Weird random freezing (few seconds) with Windows 10 1803 new Dell XPS 8930

[Steven P. Administrators]

Hi Guys, I have had the worst time with Windows on my brand new Dell XPS 8930. It is the variant with

• Intel i7-8700
• 16GB DDR4 @ 2666MHz
• Nvidia 1060 6GB
• M.2 (kxg50znv256g) NVMe Toshiba 256GB SSD (where Windows is installed)

It came installed with Windows 10 Home (v1709) and I used my key to transfer Pro over from my old computer and the process updated itself to 1803.

 

On the internet a combination of things are blamed with 1803 including a bad configuration of Intel chipset and Nvidia GPU as well as the PCIe power link management state needed to be enabled all the time, leave Hard disk enabled all the time etc, none of these tweaks or changes helped.

 

Anyway it resulted in me having to reset to factory image, which put me back in Windows 10 Home 1709, applying the Pro key again and waiting for it to compulsorily update to 1803 (you can only defer this for about a month) and now I have rolled back to 1709.

 

Stupid huh for a brand new system?

 

I have SupportAssist installed and it shows I have all of the latest drivers, I have also updated the BIOS  (1.0.11) since getting this PC for the Intel CPU (meltdown and Spectre fixes).

 

Have I missed anything? On 1803 about once every hour the whole PC will freeze for a few seconds, there's nothing in the event logs either for when it happens. About the only thing I have found relating to it is people saying to "close and open the lid" (or on desktop winkey + x) to reset the video driver. Given it is only a few seconds, it is debatable if these things do anything and the key combo that I tried when it happened did nothing.

 

Anyway would appreciate any help if someone has seen similar issues with Windows 10 April update or seen someone else have it with a solve!

[adrynalyne]

First place to check is event viewer logs. If nothing obvious there, head to the next step. 

 

Try it in Safe Mode. If it doesn’t happen there, disable all non MS services and startup items normal mode and see if it happens. If it doesn’t, systematically re-enable them to find the culprit. 

 

 

[techbeck]

Does it freeze with 1709 or just 1803?  IF just 1803, download the updated ISO from MS and do a fresh install.  Sometimes the feature updates cause problems and a fresh/clean install helps.

[erpster3]

On 7/21/2018 at 3:15 AM, Steven P. said:

I have SupportAssist installed and it shows I have all of the latest drivers, I have also updated the BIOS  (1.0.11) since getting this PC for the Intel CPU (meltdown and Spectre fixes).

 

 

Um, version 1.0.12 of the Dell XPS 8930 BIOS just came out recently - Dell classifies this BIOS update as "Urgent"

[Steven P. Administrators]

Just support for new CPU

Quote

 

Fixes & Enhancements
Fixes:
- Not Applicable.

Enhancements:
- Enhanced the Intel i7-8086K CPU support.

 

 

[adrynalyne]

Was my suggestion ignored? Lol. 

[Steven P. Administrators]

57 minutes ago, adrynalyne said:

Was my suggestion ignored? Lol. 

I assumed you didn't read my post properly because I already stated there's nothing in the event logs and it happens with a clean install.

 

I am still on 1709 because that does not have these problems.

[adrynalyne]

4 hours ago, Steven P. said:

I assumed you didn't read my post properly because I already stated there's nothing in the event logs and it happens with a clean install.

 

I am still on 1709 because that does not have these problems.

I assume you didn’t read mine properly because that’s hardly the only advice I gave. ?

[+Warwagon MVC]

I know the dell support assist says there are no driver updates but have you tried the latest 1060 drivers directly from nvidia?

[Steven P. Administrators]

4 hours ago, warwagon said:

I know the dell support assist says there are no driver updates but have you tried the latest 1060 drivers directly from nvidia?

Yes, several

4 hours ago, adrynalyne said:

I assume you didn’t read mine properly because that’s hardly the only advice I gave. ?

I assumed you didn't read my reply because I did read yours

[Q-truth]

My educated guess would be a driver issue.

 

On a second thought, Steve I'd venture to guess that you check your system drivers. Like systembus drivers and the like.

 

of course I'm being conservative in this assessment..

[sc302 Veteran]

does the dell have any way to actively monitor load/temps/etc?  Perhaps monitoring would help shed some light, or it could very well be a driver issue.  

[Steven P. Administrators]

Well I don't get the issue in 1709, just 1803. so it would point to a change in Windows 10 between versions, no? ? 

[NinjaGinger]

I have exactly the same problem with 1803 so dont fret, its Windows. Having said that, Microsoft will never admit to it and whats really maddening is, its random.

[adrynalyne]

1 hour ago, NinjaGinger said:

I have exactly the same problem with 1803 so dont fret, its Windows. Having said that, Microsoft will never admit to it and whats really maddening is, its random.

If it was Windows, it would be everyone. 

[Steven P. Administrators]

8 hours ago, adrynalyne said:

If it was Windows, it would be everyone. 

It's a well known problem, but I would appreciate knowing what it is. My old Intel i5-4440 system had no such issues with the 1803 update.

[NinjaGinger]

Not a clue why it does it, I just know it does. And it is Windows and very often, problems happen to a few NOT all.

[Joe User]

On 7/21/2018 at 5:15 AM, Steven P. said:

Have I missed anything? On 1803 about once every hour the whole PC will freeze for a few seconds, there's nothing in the event logs either for when it happens. About the only thing I have found relating to it is people saying to "close and open the lid" (or on desktop winkey + x) to reset the video driver. Given it is only a few seconds, it is debatable if these things do anything and the key combo that I tried when it happened did nothing.

 

Anyway would appreciate any help if someone has seen similar issues with Windows 10 April update or seen someone else have it with a solve!

Does the mouse pointer freeze as well? Also, when it happens, press the caps lock key, does it light up? 

 

If the mouse pointer freezes, then the problem is usually video (drivers or hardware) related. If the caps lock doesn't light up, then the problem is usually motherboard (drivers or HW) related. If both work normally during a pause, then I would check the SSD. If it's all random, then check power supply or RAM.