WHEA-Logger reports a fatal hardware error

[Dietmar-Po]

​My Dell Precision 3590 randomly crashes and reboots on its own during the night. Thanks to modern standby, the laptop is basically "always on."​

​And before the AI kicks off with the usual checklist—yes, it's running all the latest updates.​

Just to add - the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant was running at the same time and the Module_Name showing in WinDdg is GenuineIntel, Image_Name GenuineIntel.sys

(For some reason, I’m unable to upload the .dmp file.)

[pressed_for_time]

You need to raise this with Dell support who can be found here .

[Dietmar-Po]

Thank you.

The Dell boot time diagnostics (F12) show no errors.

I'll also copy the information to the Dell Community. (In the past, my experiences with Dell Support weren’t that great)

[pressed_for_time]

I note that the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (DSA) was running at the time. Personally I would not recommend the use of the DSA with Dell hardware. That's because Dell like many other OEMs customizes not only the BIOS but also many of the standard Intel drivers.

Dell like many others offers a website device scanning service that identifies and offers the latest drivers. This will include the Intel Management Engine (ME) driver which typically is modified to work both with both the Dell BIOS and the associated ME firmware. There is a risk of issues if IDSA overwrites drivers like this or any other OEM customized driver.

[Dietmar-Po]

Yes, thanks for your feedback. This is my 5th or 6th Dell computer, and so far things have gone well. I’ve also considered the risk of the Dell-customized Intel drivers. I’m considering how to proceed. The latest isn’t always the best.

[Dietmar-Po]

I’ve decided to use the Dell versions of the Intel drivers, not least because of Intel's frequent updates.

[n_scott_pearson]

Let's generalize this...

If this driver from Dell includes customizations, you likely shouldn't use the newer drivers from Intel unless you are seeing a specific problem and would like to investigate whether Intel has fixed it in any of their subsequent releases. If Intel has fixed your problem, then you should (1) ask Dell to provide you with an updated release that includes their customizations (presuming of course that your warranty is still active and they have the bandwidth (and desire) to go off and validate another release), and (2) downgrading to the available Dell version until they can provide this update (doing what you can to get around the problem you were having).

If Dell tells you that their graphics driver release contains no customizations, then you are free to use the updated versions being released by Intel - but understand that Dell likely hasn't verified that these updated versions are 100% compatible with their hardware design (and thus why they recommend not doing so). The issue is that if you do have a problem, Dell Support is just going to punt and say go talk to Intel. Then you are stuck waiting for Intel to release a version of the driver that addresses your problem, which could take months.

Clear as mud?

....S

[Dietmar-Po]

Yes, I totally understand. I used to be a developer myself (before retiring), and I seriously doubt Dell would ever disclose whether they've made any changes.

Interestingly, the other Dell machines are running just fine with the latest Intel and Nvidia drivers.

[n_scott_pearson]

Dell *will* tell you. Understand that we are not talking actual changes to the Intel drivers; it's more about including other - related - things in the package. One example is support for custom keypresses (or physical buttons) for brightness, contrast, etc.
Hope this helps,
...S

[Dietmar-Po]

Not so easy to reinstall those ancient drivers. I doubt whether it’s the right way. If I remember the statements from Dell Support correctly, I’d better ignore the Event Viewer. Too bad there aren’t more opinions on it. 

[Dietmar-Po]

I have removed the Intel Improvement Program software...