XPS 15 (Haswell) Owner's Lounge

My warranty premium is already expired (but in my country there is also a legal warranty of 2 years), on Dell website 2022 is referred to Dell Digital Delivery.

 

Thank you to the folks that replied back ref: my microphone issue. I feel rather stupid but the solution was to open the laptop and reseat the webcam/microphone cable! I hadn't noticed by webcam wasn't working either yet the microphone was detected (the processing circuitry I guess but not the actual microphone sensor which is attached to the screen).

 

I received my 8th system exchange today.
The first thing I did was perform a bios update.
It was a bit scary.
Just as it always has previously, the bios update program would freeze (a second or two) during various phases of its activity.
Also, the stupid Nvidia drivers crashed while the bios update was happening - again !!
Now that I recall - it seems like the video drivers crashing may have been what corrupted the bios update process on all my unsuccessful attempts.
While the video driver crash was happening the fans went fast, off, fast, off fast for 3 seconds, then off.
Thankfully a pop-up came on the system tray to say that the video drivers "recovered" - and also thankfully the bios update (seemed) to continue on.
The only glitch was when it was finished - it automatically tried to restart the pc.
Well, upon doing so, the whole laptop froze.
Great - I thought - another bricked machine ?!
I waited about 5 minutes to see if it would self-correct, and when it did not, I held down the power button to force it to shut off.
Upon starting it up, there seemed to be no issues.
I checked the Bios rev and it was now at a09 - so it must have worked, but BOY what a stressful exercise !!!

I just finished setting up the laptop with all my apps and files, etc.
It seems to be working ok.
The only issue it has is still with the backlight bleed in the corners and edges.
It is not as bad as my previous one - but still not acceptable, considering this is supposed to be a premium product.
But - my patience with this whole exercise is totally spent - for now - so I have decided to live with this imperfection for the time being.

I hope Dell does not (need) to release any further Bios updates - as I would hate to go through this again !

 

The thing is, unless somethings broken you do not need to update the BIOS, as this A09 had a windows 10 fix it would need doing anyway. As for backlight bleed I would live with it unless you want some inexperienced self employed tech fitting a 2nd hand one?

 

Does anybody know how to tighten the hinge? Just a tad of wobble I'd like to tighten out.

 

I just tried updating the bios from A08 to A09. I'm using Windows 10.
After completing the install process, I got a blue screen showing a problem with the video driver, and then the laptop rebooted. Now it r is stuck in a black screen, the power button is lit, and the fans are working at full power!! I can't turn it off at all, the power button isn't responding.
Is there anything I can do apart from waiting for the battery to drain ?
Any possible damage with the fans working all the time?
Thanks

 

Holding down the power button for 5 seconds should cause it to shut down. However, if it crashed while doing the BIOS update, there's a risk that the machine is bricked. When it rebooted, did you see the Dell logo?

 

I tried that but it didn't help, holding down the power button doesn't turn it off.
After reboot I didn't see a Dell logo.
I don't think it crashed as the bios update utility showed a successful and complete process.
The laptop fans have been working at full power with the power button lit for a few hours now. I don't think the cpu is working at all as it's not hot, but I'm afraid the fans might damage something.
I really don't know what do apart from waiting...

 

A few hours means it's bricked, you don't have to wait that long.

I posted that A08 to A09 caused me problems in win 8, but I was able to flash back to A08.

You might try the unbrick process someone posted a few pages back. Look for post #7687.

good luck.

 

I can't imagine the fans running full pelt for a long time should damage anything. Good luck. Fingers crossed.

 

You could remove the bottom and disconnect the battery to shut it off. That is what I have done on numerous occasions. Let us know if the unbrick process works for you.

Sent from my LG G4 via Tapatalk

 

The bloody laptop is bricked, totally bricked

I tried to go through the unbricking process, but it didn't work.I actually succeeded to get to the stage where the BIOS got updated once again, but after a reboot, the power button keeps flashing, and it got into a boot loop process where the laptop tries to boot each 20 seconds, but it immediately turns of after a second. The power button is flashing all the time.
i tried repeating the process , with the same results. It repeats the BIOS update once again and then the weird boot loop process begins.
Any ideas ??

 

My screen drastically drops in contrast when I unplug the power cable. Is there a setting that might be doing it?

 

I am having trackpad woes. Within about 2 months of owning the laptop, the mouse buttons began sticking (both left and right). I had a tech come out and replace it. The replacement is actually worse, since I went from the nicer rough surfaced track pad to the smooth surface track pad, and the same exact problem developed only weeks later.

So is this a trackpad issue or not? Would I be wasting my time requesting to have it replaced again, or is there something else causing the buttons to stick? Any suggestions?

 

adaptive brightness is probably set for battery and not AC.

Look in Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Power Options

 

What Bios version are you trying to flash now? If it's A09, then seriously dude wtf are you thinking. Try A08, hell keep going down the versions till one works.

 

Calm down. The method works ONLY with the version currently flashed, which in my case is A09. You should read the article.
I OBVIOUSLY tried flashing A08 just in case, but the laptop doesn't recognize it and the update process doesn't begin.

 

or, if that doesn't work... check the power savings in the Intel HD Graphics control panel. Some people have found that the "display power saving technology" causes contrast problems, so make sure that's disabled both for "plugged in" and "on battery".

 

This fixed it.

Nice one, thanks.

 

It's out on Intel website a new Windows 10 driver for Intel HD 4600:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/it/downloads/eula/25274/Intel-Iris-Iris-Pro-e-Grafica-HD-produzione-Driver-per-Windows-7-8-1-10?httpDown=https://downloadmirror.intel.com/25274/eng/win64_15407.4279.exe

There is even a new Windows 10 driver for Intel 7260 AC:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/it...ntel.com/25279/eng/Wireless_18.20.0_ e164.exe

 

Update :
So I contacted Dell, and they came to replace the mobo one day after I called. I was surprised they dealt with it so quickly, but unfortunately, after replacing the mobo the laptop didn't turn on at all! The technician said that the replacement mobo is also corrupt, and he had to order a new one. Obviously, they don't have another one in Stock, so now I have to wait at least one week until they get a new mobo !! So I'm stuck with a dead laptop for now that didn't even get into recovery mode as with the previous mobo.
Btw, he didn't know anything about the unbricking process mentioned earlier. He said that the only way to fix it is replacing the mobo...

 

of course he didn't, the only thing Dell about them is the job number.

 

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I just wanted to check in whether it was normal that the 'Get Windows 10' app still wasn't offering me an upgrade to Windows 10? I've done a force upgrade before (and subsequently downgraded when there was some licensing validation issue with my Office 365 account).

 

OK, I bought the HP Omen in the meantime, and I already regret not having a 4K screen. Otherwise the Omen is amazing however.

FullHD on 15" is just NOT enough these days, especially since I learned today that Microsoft is dropping ClearType (already has in the Edge Browser and in Modern Ui Windows apps). The "new" old Modern Ui greyscale antialiasing looks TERRIBLE on 15" with FullHD.

Since it seems that the only notebooks having 4K screen, touch, dedicated graphics and displayport are the HP Omen, Dell XPS and Asus Zenbook Pro, and given that the XPS has so many quality problems, I am considering returning the Omen and getting the Zenbook Pro

 

or maybe, you know, use another browser that supports ClearType and don't bother with any Metro apps or whatever they call them now.

 

Yeah, I do that. However and surprisingly, the Edge Browser, apart from not supporting ClearType, already beats the hell out of every other existing browser.

 

linking to a page on another site that list solely your own comments is less than convincing.

 

The Edge browser is convincing simply by trying it oneself. That's all I'm saying.

 

IME, NXP, 1560 wifi updates listed today. HD4600 (probably outdated to intel's site)

 

Does anyone have hard-drive noise? and if so how loud is it? There's this odd scratching white noise that is very noticeable in both my old machine and the replacement I was sent again... So many problems that I'm doubting what reality is anymore....

 

Would any of you with an upgraded 1tb 840 evo mSata drive mind running the Magician benchmark for random read and writes please? Reads are ok but writes are around 50k even after a psid revert.
Thanks.

 

I just read that the new 16 GB RAM modules are only compatibles with Broadwell CPUs or later. So, the XPS 15 (2013) and the M3800 can not be upgraded to 32 GB (in case anyone were to need that much).

I don't know if anyone posted it earlier; posting it just in case.

 

Guys, is it reasonable that I'm still waiting for a replacement motherboard for almost 3 weeks? I'm practically with a dead laptop since then, and Dell customer service always tell me I have to wait until they get the part!!

 

Time to kick off and demand a full refund/ new replacement.

Always bodes well if you paid on a credit card as you can threaten to get them involved.

 

I've got to agree with what GoNz0 said, don't let Dell drag this out. They took 2 months to get me a replacement wifi card for my old Inspiron 7000 (7537) and eventually they sent out a replacement laptop (because clearly that's easier than sending a single card!) which had a human hair stuck under the screen.

Just phone and complain, complain and complain. Every time they say they'll send someone out to replace the motherboard, but cancel on you at last minute, you can charge them for the time you took off work waiting for them (under UK law here anyway). It got me a free upgrade from that to my shiny new XPS 15

 

I'm gonna keep this super short and simple as possible.

Was sent NEW replacement laptop in March. Broken out of box. ---> went out of country till August----> Came back and disputed that----> Sent refurbished system replacement which also was not the same system as mine (QHD VS my 4k)----> Broken out of box----> just talked to resolution agent who was just basically told me to go **** myself and had one option. Send in the old system as a return then when they get that system they will send a box for the new broken system to send to a depot to CONFIRM that it is broken (which is another way of them accusing my of lying despite having full proof of problems) and then try and fix it. That's it. I am now out of warranty except through Costco who still covers it through August 2016 thank god.

4 broken system and Dell has left me out in the cold.

Anyone who is reading this, please do not buy this laptop and support this company. Horrible service, horrible products.


Now that I am suck with a broken product,
anyone know the system of screen flickering? It's around 4 small strips from left to right that pretty much constantly flicker. Had battery and screen replaced and idk what else could cause it. System was factory reset too so not software.

 

Hi guys, anyone here running 2 HDDs inside your XPS 15? I am used to SSD + mechanical HDD setup (have this installed in my XPS 15z) and thinking about upgrading to 2015 XPS 15 if there is this possibility to accomodate 2 drives.

 

There is no space for 2 HDDs inside the XPS 15.

 

But you can run a m-SATA SSD and a 2.5" HDD.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

What mSATA upgrade has everyone gone with? Looking at the Samsung 850 Evo 250 for 75quid

 

You can, but remember by putting in a 2nd drive, you sacrifice the 50% larger battery. Even with my larger battery, it doesn't get more than 5 hours of internet, so I'd be hesitant about giving up the battery space.

 

Assuming you got one with a larger battery. Still can't find a new 91Wh battery that I can replace the smaller one with (If you know where, let me know).

 

GO as large as you can afford - I ended up with a 512GB mSATA SSD (Samsung 840) and the stock 1TB HDD, but now looking to get a SSD in the 2.5" slot too...

 

So if i want to use the mSATA SSD i have to exchange the battery for the smaller one? Is this possible to do in every XPS 15 2015 model?

 

I can't sacrifice the 1TB drive size really. Nor justify a 500GB SSD

 

For my 2014 model, I had the smaller battery/2.5" HDD as shipped from the factory, but would assume replacement units would be available...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Also to say that last night I was able to update to Windows 10 via the upgrade App...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Hey XPS 15 owners, have a bit of a story, but hopefully you guys can persevere thru this story:

Ok, so I purchased the xps 13 i5 FHD 256gb/8gb ram in march.

Also purchased the dell power companion for the XPS.

Here lies the issue, whenever using the Dell Power comp, I would close the laptop, then unplug the Dell power comp.

When it wakes from sleep, wither 5 seconds after closing the lid or 2 hours. Upon boot up, the CPU gets stuck at .46ghz to .48 .

It would only be remedied by plugging in a wall outlet charger or reset.

After about 10 hours will support, and showing them the issue can be duplicated with a fresh install of win 8 and win 10.

They sent a tech to replace the motherboard...

This is where all hell broke loose!

With a fresh install of windows and trying to duplicate the same error, it would get stuck at .70 ghz, but would not be fixed by plugging in wall outlet, only way to resolve was to restart the pc.

So called dell, they sent a replacement Dell Power Companion, and also sent a refurbishment replacement, which also experiences the same cpu speed issue.

I contacted dell today, and now they are telling me a replacement laptop that is brand new is being sent out, and they are offering this model:


XPS 9530 XPS 15

Windows 10 Home 64bit English

Memory 16GB DDR3L 1600MHz (8GBx2)

Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 750M 2GB GDDR5

Hard Drive 1TB 5400 rpm SATA Hard Drive + 32GB mSATA Solid State Drive

Sound High Definition Audio with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro

Wireless 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.0, Dual Band 2.4&5 GHz, 2x2

Primary Battery 61 WHr, 6-Cell Battery (integrated)

Processor 4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-4712HQ Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz)

LCD 15.6-inch UltraSharp™ 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) touch display




Is this a no brainier for me to take?

Is there some issues with the xps 15? like the XPS 13's touchpad / adaptive brightness issues?

 

@megadip it really depends on whether you want to move up to a 15" model. If you like the 13" I'd stick with that.

I find that the whole sleep, USB, and wake timers nonsense is just unreliable and probably always will be (under Windows). I often had to sleep/wake my XPS 15 under Windows 8.1 twice because the first wake wouldn't wake up the screen! I've seen this with older Dell's under Windows 7 and having something plugged in to a USB port was a factor. I upgraded my XPS 15 to a 1TB mSATA SSD and fresh installed Windows 10 and I haven't seen sleep problems yet, but it is early days.

Point is, sleep doesn't work well with Windows and you might just want to avoid sleep whenever possible. Or find a work-around like re-sleep/wake cycle until a BIOS or some other update fixes this. And you don't know that the XPS 15 won't have the same issue.

As for the XPS 15 specs note that this 2-drive model sacrifices a larger battery so if you are looking for long battery life this seems like an odd choice. The XPS 13 probably has better battery life anyway. I like the large battery XPS 15 with the 512GB SSD (or swap in a 1TB SSD) and an external HDD for extra storage and backup.

The XPS 13 is a newer design and more portable whereas the XPS 15 is about to be replaced with a new Skylake CPU model. The biggest problem with the XPS 15 has been coil whine and it varies a lot from one machine to another. At its worst it can be very annoying. But otherwise they are nice machines -- if you want/need a 15" model.

Good luck!

 

Thanks m8!

The more and more i read about the xps 15, the more i am realizing that this machine isnt a size i would enjoy.

Now with thouse random issues, i agree, its defenitely a roll of the dice. A gamble im not sure i am willing to take.

Thanks again Exparrot!