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Dell XPS 13 (9350) Compatibility

rated 0 times [ 7] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 25532 / 2 Years ago, mon, december 13, 2021, 11:11:09

Is the Dell XPS 13 (9350) laptop compatible with the Ubuntu OS?

I'm new to Linux and Ubuntu but I'm minded to be a convert to open source software after disinterest in continuing to use Windows.
I've been reading a lot of stories about problems with Linux failing to recognize the hard drive and the Wi-Fi has problems.

The laptop will come pre-installed with Windows 10 but I'm looking to erase that and install Ubuntu as my sole operating system. I'll try the Ubuntu demo first, but I'd like check on here as well.

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3 Years ago

answered 2 Years ago ideobedi · Accepted Answer

Currently there are still some compatibility issues with the default Ubuntu installation.

Here is what you have to do to get a properly working Ubuntu system installation ...

Preparation

First of all - you won’t be able to connect to the internet out of the box from Ubuntu 15.10

because the WiFi card currently is not supported - for the installation you will need either :

An USB Wifi or Ethernet adapter dongle

an USB key containing the following kernel compiled by Cephyr (this kernel contains an additional patch for using this WiFi card).

Ubuntu will not detect your disk at once because the SATA-controller is set to RAID On.

Boot into BIOS (Press F12 at startup) and set the SATA-controller to Off or to AHCI.

Note : If you want to keep a dual boot with Windows, you have to follow this procedure.

Installation

Create a bootable USB/DVD Ubuntu 15.10 installation media.

Boot from it by selecting it in the BIOS menu.
Install Ubuntu as usual.

Fixing issues

WiFi

When the installation is done, open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and install the patched kernel :

#Only if you have a USB WiFi/Ethernet adapter

wget http://secretundergroundla.ir/?ddownload=15



tar jxf xps13_9350_kernel.tar.bz2

sudo chown root:root brcmfmac4350-pcie.bin BCM-0a5c-6412.hcd

sudo mv -t /lib/firmware/brcm/ BCM-0a5c-6412.hcd brcmfmac4350-pcie.bin

sudo dpkg -i linux-headers-4.3.0-wifitest-custom_4.3.0-wifitest-custom-10.00.Custom_amd64.deb linux-image-4.3.0-wifitest-custom_4.3.0-wifitest-custom-10.00.Custom_amd64.deb

Reboot and WiFi should work properly now.

Update the system :

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

Bluetooth

To make Bluetooth work properly you have to install the Broadcom firmware.

wget http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER03272920M/1/9350_Network_Driver_XMJK7_WN32_12.0.1.720_A00.EXE

unzip 9350_Network_Driver_XMJK7_WN32_12.0.1.720_A00.EXE

cp Win64/BCM4350C5_003.006.007.0095.1703.hex ./

hex2hcd BCM4350C5_003.006.007.0095.1703.hex

mv BCM4350C5_003.006.007.0095.1703.hcd /lib/firmware/brcm/BCM-0a5c-6412.hcd

Reload the module and Bluetooth should work.

sudo modprobe -r btusb   

sudo modprobe btusb

The Dell XPS 13 9350 is a good, but still quite new machine ... so please just give it some time,

everything will be fixed by Canonical and the community in the default Ubuntu installation ;-).

Sources :

Arch Linux Wiki,

XPS 13 (9350) WiFi with Ubuntu 15.10,

Install Ubuntu 15.10 on the Dell XPS 13 9343 (2015) : A complete guide.