Re: Ubuntu on Dell Xps 15 9550 new Infinity display (i7 6gen 16gbr UHD 4k touch

[slize_12]

Interestingly I cannot get kernel 4.4 to work. It just results in some errors during the boot process and that is it. I was able to get my hdmi issues fixed using a CableCreation USB-C to HDMI cable (and a converter to VGA on top of that for some other cases). Everything else works fine.

BIOS: Unfortunately, the laptop is significantly more noisy since installing the new bios version. The fans are running most of the time .

Did you try one of the proposed solutions to solve this:

• sudo bash -c "echo 'i915 nvme' >> /etc/initramfs-tools/modules"
  sudo update-initramfs -u -k all

• Install GUC from 01.org: https://01.org/linuxgraphics/downloads/sklgucver43 - it puts the 4.3 GUC firmware blobs in /lib/firmware/i915/

I also solved my HDMI issues. Actually I set the refresh rate for my HDMI connected screen (2560x1600 / 2560x1440) to 30 hertz and everything works wine. Thanks for pointing out quickdry, this made my search much more precise and probably saved me a lot of time. As alternative I found an USB C -> DisplayPort adapter on amazon which actually has all but one positive evaluations. All of those (only 5) evaluations are written by Dell XPS owners. So I guess, if anybody is going for high resolutions with more then 30 hertz this will be an appropriate option. One of the guys even used the very nice feature of DP 1.2 by forwarding the displayport signal. She/he connected two screens via one usb-c displayport adapter. Another friend of mine already uses this with his dual screen setup. So this is also support by the XPS.

Below is the xrandr commands once you dont want to go for new hardware and want to stick to standard HDMI with 30 hertz.

xrandr --newmode "2560x1600_30.00"  164.25  2560 2696 2960 3360  1600 1603 1609 1630 -hsync +vsyncxrandr --addmode HDMI-1-0 "2560x1600_30.00" 
xrandr --output HDMI-1-0 --mode "2560x1600_30.00" 
xrandr --output eDP-1-0 --off

Respectively

xrandr --newmode "2560x1440_30.00"  146.25  2560 2680 2944 3328  1440 1443 1448 1468 -hsync +vsync
xrandr --addmode HDMI-1-0 "2560x1440_30.00" 
xrandr --output HDMI-1-0 --mode "2560x1440_30.00"
xrandr --output eDP-1-0 --off

[kjano]

Did you try one of the proposed solutions to solve this:

• sudo bash -c "echo 'i915 nvme' >> /etc/initramfs-tools/modules"
  sudo update-initramfs -u -k all

Thanks. Unfortunately this totally broke my system .

1. If I use the intel card and connect to an external monitor, my laptop screen will turn off whenever the mouse cursor moves into it and the screen will turn on again if the mouse cursor is on the external screen.
2. Suspend stopped working
3. I also tried using the nvidia card again but something got broken and the system is freezing randomly and unity has all sorts of issues that make me type unity --replace every few minutes. I am sure this will be an easy fix. [EDIT: partially fixed]

Maybe the problem is that I am still using kernel 4.3 994. The other kernels just result in a black screen while booting. Any idea?

[jhouse2]

thanks @mflores3 -- your good instructions and pre-made hcd file for fixing bluetooth was very handy!

[slize_12]

Thanks. Unfortunately this totally broke my system .

1. If I use the intel card and connect to an external monitor, my laptop screen will turn off whenever the mouse cursor moves into it and the screen will turn on again if the mouse cursor is on the external screen.
2. Suspend stopped working
3. I also tried using the nvidia card again but something got broken and the system is freezing randomly and unity has all sorts of issues that make me type unity --replace every few minutes. I am sure this will be an easy fix. [EDIT: partially fixed]

Maybe the problem is that I am still using kernel 4.3 994. The other kernels just result in a black screen while booting. Any idea?

Actually, I don't. I tried updating the 4.4.0 kernel which was a bad idea. I had the one from 11th of Jan installed and tried to update it to the one from the 15th of Jan. It completely broke my system. So last night I was busy reinstalling my system. On the other hand, as I went through the advises here before and had my home partition separate it only took about 1.5 hours to an operational state to support daily business again. I can't tell you actually how it worked for the first time. Once I reinstalled my XPS I tried to install the working version of 4.4.0 again and I didn't manage to do. So currently, I sticked to the 4.3.3 Version. It's not working as good as the 4.4.0 version (second screens and resolution change + running dhclient trying to connect to a network tend to freeze lightdm), but it will do for the next weeks. By then I hope for official 4.4 support .

About your system, I'm really sorry. I didn't intend to guide somebody into bugs with my notes. Somewhat I must have been lucky when I was playing around with the kernels. Normally, I use Gentoo and there compiling and changing kernels isn't such a problem (once you know what you do ofc ). However, under Gentoo I didn't get the Nvidia-Card to work. I'll try again in a few weeks.

[maxweld]

Hi - Great Thread - Thanks. I am on the verge of ordering one of these great machines and will install Ubuntu/Windows dual boot at first, but would like eventually to run Windows in a VM under Ubuntu.

At the same time, I want to purchase a means of connecting the laptop to my network, dual Dell 23" monitors and several USB devices whilst at home.

Clearly the Thunderbolt Dock TB13 would be preferable, if it works, but as it is not yet available which is a pity.

The USB 3.0 Ultra HD Triple Video Docking Station D3100 looks next best and is available. Does anybody have experience of this device in conjunction with Linux on the XPS 15 9550.

I will also want a more portable adaptor when away from home and needing to connect to networks and displays/projectors. Does anybody have any experience with the DA100 or DA200 adaptors?

I am keen to get this ordered ASAP, so any views that might permit me to avoid hassles with the wrong adaptors would be a big help. Thanks

[dgriver]

Anyone else having issues with very slow wifi?
I'm getting 1.5 Megabit download speed, if I tether to my phone that’s connected to the same network I get 20.
Kernel: 4.4.0-040400-generic
Steps:
Wiped windows
installed ubuntu 15.10
dist-upgrade, upgrade
updated to bios 1.0.5
installed kernel 4.4 from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/
installed GUC from https://01.org/linuxgraphics/downloads/sklgucver43

sudo bash -c "echo 'i915 nvme' >> /etc/initramfs-tools/modules"
sudo update-initramfs -u -k all

Rebooted
WiFi didn't work
Downloaded http://en.community.dell.com/cfs-fil..._2D00_pcie.zip
unzipped
ran sudo mv brcmfmac4350-pcie.bin /lib/firmware/brcm
sudo chmod 600 /lib/firmware/brcm/brcmfmac4350-pcie.bin
rebooted
WiFi works but very very slow and often drops, any ideas?

[eagledrc2]

mflores - I followed these instructions (I skipped #3-5 because I don't care about Bluetooth right now) and I can now see all of the WiFi networks but I can't connect to mine. It keeps asking for the password and never connects. Here is the output of dmesg | grep error:

[ 11.501041] usb 1-1: device descriptor read/all, error -110
[ 12.831608] bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for brcm/BCM-0a5c-6410.hcd failed with error -2
[ 12.927896] brcmfmac 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for brcm/brcmfmac43602-pcie.txt failed with error -2
[ 13.028445] i2c_hid i2c-DLL06E4:01: error in i2c_hid_init_report size:6 / ret_size:4
[ 21.105317] EXT4-fs (sda2): re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro
[ 120.611544] brcmf_cfg80211_scan: scan error (-11)

Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

[bertusrex]

mflores - I followed these instructions (I skipped #3-5 because I don't care about Bluetooth right now) and I can now see all of the WiFi networks but I can't connect to mine. It keeps asking for the password and never connects. Here is the output of dmesg | grep error:

[ 11.501041] usb 1-1: device descriptor read/all, error -110
[ 12.831608] bluetooth hci0: Direct firmware load for brcm/BCM-0a5c-6410.hcd failed with error -2
[ 12.927896] brcmfmac 0000:02:00.0: Direct firmware load for brcm/brcmfmac43602-pcie.txt failed with error -2
[ 13.028445] i2c_hid i2c-DLL06E4:01: error in i2c_hid_init_report size:6 / ret_size:4
[ 21.105317] EXT4-fs (sda2): re-mounted. Opts: errors=remount-ro
[ 120.611544] brcmf_cfg80211_scan: scan error (-11)

Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

I've reccommended it here before: try a bios factory reset or reflash your current bios. Then put back your bios settings, especially important settings like correct AHCI/RAID setting.

My BT mouse stopped working this morning, reboots didn't make a difference but a bios factory reset fixed it. Bios reflash has worked for me once before when I had wifi connecting issues (similar to yours), maybe a factory reset would have been enough in that case too. For some reason every now and then a BT or wifi issue seems to remain persistent across boots, and a factory reset fixes that.

It only takes a few minutes to try.

PS If the 2 files with the -2 errors above DO exist on the filesystem (not likely as you skipped some steps), then you can do a chmod 644 on those files, I think firmware files with too broad permissions are refused to load.

[jhouse2]

WebCam in Virtualbox (5.0) guest?

WebCam is working fine in ubuntu 15.10. However when running a windows guest in Virtualbox I can't even get the camera to show up as a device.

Has anyone yet had luck with this?

lshw gives me these details:

*-usb:2
description: Video
product: Integrated_Webcam_HD
vendor: CN045G28724875B2B4XDA01
physical id: c
bus info: usb@1:c
version: 56.05
capabilities: usb-2.00
configuration: driver=uvcvideo maxpower=500mA speed=480Mbit/s

I have gotten VirtualBox to enable sharing the USB device "CN045G28724875B2B4XDA01" , but Windows 7 doesn't seem to acknowledge it at all - doesn't detect a webcam, doesn't detect any new device and ask for drivers, or etc..

[kjano]

Actually, I don't. I tried updating the 4.4.0 kernel which was a bad idea. I had the one from 11th of Jan installed and tried to update it to the one from the 15th of Jan. It completely broke my system. So last night I was busy reinstalling my system. On the other hand, as I went through the advises here before and had my home partition separate it only took about 1.5 hours to an operational state to support daily business again. I can't tell you actually how it worked for the first time. Once I reinstalled my XPS I tried to install the working version of 4.4.0 again and I didn't manage to do. So currently, I sticked to the 4.3.3 Version. It's not working as good as the 4.4.0 version (second screens and resolution change + running dhclient trying to connect to a network tend to freeze lightdm), but it will do for the next weeks. By then I hope for official 4.4 support .

About your system, I'm really sorry. I didn't intend to guide somebody into bugs with my notes. Somewhat I must have been lucky when I was playing around with the kernels. Normally, I use Gentoo and there compiling and changing kernels isn't such a problem (once you know what you do ofc ). However, under Gentoo I didn't get the Nvidia-Card to work. I'll try again in a few weeks.

Don't worry. I got my system fixed and working again for the most parts. After all, breaking your OS is one of the great joys of running Linux. Anyway, good to know that I am not the only person that cannot get kernel 4.4 working.