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February 8th, 2025 16:02
XPS 8940, critical error message headache
Here's a bizarre one to confound and amuse.
Have an XPS 8940 with an M.2 system drive and a secondary SATA SSD for backup storage. It's out of warranty.
Did a Support Assist check and it sent a warning flag. No specifics. Did a BIOS preboot test and it showed a critical error with the M.2 main drive. The program took me to the DELL website and directed me to purchase a new M.2. Replaced the drive and did a data migration. Redid the test. Same error message. Someone suggested disconnecting the secondary SATA drive. Disconnected and redid the preboot test. The M.2 passed with no errors. Reconnected the SATA to different slot and new cable. Redid the test. The M.2 fails.
Checked through all the information on all parts. Discovered that the serial number on the critically failing drive matched the SATA SSD and not the M.2 indicated. Did an independent integrity check on the SATA with the Samsung Magician program. It says perfect health. I can replace the SATA drive but at this point don't trust the DELL diagnostics and don't know if there's a real issue. I'm stumped. Any suggestions or insights?
ispalten
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February 8th, 2025 20:03
I'm guessing, but is that 2nd drive and SSD?
Suspect your are NOT set to AHCI but RAID for the drive... and they might be 'paired' when Dell's S.A. tests the drive and sees than not in RAID?
How long have you had the 8940 and the 2nd drive installed? Recently installed on an old purchased 8940? Check the BIOS as RAID is the default, even with a single drive.
GlenW53
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February 8th, 2025 21:07
@ispalten Thanks. Will check settings. The secondary SATA SSD was used as a storage and backup drive and was installed in early 2022, a few months after initial computer purchase in 2021. Initial warning occurred December 2024. Used the Remote Support Assist from the website today. It indicated the Samsung SATA SSD drive as failing the long DST test. At least it's more specific, but DELL is still recommending an M.2 replacement which is odd, since there's only one M.2 slot on the computer.
GlenW53
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February 8th, 2025 21:22
Hello again. Both settings are non RAID. The SATA is set for AHCI. The system drive is showing NVMe. Thanks again.
ispalten
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February 8th, 2025 22:41
@GlenW53
Open the Intel Optane Memory and Storage Management program, It should show the hard drive, not the SSD M.2 drive. It should show how connected and if OK. That is part of equation.
Next, get a utility, Crystal Disk Info is a good one (https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskinfo/ ) to check the C: drive. It will show a lot of data and 'counts' for items. Also if it is good (%):
GlenW53
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February 8th, 2025 23:49
Thanks again. Will download to keep as a reference check.
I'm also trying the brute force approach. Have disconnected the secondary SATA SSD and will run single drive for the next while. I'm arranging to borrow a spare, unused Samsung SATA SSD. Will install that into the secondary position and test it. If it passes, then the original drive has in fact gone bad, even though it's seen very little use. If the new drive fails, then there is a different issue. There is a strong opinion from some sources that the motherboard and some of it's components may be a little lighter duty than optimal. we'll see. Again, many thanks for your effort. Hope to be fully up and running for tax season. Unless you've got a cure for that too!