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General discussion

Dell XPS USB 3.0 Issues

Apr 20, 2011 2:42PM PDT

I am having random disconnection issues with the 2 USB 3.0 ports on my newly purchased XPS L702X.
It is completely unrelated to the device and occurs at no specific interval and is only recoverable with a reboot.
Based on a Dell Support Forum - XPS 15 - USB 3.0 Problems, this issue has existed since the 1st generation release late 2010 of the current XPS series and appears to affect many users.
Based on feedback, consumers who contact Dell for resolution end up with no resolution despite motherboard/daughterboard replacements.
Also, a Renesas controller driver upgrade or rollback does not cure the issue either.

I am starting this discussion to find others who have encountered this issue as well and have either found a resolution to actually using the 3.0 ports or who may have not yet spoken up... This issue has gone on far too long without resolution and in order to get Dell to take this defect seriously, everyone affected needs to read the forum and take part in the descussion,
Please post any information you have... even if you have an XPS Laptop current model 1st and 2nd generation without 3.0 issues... you too can help find the solution.

Thanks

Discussion is locked

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Resolution for USB 3.0 Issues
Jun 18, 2012 10:17AM PDT

Hi All,

I would be glad to assist you in the resolution of the issues posted here, regarding USB 3.0.
Primarily, I would like to draw attention to the fact that it is not a hardware manufacturing defect.
USB 3.0 was introduced to the global computing market at a time when the new range of processors (Ivy Bridge and Panther Point chipsets) were being developed by Intel Corporation.

The existing architecture (Sandy Bridge) did not include native support for USB3 technology. As a result, lots of users had compatibility issues with various devices. But like any other technical challenge, this one too, has a solution.

The manufacturers of various USB devices are required to send in firmware information for their devices to Renesas, one of the leading manufacturers of USB3 hardware. As soon as a bulk these updates get delivered, they are promptly included in the latest release of Renesas USB3 firmware. Please note that this is a gradual process, and by the time USB3 becomes a global standard, these issues would permanently be resolved.

The latest range of machines, based on Ivy Bridge and Panther Point chipsets, should not face these issues, as these chipsets include native support for USB 3.0.

The resolution for these queries needs to be a collaborative process between varying standards, and I would encourage every user to get regular updates for the Renesas USB 3.0 Firmware release page at the Intel Download Center:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=19880

For any recurring hardware issues, Do navigate to http://support.dell.com (Dell Machines Only) to receive direct support from the Technical Support Teams designated to support various regions across the globe.

If this article was helpful, or if anyone has further queries, kindly reply here. I'd be happy to help you to the best of my knowledge and ability.

Kindest Regards,
Shomprakash Sinha Ray
Social Media & Communities Professional, Dell International Services.
#iwork4dell

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Same problem since my XPS17 was 1 month old
Aug 22, 2013 9:10AM PDT

Dell replaced USB 3.0 ports
Very frustrating!!
Please inform me of a fix if there is one.

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Same issue!
Jan 20, 2012 8:44PM PST

Yes, I'm having the same issue and my computer is brand new. I've downloaded the Renesas but my external hard drives do not work consistently. I"m very upset and have already been on the phone with Dell for an hour trying to fix the problem. Should I ask for a new computer??? Reading all comments is upsetting.

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I haven't heard that a new computer will fix this.
Jan 21, 2012 1:54AM PST

It's one of those things where you change the model to fix it. One new machine of the same model should do the same thing.

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(NT) USB 3.0 file tranfers (40GB) stop and fail
Feb 3, 2012 11:48PM PST
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Let me chime in here...02/04/2012
Feb 4, 2012 12:14AM PST

DELL XPS-17, L702X, 2630Q, dual 500GB HDDs, Win 7 Ultimate: Both my USB 3.0 ports were stopping during a test 40GB file transfer (My Docs from another computer on my network) to a Seagate GoFlex 3 TB external drive. The same file transfers both directions OK when using the USB 2.0 or USB 2.0/eSata combo port. Updated BIOS and USB 3.0 port firmware, but did not cure the problem. Tech. Support recommended a system reinstall. I declined, of course. Their remote access attempted a Windows system backup to the GoFlex which failed after about 8 minutes. (Time of faiure varied with each test.) Both ports can easily be restarted by using the Device Manager to Disable, then Enable them after disconnecting any external device. A Tech. Support Supervisor finally agreed to replace the motherboard and daughter board with a home visit. The system seems to be working correctly after the replacement. Current config: USB3.0_allOS_2.1.28.0_PVIntel Properties: File version 16.0.0.400 Renesas Electronics USB 3.0 Host Controller. Product version 2.1.28.0. BeLarc Advisor shows new Main Circuit Board: Dell Inc. 0XN71K FAB1. BIOS: Dell Inc. A16 01/10/2012. As usual, I was unable to extract any further information from Tech. Support or the repairman as to what the problem really is. I hope this provides SOME direction to anyone experiencing USB 3.0 problems.

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Direction?
Feb 4, 2012 11:57PM PST

Return units that are defective. Get another model. Skip USB 3.0 if it fails for you.

I find the best direction is return ASAP and not wait for the maker to fix it.
Bob

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Found a fix!
Feb 5, 2012 2:05AM PST

I had this same issue on my l702x and I think I just fixed it! The ports would work fine for a while then my razer would just stop working or my thumbdrive would stop reading. It's frustrating because the only other USB ports are on opposite sides of the laptop.

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This doesn't fix the problem.
Feb 5, 2012 2:17PM PST

I posted that I was having problems with the USB 3.0 ports on my <span id="INSERTION_MARKER">XPS L702X earlier in the thread.
Before I posted, I updated to:

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I seem to have fixed it. (Dell XPS15 L502X)
Feb 6, 2012 11:14AM PST

Every USB 3.0 device has only been operating at USB 2.0 speeds. Very frustrating as I bought the machine to run Virtual Machines off an external Seagate Go-Flex drive.

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Thanks
Feb 10, 2012 10:02PM PST

It works for me.. I have already updated bios, just install USB 3.0 Host Controller renesas driver to version 2.1.27.0, A03 and they working perfectly...

Thanks

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Works with ubuntu
Feb 20, 2012 9:27PM PST

I have the same problem with XPS L702X bought two months ago. I've tried Ubuntu Linux and results are fantastic. The ports are working fine without any change to the settings while I am still experiencing the problem in windows 7.

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Partial workarounds for USB 3.0 hub/disk disconnections
Mar 18, 2012 7:59AM PDT

This is a note that applies to all USB 3.0 hub and direct connections to external USB 3.0 drives. Hope this helps someone to not waste all the time I did in finding these good-as-its-going-to-get workarounds for my systems.

After 1.5 years of having USB 3.0 random disconnections to my WD external USB 3.0 drive (with or without a hub) on Windows 7,
I recently did research and experiments again to mostly solve these random USB 3.0 drive disconnections and random hangs during shutdown/startup,
also affecting a new laptop.

After applying items 1 and 2 below, these random disconnections are much more rare and so also are my related shutdown/restart hangs
(and if a hang occurs I know to do item 3 and the hang will be over for my system).

==============================================================================================================
Partial workarounds in a nutshell for all USB 3.0 hub/disk disconnection problems on Windows 7:

1) Do one time (each USB 3.0 disk): Ensure the USB 3.0 disk properties Policies has "Quick removal" selected for each USB 3.0 disk
(not "Better performance" which uses a Windows cache -- a bad idea if USB 3.0 disconnects at random).

2) Do one time (each year): Ensure the USB 3.0 Controller driver is up-to-date
(hint: don't ask Windows to find the latest driver for download -- it often won't -- instead ask google).

3) If Windows hangs on shutdown or startup, try this first to rule out USB 3.0 problems:
unplug some USB 3.0 cable from the disk along the path to the PC, wait until the system is fully up again, then plugin the cable.
To be proactive and prevent such a hang due to USB 3.0 being confused over what is connected,
make sure My Computer (ie. explorer) shows the USB 3.0 disk is connected before you do a shutdown/restart.

4) If at any time the USB 3.0 disk does not show as connected,
unplug some USB 3.0 cable from the disk along the path to the PC, wait 5 seconds, then plugin the cable.

==============================================================================================================
Potential workarounds that had no effect on Windows 7:

No effect: Setting in Control Panel->Power Options the USB Settings for your current power scheme to set "USB selective suspend setting" to Disabled seems to be a good idea, but appears to have no effect on the USB 3.0 disconnection problems.

No effect: disabled from Startup on my older laptop the process nusb3mon.exe (which does not exist on the newer laptop).

No effect: Microsoft workaround to add ForceHCResetOnResume to all USB Host Controller classes (using regedit):
google: One possible solution for the hub just disappearing

==============================================================================================================

Details for effective workarounds 1 and 2:

#1) HowTo: Ensure the USB 3.0 disk properties has "Quick removal" selected for each USB 3.0 disk

To avoid/reduce random disconnection of an external USB 3.0 drive connected to any USB 3.0 hub it seems important to make sure that the external drive properties is set to "Quick removal (default)" rather than "Better performance". Disabling the Windows 7 USB 3.0 write cache seems important for reliable connections and non-hangs on shutdown/restart, not to mention loss of data in some circumstances. To check or set this, do this:
-- Goto Control Panel->[System and Security->]Administrative Tools->Computer Management->Device Manager
-- Click Disk drives
-- Rclick "WD My Passport ... USB Device"->Properties (or whatever your external USB 3.0 drive is called)
-- Click tab Policies
-- If you see "Better performance" selected, then you should change this to "Quick removal (default)" to get more reliable USB 3.0 connections, thus turning off the Windows 7 write cache.

#2) HowTo: Ensure the USB 3.0 Controller driver is up-to-date

(Updating the driver solved one laptop's problem of the USB 3.0 drive always being disconnected after waking from a sleep/hibernate).

-- Goto Control Panel->[System and Security->]Administrative Tools->Computer Management->Device Manager
-- Click Universal Serial Bus controllers
-- For each USB 3.0 Controller (probably only will be one) -- look for all names that match ...USB...3...Controller...
-- Rlick on that controller name, then click Properties
-- Click tab Driver
-- Find the "Driver version" number which we'll refer to as DRVVER (eg. 1.0.19.0 or 3.0.226.3)
-- Also find the driver name (we'll refer to as DRVNAM) which is at the top of that Driver tab
(eg. "NEC Electronics USB 3.0 Host Controller" or "Fresco Logic xHCI(USB3) Controller FL1000 Series")
-- Do _not_ click Update Driver unless this is an Intel driver, since other brand drivers will probably not be found this way
(Windows cannot find updates for most non-Intel brand drivers, and its "no updates available" message is misleading)
-- Now google for DRVNAM (without the quotes) followed by "driver update" or "driver download"
(eg. google: NEC Electronics USB 3.0 Host Controller driver download)
-- Now be careful: only download and install (then reboot) a driver version greater than DRVVER (your current version)
and which exactly matches your driver name DRVNAM. When you verify your driver version is the latest, you are done.

==============================================================================================================

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VERY GOOD blog!
Mar 18, 2012 8:31AM PDT

As a computer tech, I thought your insights were/are very helpful and "spot on!" BUT stay tuned: USB 3 is still very new to the rest of the world of gadgets and good drivers to go with them. Zillions of OLDER computers will eventually have problems with the the USB3 standard, as programs that support USB 2 and older fade away.

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Adding my nightmare to the list
Mar 30, 2012 2:06PM PDT

I have been fighting with Dell about a defective xps 1645 for about a year, to which they sent me an L702x as a replacement. I am here,so obviously I am suffering from the same issues as everyone else here. Additionally, my space bar needs to be smashed dead center to work. For good measure they threw in a TV Tuner that isn't recognized by windows. I have posted a very lengthy post about it on my blog if you care to read it. Its at http://guerrillagear.net/?p=148.

It was honestly too long to rewrite here, so I will not even try. There is also information on who to contact to get a little better results from Dell. I encourage everyone to contact the arbitration company and file complaints, as Dell has seriously went downhill in the last few years. This sucks for me, because I was a serious fan of their laptops up until the recent past. It seems like they seriously do not care if people are happy, not realizing that it is alienating personal customers as well as those of us in enterprise positions which purchase alot more than single units. I have made technical recommendations in the past to buy pallets of computers for thousands of unit rollouts.

Long story short, I have contacted them about the issues that I am having, and they are telling me that a motherboard swap will remedy EVERYTHING. I'm sorry but I am not the average customer who is happy with a placebo. I also work from home which affords me the ability to online chat with them on a daily basis. I prefer the online chat as I now know that I NEED the written transcripts of the conversations. This is after multiple accounts of them saying "we have no record of that conversation". Knowing full well that they are looking at the notes where they proceeded to lie to me.

I'm not going to blame the Indian CSR's as they are just doing their job, which is to pacify all of us that keep bothering them with our problems. Dell does't realize that there are consumer laws in place to protect us from that "we have your money, now go away" mentality.

I will cut my rant short, as I have a long blog post about it, and I encourage anyone serious about getting satisfaction to read. Hope we can all get functional machines sometime soon.

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Took me a while
Apr 9, 2012 11:42AM PDT

Finally figured out it was the USB ports on the back and not what I was trying to connect, the one on the side works OK.

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Dell XPS 17
Apr 22, 2012 5:26AM PDT

I have just ordered the Dell XPS 17 with the 256 SSD drive. I was not aware there were all these problems. I have a call into Dell and hopefully i still have time to cancel my order. My present computer is a 17 inch Acer 7730G travelmate and i can honestly say i have not had one problem with it in the 4 years i've had it. It's just its getting old and has XP pro so i thought it was time to get a new one. I may have to get another Acer. Can anyone advise me if Dell has rectified their problems with the XPS 17 or is it still on going. I'm not an computer expert so i don't need any hassles from defective equipment. I've tried to contact Dell but not having much luck. It's funny i sure didn't have any problems getting hold of them when it was time to spend my money though
Thanks

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Dell STILL can't get this fixed???
May 10, 2012 5:42AM PDT

I spent 3 hours on the phone yesterday with Dell Tech support. I have a brand new XPS 17 with a new Targus 3.0 superspeed docking station. Experiencing random lockups of the USB 3.0 ports. The first tech told me that the docking station was not supported with that laptop. When I asked why they recommend it on their website, he said the website must be wrong. Hung up and called back for another tech. While the tech was trying everything under the sun to fix it remotely, I found google and found all of these posts. The tech said that Dell had no idea of any common problems with the ports... yea right! FYI, I also have an XPS 14z with zero problems with the USB3.0 port. TODAY I spent 2 hours being bounced around all over Dell just trying to get to the returns department. They dropped me 3 times and transferred me at least 12 or 13 times. Finally I had to start yelling at people and got my frustration through to them. Now what should I replace the XPS17 with???? Vostro appears to have the same problems.

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Advice? Forget USB 3.0
May 10, 2012 6:08AM PDT

If you look around you see many other makes with USB 3.0 issues. It appears to be imperfect. Yes it works for some but I can't count on it.
Bob

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Thanks Bob
May 10, 2012 8:53AM PDT

Actually USB3.0 works excellent on my XPS 14z so I ordered a new one for this user to replace the faulty 17" unit. He uses a docking station 98% of the time anyway, so I'm not sure why he thought he had to have that monster...

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Finally Got mine Fixed
May 10, 2012 8:23AM PDT

So, after hours on chat, 2 new motherboard and daughter boards, I finally got my issue fixed.

I had to send my laptop to Dell Depot. It came back and I now have no issues. Apparently, the USB 3.0 ports are brand new to Dell. The bugs are not worked out in the 3.0 ports. So, a new laptop won't necessarily fix the issue. The fix requires access to a lot of motherboards and a lot of daughter boards to get the 3.0 port to work properly.

Unfortunately I can not speak to their speed, but my mouse and head set have not randomly died since the laptop returned from Dell Depot.

Good luck everyone.
DELL XPS1702X - windows 7

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The fix for XPS L502X
Jun 15, 2012 12:25PM PDT

Here's the fix for XPS L502X. Windows 7. As provided by Dell Chat support in 15 minutes or less.

Attach both hard drives to your Notebook.

In Windows explorer, right click on Computer
Click on Manage
Double click on Disk Management
You DIsk Configuration will load.
Using the horizontal bar, your 2 hard drives should be displayed, amongst others.
The hard drive that couldn't be accessed will have a red icon on it, and will be displayed as offline.
right click on the disk, click Online.
In a second or two, your other drive will be assigned and displayed.

Hope this works for you!

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Thanks for your input, but that is not the same problem.
Jun 15, 2012 5:34PM PDT

You had a disk management issue, most people on this thread are having major data transfer issues related to poor architecture of the system leaving the USB 3.0 ports underpowered and therefore unusable. I jumped through these software, driver, and configuration hoops with DELL and the only thing that rectified the issue was replacement of the mother and daughter boards. It now works like a charm. The DELL tech and phone support was very prompt once we had spent half a day on the phone ruling out software issues.

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USB Ports given up on Dell XPS L502X
Jul 15, 2012 3:56AM PDT

Yuuuup, mine just gone the same way, with no response from Dell, "please ring back later and quote your service number." the damned machine is only purchased on15/06/2012 two months old.

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So my question is ...
Jul 15, 2012 4:10AM PDT

Why not give them the service tag? It's like calling in your car for repair and not having the details.
Bob

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usb 3.0 issue
Aug 3, 2012 6:56AM PDT

I have a new dell dimension desktop. When I connect an external usb 3.0 hard drive the system
crashes.
Spent 1.5 hrs on the phone with dell support. They updated the bios and deleted and installed all
new usb drivers. Worked fine for a few hours. No the system reboots by itself a few times a day when
I use my usb 3.0 port. Back to using only usb 2.0................
Walt

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My Dell nightmare continues
Aug 30, 2012 7:59PM PDT

I have this problem too and it has been ongoing for several months.

I have waited patiently for each bios and driver update and replaced them hoping it will make a difference.

Dell have replaced my daughter board though it made no difference at all and the company they hired gouged and bent my keyboard.

My computer is a L702X and while it has run incredibly well in every other respect, this one issue has completely ruined my experience and made using it for work nigh on impossible. Unless Dell do something exceptional to rectify the situation, I will not be buying another one or recommending them to any of the companies with which I am associated.

The computer worked fine for the first couple of months, then portable drives started failing for longer and longer periods.

Nothing I or anyone else has done has changed the computers functionality and I've really had a guts full.

I can't get work done and that effects me and my income directly. That is not good enough.

It is entirely unacceptable that this product was marketed the way it was only for it to fail so spectacularly.

"High performance" laptops do not fail like this.

I agree with other users that Dell should front up, take responsibility and rectify this situation by rightfully replacing faulty merchandise. The units should never have been shipped in the first place with such a major flaw.

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Same Problem!!
Aug 22, 2013 9:11AM PDT

Please post any answers - So frustrated!