Linux Mint 18.1 on Dell XPS 15 9550 (i7-6700HQ - 1TB SSD - UHD 4k touch)

I am starting this thread for anyone having difficulties installing and running Linux Mint 18.1 on the 9550 XPS.
This information may also be helpful for other versions of the XPS, but mainly focus on 9550.

I will cover installation steps for dualboot configuration, as well as driver compatibility.

Also I would ask that you share your experiences in this thread, then I will update the main post with current and relevant information.

More info will be posted shortly!

Installation
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1. In Windows 10, start off by updating to latest BIOS currently 1.2.19
   Link to BIOS here
   
   
2. When BIOS update completes and you are back in windows:
   Open power settings in the old control panel, and choose "close lid option".
   Here you will disable hibernation and fast boot.
   
   
3. In Windows run: msconfig, set it to boot in safemode next boot and restart computer.
   
   
4. When you see the dell logo enter by pressing F2 key.
   Upon entering the BIOS you want to "Reset to BIOS defaults" and reboot.
   
   
5. Now again after BIOS is done with reset, enter it again with F2 key.
   Now you will have to disable Secure boot option, and set boot mode to AHCI and not the RAID default.
   Boot back to windows and run msconfig, set it to normal boot and reboot.
   
   
6. Boot back to windows, make ready a USB stick to re-partion the disk.
   Download GPARTED ISO image here
   To make the image you can use Tuxboot
   
   
7. Now reboot and when you see Dell logo hit F12, and select the bootable USB.
   
   
8. Now you can split your drive without having to care that unmovable windows features wont move as they should to get the reduction you want.
   Leave the area you want for linux unpartitioned, Linux Mint installer will use all available space.
   I like to have a standalone partition for windows(ex: D:\)
   This is my setup:
   Windows systemdisk C: - 375GB
   Windows datadisk D: - 250GB
   Linux system / - 300+GB
   
   
9. Now boot to windows again and make a Linux Mint USB stick:
   You can find the distro here, I personally prefer 64 bit cinnamon.
   
   
10. Now reboot and when you see Dell logo hit F12, and select the bootable USB.
    
    
11. Now choose start OS and hit install icon on the desktop, if you connect to WiFi or by cable now. It takes updates into consideration when applying drivers and such.
    
    
12. Choose install side by side with windows bootloader first option and click next and you should be good to go.

Driver / Config
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• Bluetooth [WORKS]
  Download this firmware file:
  https://www.dropbox.com/s/8goc4omhnzxij93/BCM-0a5c-6410.hcd?dl=0
  And move the file here:
  
  Code:

  $ sudo mv ~/BCM-0a5c-6410.hcd /lib/firmware/brcm/

• WiFi (QCA6174 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter)
  I get a error in dmesg:
  could not fetch firmware file 'ath10k/QCA6174/hw3.0/firmware-5.bin': -2
  To check your card model: sudo lshw -class network
  Here is a link to a official repository:
  https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git/tree/ath10k/QCA6174
  And another which is supposedly working:
  https://github.com/kvalo/ath10k-firmware/tree/master/QCA6174

• Touchpad
  I believe there is two ways to configure it:
  
  Libinput version
  Add the section block to the conf file, change the settings as you see fit:
  
  Code:

  $ sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-input-libinput
  $ sudo gedit /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/99-libinput.conf
  
  Section "InputClass"
      Identifier "libinput"
      Driver "libinput"
      MatchDevicePath "/dev/input/event*"
      Option "Tapping" "true"
      Option "DisableWhileTyping" "true"
      Option "NaturalScrolling" "false"
      Option "AccelProfile" "adaptive"
      Option "AccelSpeed" "0.05"
      Option "ClickMethod" "clickfinger"
      Option "MiddleEmulation" "true"
      Option "ScrollMethod" "twofinger"
      Option "SendEventsMode" "disabled-on-external-mouse"
  EndSection
  

  Synaptics version
  ...

• NVIDIA GPU
  
  Code:

  $ sudo apt-get purge nvidia-*
  $ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
  $ sudo apt-get update
  $ sudo apt-get install nvidia-367
  $ sudo reboot

• Intel GPU [NOT TESTED]
  https://01.org/linuxgraphics/downloads

• Docking [ISSUES]
  I have problems getting this to work with the D3100 docking station when external monitor is connected.
  Screen blacks out when I connect display port to my 27" 1440p monitor.
  http://www.displaylink.com/downloads/ubuntu

Software optimization
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• Spotify
  Use CTRL, SHIFT +/- to adjust zoom for Hi-DPI
  And it remembers the zoom next time you start program.

 

C0d3x,
I didn't see that you confirmed nvidia driver 352 works for you. I have been having system freezes whenever I try to install any graphics driver, have not found one that works. Your system has been stable with that driver?

 

I went for the v378 but it had som glitches, then I went for the v367 i believe.. not on that computer right now so not 100% sure.
Did not experience any glitches on that, did not try any games on linux though.

I just picked it in the driver section of the systemsettings and rebooted.

I did however experience issues with cinnamon desktop breaking, this got fixed in latest kernel update.

 

Quick question about Ubuntu dual boot:
When i did a clean install of Win 10 after i got my laptop and changed the SATA mode to AHCI from RAID the system didn't boot (didn't know about the safe boot trick at that time and lost all data) and changing it back to RAID didn't work either, i had to do a fresh install.
But now my windows is all setup and i cannot afford to reinstall it if i mess up so here's my question, I have Samsung drivers installed (see attached pic) and i have to turn on AHCI mode to install Ubuntu 16.10, Legacy Boot mode is on and secure boot is disabled, so if i restart my system with safe mode checked and change RAID to AHCI while its rebooting i should be good right? or is there a chance of something going wrong again? I just want to be sure before i do this and don't want to lose all my data like last time.

Also i'm running 1.2.18 and don't plan to upgrade to 1.2.19 since i have no issues with this version.

EDIT: Also if i remember correctly i was getting BSODs with AHCI on i think that's why i went back to raid on with samsung 950 drivers(i have the 951 ssd). Have you had any BSODs with the dual boot in AHCI mode? Can i go back to Raid on after i install Ubuntu?

I could just backup everything and see for myself but if someone has already done all this why go through all the trouble of reinstalling everything.

 

Download Acronis True Image 2017 boot iso file, make an usb-stick, and boot to image tool, insert a usb harddrive after you start boot from usb, now make a recovery image of your partitions and put it on a file on your external drive. You can now recover if you mess it up.

For your question regarding AHCI, you should always select next boot to safe mode before you change the option from RAID to AHCI.
If you mess up you can just put it back to RAID, boot windows and set it to safe mode and do it again.

No I have not had one single BSOD, but when you go to ACHI mode you can use the disk software for your drive to check for firmware upgrades etc, as well as you need the original driver instead of the intel raid driver.

 

So i just reboot into safe mode and before it boots go into bios and change it to ahci and everything should be good? I don't plan on doing an image backup because my C drive is 70GB and i only have a 32GB flash drive.

I just hope i dont start getting BSODs after changing to AHCI and installing Ubuntu, haven't had a BSOD since i switched to RAID with samsung drivers, i still plan on using windows mostly with the dual boot but i need linux (VBOX is slow af so i decided to dualboot)

EDIT: So everything went as planned now let's see if i get BSOD in windows because of AHCI moce.

Thanks for the bluetooth FW file it works.

So i noticed something interesting during the install, i was unable to use the free space i had created for the linux partition so i had to delete the 500mb Dell recovery partition which allowed me to use the 50 GB i had freed for linux and i planned to use that 500mb as swap but i wasn't able to do that. After i created the 50gb linux partition the 500mb became unusable ( too many primary partitions maybe? i have two + the windows BL + the ext4). Anyone have any idea?

 

As for AHCI and RAID, although they do serve the function of what they are suppose to do, on the newer systems (even on AW systems) they are more of a protocol where the RAID mode is of a newer protocol over AHCI, thus making it the preferred choice.

I hope that makes sense haha..

Purely for example sake, ACHI is to Legacy ... whereas RAID is to UEFI ...

Strange I know...

If Windows was installed with AHCI on a single drive (the only drive on the system) then it's usually the case where you'd have to reinstall Windows again with RAID if you're wanting to pair it up with another drive for it to work correctly, rather to prevent any issues in the long run. Again, strange I know...

When installing Linux (Stand alone) on a system, as stated above: "....disable Secure boot option, and set boot mode to AHCI and not the RAID default...."

...which means that if you have Windows installed as RAID originally, then it'd be best to reinstall Windows again using AHCI in order to prevent any issues down the road. (Off topic, but if running just windows on a system, it's best to install it in RAID, regardless if there will be two drives on there or not. It is a faster protocol than AHCI.)

However, with most of the Samsung m.2 drives, Samsung Magician only works if Windows was installed via AHCI. (*face palm* I know...)

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As for the BIOS, smart call as the newer BIOS(s) are complete rubbish at least from my Windows testing... The older bios are a lot more stable so it is best not to update to the latest bios when doing a Linux install.

Hope the info. above is helpful.....

 

Now here's a question for you guys...

After installing LinuxMint, updating drivers etc... on the first reboot, it got stuck on this screen:



After hard powering down, it seems to boot up fine now.... weird.... ignore it? Or is there something that I need to change / adjust to prevent this?

(I've set my boot order accordingly...)

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Also, when going to Disks -> menu (in that window) -> In the drop down, "Drive Settings," is greyed out...

(I was trying to turn on write cache....)



1. Is this because I'm using an NVMe and not a SATA? (I have a Samsung 512GB [PM961] m.2 NVMe in there...)

2. Is there a driver that I need to install for the PM961?

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Thanks in advance... glad to see other fellow Linux (on XPS 15) users here...

Cheers

 

I have exactly this (first) problem on every distro I try to install on my new XPS15:
BUG soft lockup CPU#8 stuck for 23s!

Currently the only distro that installs and can then be booted is Bodhi, but I want Mint or Xubuntu.

Mint boots from the USB, and appears to install, but when rebooted afterwards, I just get a black screen and a blinking cursor. This implies to me that it can't find an operating system -- so where has it gone?

All other distros hang during USB boot (boot in text mode shows that they are hanging on this CPU Stuck error), so they can't even be got to install.

Has anyone solved this?