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Alienware 17 R4 (Nov. 2016) and Linux
Hi everyone,
For a few days, I've been experimenting with Arch Linux on my new Alienware 17 R4. The main problem -- actually the only one I'm really concerned about -- is the inability to control screen brightness in GNOME or KDE in Arch Linux.
A description of the current status of my efforts to get Arch Linux to work is posted at the Arch Linux forums: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=219589.
It seems that although this laptop comes with an Intel and an NVIDIA graphics card, there is no option to disable either card in the BIOS. Also, the GUI works in Linux without the need to install something like Bumblebee. In fact, Bumblebee crashes X. On all my previous Optimus systems, I've had to get Bumblebee to work.
Moreover, I couldn't figure out what the "I/D GFX" key (Fn + F7) does. Is it meant to work only in Windows?
Anyhow, to test whether the screen brightness issue was specific to Arch, I created a Live USB of Kubuntu (the KDE/Plasma variant of Ubuntu). With some lag, the Ubuntu installer does start, but when I click on "Try Kubuntu" (to boot into the live environment) the system goes into a loop. There's presumably a way to get out of it, but I haven't tried it.
If someone has any ideas about how to get the screen brightness control to become active, please do write back!
Thanks!
infinite_light
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November 19th, 2016 15:00
From my experience. Everything works fine if you switch to NVidia only in your windows system. Just make sure you have blocklisted nouveau and installed the nvidia module
darkmav2011
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November 20th, 2016 13:00
Thanks for replying infinite_light.
When you say "switch to Nvidia only", how do you do this in Windows? Do you mean Fn + F7? If yes, I get a message saying "This is not compatible for the GSYNC LCD panel."
Also, nouveau is blacklisted, and nvidia is installed. Yet, I can't seem to be able to change the screen brightness.
AstralNyt
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January 16th, 2017 19:00
Just happened across this and thought I'd let you know that I installed CentOS 7, dual boot with UEFI and Secure Boot enabled. Using Nouveau, screen brightness functions through Gnome interface, though I have not mapped any of the function keys yet, nor tried KDE.
darkmav2011
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January 17th, 2017 06:00
Thanks AstralNyt!
Can you try the NVIDIA drivers instead of the Nouveau driver, and let us know if your brightness is still controllable? With the latest drivers on Arch, it doesn't work for me. I have no experience with CentOS.
What I learned from Dell last month is that on this system, the Intel graphics card is never used, and the Fxn+F7 key is therefore disabled (it beats me why the F7 key is there in the first place, but that is a different debate). This is a feature of GSYNC-enabled systems.