normal working condition (there is usually some subtle noise around you), no noise can be heard. I am really sensitive to such electrical noises and I would say it is NOT a serious problem even for me. For average user it is definitely not an issue, many will not even notice it.

 

Thanks for your message. On my laptop the issue is not existent at all times. I dont know for which reason that happens. I know how to get rid of it temporarily (turn completely off, if it cant, then restart and turn off again - so far it has always helped - about 3-4 times). But after that it is fine for a few hours or even a few days and then it happens again.

 

Sorry if this is a very obvious answer, but I recently bought a Microsoft Signature edition 9350 and it didn't come with any backup disks. Do you know how I would back it up (I'm considering reinstalling Windows 10). Do I even need to make a backup disk, or do I just download Windows 10 from Microsoft website and make a bootable USB from there? I just wanted to make sure that if I reinstall windows, I don't lose the cool Dell logo that comes on the screen when it's loading windows. I like it better than the windows flag logo that shows up on everyone else's computer when they boot up. If anyone has reinstalled Windows, can they confirm the Dell logo stays on when booting it up?

 

The Dell logo is part of the BIOS/UEFI bootup screen. It should always stay with the laptop regardless of the OS.

You can also easily reinstall windows with Windows 10 now I think. I did it once. Just search up "Reset this PC".

 

If you go to DEVICE MANAGER, go to VIEW -> SHOW HIDDEN DEVICES, find FIRMWARE and then UPDATE DEVICE DRIVER, there is an upgrade to 1.1.7.

 

No need to go that route, as the BIOS 1.1.7 update has been on the Dell site since 9 December:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us...-13-9350-laptop&languageCode=EN&categoryId=BI

 

Many thanks for such unfolded answer! But I still don't understand why some laptops like Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro doesn't have any issues with coil whining. The [airmt] description is true for me. I can hear it usually when scrolling by touch pad or by screen and it's annoying me.
I googled the problem for previous DELL XPS 13 Broadwell and I find out that solution is in "disabling Intel state-c" in BIOS.
I also googled the same problem for Lenovo Yoga and it was solved by "stopped c3 state fix".
I hope there is solution for Skylake cuz disabling Intel state-c in BIOS doesn't solve the issue.

Thanks for comment! I hope there is solution for Skylake. Do you think that 100% Skylake laptops has the coil whining problem?

 

it is caused by using inferior materials or a poor processing. so no, not all notebooks are suffering from coil whining. it is as always a question of money.

 

Happened to me once last month, and like you I had to force a power off via holding the power button (a normal shutdown would just cause it to power straight back on). I thought it was a one off but it has now happened to me again twice in the last couple of days.

In the 2 occasions this time, it has happened when the laptop has been asleep for a couple of hours and transitions to hibernate state. Seems some driver or something sometimes stops this from happening, and then after that it cannot sleep/power-down at all without a long power button hold (restarting doesn't fix it - there must be some driver state being preserved over restart, which I think must happen as part of the windows 8/10 fastboot).

Note this doesn't happen every time it transitions from sleep->hibernate, so for me there must be some other trigger in combination with this. I am trying to find out what this other trigger is.

Edit: I should add, I have all up to date drivers and BIOS.

 

I also had all these problems (blinking screen, randomly loosing Wi-Fi connection) when I run it just when I took it in my hands. When I updated the drivers everything were fixed. One driver from the official site was not installing and I contact with DELL and a lady took control of the laptop through remote control and e was checking it for 2-3 hours, she changed drivers, installed the correct driver (the driver from Dell's site was not correct!!!) and everything was fine. The only problem that left was that when I connect a usb 3.0 flash disk of 32 GB transcend I still loose Wi-Fi connection only when I connect it at the right USB port, not in the left. When I connect a usb 2.o flash in the right usb port it is fine.

 

I never heard anything from mine. It seems that there is any cooler inside. Only once I heard something only if I took my ear almost to touch the laptop in the back. It is perfectly quiet.

i5, QHD, 8GB

 

LED

Shouldn't the LED in front of the computer blink when it is in Sleep mode? Mine doesn't. Anybody knows if I can fix this?

 

Mine doesn't - it only lights up if it is charging (it turns off once the battery is full). I would prefer an option to turn it off completely - it is like a flood light at night!

 

I see. Yes, an on/off/blink option would make sense.

 

So i am back, looks like it could be an issue with the video drivers in Windows 10 crashing. Are there any new drivers out besides the one's that Dell have on their website? I downloaded the software from Intel for the HD 520 but it does not work.

 

Can we expect a fix for the rubberband-effect on the touchpad or is this how its going to be?

 

What I did (with the Dell default installed drivers) was go to the device in device manager, then click update driver and let windows update find the latest one. Since doing that, I haven't had any display driver crashes (touch wood)

 

Ok I will try that out later tonight.

 

+1

Actually I deleted (ticking the "delete files") the driver in Device Manager, let Windows reinstall Video driver and then updated via Device Manager. No Video issues at all after that.

 

+1
Absolutely the same issue for me. Sometimes it's really annoying((.

 

Hello, everybody.

I've got one XPS 13 9350 with FHD for my daughter. It was having Windows 10 on it. Decided to reinstall it to Windows 8.1.
While were playing with the laptop itself on Windows 10 - I've seen flickering issues and installing the latest version of Dell Wireless 1820a driver solved the problem.
Besides the flickering issues haven't figured any other issues under Windows 10.

Under Windows 8.1, first of all - can't find drivers for the following devices:
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_9D61&SUBSYS_07041028&REV_21\3&11583659&0&A9
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_9D60&SUBSYS_07041028&REV_21\3&11583659&0&A8
ACPI\INT344B\3&11583659&0

And two fingers scroll on touch pad is not working.

Second problem is flickering of a display - there is no a newer Wireless driver, like for Windows 10. So what to do to stop flickering under Windows 8.1?
Third problem is that if I select Shutdown under Windows - it ends with dark display, but with power button still on.
Only long power button press helped (but that is not good).

Tested restart, sleep or hibernate under Windows 8.1 - all are working as expected.

I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you.

 

How are your Intel 8260 going so far? I've heard bluetooth disconnect when restarting, is it true for you?
Thanks.

 

I got my 3 position plug today (part number 8DHY9 on eBay for $5.49 shipped). Look how much space it saves compared to the cable.

It seems well made and slides into the transformer firmly, so not sure why Dell discontinued it. Hopefully it doesn't burn my house down!

 

Well, they discontinued it due to "quality failures", and though didn't issue a recall did ask owners to "either return the used product to Dell or dispose of it responsibly". So I'm not sure how much I would trust this one, myself:

http://www.dell.com/Support/Article/ph/en/phbsd1/SLN297545

There are other similar options on the market, though; and the one for Google's Universal USB-C charger fits nicely, too.

 

Just happened to me again right now (reboot loop). This after waking spontaneously from sleep the night before for the first time in weeks. As before, forcing shutdown by holding down the power button successfully broke the loop... for now.

I share your suspicions it's a driver issue. It may well related to fastboot, though I tried disabling that and experienced a spontaneous wake from sleep shortly thereafter. I also think you're right some further factor is part of the trigger.

I wonder if it has something to do with installing and/or uninstalling programs. I've been playing around with different versions of Chrome the last few days. Probably just coincidence, though.

 

Can I ask how you found it on Ebay? What did you search for, or can you provide a link?

I've been looking, unsuccessfully, for this plug.
Thanks in advance!

 

Yes, this is the only thing that stopped me from returning this notebook. How the hell does Intel keep releasing new drivers all with the same bug that they never fix? If we actually had to use the Intel graphics to run anything intensive I imagine it would be a lot more annoying because driver compatibility would be stuck back at the point it was at when these old drivers were built.

 

Dell now has the XPS 13 in a gold color.



http://www.digitaltrends.com/ces/dell-gold-edition-xps13/

 

I ordered a 9350 i7/16gb/1tb model from the Dell outlet store, anyone ever had any experience with a refurbed xps 13?

It was a pretty good deal so I'm wary about what might be wrong with it. Supposed to be arriving next week so I'll see then, but anything to look out for? Already bookmarked all the bios /driver updates linked here, cheers guys.

Also hoping to install Ubuntu at some point and dual boot with Windows.

 

Looks like Dell will be releasing an HD540 option...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/3vuoa1/hd_540_gpu_referenced_in_xps_13_9350_manual/

 

I got 4k 30hz in 9350. I think 60hz is not possible, but maybe I am wrong.

 

Unfortunately, I did begin having issues with bluetooth not starting after rebooting. Luckily I don't use bluetooth that much with this laptop. If I do, I keep a copy of the Intel driver .exe to run and once it re-installs, it works fine until the next reboot. Hopefully it can be fixed with future updates.

Other than BT, everything else works great. No issues at all with the wifi functions.

 

I received and installed mine yesterday, same issue. What I'm doing is no restarting and not power off unless required, instead I hibernate, this way I can use my bluetooth devices. Much better than previous screen flickering.

 

DST Short error from bios diagnostic.

I've a new XPS 13 9350 with 256Gb (so PCIe) ssd and updated to latest bios 1.1.7.
During power-on, if I press F12 to enter boot menu and then choose "Diagnostic" to run system diagnostic, I get an error "DST Short" saying that my disk is defective and must be replaced.
If I just let it boot, windows runs perfectly fine with no disk errors.
Can anybody check if this happens only to me (so ssd is really defective) or everyone (so the diagnostic is actually wrong, probably not updated for these ssds) ?

 

Dell answered me:

Solution:
Do NOT dispatch hardware for this error if M.2 NVMe SSD can be delected in BIOS.
Changing SATA Mode = AHCI will also allow ePSA to test M.2 NVMe SSD pass.
After test complete, guide customer set BIOS to original setting so the system will boot to the OS.
The default setting, are:
• Boot Mode = UEFI
• Secure Boot= Enabled
• SATA Mode= RAID 0n
Beside of workaround above, Dell engineering is working on a BIOS solution to eliminate the error. The PSQN will be updated once BIOS available

 

I have exactly the same problem. It says that the hard disk fails the test.
Can you please check the following: When I insert a usb 3.0 flash on the right usb port the Wi-Fi stops. If I use a usb 2.0 flash or I use the same usb 3.0 flash on the left usb port everything is O.K. Can you please test and tell me?

 

two bubbles:

|would shifting my broadcom for the intel 8265 bring about any changes in throughput and range?
from the stock broadcom chip to my archer c7 ac1750 router, i'm getting 866.5 mbps. i'm not put off those numbers by any means, but if there's a gain to be made, i'm willing to plunge.
|and, can anyone put forth a cleaning method for the keyboard that won't seep into the device?

 

I might be missing previous mentions of this (I have searched, here and elsewhere). Sorry if I have. I've been having trouble getting the Microsoft native NVMe controller to appear with a fresh Windows 10 installation on an XPS 13 9350. The default UEFI RAID option requires the RAID driver in the Intel RST 'F6' driver set, the AHCI UEFI option requires the AHCI driver in the Intel RST 'F6' driver set (but works for installation without a driver but results in the Microsoft AHCI driver being used with a Device Manager exclamation mark), but how to get the native NVMe controller?

The answer is to set the SATA controller to disabled (which is logical in a way - we don't want SATA over PCIe but just PCIe). The UEFI setup really needs some documentation (is there any?) - for this and also the Thunderbolt PCIe security parts (really important for BitLocker use).

The other titbit is that I tried the Intel 8260 Wi-Fi / BT module but went back to the Dell / Broadcom since it took ages for Wi-Fi to connect at boot and resume, but it would disconnect from time to time (not just a disconnect, but the Control Panel NIC would be disabled and not re-enable unless Flight Mode was toggled). It also didn't fix the weak Wi-Fi reception, poor AP roaming (with no option to increase aggressiveness) and broken Miracast I have with the XPS 13.

I tried the Intel card to try and fix these problems and one where it wakes up from sleep / hibernate as soon as they are entered (actually, it doesn't enter at all as the USB root hub vetoes it). The only devices connected via USB are the Wi-Fi / Bluetooth, card reader and webcam. I figured the number one suspect is the Broadcom 1820A module.

I suspect Dell isn't offering the 8260 module yet because they have problems with it (I did come across a Dell PDF that listed it in the catch-all spec.). Hopefully they'll get fixed and I can pop it back in (I'd still rather be rid of the Dell one).

 

Finally SOLVED!
Went to Control Panel (right click Start button), Programs uninstall, uninstall something like Widcomm bluetooth..., restart when asked for it.
Bluetooth still connected after several restart, wifi working fine and zero screen flickering.
It looks that uninstalled software was in conflict with Intel 8260 bluetooth software.

 

No one really having Windows 8.1 with 9350? I'm still researching for the above issues.

 

INT344B is "Intel(R) Serial IO GPIO Host Controller - INT344B"
VEN_8086&DEV_9D60 is "Intel(R) Serial IO I2C Host Controller - 9D60"
VEN_8086&DEV_9D61 is "Intel(R) Serial IO I2C Host Controller - 9D61"

 

Thank you for reply! I also did find this, but not able to figure out, why these are still not having drivers after installed all drivers from the dell site?

 

wrong thread

 

Deleted

 

I got my XPS 13 9350 QHD today. After installing other drivers and the BIOS update from the Dell website, I tried to install this update. When I try to run the .exe file it says 9350 Panel Update - device not supported.

I'm not sure why it says my device isn't supported when it is the device this update is for, anyone got any ideas?

 

Hey, I had the same thing come up. For whatever reason, it will only work with the 10/2015 graphics driver, version 20.19.15.4300. There should have been a window that popped up telling you this. Anyway, it's really stupid because you'll have to do what I did to get it to work. Namely, downgrade your graphics driver to the 10/2015 version, then install the CABC tool, then re-upgrade to the newest video driver.
The 10/2015 driver is the older video driver available on the dell support website.

Hope that helped!

 

Extended the entry 'Win10IntelGfxVer = 10.18.15.4281,20.19.15.4300' in the file 'PanelFWConfig.ini' by
', 20.19.15.4331' (should be line 29 in the file).