Running Linux on the Alienware M18x and 18

I did a quick search in the forum for Linux in this sub-forum but did not come up with anything. I was wondering if anyone has had success with installing Linux on the M18x. If you have:

1. What distribution did you use?
2. Is the hardware fully supported?

Thanks

 

Hello. I have an M18x with nividia graphics card. I am new to Linux, first time I am installing it. I tried Ubuntu 11.04 first and had trouble with the install, probably due to the Nvidia graphics. It would not boot to the desktop (hung up and had to reboot), unless I did recovery mode.

I searched some forums, and then tired Ubuntu 10.10 last night. Much better results: it installed fine, I booted to the desktop (was in 800x600 mode until I installed the NVidia driver), wireless works, apps work, browser works, etc. Audio does not work. I have not tired everything yet (LAN, bluetooth etc). Will work on audio next.

M18XR1 is very similar in architecture to M17xR3, so you can check the forum for M17xR3/Linux, they have a lot of info. Main difference is M17XR3 is Optimus enabled and switchable graphics, other than that very similar to M18xR1.

 

Any hackntosh talk is forbidden on this forum sorry

 

Thanks for the information, it's much appreciated. If I get the M18x will definitely want a dual boot option

 

I am afraid you have lost me there, how is Linux considered hackntosh? I was under the impression that that was related to Macs.

 

I'm a bit confused too. OS X isn't Linux...

In any case, I have Mint working on mine, albeit slowly and not without problems. I'll try Ubuntu 10.10, thanks for the update kazman. I'll post back if it runs properly with ATI drivers

 

Lol yea sorry I was half asleep when I posted that My bad

 

I mean with what I'm anticipating you're using a linux flavour for (development related tasks and the like) wouldn't it just be simpler to put a VM up for it? Considering all the hardware these beasts contain I feel like it just seems like the more practical solution. I just dont expect to do anything too demanding I guess

 

I guess it would be simpler with a VM but for some reason I just like having an actual Linux partition. Maybe it is one of my old habits from back in the day when I used Linux for work and Windows for gaming

I just tried Ubuntu 11.04 x64 but had no luck with the install. It would get halfway and then hang while checking the USB ports. Maybe I should try the i386 version and see if that makes a difference.

 

I tried the i386 version with no luck. Has anyone with GTX 580M SLI managed to get this to work? Unfortunately, Ubuntu doesn't even get as far as booting to the UI.

 

Why do you want to install linux on a dedicated gaming machine? Try VMWare or even Windows 7's VirtualPC if you want to mess around with it.

 

I guess it's just because I can put it on. I am used working with a dual boot environment and prefer it to virtual machines.

Although if the distribution isn't working on the host machine would the Linux distribution work on the VM?

 

VMWare or just any VM? VMWare does it all quite neatly. You will be surprised how easy things go.

 

I was thinking of VMWare as I have dealt with it in the past. I will have to check out the latest version of the software but I am still interested in getting Linux to work natively

 

I now have Ubuntu 10.10 working (dual boot with Win7) on M18X. Audio did not work initially (only worked thru headphone ports not speakers), I had to try a bunch of things and finally got it to work:

Go to Terminal, and do "gksudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf"

Then add this to the end of the alsa-base.conf file:
options snd-pcsp index=-2
alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intel
alias sound-slot-0 snd-hda-intel
options snd-hda-intel model=alienware
options snd-hda-intel enable_msi=1

This got audio working!

 

+1 Rep... good info kazman.

I think the Insyde BIOS does not play nice with Linux and that could be what makes the installation more challenging. I am running Ubuntu 11.04 in Oracle VirtualBox and it works well for anyone not determined to dual boot. The display resolution in a VM leaves a lot to be desired. Dual boot is definitely better if you have enough spare time to get everything working.

As opposed to a genuine dual boot, I also tried wubi and could not get that to work on the M18x. It will run in demo mode, but the install will never finish for me. It could be because I am running a RAID0 configuration instead of parallel drives in AHCI.

Oracle VirtualBox is free and works very well. The version of Microsoft Virtual PC that works with WindowsXP Mode on Win7 does not work for Linux... at least it does not for me. That's a shame because I really do like MS Virtual PC.

 

Thanks for the info kazman.

I have not had much luck in getting Ubuntu 11.04 to work but have just tried out 10.10 and it boots up and I am able to "Try" Ubuntu out.

I am not sure what the differences are between the two but 10.10 is not easily found on the site. The versions that are available from the downloads menu is 11.04 and 10.04.

Is 10.10 some sort of "beta" release or something?

 

Just google Ubuntu 10.10, you will find it. I am not sure why it is not easily found on the Ubuntu.com site, I just saw that myself just now. I had tried 11.04 and it would not install on M18X (see my previous post on this) so I tried going to previous version (10.10). I did not go further back to 10.04 but expect it will also work.

Good luck. My kids are enjoying Linux now.

 

Here's the link to the alternative download page. It will save time for anyone else looking for it . The link will choose the appropriate (nearest) server.

I didn't try going back to 10.04 but I was under the impression that the newer versions should provide better compatibility rather than the older versions.

I couldn't even get 11.04 to start up into the UI - hence no chance of even choosing to "Try" or "Install". Hopefully 11.10 will work but that's still in alpha.

 

Running Gentoo ~x86/~x64 (unstable) on my M18x right now, dual boot with Windows 7 through GRUB Legacy, only minor issues thus far. It was a ground-up install (does Gentoo do it any other way? ) and is working smoothly thus far (only had it set up a few days)

My notes so far specific to the M18x:
*dell-wmi driver in the kernel needs some patching up to support all the Fn-combo keys on M18x. Had to do similar to add support for my old Studio XPS 16. I should probably push those changes upstream sometime

*iwlwifi driver for intel 6200/6300 took some convincing to get up and running smoothly, but after initial setup works great.

*UVESAFB doesn't seem to be able to kick out 1920x1080 console resolution. VESAFB seems to handle it fine. This is probably due to the supported resolutions exposed by the ATI BIOS through VESA 3.0 vs. VESA 2.0 - my Studio XPS 16 experienced the same issue. Notably all Nvidia cards i've tried work great at 1920x1080 with UVESAFB. There are also some mode-change warnings issued when switching consoles using UVESAFB that don't occur with VESAFB.

*The binary driver for ATI didn't want to recognize my 6970m CFX setup, and took some major convincing. But the binary blob being a horrible, horrible thing isn't new to anyone who's used it. The open source driver works well.

*CPUFreq speed governors must be set up properly to fully enable turbo boost, as can be seen using the latest version of i7z (which supports display of the C7 state on sandy bridge)

*This thing is a screaming fast beast on an SSD + 2920xm @ 4.3ghz turbo

 

"options snd-hda-intel model=dell-m6-amic" worked in 11.04 for audio

 

Got everything working great in Gentoo now, only caveat is that I have to switch xorg configs manually after toggling between Integrated/Dedicated graphics, aside from that no issues so far.

The last thing I have to set up is probably GPU Overlay acceleration, i've been putting that off due to a bad experience I had with my Dell XPS 16, video acceleration is simply lacking right now (in the binary blob drivers from AMD, at least)

 

Okay So I recently did a Disk Wipe, and have been unable to get ubuntu to install. It freezes up for the most part. I now have it installed, but its so slow its inoperable. It takes like 20 mins to load, and 5 more min's everytime i click on something. So obviously something is wrong. Ive tried several install techniques. Including Wubi, CD and USB with several recent release versions. From what I can tell its having issues with the hardware. Any advice on how to get it up and going ?

 

Same thing happens for me. I've tried several versions of Linux. I finally gave up and quit wasting time trying to make it work. I think it may have something to do with the Insyde BIOS. I've only been able to run Linux in a VM.

 

Had similar issues with Mint.

 

I think we should try and get to the bottom of this. I use Linux a lot on my other computer, it would certainly make my life simpler to be able to install it here.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/584178-linux-m18x.html

There's more info here.

 

Thanks for digging that up, couldn't find it when I searched. +rep

 

It still seems that Linux does not work very well with the hardware in my M18x.

 

@Mr. Fox

I'm not sure what exactly the problem is but I find Ubuntu 11.10 running a lot better on my M18x than on my G73. I'm not really sure what problems you guys have encountered. The only thing I see in common is the Nvidia graphics card for the G73 and your M18x.

 

Yes, you're probably correct Vergil, at least in that SLI is involved. I switched to the IGP and Ubuntu runs just fine. Must be the SLI setup, rather than the Insyde BIOS as I originally thought. It also works fine on the M17x R2 with CrossFire.

For me anyway, the problem was hanging during installation. After installing with the IGP active, switching to SLI in Windows and rebooting into Linux, you only get a black screen. Since I don't use the IGP very often, this will hamper my use of Linux. That's OK, though. That was just something to tinker with. I've been tinkering with Linux for years off and on, but never as a serious user.

Found this about Fermi cards and SLI under Linux... nV New Forums | SLI Broken on Linux

 

I don't think there's any problem with the other hardware of the M18x. Ubuntu tends to run in a rather annoying manner as long as there is an Nvidia graphics card. I guess the SLI just makes matters worse when running Ubuntu. I have also seen other laptop brands with this problem. The common denominator is the Nvidia graphics card.

 

I believe you are correct, Vergil. I think that it is a Fermi issue, as I have had other systems with pre-Fermi NVIDIA cards that worked OK with Linux. Perhaps there have not been enough Linux users with Fermi cards to get the OS tuned properly.

 

Was curious if I could slipstream a Nvidia driver into the iso BEFORE install ? In other-words remove the generic video driver and add a appropriate proprietary driver.

Has anyone determined for sure if its Bios or Video ?

My notes so far:

* Can install on my system.. after several failures and re formats.
* Cant boot up unless using generic video driver, and even then its beyond inoperable.
* Installed 10.10 and 11.04. Never was able to get passed boot screen on 11.04 and believe this might have something to do with the graphic requirements of UNITY. And 10.10 will load but is VERY VERY VERY slow.

 

I think it's video, bro. Switch to the IGP and Linux installs without a hitch. From what I can find around the web, Linux doesn't play nice with NVIDIA Fermi cards, and SLI may complicate the matter further.

After installing Linux with the IGP, if I switch back to my SLI setup, Linux will never load. All I see is a pinkish colored screen. If I switch back to IGP, Linux loads without issue. I have tried a number of Ubuntu variants and the outcome is always the same. I am running Mint right now, but I don't really care for using the IGP, so I rarely ever boot into Linux... only when I get bored and want to play with something different for a couple of hours.

By the way, this also got sound working for me with Mint 12.0...

 

OK, I was finally able to get the NVIDIA drivers installed in Mint. I used the Synaptics Package Manager to install the NVIDIA drivers while running on IGP, rebooted into Windows, switched back to GTX 580M SLI, rebooted into Mint and the drivers installed.

Edit: Nice looking desktop...

 

Thats great news. Thanks for posting the Screen Shots. I can install Ubuntu using IGP however its still to slow to manage installing anything. I have the single 460m unit. I don't think this rig has true IGP, I think it just switches to generic driver.

Is there a way to preload the driver into the install package ?

 

I haven't figured that out, bro. When I was using the Intel HD 3000 graphics everything was fine. It just was a shot in the dark to use the Synaptic Package Manager to manually install the NVIDIA drivers, rebooting back to Windows and switching to NVIDIA discreet graphics, then reloading Linux.

When it comes to Linux I am still a noob after quite a few years of tinkering with it. The tinkering has been casual. I am happy to say that 3D acceleration is working as well. First time in a long time that I had working 3D acceleration in Linux on a laptop.

 

Awesome Fox!!! I'm gonna have to give you a call so you can walk me through this. Awesome awesome awesome!
+rep if it lets me.

 

Sure thing... Would be glad to do that. Let me know when.

 

Very nice work Mr. Fox!

 

Ive been doing some additional research on various forums and asking questions in IRC rooms. I have come up with a link to customize ISO's for dell computers:

DRU Disc Remastering Utility - DellLinuxWiki

However I'm no Linux expert myself. Ive used it off and on for years just because I'm a geek.. but this seems to be a little over my head. Hoping someone can make since of it ? I'm thinking we will need to customize the loading sequence and hardware drivers.


Also from what I understand there are versions already released and if u have a installed Linux environment you can download them like the following example.

ubuntu-7.04-desktop-i386-dell-0.1-1.iso (changing versions where it's named 7.04, 10.10 etc)

Haven t tried it yet as I don't have a install. I'm working on a customized Ubuntu 10.04 now.

 

I now have 10.10 32bit version installed with Accelerated Nvidia graphics Driver.

1. Booted 10.10 cd into TRY UBUNTU, then Installed 10.10 using Live Desktop method. Computer restarted after install. (note: Install took a considerable amount of time compared to other installs I've done)
2. Booted to loader screen, Selected the Linux Recovery mode, Selected "Fail Safe Graphics" Selected "1 time start Failsafe" (I never switched to IGP)
3. Loaded ubuntu in Failsafe.
4. Connected to internet and installed Nvidia Proprietary Driver.
5. Restarted, booted into Ubuntu (this time regular version)
6. Everything looked beautiful, no issues at all.

Next challenge: Update to 11.04 now that drivers are installed.

EDITED:

So to add to my previous post.

7. Opened up Update manager: Updated packages and installed 11.04
8. Checked drivers, everything running smoothly.

Ubuntu 11.04 32 bit, With Unity and Nvidia Accelerated graphics Successfully completed.

 

Good work TheMatrixHacker!

Did you tinker with the ISO in any way pre-install? If not, do you think this would work with an 11.04 install directly?

 

Xanoku: No I did not alter the iso. I started to However wanted to try the way I listed first. Im not sure if this technique will work out the gate with 11.04. I tried several installs however it didnt work for me, and the Loader options were different. However give it a shot and let me know!

So to add to my previous post.

7. Opened up Update manager: Updated packages and installed 11.04
8. Checked drivers, everything running smoothly.

11.04 32 bit, With Unity and Nvidia Accelerated graphics Successfully completed.


X settings


Cheers to all who helped on this thread. I'm glad to have my Ubuntu!

 

Good job, Matrix! Excellent results. +1 Rep

So, now we have Ubuntu 11.04 32bit and Mint 12.0 64bit both working properly with NVIDIA accelerated graphics, single GPU and SLI. That's awesome.

 

Thanks Mr. Fox, I'm sure that this technique will work on 64bit as well. Its just a matter of being able to get into the UI and being able to get the driver loaded. I think from what I can tell this is not a bios issue but a video issue.

 

I agree... it is definitely a video issue. Not what I originally suspected.

 

Still playing around with this and found a benchmark tool. Phoronix Test Suite - Linux Testing & Benchmarking Platform, Automated Testing Framework, Open-Source Benchmarking includes Unigine Heaven, Sanctuary and a ton of other things. You can install it through your software package manager.

 

Wow, Great tool Mr. Fox. I would never had considered benchmarking in linux being the drivers are generic. However I'll see how I do in Ubuntu.

 

It's nowhere near as awesome as benching in Windows, but hey, it's something fun and different to tinker with. Tessellation is not supported, so the graphics are a bit bland, much like having an AMD card with tessellation turned off.