the more i am delving into things, the dell documentations are saying that the two really aren’t compatible except for like an outdated version of ubuntu… I never even thought about this, but looking back in time, I’ve tried many distros and the all have had some sort of internal issues that I couldn’t figure out and had to wipe the disk and try a new one…
Considering it was a windows computer to begin with, is this causing problems with my Linux installations or is it more likely user error? Especially the firmware and driver side of things, as outlined in my prior post. Did Dell lock down their XPS laptops to basically only be compatible with Windows??? Im tired of distro hopping because of all the issues I have with other distros on my machine. I’m hoping you kind folks could help clear this up for me and offer insight? perhaps the bios needs some special configuring to help make Linux work as it should? Thanks
edit: whoops, I should clarify the exact model, I have an xps 13 9310 dell laptop
Dell provides XPS laptop with Ubuntu on it. It works great and Ubuntu can be replaced with other distro ( I did successfully tested Mint and now Debian 11)
I have two XPS laptops that run the latest Ubuntu Linux flawlessly. Hell, that’s why I bought them. They are literally sold with Linux preinstalled, why wouldn’t they work?
I even get BIOS/firmware updates in GNOME Software!
The real problem is that certain XPS laptops like the 9500 had terrible design problems that dell tried to mask with software in linux. E.g., speaker balancing or high idle power draw. Other design atrocities such as unstable touchpads or improper grounding were initially blamed on linux even though the problem was hardware.
I got mine two years ago and I’ve regretted it since two weeks into it. But since my job bought it for me, I’m stuck with the POS. Do yourself a favor and stick with Thinkpad, or even better Framework.
yea i’m just about ready to invest in a new computer. the damn usb-c ports are so unreliable too after years of wear and tear. things disconnect just by the slightest shift in cable.
That’s also true! I’m really disappointed in what the XPS line became after 2020. :(
Are you sure the ports aren’t dirty? That’s often/always the case with faulty USB-C ports
I don’t buy Dell laptops anymore because of how poorly the hardware they choose works with Linux. I swear they’ll literally look for the one wifi chipset that doesn’t work on Linux when they’re building they’re laptops.
(I’ve had three different XPS laptops, each with unique hardware incompatibilities under Linux. I now have an Acer, an MSI, and a Chuwi, and all work 100%.)
Lenovos have been great as well, if you don’t count the fingerprint reader incompatiblity
+1 for Lenovo. My Gen5 x1 carbon is without question, the single best Linux on a laptop experience I’ve ever had. Running tumbleweed as my daily driver, fwiw.
My yoga 9 graphics laptop is fantastic on Ubuntu.
I just hate the person who decided soldering in a 300mb wifi card was cool, and soldered ram.
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My XPS 9310 2 in 1 works great with Fedora. Literally the only hardware that didn’t work after install was the fingerprint scanner. Everything else seems perfect. It even recognizes when the laptop is folded into a tablet and provides the virtual keyboard and does auto rotate.
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You basically have to research the exact model you’re interested in and how it works on specific distributions. Also a good idea to check hardware compatibility in the kernel you’d be using.
