Windows 10: Random Freezes with Thunderbolt dock

System

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 Fully up to date according to Windows Update and Dell SupportAssist

Razer Core v2 with RTX 2070 No firmware updates available for Razer Core. Graphics driver up to date according to GeForce Experience

I have been using this setup successfully with my previous Dell XPS 13 successfully for 4 years. The only hardware the changed recently is the laptop.


Symptoms

Random freezes. Full lockup, no BSOD, not input accepted including Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Whatever was on the screen when it froze remains on the screen until system is hard shutdown and rebooted.


Trigger

No consistent repro steps unfortunately. It just happens when I'm using the computer. Sometimes after 20mins, sometimes after 6 hours. I have used the computer for up to 2 days unplugged from the dock and I've only been able to reproduce the freezes when docked, but because there are no consistent steps, I can't tell for sure whether it's the dock or I've just been lucky. Freezes have happened with writing emails, copying files, texting someone, watching a video, but never while playing a game which is the most taxing thing I use my computer for.

Razer Support

After much troubleshooting with T1 support, I've been escalated but they haven't gotten back to me yet


Dell Support

Initial long conversation with T1 rep concluded that it was a hardware fault and did a full system replacement but the issue persists with the brand new system. Conversation ongoing but since it's peripheral related, they are reluctant to dig to deep here because they don't officially support any third party peripherals


Troubleshooting Steps in order of difficulty

• Rebooted
• Checked Windows Event Viewer no relevant logs that I could find
• Checked crash dumps none because no BSOD
• Ran Windows automated diagnostics clean
• Ran Dell automated diagnostics both quick and exhaustive were clean
• Ran SwiftOnSecurity's Holiday Tasks checklist
• Updated everything I could think of paying special attention to the BIOS, Thunderbolt, and graphics drivers.
• Windows Full Reset via Windows Settings
• Full re-image with Dell's image via Dell OS Recovery
• Full re-image with Windows installer no extra Dell stuff
• Full system replacement

So lost as to what's happening here and I have no idea what the try next. Any thoughts? My only idea is that this laptop is my first Thunderbolt 4 device. It's supposedly fully backwards compatible but maybe there are still Thunderbolt 4 to Thunderbolt 3 bugs?


Any other thoughts. Thank you!

:)

 

thunderbolt 3 to displayport adapter

Hi John,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



I understand that inconvenience you are facing when the things may not work as expected.

1. What is the make and model of the computer?
   
   
   

When the Thunderbolt 3 is used with certain eighth generation Intel processor-based Windows 10 systems, there is a possibility that the two USB 3.0 ports on the back of the dock (closest to the Ethernet port)
may not be recognized properly by the operating system.





However, I would suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below and let us know if that helps.

1. Disconnect the pluggable Thunderbolt 3 dock from the system and remove its power cable to turn off completely.
   
2. Uninstall the Intel ‘Thunderbolt Software’ present on your system via the Control Panel ->
   Programs and Features and restart the device once.
   
3. Download and install the latest version of the Intel Thunderbolt Software published by your system manufacturer. If you are unable to obtain this download from your system manufacturer, you can download a version directly from Intel
   here -> https://downloadcenter.intel.com/do...-Driver-for-Intel-NUC-Kit-NUC8i7HNK-NUC8i7HVK
   
4. Restart the system once again.
   
5. Reconnect the power cable to the pluggable Thunderbolt 3 dock, and then reconnect the Thunderbolt 3 cable from the dock to your system.
   
6. You should be prompted to authenticate/approve the dock. Follow the onscreen prompts for the completion of the process and check the status of the issue.
   

If the issue still persists I suggest you to get in touch with the
Thunderbolt support for the further assistance.





Hope it helps.



Muralidhar

Microsoft Community Moderator

 

Dell Thunderbolt Dock

I recently purchased a Dell Thunderbolt dock for my Precision 3520. I hooked up my Logitech universal receiver to the Thunderbolt dock. The mouse and keyboard have significant lags (the keyboard repeats itself periodically). As soon as I move the receiver back to the laptop, the lags disappear. The problem is so bad that the mouse and keyboard are basically unusable when plugged into the Thunderbolt dock.

Has anyone else experienced this issue with either a Dell or other brand Thunderbolt dock? Have you been able to resolve it?

 

Dell Thunderbolt Dock

Update: Received the WD15 dock yesterday (USB-C, but no Thunderbolt). Works like a charm with the Logitech receiver plugged into the dock. Now I can plug a single cable into the laptop for everything to work (ethernet, monitor via HDMI, dictation microphone, Logitech receiver, etc.). Will be sending the Thunderbolt dock back to Dell for a refund.