Installing Linux is a pain in the back on these new machines. Here is what can prevent you from doing so and how to correct it. I am using a DELL Inspirion 14 Plus with I9 185H.
- Sata Mode
- Secure Boot
- Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority
- TPM
- SMM
- WSMT
SMM and WSMT are both, features that you might find in BIOS. Often one or the other. Unless you custom load BIOS settings from skratch, or flash on total custom BIOS, these settings are not changeable. They also might prevent you from installing Linux, but newer Kernels support these. "Normally".
It is time consuming, but if it was me, to keep most of the possible security features on, I would start changing these settings one by one.
Step 1
Download Dell Command Configure
Step 2 - try it without at the beginning
Set BIOS admin password. You might need it, to accept changes. I simply would use either 4 digit pin or a a max 6character password for home users. For a pro environment I would definitely go with a classic 12 character, number, upper and lower case, Special Character option. Be careful with keyboard setup !
Step 3
Run Dell Command Configure Prompt. Start with setting your sata controller from Raid using Intel RST, to AHCI. Then try installing your linux distro. This is the most usual cause of Linux not going up on your new DELL Laptop.
Step 4
Ubtuntu, Fedora, Mint, but even Debian supports secure boot. Normally ! If it still is messing up your install: Turn off secure boot. This one can be done from BIOS itself.
Step 5
Disable Windows UEFI Cert - Well, it might be necessary and most possibly just in case something went wrong, you won't be able to secure boot your deice, if you installed linux with these two features off.
Summary of Commands
Add this before your commands, if you've set password:
cctk --valsetuppwd=MyBiosPass123
Your commands should look like that:
cctk --valsetuppwd=MyBiosPass123 --embsatara=ahci
cctk --valsetuppwd=MyBiosPass123 --secureboot=disable
SATA Mode → AHCI cctk --embsatara=ahci
Disable Secure Boot cctk --secureboot=disable
Disable MS UEFI Cert cctk --securebootmode=custom
cctk --deletepk
Disable TPM cctk --tpm=off
Clear TPM cctk --tpmclear
Disable SMM / WSMT cctk --smmsecuritymitigation=disable
At the moment of this article, I could disable everything I wanted. I did not find a way to disable security mitigation, without doing a drastic action on my BIOS. I will come back to see, if a new linux distro will go up flawlessly or not. I just have ordered a new 2TO 990pro from Samsung. I hope for the best, cause I can't get the use of Windows anymore....
Please note that Dell Command Configure is available on Linux. Except, that it also has a GUI interface on Windows and there are many many options that will be denied if you did not use that. Setting RAID sata mode to AHCI is straight forward, but all other functions might fail !
Why not just go with a R9 AI PC instead of Intel ? If you wanted to focus on virtualization projects, running multiple low level systems, you need a lot of cores. But we talked about a laptop, so when you need to run low level stuff, your battery life could be still excellent ! No thunderbolt port on AMD pcs ! The new thunderbolt 5 can run 3 4K monitors at 144hz, while charging and having internet, headset, keyboard and mouse all plugged into one single dock ! Finallyggt now, DELL has limited options on R9 pcs not coming with LPDDR5 and without PRO feature ! Why Dell ? Cause I need physical quality and I have been seeing Lenovo, HP, Terra breaking like pretzels.
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