Dell XPS 15 (9550) list of hardware and software problems

All u need to do is download the older bios and run it, if computer says no then go into the BIOS and click the downgrade option to allow it.

 

Where can I get the previous BIOS? It looks like Dell only has the most current one.

 

I replied to you in my thread

I dunno why dell got rid of the previous version link

 

Dell always do this with critical updates, this is why you should save them on your laptop.

 

Hi guys!
I am the owner of the 9550 model (Ship date: January 27, 2016 with BIOS 01.01.15):
XPS 15 9550
i7-6700HQ
Geforce GTX 960M
16GB
512GB Samsung NvMe
FHD

BIOS Setting: Default (RAID mode).

At BIOS version 01.01.19 I have a Black Screen problem (Periodically, random screen turns black). Rollback to 01.01.15 - everything is OK.
Yesterday I installed the update 01.02.00 - now is okay, no issue, I will look further.

For All Owners 9550 important link with all versions of all software: http://downloads.dell.com/published/pages/xps-15-9550-laptop.html
See at section BIOS, where disappeared link to download version 1.1.19.
I suspect Dell realized problematical this version.

Thank you for your participation in the solution of many problems!
I am confident that we are the owners of the excellent performance machine but with many software problems


Sorry for my English. I'm from Ukraine.

 

Dell always remove old BIOS versions as they deem BIOS a critical update.
Those with your issue usually find updating to the beta intel HD530 video driver fixes the issue.

 

At this link: http://downloads.dell.com/published/pages/xps-15-9550-laptop.html located all versions BIOS, drivers and software for our laptop

 

Has anybody found a solution for the poor (not existing) displaying of near black values on the UHD model?

One testimage can be found here: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/contrast.php

A different one has already been posted in this forum.

 

Good link, thanks.

 

Got my XPS FHD 512gb/i7 today.

Question about the trackpad: It feels somewhat unresponsive, especially when I'm making smaller movements. It doesn't feel very smooth and somewhat choppy, which I find strange as the trackpad usually have good reviews. Have anyone experienced this? I've updated bios and other drivers.

 

I tried to fix the brightness curve for a week, but ended up returning the system because I was at the end of my 30 day period (the 4k version) - my guess is you'll need calibration hardware to have a shot at changing the gamma curve.

Now I'm deciding whether to re-buy the 4k, or give the 1080p version a go. Decisions...decisions.

 

I had access to 3 other UHD models and all had the problem.
Yes I have access to calibration equipment and "normal" calibration did not solve the problem.
I have already thought of creating a custom gamma curve but that will have some drawbacks.
Do you know if all IGZO displays have this problem?
Maybe I will change my worklfow and do the adjustment in the dark picture areas only at my Eizo CG248.
I have a few days left to come up to a final decission (keep it or not).
But hwat is the alternativ if you want something compact and with more than 90% AdobeRGB colorspace?

 

Hi,

I`m new in this forum and have only one question of my XPS with 4k Display. Is it normal that in most of the youtube Videos or darker videos in mkv you can see "blocks"? I don't know how to discribe, it is a wrong bit depth I think, like only 8bit graphics. Here is a example screenshot of one scene in youtube http://www.directupload.net/file/d/4323/ryezi9ac_jpg.htm
I've checked already the display properties, it is the native resolution with 32bit. I use also the Dell PremierColor with sRGB.
What is wrong, or is it the wrong upscaling from Windows 10 because all the content in youtube looks great on a MacBook Pro with retina display.
Thank you for your answers.

 

I'm not sure if it's a problem with all IGZO panels, though I've heard the 1080p version suffers from the same issue (I haven't seen one in person to test yet). My 4k unit actually had problems at both ends of the spectrum - blacks were clipped pretty severely but also some faint light colors (especially blues) appeared much too white. It's probably not a huge deal for most users but was a big headache for my photoediting - although, as you said there are few systems out there with the size/weight/power/colorgamut of the dell. I might just end up rebuying and hooking up to an external display if I need to edit low light photos.

 

Hi,

I received the new XPS 15 9550 a couple of Days ago and having 2 issues with it i haven't found any solution to.

1. Screen brightness is changing, especially when waking the laptop from sleep the screen brightness is turned down sometimes. I've read about Content Adaptive Backlight Control causing similar things on XPS 13, but this shouldn't happen on the XPS 15? Is it normal?

2. The sound is vibrating almost identical, but not as bad as this -
It's there all the time regardless of volume or Dell audio preset turned on or off, i hear it mostly on windows sounds.

Updated to latest BIOS and drivers from DELL.

Cheers

 

I have the same issue you described in point 2. I doesn't know if it is possible to fix it, but for me at least the sound is not in the speaker - the sound is just causing the vibrations. If i lay my hand on the left side of the keyboard the vibrations goes away.

 

The screen brightness is to do with Dell Premier colour as it is using dynamic settings and either needs a profile setting as default or uninstalling.

Sound is fixed with a driver update along with toning down the Maxx Audio settings.

Make sure you are on the latest BIOS as well.

 

I set the black level as +2, contrast -2 and grey scale +2 with ARGB space in PremierColor and that improves the displaying of dark things.

 

Tried to do my own profile setting (set as default) in Premier Colour but brightness is changed to "23" no matter what i do after sleep every time. Uninstalling is the only thing that worked but ashame because i still want Premier Color installed.

Would be grateful if you could show me which audio driver. I've tried the latest (from dell page), the latest on the realtek page was a bit older so didn't try that because Dell had a newer version.
Toning down and even turning Maxx Audio off didn't change much. I strongly believe there is something worng with the hardware reading other threads on the similar topic.
Thanks.

 

I am using the latest from Dells page.

 

Hi there,

Just got my XPS 15 2 days ago and I noticed something weird with the USB. I plugged in my Corsair K70 RGB, and it started to have power even though the laptop is off. I already disabled the USB Powershare feature in the BIOS, but it remains to be powered. Did I miss some other settings? Thanks.

 

Poweshare will only turn off the USB on battery I think.

I found my phone got no power on the left USB but it did on the right on AC and turned off.

 

Hello, it´s me Watergate once again. Today I have received a brand new machine as a Swap. I´m glad since I have not had any errors or defects. Complete new fresh installed Windows 10 Pro after a total wipe and format. F I N A L L Y my computer works! Have a nice weekend!

 

Thanks for the reply.

Problem is, mine has the Powershare on the BIOS disabled, and it's on battery. I haven't tried charging any devices, but for sure it has power since the Corsair keyboard lit up.

 

I envy you so much!

 

Oh boy, just noticed another problem. I have a "whine" noise whenever I plugged a USB C device. Not the "coil whine" noise from the power adapter as noted in the 1st page. This one is definitely coming from the USB C plug. Anyone tried this?

 

Been noticing that during gaming the CPU will suddenly decide to downclock at 1600mhz and won't go higher until I tell throttlestop to set 100% clock modulation and x35 multiplier. May be after the laptop wakes from sleep/DC power.

 

You are right. I just took back the system from DELL and its still not fixed. Can't believe I've owned this laptop for nearly four months and can't get it to work properly even once.
Can you give me a list of "to-dos" to fix this issue once and for all?

 

Is anyone having BSOD issues related to the Dell/Broadcom WiFi card? I have two 9550s and my i7/512 SSD/960m/1080P model has started having several BSODs related to the Broadcom driver (it also has issues with the 960m, but disabling it/blocking Windows from updating it in GP is a working band-aid).

I was getting page_fault errors, so I updated it to newest Dell driver/newest BIOS late last week. Seemed to be working ok, but after applying an update to Windows this morning, now it's pissed again with system_thread_exception errors constantly. Is there a better generic Broadcom driver I should be running? Is this card defective? I haven't had this issue with my other 9550.

edit: found that the Dell 1830 is really a Broadcom BCM43XAC but searching Station Drivers/Google only turned up drivers that are older than the official Dell release. I've also temporarily fixed the issue (hopefully) by disabling power save in Device Manager

 

Really tired of this crap:

YES I have disabled wake on pattern match/magic packet/turned off all wake timers/disarmed devices.

I cannot have my laptop wake up from sleep and kill its battery. This is not ok.

 

Are your ATA controllers activated in BIOS? If I remember correctly, I had issues with sleep when disabling them (crash after sleep & random wakeup).

 

Interesting. I disabled both SATA drives because they're not used.

 

It was actually not my finding. Somebody else here pointed it out and it was working for me.

 

Anyone else having problems installing the Dell Premier Color app? They re-released it (same version number) about a week ago. Installer now fails with an error. Extract option also fails to extract. Anyone else seeing this?
File is sourced here: http://www.dell.com/support/home/ca/en/cabsdt1/product-support/product/xps-15-9550-laptop/drivers
Many thanks.

 

Cheers. I'll try it tomorrow. I know I had this problem before without disabling the sata ports, but I also didn't disable the pattern match stuff on the Wi-Fi card. I suspect it's a variety of things which lead to this dangerous and unacceptable behaviour

 

Dell Repair Service and my story with the XPS 9550 so far ...

tl:dr;
don't buy !!! you are rolling the dice ...

I realize that not everybody has issues with the 9550. I say that because my story might sound very negative.
So I checked back here to see whether it was just me, but I found that all the issues I had also concerned others ... so here is my story:

Got the XPS 9550 brand new end of January.
Audio was distorting heavily. Reinstalled Windows. Reinstalled Drivers, Firmware, Bios.
Distortion got less extreme, but was still there... First I thought it is just like that, but I wanted to keep the machine for a long time so ...
Called Dell: They told me to reinstall Windows and Drivers. Did that. No change. This time they took the unit in.
Sent unit in the first time: they replaced the speakers (I chatted with the techs, they were broken) AND
for whatever reason they replaced SSD and mainboard.

Got the XPS 9550 back the first time.
Audio wasn't distorting anymore, but I consistently got Bluescreens (Critical Process died, kernel inpage error).
Sometimes the computer crashed and a loud buzzing noise (can you believe that) came out of the keyboard.
I also noticed the spacebar wasn't working properly (sticky) and the charger was buzzing.
Called Dell. They told me to reinstalled Drivers. Reinstalled Drivers, Firmware, Bios. It didn't fix it.
Called Dell. They told me to reinstall Windows and reinstall Drivers. Reinstalled Windows and Drivers. Still BSODs.
Called Dell. They said that they believe that they unfortunately installed a faulty mainboard into my computer and that they are sorry.
Sent unit in the second time: I wrote to the technicians and told them everything I had tried and that they should test the new setup by just running Windows for 30 min please.
They swapped the keyboard and the charger.

Got the XPS 9550 back the second time.
Got BSODs immediately (10min) after opening, made a video about it.
The new spacebar of the new keyboard is waaay worse and the case now has a sharp edge on the front side where the aluminium meets the carbon.
Called Dell (this time very angry, I admit). After loudly arguing on the phone.
(Why do you send it back with the exact flaw for which I sent it in. Answer: Dell Repair is just responsible for Hardware Problems.)
They convinced me to reinstalled Drivers again and the new Bios Update (April).
Reinstalled the drivers and Bios, but it didn't fix it, still BSODs.
Called Dell. They take it in again ...
Sending unit in tomorrow ...

 

Hi, I have the same issue with my xps 9550. Updated bios 01.02.00, reinstalled the windows and driver, but at this time i got 6 times BSODs for today.

 

Ask for a refund, if they refuse tell them you will request the cash back from whatever method you paid with as it isn't fit for purpose. Or replace it with a new one, not a refurb.

 

The very dark side of a very good machine. This is exactly why, even though my space bar on both machines is sticky and all too often either jumps a space or doesn't space at all, I am reluctant to return the machines to Dell and will probably wait until the warranty has nearly run out.

Along the same line, I finally got around to trying out a modern game and now understand what many here are talking about as far as the loud cooling fan goes. Since I wear headphones while gaming (better sound than the built in speakers and no one else in the house complaining) I don't hear it until I quit the game. Even then, the fan cycles down very quickly, so for me at least, its not much of an issue.

Hope things work out for you. GoNz0 is right. Don't let them wear you down.

 

Hello fellow XPS-ers!

I am new to this forum so I'm not sure if this is the right protocol of doing things but here goes...
I received my laptop this morning and so far there really don't seem to be any of the major issues mentioned on the first page. I know it's still way to early to tell especially since I've not used it much.
However, I have already received one BSOD, and I don't know why. I was reading up about the stuff I have to update and all of a sudden - everything was blue.
The other issue that I've noticed is that the fans will start up when I'm browsing. Again, I haven't run anything intensive on this machine yet so I don't know how it will hold up and react then, but there really doesn't seem to be any need for the fans to start up like that when I'm viewing web pages - not even watching videos or listening to music! I did not notice this happening when I was unplugged, but I did hear it a few times when it was plugged in for charging. I haven't noticed it between any % range - 40 to 90 - or anything of that sort. I noticed it when the laptop was at 100% charge and plugged in.

Is this a common issue? Is it even an issue? If anyone has any insight on this I would greatly appreciate it!

My configuration is as follows:
i7 | FHD | 8gb RAM | 256 GB NVMe SSD | 960M 2GB | Win 10 Home

BIOS version is 01.01.19

I ordered this laptop on the 12th of April and received it today (20th of April)

I haven't updated anything except for the nVidia update that showed up. I don't really know if it was a driver update or just a software update. (right about now I'm not even sure if they're different things)

Looking forward to your replies, solutions and suggestions!

 

Sit down and start reading, you have a lot of catching up to do.

 

Thanks for the support GoNz0, Mike Bravo, toan . Really appreciate it.

Could anybody help me once more, do you think there is a way to consistently "make" the Bluescreen? I might have to prove my Situation (see below).
I'm thinking of some sort of stress test tool ...

parts of my case that might be important to you:
(this scenario is happening in Europe)
if you bought the 9550 and you get the slightest problem, return the device immediatly to the dealer. If you claim your warranty with the manufacturer (Dell), then the dealer can argue that the manufacturer might have caused problems and you lost your claim to get a new device, because Dells warranty does not oblige them to give you a new unit, whereas within the dealers return policy you have that right. I'm not saying it is impossible, but it makes the situation way harder for you. This is especially important, because Dells "repair"-process can, as I have expierenced, itself introduce problems, which nullifies the claim to return it to the dealer... And suddenly you are in a difficult situation.

So since I made the mistake of claiming my warranty. I am in a complicated hassle right now...

 

Just got my replacement laptop & everything works great however my some of my keyboard keys are unresponsive. It has issues where pressing on the edge of the key will fail to register even though the keys "click" down. I compared it to my other Dell XPS 15 9550 laptop and it doesn't have that issue at all. Anyone else having this issue? I contacted Dell Support & they want to send a on-site tech but should I just ask for another replacement laptop?

 

If you read through this forum (which you should if you intend to keep your 9550) you'll find many issues with the keyboard especially the spacebar. The consensus opinion here seems to be not to let Dell techs touch your problem laptop, but insist on a 'new' replacement.

 

+1

 

I had these problem with the audio (the issue that whenever you plugged headphones, the audio would die forever). After some complains with Dell via Twitter messages (yes), they sent a technician to my house and they replaced the Motherboard (ouch...). However, i have to say that my problem was fixed and the rest seems to be working decently well. So I cant complain. only weird thing Is if I strongly press/push the case in the zone close to the enter, it does a noise as if I was bending something . Hard to explain and kind of weird, but I can live with it I guess.

 

First post

I purchased the base model xps15 back in November and was pretty happy with it and in January I started getting the screen go black issue so I called dell and they told me I have to send it in. I was not happy with that option but I sent it in anyway, the process took about an week and they replaced the mb. I fired up the unit and it worked fine, no black screen issue.

So I take it to work the next day and press the power button and nothing, no power. I know it was fully charged so it wasn't the battery.

Took it home and plugged the charger in and it turned on but........I got some warning and it shut down and it never turned back on after that lol

At this point I was like wtf and called dell again (67th time) and they told me it was they need to replace the mb again and I have to send it back lol.

So I made arrangements to have it picked up but they called me back and wanted to send an onsite tech instead...fine with me

Few days pass and nothing I get an call from Dell telling me the part is on back order lol and for an few months

So now I'm about the blow up on them.

The problem with them was they didn't know I work across Dells headoffice! I went to receiption and demanded to speak with the president lol I was loud and they even called security.....

Long story short after 3 months they upgraded me to the highest model and gave me extra warranty.

Can't complain went from base model matte screen to 4K touch....

 

Not sure if I should post this here, but I have a WD15 docking station with my XPS 15 and for some reason after a while my mouse stops working.
I tried to switch it to another USB in the WD15 and same problem. (it works for a while)

I also tried to switch with my keyboard and then my keyboard stops. If I plug it in the XPS 15 directly it works. but don't know what to do ?

 

I just asked for an upgraded model number and they gave it me without question!

 

I'm having some issues with the Intel graphics and Firefox. There are occasional graphic glitches in the toolbars and HTML5 videos from Youtube sort of "stutter" (it looks like "micro-rewinds") when fullscreen. When I set it so that the Nvidia GPU is used for Firefox instead, there are no glitches, but I believe that this results in higher thermals. The issues is also not present in Chrome, Edge or when using a Flash video player.

I had this issues with older drivers and I upgraded to fairly recent ones and hoped that they would resolve these issues. What are the experience of other people? Is there an alternative fix?