Dell Venue 11 7130 Powers down USB port when screen shuts off

RChadwick

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I've got a Dell Venue 11, 7130, with a fresh install of Windows 8.1. I've configured it not to sleep or hibernate, and disabled power management on USB ports. However, when the screen shuts off (Inactivity timeout, or I shut the 'lid' (When docked with it's keyboard), the USB port powers down (Verified with a USB power meter), and the USB device disconnects. It powers back up when the screen comes back on. My best guess is that this is a feature, either from Dell, or as part of tablet mode in Windows 8.1. The only way I could get it to NOT shut down the USB port was to uninstall the video driver. I've tried every video driver I could manage to install, but no difference. My best guess at this point is that the Video driver sends some kind of signal to the OS telling it the screen is off, and removing the driver simply keeps the OS, or whatever is shutting down the USB port, from knowing the screen is shut off.

Does anyone know how to disable this feature? Does anyone have this or another tablet that doesn't shut down the USB port when the screen shuts off?


UPDATE: I just got my hands on a Venue 11 5130, and the USB port stay on fine, as well as another Non-Dell tablet. Maybe this is a very weird hardware issue? Maybe an issue in the BIOS update I just did?
 
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It could be a firmware issue. Compare the firmware version of the one with the problem with the one without the problem. If the versions are different, then try to bring the problematic computer to the same firmware version as the good computer.

If that doesn't fix it, then perhaps there is a Windows update on one which is not on the other. Make the problematic computer match the good computer with regard to which updates are installed.

We can't be absolutely sure that either of the above steps will fix the problem, because the two laptops are not identical. But it's worth a try.
 
When you say Firmware, do you mean BIOS? They are different hardware (One is an Atom, the other an i5, different memory, etc) so I don't know if the BIOS's would be compatible. I just looked and found older BIOS versions, so I'm going to try that.
Thanks!
 
Well, I could only go back to A11, but it made no difference. Apparently these can't be brought lower than A11, as Dell's website doesn't have them, and it says some kind of block was put in A11 preventing earlier BIOS's from being flashed.
 
The tablet that works has A06 BIOS, which I'm guessing was the first revision. I can't go lower than A11 on the other. UGH.
 
I found the issue. It was the BIOS. Any BIOS above A11 shuts off the USB port when the display shuts off. All others are fine (A06 to A11). I doubt Dell will ever fix it, but at least A11 works.
 
Thanks for letting us know. My last Dell laptop had a BIOS issue also. After I updated to A12, the laptop stopped charging the battery. I had to roll back to A09. You are right, they never fixed the problem.
 
I found the issue. It was the BIOS. Any BIOS above A11 shuts off the USB port when the display shuts off. All others are fine (A06 to A11). I doubt Dell will ever fix it, but at least A11 works.

At least you were able to back down to A11. Glad you got it fixed.
 
I've got a Dell Venue 11, 7130, with a fresh install of Windows 8.1. I've configured it not to sleep or hibernate, and disabled power management on USB ports. However, when the screen shuts off (Inactivity timeout, or I shut the 'lid' (When docked with Speed Test Scrabble Word Finder Solitaire it's keyboard), the USB port powers down (Verified with a USB power meter), and the USB device disconnects. It powers back up when the screen comes back on. My best guess is that this is a feature, either from Dell, or as part of tablet mode in Windows 8.1. The only way I could get it to NOT shut down the USB port was to uninstall the video driver. I've tried every video driver I could manage to install, but no difference. My best guess at this point is that the Video driver sends some kind of signal to the OS telling it the screen is off, and removing the driver simply keeps the OS, or whatever is shutting down the USB port, from knowing the screen is shut off.
Does anyone know how to disable this feature? Does anyone have this or another tablet that doesn't shut down the USB port when the screen shuts off?


UPDATE: I just got my hands on a Venue 11 5130, and the USB port stay on fine, as well as another Non-Dell tablet. Maybe this is a very weird hardware issue? Maybe an issue in the BIOS update I just did?
I had to roll back to A09. You are right, they never fixed the problem.
 
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