XPS 8960, frequent freeze not responding with USB storage devices

Might be a bum motherboard. 

Your PC should still be under warranty, so contact Dell Tech Support for assistance. Have your Service Tag handy. (Don't post Service Tag here.) 

Post back and let us know how this gets fixed.

Have you tested these USB storage devices on all seven of the XPS 8960 USB-A ports to see if all ports have the same issue?
* 3 front
* 4 rear

@DELL-Chris M​ Yes, we have. No difference.  Have also tried a powered USB 3 hub, and it makes no difference. Same behavior on all USB drives.

IMO, it's time to get that motherboard, and possibly the PSU, replaced under warranty...

I just wanted to let know that we have the very same problem.

Configuration: XPS 8960 i9-13900K, 64GB, PC801 NVMe SK hynix 1TB, RTX 4080, Windows 11 

Sudden freezes or applications not responding or stuttering.

Tried a lot things - Reinstalling OS from scratch, Installing different OS (Windows 11 22H2, Windows 10 21H2 LTSC IoT), all Drivers are up to date, all OS Microsoft patches are installed

Beside that there is problem with the Intel Innovation Platform drivers. On all OS we are experiencing two Event Errors in the EventLogs when starting the computer (undepending from installed OS and the sequence of driver installing)

Event ID 17 "IPF"  ( ESIF(Driver-Number) TYPE: ERROR MODULE: IPF TIME 

According to Intel: "ESIF TYPE: ERROR MODULE: IPF TIME shows a potential problem with the Intel Innovation Platform Framework (IPF) or Intel Speed Shift Technology (SST) on Intel-based PCs.

Some possible reasons for this error are:

• Damaged or outdated drivers

• Hardware malfunction or mismatch

• Wrong BIOS settings

Dell Diagnosis on Boot (F12) or Dell Support Assists Tool for Windows do not show any anomalies

We just do not know what to do any further?
An answer from Dell is really appreciated.

@rukla71f9e  Read this about possible ways to fix the TYPE: ERROR MODULE: IPF TIME errors... 

And FWIW, same error has been seen on non-Dell PCs, as posted in the Intel forum.  At least in that case, it was being caused by video drivers. So suggest you use DDU (free) to remove all traces of the installed NVidia driver.

Download the latest NVidia driver for your GPU from Dell's XPS 8960 Support page but do not install it. Then run DDU. Be sure to follow DDU instructions about booting in Safe Mode, with internet connection disabled.  When DDU is done, install the NVidia driver you already downloaded. See if that helps...

@RoHe

Thanks for your advice.

Unfortunately uninstalling the Nvidia graphic driver with DDU in safe mode, restarting and reinstalling the driver afterwards did not help.

I am well aware that the IPF error is not only showing on Dell XPS systems... (the link you mentioning is excactly the one I did copy the Intel comment from).

But I am wondering if the IPF error (Event ID 17) arrises on other XPS 8960 systems too.

The XPS 8960 in the mentioned configuration did cost a lot of money, and freezes, crashes, driver errors should not occur.

They do little to make Dell computers a good buy, if you are affected yourself, especially when there are quite a few threads on various internet forums about XPS desktop computers that don't respond, freeze or crash.
And if Dell tends to keep quiet about it, then even more so.

One more point to mention is the Intel CPU problem with CPUs of the i9-13900k and i9-14900k series.
Enter “i9 13900k crash” in a search engine of your choice and take a look at the results.

Unfortunately, the XMP workarounds offered by Dell cannot be set on the BIOS side.

I don't know to what extent Dell drivers, Intel CPU problems and the stutterings, freezes and crashes affecting the XPS desktop systems go hand in hand.

What happens now is uncertain...
Complaint, exchange, repair?

In my opinion, Dell should provide updated drivers or bios updates so that stuttering, freezes and crashes no longer occur.

At least it would be a start if Dell confirms that the problems mentioned occur on XPS desktop systems.

@RoHe

Correction - it must read: ...Unfortunately, the XMP workarounds for BIOS offered by Dell in the Internet cannot be set on the BIOS side Dell XPS Systems...

@rukla71f9e  - Since the error occurs on other systems, it's more likely to be a Microsoft and/or Intel software/hardware issue.  So they may be the ones that have to fix this.

If you're still under warranty, contact Dell Tech Support and work with them to decide what to do next... 

@frankiekat  - What's the outcome of your little "adventure"? 

Did Dell replace the motherboard and/or PSU or do something else to resolve the USB problems?