XPS 8930, randomly reloading following upgrade

Question

I recently upgraded the SSD on my XPS 8930 desktop and since then I have been experiencing seemingly random reloads due to - Event 41 Kernel-Power ‘The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.’

Current spec – XPS8930, Core i5 8400, 16gb ram, primary SSD – 2tb ‘Dell M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen 3x4 Class 40 2280 Solid State Drive’ , secondary SSD – 1tb sata.

Previously the PC was running an optane setup with a 32gb SSD, so when I installed the replacement m.2 SSD, I switched the mode from RAID to AHCI in the BIOS and also upgraded to Windows 11. The old primary drive has become the secondary SSD.

The reload is very quick and sometimes happens several times a day, but also can go several days without occurring. Subjectively I would say it is most likely to occur a minute or two after coming out of sleep or startup, though I am not certain this accounts for every occasion.

Event log does not show any other abnormal messages that I can identify.
The PC is not under any stress when the reload occurs – we are talking browsing, email, etc.
HWmonitor shows temps are okay.
Kettle lead, sockets etc. have been checked.
BIOS is up to date.

Diagnostic test produces the following ePSA 4306.25 warning -

PCIe - Training error PCI tag-0100 VendorID-10DE DeviceID-1C82 SVid-1028 SDid-3512 Bus 01: Link Degraded, maxWidth x16, negWidth x8, PCIe Slot 01

Which is the SSD I think, but I didn’t run the diagnostic test before the upgrade.

Any assistance in progressing/resolving this issue gratefully received.

Stephen

ProfessorW00d · Accepted Answer

@Jam_Hatter​ If the $2 CR2032 battery does not work and you proceed with the PSU swap the XPS 8930 PSU is standard ATX format, so many 3rd party options are available. Consider a fully modular PSU that is no longer than 150mm. Anything longer than 150mm will begin to encroach on your cable management space. This is a 140mm long 850 watt fully modular Seasonic Focus

ProfessorW00d · Answer

PCIe Slot 01 is the X16 graphics card slot. You did not mention a graphics card in your specs, so if you have one make sure it is securely seated and locked in the slot.

RoHe · Answer

And make sure your monitor is connected to the add-in video card in the x16 slot, not to one on the onboard Intel Graphics ports.

Jam_Hatter · Answer

@ProfessorW00d​ Good spot, thanks.  PC has a Geforce 1050 GTX Ti.  I'll reseat it and see how it goes.  I should be able to verify with the diagnostics.

Jam_Hatter · Answer

Frustration continues. I have reseated the video card and the diagnostics warning message has cleared, however the PC is still reloading with the same Event 41 Kernel-Power event message.

Could it be a problem with the psu? I am thinking of removing the SSD and booting from SATA - see if that is any more stable.

ProfessorW00d · Answer

@Jam_Hatter​ Consider replacing your CR2032 coin cell battery with a new one (about $2 at your local grocery store)

Chino de Oro · Answer

@Jam_Hatter​ , with your current machine configurations, I do not think the issue was caused by power supply.  So, no need to switch from NVMe to SATA SSD. If you have a spare SSD (empty), you can perform a test with clean Windows installation using a USB drive created by Windows Creation Tool.  After the Windows installation is complete, you will only need to install the chipset and Intel ME drivers.  Then, allowing Windows update to install the remaining drivers and apps, locating in optional updates.  Do not select or run the firmware update (BIOS). Since this is just a test, you want to remove all other drives from the system prior to the installation to preserve them if you must restore the machine back to current condition. If the issue is persisted, the issue lies with hardware.  If the issue is resolved, considering to reload fresh Windows to your main drive.

RoHe · Answer

@Jam_Hatter Kernel 41 means that Windows wasn't shut down correctly. So something is hanging a normal shutdown, assuming you're not either just pressing/holding the power button or unplugging the PC to turn it off.

Suggest you run these commands before doing anything drastic, like a Windows reinstall:

At desktop, open a CMD prompt window, Run as administrator
At the prompt, type in: chkdsk c: /r and press Enter. Accept offer to run chkdsk at next boot and reboot PC. chkdsk will run before Windows loads. This can take a while. PC will boot to desktop automatically when chkdsk is done.
Back at desktop, open CMD again as in #1
At the prompt, type in: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press Enter. Be sure to include a space in front of each / and note any error messages when that's done.
Assuming no "unfixed" errors in #4, at the CMD prompt, type in: sfc /scannow and press Enter. Be sure to include a space in front of the / and note any errors when that's done.
Assuming no "unfixed" errors in #4 or #5, do a Restart from inside Windows. That should automatically delete the Fast Startup file which might be corrupted.
When you get back to the desktop, do a normal shutdown (not a Restart). With power fully off, power PC on and see if the Kernel 41 error reappears...

Jam_Hatter · Answer

@ProfessorW00d​ Okay I will try this when I get the chance.

Jam_Hatter · Answer

@Jam_Hatter​ I have been away for a couple of days, but I did manage to continue testing by removing the SSD and the videocard.  In both cases the behaviour continued.  I have actually installed Windows twice and the SSD is new so I just don't think it is to do with these components now. As RoHe suggests, I will run a diskcheck, otherwise I am planning on swapping the PSU next week.

Jam_Hatter · Answer

@ProfessorW00d​​ Thanks for the advice.  I'll try the 2032 next day or so, they are like the batteries used in my cars key fob. Just looking at PSUs, modular seems to be the way to go.

ProfessorW00d · Answer

@Jam_Hatter​ Here is a big list of power supplies from pcpartpicker  The selection criteria I used is at the top labeled 'Filtered by:'. You can use different filters. When you find something that might work for you, review the PSU on the manufacturer's web site . . . not Amazon. The 3rd party PSU's are made with longer cables to accommodate cases much larger than the XPS 8930, so you want to be able to keep any cables you don't need in the box. Also, as you can see from the above photo; bring zip ties.

Jam_Hatter · Answer

@ProfessorW00d​ I purchased a Corsair CX550OF from Amazon, which is modular.  I don't need anymore power and they are a good price right now.  I made the change a week ago (took me two hours!) and since then I have not experienced any problems at all.  So, it was the power supply,  Can't think how swappng the ssd caused this, but I notice the old Dell power supply does not have an on/off switch, which means I probably plugged/unplugged the kettle lead more than once when it was still live.  Cheers and thanks for all your help.

Thumbpick · Answer

@Jam_Hatter​  My XPS8930 was doing the exact thing so I purchased the same PSU. It didn't come with cables and I could use some help in ordering the right ones.  I have the 4 pin CPU connector on the motherboard and the 24 pin power connector.  I'll need SATA and PCI cables also. I have the adapter for the optical drive. Hope you can help me. Tnx, DaveW

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XPS 8930, randomly reloading following upgrade

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