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May 6th, 2025 19:31
m16 R2, does not boot many Linux distros after BIOS update
Hello,
I bought an M16 R2 this September. I ran Fedora, Kali, Void, etc., without a problem until the BIOS update, version 1.10.0. I manually updated to 1.11.0, but to no avail. I suspect NVIDIA Optimus since the GRUB entry seems to try to boot, but the blinking cursor just freezes. I can't switch to different TTYs. I tried nomodeset and blacklist nouveau params. I ran the thorough hardware test, which returned no errors with my hardware. I confirmed ISO files I burned to my thumb drive work. Tried Ventoy, DD, different ports, etc. I reset my BIOS settings. Again, I suspect this is an Optimus issue.
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Losje
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July 31st, 2025 14:54
FYI, I have experienced the same isssue with AW M16 R2 and therefore also landed on this page.
I strongly think it has something to do with the NVME hardware controller in conjunction with the installed linux kernel. For me the problem started with EndeavourOS (running fine until an update of endeavour).
It gave me the same 'hang on boot' effect as described.
Tried several distro's with the same result.
Then I found the 'NVME RAID' option to be enabled in the BIOS, which is useless to me since I have 2 SSD's to split the 2 OS-es.
When I disabled it, Windows could not boot as well. so I had to follow this procedure:
https://superuser.com/questions/1280141/switch-raid-to-ahci-without-reinstalling-windows-10
Run
cmdas administratorCopy-paste this command, which will start Windows in Safe Mode the next time you reboot:
Restart the computer and enter UEFI/BIOS setup.
Change the SATA operation mode from RAID to AHCI.
Save changes and exit Setup and Windows will automatically boot to Safe Mode.
Launch
cmdagain, as in step #1.Copy-paste this command, which will start Windows in Normal Mode the next time you reboot:
Reboot and Windows will automatically start with AHCI drivers enabled.
Afterwards Reinstalled Kubuntu LTS on the second SSD (KDE fan) and all seems to be working today.
Hope this helps your attempts to get Linux back on the Alienware M16 R2
orionlw
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May 8th, 2025 12:53
I too am having this issue, its frustrating. Seems to be affecting some XPS models too, with a similar bios update. At least being able to downgrade would fix this, but I'm sure Dell is unwilling to support us Linux users. Apparently OpenSUSE kernel may still work, but I haven't tried that yet.
Fedora Forums: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/cannot-boot-into-installation-media-or-installed-fedora-system-on-dell-xps-16-9640-after-bios-update/148548
https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/after-a-firmware-update-on-an-alienware-m16-r10-to-version-1-10-0-fedora-41-no-longer-boots/148158
Other Dell thread (not useful): https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/inspiron/dell-bios-update-breaks-linux-installs/67d09c66c5ead74c2bf65cd5
Relevant bugzilla thread. https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2355276
edwinsen
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May 8th, 2025 18:00
@orionlw Thank you so much. I've been banging my head over this for the past week. Ubuntu and openSUSE kernels boot fine, which is certainly interesting. This is outrageous. You can not roll the update back, either. What could they have changed to break almost every single Linux kernel? I agree to the first discussion. I went through the same with Dell support. Live chat had me call a number, and they hung up on me twice for no reason.
rrrgeee
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May 24th, 2025 15:20
I wasted the long week-end try changing boot parameters and rebooting my my Alienware m16 R2 after the firmware update.
As of now, only Ubuntu 25.04 works. But Ubuntu on Alienware has other following minor issues.
1. Bluetooth drivers need to be reloaded after using bluetooth headset for video conference. Else the sound is garbled.
2. Sometimes you can't unlock desktop after it locks due to inactivity. This issue was seen frequently with 24.04 LTS. Though it has reduced in frequency now, it still happens.
If you have older Ubuntu 24.04 / 24.10, then the system can freeze arbitrarily. None of the above issues were noticed in other laptops even with the similar spec.
Apart from the above issues, Ubuntu 25.04 doesn't support LUKS for manual partitions. This is the reason why I started using Fedora and faced none of the above issue.
DELL-Chris M
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56.8K Posts
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May 26th, 2025 14:03
Linux is not shown as supported by Dell on the m16 R2. All can see from the Drivers & Downloads page that Dell only supported Windows 11.
Alienware are not supported by Dell with any version of Linux. Click here to see that there are no Alienware with Ubuntu certified hardware.
(edited)
edwinsen
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July 31st, 2025 15:14
@Losje I love you bro. Idk whether it's relevant but it was the dell-wmi-ddv kernel module that caused the hangs on linux. They fixed that with a BIOS update.