Dell XPS15 L502X

[criogix]

Well,let me tell you my 2 day experience about turning off the nvidia card.I've managed today to call the acpi method(new ubuntu user so it was pretty hard for me).Surprise,everything worked an let's say my nvidia card was shutdown so it wont eat up my battery life.All good until the first shutdown/restart,the computer froze up so had to manually force shutdown(pressing the button).then it starts up,logs into ubuntu but nvidia card keeps on going and had to go through the steps again to stop the card(don't know if it really stops,it says it does but don't see an improvement like battery lasts longer or cooling fan stops acting crazy).So how can this method be implemented in the startup process for not having the need to go over and over again an the laptop stop freezing? Another workaround will be making a petition to Dell inc. to develop a bios in which we'd be given the option to change between intel/nvidia card or use both with the optimus system(only in windows) because i guess there are a lot of us out there who think linux is more of a operating system than windows,and i need to learn linux in school but my pocket doesn't let me to buy a new laptop if i screw this one up.Hope to hear for the best and if anyone likes my petition idea please let me know and start the things up. THE END !!!

[o----o]

hello here is my experience.

What I want:

• Ubuntu
• Running Nvidia
• WIFI
• Realtime kernel

(I do not want to use Optimus, or turn off the Nvidia, I just want the Nvidia run all the time!)

What I have:

• Ubuntu - 11.04 (64bit)
• Nvidia - 270.41.03-0ubuntu1 (this one should support our NV card GT 525 M > READ MORE HERE)
• Wifi works automatically (starts working after the lowlatency kernel)
• Realtime kernel - 2.6.38-8-lowlatency > DOWNLOAD HERE

experience:
When I bought it I tried Ubuntu 10.10 installed system, with full update, then nvidia, then Lowlatency kernel(wifi didn't work until I installed lowlatency kernel). Everything seams to be OK, but then I realized I want different partition setup, so I have deleted everything.
and have stated from scratch..
From then I have spent tree days DJing with different Ubuntu versions, 10.04. 10.10, Ubuntu studio, nothing work.
Now I have 64bit Ubuntu natty 11.04 it all works pretty well, Ubuntu says that Nvidia drivers are currently active and in use..... I do not believe it.

Nvidia settings always pops up saying "You do not appear to be using the NVIDIA X driver. "
(then when I try to run the nvidia-xconfig, when I restart the only way how to get X up is to boot up in safe mode)
Blender says:

Xlib:  extension "GLX" missing on display ":0".
intern/ghost/intern/GHOST_WindowX11.cpp:177: X11 glxChooseVisual() failed for OpenGL, verify working openGL system!
X Error of failed request:  BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
  Major opcode of failed request:  18 (X_ChangeProperty)
  Resource id in failed request:  0x348ee10
  Serial number of failed request:  21
  Current serial number in output stream:  22

Unity .. I'm not able to start it up

lspci -v

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 0df5 (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
	Subsystem: Dell Device 04b6
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
	Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
	Memory at c0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
	Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=32M]
	I/O ports at 3000 [size=128]
	Expansion ROM at f1000000 [disabled] [size=512K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>
	Kernel driver in use: nvidia
	Kernel modules: nvidia-current, nvidia, nouveau, nvidiafb

glxinfo |grep rendering

Xlib:  extension "GLX" missing on display ":0".

What do you think of it, where is my problem?... is the Nvidia really useless and we do not have slight chance to run the card or I'm I missing something?

thanks 2046

[Yellow Pasque]

What do you think of it, where is my problem?... is the Nvidia really useless and we do not have slight chance to run the card or I'm I missing something?

The Nvidia is useless. If you still can, return the system now.

[o----o]

I think NVidia is something I trust. I just have a good experience {things might not be as they were.}.

During that short time I have found couple news about this problem. First is the 11.04 is Alpha (indeed) and many people actually suffer with the same problem... that the system hangs during the normal boot "checking the battery [ok]" even on computers without battery...it occurs mostly after the Nvidia activation. Hmm, will see.

I'll try my best to find a solution.

[Yellow Pasque]

Best solution is to return the system.
Next best is to use the Intel graphics and acpi_call method to disable Nvidia graphics card, so it doesn't suck battery and generate heat. You've then "succeeded" in making your Nvidia GPU an expensive paperweight.

[NoVista]

I would appreciate if someone would clarify this for me >>
If you own a Dell XPS15 L502X, with NV card GT 540m with Optimus, and run Ubuntu, there is no method that works in order to get video out to work?

[beew]

I would appreciate if someone would clarify this for me >>
If you own a Dell XPS15 L502X, with NV card GT 540m with Optimus, and run Ubuntu, there is no method that works in order to get video out to work?

That's right if "getting video out to work" means using the Nvidia card. There are ways to disable the Nvidia card so that you use only the low performance Intel card without the Nvidia card sucking power, thus making it an expensive paperweight. But no way to use the Nvidia card.

You may want to write to Nvidia.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1712278

Some Optimus laptops have a BIO switch to disable Optimus, in that case Linux can use the Nvidia card if it has Linux driver, but this model is not one of them.

This Dell has the BIO switch and apparently works.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1726575

Maybe you can write to dell asking him to provide such a BIOS switch for your model too.

[NoVista]

Thanks for the reply.
Looks like I may have to send both of my new XPS's back then, which just arrived today.

Waiting around to see if they add a bios option to fix this on this model might be fruitless?

[o----o]

I have updated to last bios A04 but there were no visible changes.

(btw my last post disappeared... I was just basically expressing my last decision to return the computer to store, because none of the drivers I have tried works, not even Nouveau drivers. They are far from perfect(they were able to communicate with the Intel Graphic only))

[rockorequin]

So has anyone got HDMI working on this laptop via the Intel GPU?