XPS13

Resizing Windows

Because of the pagination it is not easy to resize a partition to something useful. So lets disable pagination:

• Start -> Double click on File Explorer-> Propierties
• Avanced configuration -> Avanced options -> Performance -> Configuration
• Avanced options -> Virtual Memory -> Change
• Take notice of Minimum, recomenden and asigned values for future
• Disable admin automatically ....
.
• Accept, Accept, Accept, Accept

Restart

In order to make it more efficient:

• Clear all temportal files, trash, ....
• Remove content of c:\windows\Softwaredistribution\downloads

Defrag (a good tool is ultradefrag)

Resize (use windows tool without problem).

Restart

Re-Enable virtual memory according to the previous settngs

Installing Debian

Working on BIOS

The BIOS is our maain tool to allow linux to be installed in the laptop.

Because of the UEFI, the SecureBoot, the SATA operation and so on, there are many difficulties to install linux on the laptop. UEFI is quite OK with new debian (Debian 8), but there are still some stuff to tune.

After some trial/errors I managed to get something working, although may be some more efficient configurations:

When booting the laptop press F2.

The main settings you must modify in BIOS are:

• System Configuration -> SATA Operation . The laptop comes with a RAID On and it must be changed to AHCI . Notice that this will prevent the system to load in Windows, so if you want dual-boot you need to be on RAID on for Windows and AHCI for Linux.
• Secure Boot -> Secure Boot Enable . Move it to Disabled, if not the installation program will not even start.
• System Configuration -> USB/Thunderbolt Configuration . It happened to me that while installing linux the USB-C to Ethernet adapter was working, but once linux on I could not get it to work. By selecting Security level - No Security it worked.
• System Configuration -> USB PowerShare . To allow the charging of devices.

Installation

When booting press F12.

Select: UEFI: USB Flash Disk and go for install.

From now on, there are some importants issues to get into account. Once again, it is trial/error, so there are may be some more optimal solution. All the requirements are because GRUB will have some problems to install, so we will need to rework some stuff.

Until partitioning, everything goes as always.

In partitioning, select manual. As far as I understood, we need 2 partitions minimum. We need a ext2 for /boot in order to work on uefi later on. So create a /boot of 500MB and the rest, as you like ;).

You will get an error while installing grub. Do not worry, we will solve it later. At the moment, continue the installation and the installation program will tell you there are some problems and that you will need to load grub manually on a specific partition (in my case nvme0n1p7). Annotate this partition that you will need it later.

Launching linux manually

(Extra info: https://www.linux.com/learn/tutorials/776643-how-to-rescue-a-non-booting-grub-2-on-linux/)

You need to unplug and replug the USB stick, because it has been previously unmounted by the installation program.

When booting press F12.

Select: UEFI: USB Flash Disk. On the installation menu, press C, which will allow you to enter on command line grub.

Check your disks with:

ls

In my case, I have /boot on (hd1,gpt6) and / on (hd1,gpt7).

You can check your / directory with:

ls (hd1,gpt7)/

Now boot manually. Notice that vmlinuz-<XXX> and initrd.img-<XXX> can change, but <TAB> is working ;) Moreover, /dev/nvme0n1p7 is the /dev that the installation told us in the previous step.

grub> set root=(hd1,gpt6)
grub> linux /vmlinuz-3.16.0-4-amd64 root=/dev/nvme0n1p7
grub> initrd /initrd.img-3.16.0-4-amd64
grub> boot

So if everyhting is ok, you have a usable prompt window to insert your password

Re-Installing Grub

(Extra info: https://wiki.debian.org/GrubEFIReinstall)

Check that the computer booted in computer in EFI mode:

[ -d /sys/firmware/efi ] && echo "EFI boot on HDD" || echo "Legacy boot on HDD"
should return "EFI boot on HDD".

Check boot is mounted on the defined boot partition

df -h

Reinstall the grub-efi package

apt-get install --reinstall grub-efi

Install correctly grub:

grub-install /dev/nvme0n1

Re create a grub config file based on your disk partitioning schema

update-grub

reboot

WiFi

This is a complete mess, there are hundreds of webs talking about the Broadcom chips on XPS13. In my case, it looks like I have BRCM4350 (14e4:43a3 rev 08). It seems that it will be supported on Kernel 4.4+. It seems that firmware-brcm80211 in jessie-backports, testing and unstable is working, but I didn't manage to :(.

After hours of working I luckily found this: https://secretundergroundla.ir/tag/brcm4350/, which solved all my problems. Just in case the previous link is broken, I do replicate some information here:

First of all you need to move to jessie-backports, testing or unstable. With jessie, firmware-brcm80211 is not woirking on BRCM4350.

Moreover, firmware-brcm80211 is non-free, so you need to include non-free and contrilb to your sources:

Edit /etc/apt/sources.list:

deb http://ftp.es.debian.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib
deb-src http://ftp.es.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib

Execute:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
apt-get dist-upgrade

This will install also kernel 4.3, so reboot.

Install firmware-brcm82011 :

apt-get install firmware-brcm80211

Now lets install new kernel.

Download this kernel and untar it.

tar jxf 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

Note: I don't know why but I needed 2 reboots to make it work :(. Second one was a hard reboot, so maybe that was the reason :(.

Installing Ubuntu 16.04

It worked out of the box

Remove Side Bar

open dconf editor (install dconf editor : Sudo apt install dconf-tools) now navigate : org->gnome->shell->extensions->dash-to-dock find dock-fixed and change to false

if you have problem again navigate : org->gnome->shell->extensions->dash-to-dock find intelihide and change to false

Extras

Installing Gnome

apt-get install ubuntu-gnome-desktop

Log off and log in selecting gnome

Extensions

Install "Gnome Shell Integration". Good extensions:

• Alternate Tab
• Applications Menu
• Frippery Bottom Panel
• Launch new instance
• system-monitor
• TopIcons
• Workspace Grid

Right buttom Touchpad problems

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.peripherals.touchpad click-method areas