My XPS 1645 reboots randomly

I constantly monitor my heat temps and they never exceed 60 degrees even when gaming with this custom profile.

I have these problems while my system is running at 45 degrees just after booting.

 

A Dell tech came out and replaced my motherboard and the hard drive (just as a precaution) today. I am currently reloading all of my software and have yet to have any issues. I'll update if something goes wrong.

 

Not even 24 hours have passed and I got the dreaded Event ID 41 kernel error. I was sitting here in class running a virtual server / client in VMWare and my machine shut down. Time to call Dell and do some more ing I guess.

 

What did Dell suggest next?

I have tried updating bios (from a11 to a12) and have updated all my drivers, but still getting it every day. I am really reluctant to start going the Dell service route as from previous experience it starts with having to do things you've already done yourself - reinstall windows, run diagnostics for hours on end etc, and then just ends with randomly changing parts and then giving up and replacing the system.

 

Dell wants me to ship my system to them this week. I have expressed my concerns and doubt that they will find anything.

 

I have found a couple of things to try. Usually my system just reboots randomly with no BSOD. But sometimes I get the blue screen first with a windows 7f error code. Having done some searches, two possibilities turn up. One is to try a microsoft hotfix:
Stop error message when you run an application that transfers data by using the UDP protocol in Windows Server 2008 R2 or in Windows 7: "STOP 0x0000007F"

And the other is to uninstall zone alarm or any third party firewall which apparently can cause this issue with 64 bit windows 7.

I am trying the hotfix first. I have installed it and will wait and see now.

 

Anyone have a problem of it rebooting and hanging on the windows loading screen with the hard drive making sort of a crackling noise and beeping intermittently? Is that a sign of the hard drive failing or something else?

 

Not heard of that issue before. You should definitely start a new thread, if you haven't already, as most people won't check this thread unless they are having this specific problem. Hope you manage to sort it.

4 days later and still no reboots since I installed the microsoft patch. I know it is still early days, but 4 days is the longest I have gone without reboots or bsod before.

 

My system hasn't done it in over almost a week and I am supposed to send it to Dell tomorrow. I hope they don't look at it and think I am crazy or hallucinating.

 

Figured it out, the hard drive crapped out. Just in the nick of time too, only 6 days left in the warranty and will be getting a new hard drive and webcam.

 

This random reboot problem is not heat or stress related. As others have experienced, my laptop will reboot while sitting idle with nothing running.

But I have something interesting to report. Since I started this thread back in October I've probably only experienced 5 or so reboots.

However I upgraded my hard drive yesterday from the standard 5400RPM Seagate 640Gb to a 7200RPM Seagate 500Gb hybrid.

Since then I have had 2 reboots. I've never had that many reboots so close together.

Since a 7200RPM drive would draw more power than a 5400RPM drive I wonder if this problem could be power supply related?

Interesting that somebody has noted that only i7 with 8Gb RAM owners appear to be affected.

I can see this problem getting more annoying for me since before I could go weeks and weeks without a reboot.

Really hope Dell can get to the bottom of this. I guess I'll have to call them again to update my case with my latest development. I just hope they dont insist I put my old drive back.

Greetings from Australia

 

I finally received my XPS back from sending it in to Dell. I have no idea what they did since the repair worksheet only states "Other" for the description. Tomorrow I may call Dell to find out what the problem was. No problems thus far. When I sent the unit in, I included a two page report about every problem I was having, solutions I have tried and things for them to check. My Event Viewer shows two critical failures while my computer was in their possession so at least I proved I wasn't hallucinating.

I was talking to some of my professors at school and they said it sounded like an issue that was somehow hardware related. Perhaps an incompatibility with the combination of a 64-bit OS, the MOBO and the 8GB of RAM. I know for a fact that I never had any issues until I upgraded to dual 4GB chips (through Dell, for the warranty) a few months ago.

My warranty is up in about 80 days and I am debating on whether to extend it at this point.

 

What's so frustrating in my case is I can go days without a reboot, then have 2 within an hour. I can leave it on all day long with no issues, then I sit down to write a paper and as soon as I go to save, it reboots. A few times it did it while ripping a DVD. I went out to have a smoke and came back to the logon screen.

My only complaints with the system are, the unpredictability of it and fingerprints. I only have control over one of these things.

 

That's interesting. I have dual 4Gb chips in mine too (original Hynix from Dell).

Maybe it has something to do with the way the 1656 handles dual channel memory. How long did you have the unit for before you upgraded to dual 4Gb sticks?

(And of course my unit hasn't spontaniously rebooted again since my last post. )

 

I bought the laptop in March and upgraded the RAM in August or September.

 

Definitely looking like it is linked to the 8gb ram.

I installed a different copy of windows 7 and put on all the latest drivers from the thread on here. For the last week I had decided that it might have been some sort of software or driver issue as I was problem free. But, half an hour ago it happened again.

This is driving me up the wall. I really don't want to have to send the system to Dell. I haven't even told them I have been having a problem yet, as I can't face the nonsense on the phone.

 

That's what I thought at first and did the same thing you did. As far as contacting Dell, I would do so immediately. They are definitely aware that there is an issue, even if they don't share their concerns with the general public. If nothing else, at least your problems will be documented.

 

As I type this, Dell is RDP'ing my 1645 trying to figure up why today, after nearly 2 weeks of perfect behavior, my computer started acting up again. Two Event ID 41's within a hour. And of course, this happened in class at the worst possible moment.

 

Will be very interested to hear what they have to say rollerchicken.

Maybe suggest that they replace your 2 x 4Gb RAM sticks with 2 x 8Gb (for testing of course )

 

They were convinced it was the USB drivers. The tech reinstalled the drivers for the USB's and the motherboard. I told them this wasn't the issue since I have personally done this three times (when I reinstalled the OS on three different occasions within 5 days of each other) and when they replaced the HDD with a factory imaged one that included all up to date drivers.
An hour after getting off the line with tech support, it crashed again. I then wrote a very angry 2 page letter to anyone at Dell I had an email for. I just got off the phone with someone from tech support and they are going to try replacing the motherboard again as well as a new power supply. If that doesn't work, they will look into a system replacement.

 

I am having the same issues as others and I do NOT have 8GB. I have the Dell Studio XPS 1645 Bios A12 with i7 720 @ 1.60 GHz, 256 GB Samsung SSD, 6GB, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730, Win7 64 Ultimate. I attach to a TV using the HDMI but my reboots have happened while not being attached as well. I am experiencing TOTALLY RANDOM reboots even while the system is just sitting overnight with NO Use... This is happening on average 2 to 3 times a day.

 

Just had my motherboard replaced for the second time an it hasn't even been 2 hours since the tech left. I have already had two BSOD's. I am currently running stress tests and trying to replicate a shut down while capturing it on video to prove my sanity.

 

Turn off "automatically restart" under advanced system settings -> startup and recovery

 

And what is the point of doing that? It doesn't solve any of the issues with the system.

There may be light at the end of this tunnel for me. Someone from the "executive branch" will be in contact soon about replacing the system. What I'll be getting exactly remains to be seen. My guess would be the XPS 15 but who knows.

 

I have been getting the same. Have basic 4G. All Dell tests fine, temp etc.
I was kind of convinced it would only BSOD when wirelessly connected to internet ( I get a few a day at random usually when connected) I suspected the 1397 card but have recently had it with direct connection. I will try the MS hotfix and then take off zonealarm. Then its a deep breath and onto Dell - unless anyone got any futher?? I thought the A12 made it better - none for 2 days - then 3 an an hour when I wasnt even using it. Always a:

BCCode: 7f
BCP1: 0000000000000008
BCP2: 0000000080050031
BCP3: 00000000000006F8
BCP4: FFFFF80002A8CE58
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0


Sigh.... may well be my last Dell - and I have had 6
Product: 768_1

 

What that does is lets the laptop sit at the bluescreen so you can write down the error codes and/or take a picture of it for proof before the laptop restarts itself.

 

I get the BSOD info after the restart by clicking on more info. I have also been down the debugging route and looking at the dmp files - but it points to the windows kernel and the consensus was that it could be anything - likely usb hardware - but I get it with no external devices plugged in.

Very annoying for an expensive laptop. AND the blueray writer is a rip-locked piece of crap

Just run the hotfix and will see how I go

 

Well I know I will regret this post but I have had no problems since applying the MS Hot fix. I have been geet giving it some stress too.... so fingers crossed

 

From the sound of it, I will be getting a pretty loaded XPS 15 as a replacement. I am still waiting to get a report of the specs.

 

Thanks for the update rollerchicken - please keep us posted. If mine takes to BSODing again I will be onto Dell. But it is sooo painful going through their scripts and having to do stuff you know is nothing to do with the problem. I too imaged mine back to factory, updated drivers and left it at that - it still BSODd

Hopefully the A12 + hotfix had done the trick - it was OK again all day today (there I go again - tempting fate

 

Are all people with this problem getting a BSOD before it reboot?

Mine doesn't "blue screen", it just reboots.

 

MY BSOD problems were from USB bug code errors (pretty rare occurrences) and after this last motherboard replacement, processor thread malfunctioning (completely new).

My reboots were just random shut downs with no warning before this. It seems the problem got worse whenever Dell tried fixing it. Perhaps people are confusing BSOD's with the random reboot symptom.

 

I think they are.

I've never had BSOD's, just the random reboots with no warning.

I haven't spoken to Dell support for a few months. Maybe I should touch bases

 

I would. If worse comes to worse, at least there will be records to prove your case.

 

Mine were always BSOD - memory dump - restart.

Very ocasionally I would get a freeze and lock up forcing me to power down - but none of those either since the MS hotfix

 

Hi, I've been reading this thread as I have been getting the same thing happening on my XPS 15. I can get anywhere from 10-15 shutdowns with a black screen a day or none at all for a week or two!!

Gonna try the hotfix and hope for the best, the info in this thread has been really helpfull, I'll post back to let you know if the hotfix works for me.

 

Well, I just received my XPS 15 replacement for my 1645. So far so good. Not as sexy as the 1645 but I guess I can live with it. I'll be shipping the 1645 back in the next day or so, after I have wiped the drive.

 

Bugger bugger bugger.

After weeks of no reboots, tonight it rebooted twice without warning. Once while I just had email open and typing a message. The second time while I was away from the laptop and it had nothing open.

And again both times, no error message, no BSOD, just blink and it reboots.

 

I called back in October last year so hopefully they still have notes recorded.

Reboots are happening about once every two weeks now but last two days I've had something different. The screen just goes blank and I have to hold the power button down to force it to shut down.

 

What's your current status basildownunder?

I am still getting a reboot every 2 weeks or so. When I get time I am going to try and go through this thread and chase up everyone who had the problem to see if anyone got it resolved.

 

I haven't had a single reboot for a month.

Hope I'm not tempting fate by admitting that

Only significant change was installing SP1 to Windows 7 a couple of weeks ago but I already hadn't had a reboot for a couple of weeks before that.

 

Cheers for the quick response.

I have been meaning to install sp1, so will give it a go.

It's frustrating though, because every time you go 3 weeks without a reboot, you think it is done with, and then there it goes again.

Just checked event viewer and the dates for my critical reports for event id 41, kernel power ... since January were:

31/1/2011
6/2/2011
7/2/2011
23/2/2011
10/3/2011.

 

Hi guys, I'm also having the same problem here but my system is 6gb memory...

I'm not getting as frequent reboot as you guys but it still annoying. I've updated all drivers and windows but still rebooting. Anyone has a solution yet?

I'm in the middle of constant contact with Dell support right now.

 

Not sure how helpful this will be to you but I haven't had a single reboot since installing SP1

 

Sadly the service pack hasn't helped me. 3 reboots in the last week.

I am holding off getting in touch with Dell as it is my only computer at the moment and I have too much installed on the sytem and rely on it for work. As soon as I get the chance, I will take it up with them.

 

Hi, is there any news about this issue? I just realised recently Dell updated the bios to A13. Does that help? Or more issues?

 

Another reason i got my 1645 replaced with an XPS 15

 

Havent been here for some time; my apologies. Mine is still doing it but it is rather infrequent and not causing me huge heartaches ...

My last reboot was on the 2nd of April and SP1 went on on the 13th of March. I am going to leave it for a time but I think the only resolution is to replace the motherboard as I have nearly tried everything else. The alternative is to perhaps see what happens if I try and cool it down to see whether it a heat issue.

Not sure whether the A13 bios update will resolve anything. Details around this are around something unrelated; lojack malfunction.

 

Well the Easter Bunny just delivered me a little present.

My first reboot in 2 months !

 

I've been getting the same problems since day 1 of owning my laptop. Is it possible to fix this problem without having to fully re-install Windows?