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New XPS 9370 Linux - Very strange boot and suspend behaviours
I just got my 9370 with Ubuntu on it. After 48 hours I've had nothing but frustration with it and have now bricked it trying to fix things. I'm really stumped and now trying to install Debian on it and finding it's behaving really strangely.
First, with the Dell shipped and configured Ubuntu it seemed suspend didn't work. Every time I closed the lid and opened it the keyboard would light up and the two leds would flash on and off but the screen didn't come back. This was before I touched anything.
First I tried updating the BIOS in hopes this was fixed. But that didn't fix it.
Then I updated Ubuntu with apt-get upgrade and apt-get dist-upgrade and installed newer kernels (still from the same Ubuntu LTS 16.08 iirc). These kernel packages managed to mess up the EFI install and I had to switch to "Legacy" boot mode to get it to boot at all.
But then I rather alarmingly got a "Hard Drive not present" error. And indeed when I ran the "Diagnosis" option it said the same thing. Experimenting it seems the NVMe drive doesn't show up if the power adapter is plugged into the USB-C port on the right hand side of the device.
In the process of experimenting I managed to wipe the partition table which so now I'm trying to install Debian on it but not only do I have to make sure the power adapter is not on the right hand side, it seems the boot process only recognizes USB drives if they *are* on the right hand side USB-C port. If I plu;g it in to either of the left hand side USB-C ports the USB flash drive isn't recognized at boot time.
I think I've seen the "Drive Not Present" error at least once when the power adapter was not plugged in on the right side so I'm not sure I have the diagnosis exactly right.
Is this right? Is there a big difference in the boot process between the different usb-c ports even if you're not doing any thunderbolty things and just using power delivery and usb 2.0 flash drives? That would be really weird and it would be weirder still if it actually caused the internal NVMe drive to behave differently.
oerthling
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March 10th, 2018 04:00
A couple of days ago I got my 9370 and encountered the same problem with wakeup after suspend.
I researched a lot and experimented a bit but in the end the fix turned out to be simple and I still can't find a downside - which makes it look weird that this wasn't configured from the start.
First you can get the Ubuntu iso from Dells support page (I put in my service tag - dunno if it shows without doing that first).
With that you should be able to reset your laptop to it's original configuration - including Dell drivers (I assume - didn't need to try this myself).
After that go to "Software & Updates" -> "Additional Drivers" tab. There's a list of special drivbers listed there - with several options.
One of the is for wifi. It was original selected with a blacklist option for ath10k (I'm writing thios from memory - after switching to the next option I don't see the driver listed there anymore - which surprised me).
I changed that to another option that mentioned "killer".
That was it. Since then wakeup from suspend works fine. My wifi shows no trouble so far. So far no downside after a day of heavy use.
Couple more tips:
The super key comes originally disabled - seems to be some annoying licensing issue (and we would have preferred an Ubuntu or Tux label anyway ;-.) ). Which **bleep** because it's useful and Ubuntu uses it to open the Dash etc...
Here is Dells own link to fix this silliness:
http://www.dell.com/support/article/de/de/dedhs1/how12108/how-to-enable-the-ubuntu-super-key-on-dell-oem-ubuntu-installations?lang=en
And I was super annoyed with the fn keys being preferred over the media keys - easy to fix: fn-esc toggles that.
Please note that the right side USB-C doesn't show the power (lightning) symbol. I don't think it's available for charging
DELL-Barton George
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
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538 Posts
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March 20th, 2018 09:00
Hi @oerthling and @zxzkzkz
Given the behavior you're describing, it makes the most sense for you to use the link below and submit the behavior your describing. This way support can address your issue and track it in the system.
The following dynamic link takes you to our contact list and it should adjust based on support available in your region. If it does not, you can select your region in the bottom right corner to update it.
http://www.dell.com/support/incidents-online/us/en/04/contactus/Dynamic
Thanks!
DELL-Barton George
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
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538 Posts
0
April 11th, 2018 09:00
@gilbsgilbs
Let me check with the team and get back to you.
Stay tuned!
gilbsgilbs
3 Posts
0
April 11th, 2018 09:00
Hi,
I'm experiencing the exact same issue on my XPS 9370. Dell changed my NVMe SSD today but the issue still occurs. They proposed me to change the motherboard, but I'm hesitating since it sounds like multiple people are affected by the issue, making it very unlikely that a motherboard switch will indeed fix the issue. Hope Dell can and will fix this with a BIOS upgrade. Any news @DELL-Barton Ge? If you need any further information on my hardware, please let me know.
In addition to unplugging the power cord at boot, it's also possible to open and close the BIOS without doing anything in it. Just after that, the laptop will boot properly (until it occurs again). That's weird.
gilbsgilbs
gilbsgilbs
3 Posts
0
April 27th, 2018 01:00
Hi,
Just to give you an quick update, somebody from Dell changed my motherboard on Monday. Since then, the issue seems to be fixed. So yeah, affected people like the OP should definitely get in touch with Dell support to get a motherboard replacement.
Thanks!