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

addendum: GODDAMMIT.

started installing some apps: Kaspersky, then work apps like Adobe CC.

1. started the Adobe CC install. got a message from the installer saying something like "it looks like your computer is scheduled for a reboot, do you want to continue?" -- this was after the computer was idle. maybe Windows was updating something in the background?

2. so i restarted, which got me the white screen and "no hard drive found" error. grrr.

3. restarted again (again stalling at DELL screen), once on desktop i saw two windows pop up and disappear very quickly. so this would appear that yes, Windows WAS doing something int he background?

4. installed Adobe CC. tried to fire up Photoshop for the first run and then got a system error blue screen, saying it was collecting error data, and would then restart. during the restart, stalled at the DELL screen again

5. back to desktop, tried to start Photoshop, and blue screen again

reference, as noted above:
- using the NVMe Samsung driver
- Intel RST not installed

go figure. but i gotta get to work, don't have time for Windows to be so finicky! i can't even open my work apps.

 

Latest nvidia drivers cause a BSOD when launching PS CC, grab the previous version.

 

oh man. that's messed up. thanks for the heads up!

 

Interesting. We did the install almost the same on my previous install except for the BIOS settings (secure boot: off), Dell PremierColor (didn't install this due to constant added cpu load) & O&O ShutUp.

I have another question if you wont mind.
Secure boot - off, is it UEFI or Legacy?
Do you see "Firmware" under your device manager?

 

First time on here and posting so go easy folks. I have the misaligned aluminum / carbon rubber issue as well as the crackling speaker issues. I sent it to a Dell repair facility and I've been waiting. I made a video about the misalignment.
Also, battery life is dismal. Like 4 hours with light use ... i.e. browsing and music. Not sure on the success rate, but if it comes back less than fully repaired I will press for a full replacement ... New, not refurbished.

 

UEFI, secureboot is off. i turned it back on once all the drivers were installed in Windows.

and don't see "firmware" in dm -- but where are you looking specifically?

i ditched the Samsung driver, and am using the latest Intel RST now. it's been a few hours, and no BSOD and no "you paid $3000 CAD for this notebook, but i can't find your SSD" message

 

I might try reinstalling with UEFI secure boot off next time to see if it fix the reboot bug.

Makes sense because it didn't show up on device manager when I did the fresh install thus why I reinstalled again on RAID mode.

That's new. Never heard Samsung Pro driver causing BSOD. Were you doing any specific task that's caused the BSOD? I prefer this driver over Intel because it yields better CDM result and I have zero BSOD (fingers crossed)

 

wasn't doing anything of note besides installing apps, running them for the first time. nothing heavy, wasn't saving files, or doing any work.

for now i'm sticking to stock Dell (minus bloatware) as much as possible. this is a great box, but obviously there are software issues that still need to be ironed out between the OS, BIOS and drivers. the AHCI / BIOS reboot issue is something that we as consumers cannot (nor should we be expected to) solve. annoying, but it's not a deal breaker.

i might give another clean install a shot later, but for now, i just need a stable box so i can shift my workflow to this thing.

 

It is a problem with the latest Nvidia drivers and the latest Photoshop update. The recommended temporary fix is:



Go to : C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 >> Look for Sniffer.exe >> Move the file to Desktop or rename it.

Launch Photoshop

 

thx, good tip. i just reverted to the previous driver set from Nvidia as GoNz0 suggested. seems to work fine now.

 

okay. it's been almost 48hrs or so of up-time, i've installed all my key apps, and also successfully filed the first deadline-based work from the 9550. been happy to report that besides the restart bug, i have had ZERO issues. to summarize, as it stands now:

1. Windows 10 Home
2. 500GB M.2
3. BIOS 1.1.15
4. AHCI
5. no Samsung NVMe drivers

- SecureBoot off during installation (though now, that i think about it, it really shouldn't have anything to do with it, yes? because Windows 10 is an "authorized" OS, it should be fine to just leave this setting on all the time, amirite?)

- performed a clean install from USB, ran O&O, then installed drivers according to Dell's recommended sequence

- besides an older nVidia driver (for compatibility with Adobe PS) and the latest Intel RST (using the full installation package, downloaded from Intel's site), all other drivers are supplied from Dell

YMMV conclusion:

1. Samsung NVMe drivers + 951 = evil, and should be avoided. installation resulted in several BSODs and missing hard drive msgs. since i ditched them and used only Intel RST, system has been rock solid.

2. Dell's installation sequence doesn't make much sense, but it certainly doesn't impact system stability, either. fwiw: i've read that Dell Premier Color sucks up RAM, but at this moment it's using only 13.3MB. that was the first program to be installed.

 

Samsung nvme drivers specifically state for the 950 pro only
Intel RST isn't needed unless you have the 32gb cache drive and a platter 2.5" drive running the SSD as a cache drive

and if you are in AHCI mode then they serve no purpose anyway

 

I've found Intel RST to be more stable than AHCI with the PM951.

 

good point, and what i thought originally as well. but then i came across some info saying the AHCI driver and RAID driver = the same

i can't find the link/info i'm actually thinking of, but this was the line of thinking (despite it being several years old),

https://communities.intel.com/thread/12195?start=0&tstart=0

the confusing thing (well, one of them) is that Dell makes no mention of RAID or AHCI on the driver page, stating only that the driver is for SATA drives. so is it possible it's a "universal" driver?

eh, i dunno. except that my system is running very smoothly and i'm getting work done.

 

I use it on my games rig to deal with the raid drives, couldn't use it on my 9530 as it breaks e-drive encryption. It has so many bugs!

 

Sorry i'm new here and not sure how to use quote or reply!!

I just got the XPS 15 9550 i7,16,4k with the 512gb with windows pro

Everything was working well at the beginning with the 1.0.7 bios and the factory drivers but since i updated the bios to 1.1.15, i can't restart anymore, it did worked randomly 2 or 3 times but that's all.

I'm also having randomly BSOD but most of times, it has to be when i listen to video on youtube and also working on stuff while youtube plays in background!

Also, after i did the bios update to 1.1.15. dell recommended to reset to default the bios settings which i did but it turned my ssd to RAID on and the computer wont start since i get that message ''inaccesible boot drive'' so i swicthed back to ACHI

I'm just wondering how did you do to ditch the samsung driver and use RST instead?

Would you mind to post your steps?

Thank you

 

I had to re-install Windows X after updating to 1.1.15. Prior bios update, i had installed Windows X under AHCI.
1.1.15 works perfectly with RAID and only RAID.

 

Do you have the 512gb or 1gb pm951?

 

yeah, the whole RAID/ACHI/NVMe/RST drivers thing is pretty bonkers. it seems each person has a slightly different result depending.

you can uninstall the Samsung driver via Settings > System > Apps & Features. it should show up as "Samsung NVMe Driver" or some such, if i'm remembering correctly.

download the latest Intel RST driver from here:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25165/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-RAID-Driver

i used the SetupRST.exe version of the driver package.

 

My xps15 arrives tomorrow. I'll admit I read only a few reviews before ordering. But now reading this thread I'm scared. I've never heard of a brand new laptop having so many potential problems (especially with drivers). I mean doesn't Microsoft/dell test with their latest and greatest chipsets/hardware? Here's hoping for the best. How's dell if I want a refund due to problems rather than attempting to fix it?

 

Well it's a good computer and it's still pretty early to be scared but it's sad that we have to pay so much to have to deal with so much problems

I think dell has a restocking fee and I'm not sure if they consider all those problems a good reason to get refund

 

@Fant

I was in the same boat as yourself, except my lappy arrived 2 days after the 1.1.15 bios release. First thing I did was install that bios (from the Dell site) before installing any of the windows updates etc. (I had it waiting on a USB stick and didn't let the laptop connect to any network until it was installed).

To date I have had 3 BSOD which I am 99% sure were caused by my DisplayLink setup (multi monitors via usb 3.0).

I found my C drive was constantly at 100% usage - which was due to some combination of chrome + skype - the following fixed it: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...-0ed0-4855-b9b8-05b9499533e2?tm=1439732422386

I do have some coil whine (more like chatter) when plugged in, but not enough for me to call dell (yet).

I haven't switched from RAID->AHCI even though I only have the single 512SSD (but that will change if I end up installing dual boot linux - currently living with it in Hyper-V (I am running pro).

IOW this lappy is pretty much "just working"

 

agreed. definitely not "polished" when released.

part of this is the state of Windows X and drivers, but QC has been issue with some ppl for sure. DELL makes a tonne of these things so there's bound to be a few duds. fwiw: no squeaky space bar, coil whine, cracking speakers, flickering, light bleed, or sharp aluminum edges here.

imo: it's totally worth running through a few hoops to get the 9550 up to speed. it's totally stable, hella fast, is a Sexy Beast (never gets old looking at this AdobeRGB 4K screen), rocks Windows X (when you rip out all the telemetry crap).

sure, i can't "restart", but that's not the end of the world, and DELL should hopefully have it fixed with the next BIOS.

 

Hey, I had a Dell XPS 15 L521x. That was an irredeemable pile of junk, the cooling is so underspecced that it can only cool the computer properly with the Nvidia GPU disabled and I had 3 different serious build quality issues. It was so bad they just shipped me a replacement, which was even worse. I don't think they ever fixed that model. I'm glad I didn't have to return this one, I really like it.

 

New problems I've begun to experience on both of my XPS 15 FHD/16GB/512GB models -

- Sometimes very, very slow to shut down. After a slow shut down it doesn't boot fully, just a black screen with a cursor and some response to commands like Windows P, but you ultimately have to hold power and reboot.

- Won't detect external displays every time if they are hooked up prior to booting. Have to unplug and replug several times to get external displays to recognize. Applies to both USB-C and HDMI ports.

- Crashes in software, but who knows if that is Windows 10 or not. Lots of Critical Process Failure. Tried both AHCI and RAID.

Very frustrated with these laptops. I'm in a line of work where I can't have crashing computers. These just aren't cutting it.

 

I have my XPS 15 now for one week ( UHD, 1 TB SSD, 16 GB RAM ) , just want to give my experience. I'm running dual boot Windows 10 pro / Ubuntu 15.10. I use GRUB to manage the dual boot.

First thing I did is switch to a AHCI and did a clean install of Windows 10 pro to get rid of the dell bloatware. I also upgraded to the latest BIOS. I'm using the Dell drivers for the Nvidia GPU / Intel IGPU. I had a lot of BSOD. As many XPS 15 owners, I installed the Samsung 950 PRO nvme drivers and did not have a singe BSOD since. No clue if it is a good idea to use the 950 pro drivers with a PM951 SSD but it seems to work fine. At least these BSOD ( CRITICAL_PROCESS , STORE exception ) do not happen anymore. I also had once the message during booting ( Dell diagnostic ) that there was a problem with the SSD. Only had it once, diagnostic did not show a problem.
I still have the problem that the reboot does not work because of the PRO 950 drivers, cold boot works fine. When booted in Ubuntu and rebooting, I do not have this issue. Rebooting works just fine in Ubuntu.

I'm also hooked up to an external monitor using usb-type c alternate mode. I use the google type c to displayport cable. Works fine most of the time Sometimes I have to unplug / plug the cable to get my external display working again if the system is idle for some time.

I had a couple of times the issue that my battery was drained while the laptop was in sleep mode, still need to figure out what is going on here.

I also installed Ubuntu 15.10 and upgraded to the latest kernel 4.4rc8. I'm using the NVIDIA drivers. Runs like a rocket, no crashes. NVIDIA prime also works ( switching between IGPU / Nvidia ). External monitor also works fine ( usb-c to displayport ). The Dell adapter ( ethernet, hdmi, ... ) seems to be working also in Ubuntu ( at least the ethernet, did not try USB / HDMI ).

Still need to give it some more time to have a final judgement. However, I can imagine some are not happy with it when you run in it in AHCI mode and you get BSODs all the time. I'm fine with it and I guess Dell will iron out the remainig issues over time.

This is my first Windows laptop in 10 years, I had Macbook pro's for the last 10 years.

 

Sounds like you need to refresh windows, for a start fast boot is probably going to be the reason it is slow to shut down while it saves the hibernation file.

 

I've reinstalled Windows multiple times, updated BIOS, etc etc etc etc etc. It's a never ending struggle with these laptops.

 

so my new xps 15 (1080p) is not showing any of the issues reported at the beginning of this thread ... I think there was a slight light bleed but I think it only shows up on full brightness and only on certain screens ... however when I put the laptop on the desk it looks like the front right doesn't sit flush on the table .. like the entire front rubber bottom on the left side is not touching the desk so when I put my palm down to type I can tell its pushing down. Not really a huge deal but of course those of us reading this thread would notice

 

My 1st has a screen defect, a rough line that is not dirt, my replacement arrived this morning with 2 marks under the panel, they are not stuck pixels due to the shape but dirt under the panel...

 

Hello,

I'm new here and received my XPS 15 (i7, 4k, 512) yesterday. I've read a lot about these model and now I want to perform a clean install of Win10, but I have a little problem: As soon as I boot from my usb drive in UEFI mode (it's equal if secure boot is on or off) I see the window where I can choose installation language and keyboard language, but the window is very very small and the "continue" button is not visible so I can't continue with the installation. The problem is that you can't make the window bigger, you can only move it around.
When I boot on legacy mode from the usb drive then the installation window has "normal" size and the font size is normal.
Can anyone please help me with this? I don't want to boot my installation from legacy mode when I can have UEFI. So how can I manage to resize the installation window?

Thanks!

 

use Alt+N it worked for me!

 

Thanks for your helping, alt+n doesn't work for me, but alt+w does! Maybe because of my german keyboard...

 

Guys I need some help here. I read that I should disable dell maxxaudio crap to save my speakers, so I did a clean install of windows, but I still have a Dell Audio thing on my status bar. How do I remove that?

 

I pressed enter :-|

 

Someone resolved this by gently flexing/twisting the base here.

 

Funny thing I noticed today... everytime I try to use dell support assist I get a different BSOD ( bad pool header, kernel security....). I installed it to check if everything was ok, but I uninstalled it now. Does anybody knows a good software for check if everything is ok?

 

I have an important issue. I got a XPS 15 (i7, 4k, 512) and the touch feature of my touchscreen has died. I don't have touchscreen driver in HID (Human Interface Driver) under Device Manager anymore and in the bios I don't have the setting to enable/disable touchscreen feature. It seems that my system doesn't recognize the touch screen feature at all.
I try to reflashing the bios and to install all the chipset driver taken from Dell's support site but nothing happens.
Does anyone have a similar issue? Is there someone that could help me fixing this?

 

Try to reflash the touchscreen firmware.

https://www.dell.com/support/home/u...-15-9550-laptop&languageCode=EN&categoryId=FW

 

Already tried but after launch the install a message came out saying 'It is not necessary to update the firmware'

 

This thing seems like buggy as hell! I was planning on purchasing it, but after reading about so many negative feedbacks, I am not sure whether it's worth it. Do you think guys I should wait another couple months until all things are ironed out or it's going to be same sh*t after 4-6 months?

 

What problems are you having? I only had BSOD's wile using the newest Nvidia driver or using Dell applications. So if I don't use them, no problems. The only issue that remains is while I'm connected to a bad network or router the Bluetooth goes crazy.

 

I haven't purchased the laptop yet. I've been following the XPS 15 thread for the last few months and still not sure whether or not I should get it. I bought Zenbook NX500 last January and was going to sell it and get this machine because of 1TB SSD/32GB RAM option. I never had any problems with my NX500, so I am rather hesitant getting the XPS now. Of course, not everyone who bought XPS 15had been affected by that. I figured perhaps I should wait another 4-7 months and then get it. Hopefully by then the bios/firmware will be all working fine or at least less ****ty that they are now.

 

As I already told you by some private message system I didn't know existed in tapatalk, phone dell as it doesn't work on the BIOS diagnostics so it is broken. Assuming you already reset the BIOS to defaults to rule that out but I would do that with Dell on the phone in case you can't get it to boot again, and no nothing personal but I won't offer to talk you through that on tapatalk as I am busy enough

 

Is anyone else having issues with the latest version of Premier Color being basically useless? The original version that came with the laptop (4k model) was great and switching between sRGB and Adobe RGB made a huge difference. I was experiencing the reported issue with the application hogging up huge amounts of the CPU and RAM, so I installed the latest version off of the XPS 15 driver page on Dell's website. Now when I switch color profiles in the app, absolutely nothing changes and turning on the app just adds a rose-y tint to the display. Skin tones in sRGB mode are way over-saturated for internet use, whereas before they were perfect - so it's clear the app isn't working like it should be anymore. Has anyone found a fix for this?

 

on my box, currently: Dell PremierColor is using 3.1MB of memory, and the Dell PremiereColor service is using 0.5MB, with a combined a grand total of 0% CPU. using the latest version.

i've set up two custom profiles, one for sRGB (which i've set as default) and another for AdobeRGB (when i need that in workflow). i think it works great. srsly, for my line of work this is pretty incredible. DELL, i salute you!!

i'm not getting a rosey tint at anytime. but yup, some colours in true sRGB will seem like they are oversaturated (reds, for example seem quite bright). not knowing your previous displays/gear, remember that the vast majority of displays cannot present sRGB and with colour accuracy. for instance, when i fire up this display in comparison with my ROG, MSI GT, and older Benq monitor the difference is SHOCKING. and pleasingly awesome.

maybe try to set up a few different colour space profiles, at the same brightness and temperature. open up an image with some interesting tones (say, a forest, with lots of greens), and then swap through the profiles. there's a subtle, but definite shift between AdobeRGB and sRGB that i notice.

 

Back to Dell both of my laptops go for (hopefully) repairs. There is so much I love about these computers, but I cannot deal with instability.

 

I dont use premier color, as i found it heating up my PCH temperatures according to HWInfo.

I just download the calibrated icc profile from notebookcheckreview and apply it, looks kind of yellowish at first, but got used to it now, looks really good.
Also kept things at aRGB since i dont use sRGB critical software.

 

actually have noticed one bug with the PremierColor app. from boot or sleep, it usually doesn't load with my "default" setting — typically it generates a random (lower) brightness setting.

 

Dell must be quiet, replacement order on the 1st, pre production on the 2nd, production on the 3rd and now shipped today.
3rd time lucky for me or another one with faults?