Dell G5 5590, Thunderbolt problems, how to get it working ?

What GPU does the system have?  Thunderbolt is included only with the RTX 2000 GPUs.

• One Thunderbolt 3 (USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C) port/DisplayPort (only on computers shipped with graphics card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 or RTX 2070 Max-Q) or one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort Alt-Mode (only on computers shipped with graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1650)
• One mini DisplayPort (only on computers shipped with graphics card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, RTX 2070 Max-Q, or GTX 1660 Ti)

Mine has the 2060, thunderbolt is in the device manager, I think i Need to install the right driver, and it should work and maybe a few more in order, no idea which ones.

Unless its faulty, it does work for about 30 seconds after driver install, then fails with the error 43, I think its supposed to have a performance tab as well to stop powering down, but that is not present.

@paulppm​  Power Managment tab like the USB hubs, not present, HMMMM.

Try removing the Thunderbolt driver and rebooting the system -- Windows 11 doesn't need one.  The OS has built in Thunderbolt support.

Well i started that way out of the BOX not working and now trying to get it working with drivers, do have 2025-05 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5058499) driver that will not install, maybe that will fix it.

Display and USB Stability​

• Unexpected changes to screen size or window positions after sleep (frequently cited in user forums as a source of annoyance) should no longer plague users.
• Intermittent disconnections of certain USB devices after sleep—an issue affecting external drives, webcams, or input devices—are addressed. Users previously required a full reboot to recover.

That might help me, seems it installs and works then fails :/

Might get another SSD and do another full reinstall with a 2 gig m.2, they getting pretty cheap now.

What Software do I need, if I do another Full NUKE of my system have enough room to backup everything, just use my current SSD, I need some software to control the thunderbolt devices right give permission what ever, or does the bios handle that with the OS buillt in stuff ??

I know in the bios I see permission stuff, I just turned that all off and all the thunderbolt stuff on, hmmmmm.

Start with a full diagnostic run (F12 at powerup to access).  If there are no errors during the diagnostics, you don't need anything special -- Windows 11 has all the necessary support for Thunderbolt built in.

I got it working deleteing the drivers and for once it stayed on, did this before and it never worked, thats why I went down the driver rabbit hole.

Anyway worked, and went to bed and woke up and got this,

This device cannot work properly until you restart your computer. (Code 14)

You need to restart your computer before the changes you made to this device will take effect.

Click Restart Computer to restart your computer.

Seems it downloaded an intel update and installed it.  Intel(R) Corporation - System - 1.41.1353.0

Scared to reboot now, just bought a Thunderbolt m.2 drive to test it, I am sure it will work :/

Thanks for the help.

Did a reboot error 43 came back, uninstall device and no error 43 again, HMMMMM.

Just wondering can I upgrade the firmware of the g5 5590, that might help, have not done that since 2019, only updated the Mobo bios, which I think is latest 1.27.

Thanks again, making progress.

Hey!
I know how frustrating Thunderbolt issues can be—especially when you're finally ready to use it and things don’t work as expected.

Based on your message and the Code 43 error with the Thunderbolt(TM) Controller - 1577, here’s what you can try:

✅ 1. Update Thunderbolt Firmware (Important!)

Yes, Dell did release Thunderbolt firmware updates for the G5 5590. Even though you're now on Windows 11, I’d recommend switching temporarily back to Windows 10 to apply any firmware updates—especially if the current installer doesn't support Win 11.

You can find firmware and software updates here:
🔗 Dell G5 5590 Drivers Page

Look under the Chipset category → Install:

• Thunderbolt Controller Driver

• Thunderbolt Firmware Update

• Intel Chipset Driver (latest)

Make sure to install them in order, and reboot after each step.

⚙️ 2. BIOS Update

Make sure your system BIOS is fully updated. The Thunderbolt controller relies on BIOS-level support, and updates often improve stability.

🧰 3. Thunderbolt Control Center

On Windows 11, install the Thunderbolt Control Center from the Microsoft Store after drivers are installed. Without the control center, permissions for devices won’t be granted correctly.

🔌 4. Still Code 43? Try This:

• Disable Fast Startup (Control Panel > Power Options > System Settings)

• Fully shut down and reboot (Shift + Shutdown)

• Boot into BIOS > ensure Thunderbolt is enabled

• Reset BIOS to default settings once (just to be sure)

🧪 5. Connect a Device

Sometimes, Thunderbolt ports won't fully initialize until a compatible device is connected (e.g. eGPU, dock, or drive). I know it sounds odd, but try plugging something in—even a basic USB-C device—to trigger detection.

💡 Pro Tip:

Some users have reported that the Thunderbolt controller goes into a sleep/timeout state if idle for too long. So test it right after boot and device connection.

Let me know how it goes!
I had a similar hiccup with Thunderbolt on my G-series too and a firmware update combined with a clean driver install fixed it for good. Happy to help further if needed 😊

You've mentioned that the Thunderbolt did not work out of the box -- and give all the other evidence, it sounds like  a mainboard replacement is going to be required to get it working.