Installing Ubuntu on XPS 13 (2015) Windows Edition (Dual-boot)

Question

I'm getting a version of Ubuntu installed on my 2015 XPS 13 (i7 5500U, UHD+), thought I'd share where I've gotten to and what I've done to fix the things I've found broken so far. Seems to be plenty of guides on how to install Ubuntu on a windows laptop. The steps I took were to * Disable fast-boot * Update to A03 BIOS (and cold reboot a few times) * Shrink 'OS' partition (freeing up ~100GB for Ubuntu) * Install Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 02 from USB install flash drive Out of the box, I found the following issues: 1) Text was _really_ small!  2) Wireless not working 3) Trackpad click & drag not working (So you can't select text for example) 4) Tackpad right click not working 5) Audio not working/detected (not even playback) Of these, I've only 1) Solved - Following this: askubuntu.com/.../adapt-ubuntu-to-a-high-dpi-resolution-screen ;and by installing Chrome-unstable (43) which has a high-dpi mode 2) Not solved yet - Worked around by using USB Wired Ethernet Dongle  3) Solved - Just running apt-get update & apt-get upgrade, which seems to bump kernel version to 3.16.0-34 (which I thought odd given 14.04 LTS was supposed to stay on 3.13?) 4) Not solved yet 5) Not solved yet If anyone knows how to solve the remaining issues, please post. In the meantime I'll be trying to fix them myself using the various other info in other threads and in the various blog posts, mailing lists, etc. Once I get an issue fixed, I'll try to update this post with how.

Smot · Answer

I found 15.05 (beta) much better than 14.04. Audio and trackpad work fine. This would additionally fix your issues no. 4 and 5. (I'm using Ubuntu Gnome, but regular version should work just as well)

Smot · Answer

Forgot - issue #2 is fixed as well. Go into Software Sources and check  for proprietory drivers. You can install the Broadcom driver from there.

oc_1994 · Answer

If you're still struggling  to enable the WiFi you can download drivers for Broadcom cards here: launchpad.net/.../bcmwl-kernel-source ;

mkrt · Answer

Hi, Is there any up-to-date step-by-step solution to install Ubuntu on XPS 13 (CNX4309, i5-5200U, FHD 1920x1080, Windows Edition) together with Windows (dual-boot)? Kind regards,Maksim

DantesRequiem · Answer

Hey, I think you can solve 2, 3, and 4 by upgrading your kernel to 3.19. For instructions on how to do this consult my other thread:

http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/os-applications/f/4613/t/19632562

Granted, I had the proprietary drivers pre-installed with my factory version of 14.04, but you should also be able to install the right drivers and get them to function under the 3.19-18 kernel.

For reference, here is my system information:

gshulegaard@ronin:~$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:   Ubuntu
Description:   Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS
Release:   14.04
Codename:   trusty
gshulegaard@ronin:~$ uname -a
Linux ronin 3.19.0-18-generic #18~14.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Wed May 20 09:38:33 UTC 2015 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
gshulegaard@ronin:~$ ^C
gshulegaard@ronin:~$

blankser · Answer

Excellent guide to do this here: http://forthescience.org/blog/2015/04/21/installing_ubuntu_14_04_on_the_new_dell_xps_13_v2/

TomCooksey · Answer

Yes, sorry I've not posted any updates to this. I ended up waiting for the full Ubuntu 15.04 release and installed that. Everything worked out of the box apart from Wi-Fi, which just needed the Broadcom drivers installed, which is trivial to do through the Settings UI.

jc9580 · Answer

My new XPS13 with the QHD+ screen came with pre-installed Window 10 and bio version A05, purchased yesterday at a local store (not the developer edition).   I chose to install Ubuntu side by side with Win10. The dual boot Ubuntu 15.04 works out of the box, including Wi-Fi.   The only thing I don't quite like --  needs to change the boot sequence in Bio to boot to Win10 or Ubuntu.   I am not familiar with changing grub so I will leave it as it is for now.

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