After purchasing a laptop for Linux, before flipping the switch...

[Egzoset]

Salutations,

So i received my purchase in record time, Ontario ain't too far away after all.

The set of trade-offs wastn't too clear, model/configuration selection didn't prepare me to find no other references on my parcel than this vague description:

Inspiron 15 3520

Overall it all seems fine as i've got my SD media reader + HDMi outlet, even a USB3 type "A" one supporting external DP screens. In short i don't worry and yet it was destabilizing to find out this been a globe trotter, from Raheen Business Park in Vietnam, followed by Limerick of Ireland then perhaps Dell Texas/USA and in any case Dell Richmond/On. before Purolator took over. I plugged it but didn't attempt to turn it on just yet, meanwhile its white LED extinguished after about 30 minutes of charging time.

The decision i consider now is to plug in my 'YUMI-exFAT' so to boot with it, ideally, because if it's safe then i figure Linux Ubuntu will let me save the UNTOUCHED partitions in a safe place prior to any modifications by Windows 11 Home family.

For the annecdote, it's marked « CЄ UK CA » on the backside and taking a snapshot of that label was no easy task by the way!

There's no touchscreen, no USB-C, no backlit keyboard, no fingerprint sensor and no amovible back-panels for upgrades. That's the trade-off, i can't wait to proceed with a backup before i start evaluating a dozen Linux flavours or two!

So far my appreciation is neutral if not positive, for a lack of more perspective.

At least i'll try to use more patience with that one...

 

[APTI]

first of all there are no unused disk areas in the windows install. Also keep in mind that if you remove windows you kill your warranty.
buy a new SSD to install and put Linux on it. Keep the original drive to put back into the laptop if you ever need the warranty.
then go ahead and install your favorite linux, I find ubuntu, Fedora, or Mint are great to get started as they tend to work out of the box.

Dual booting will give you one hell of an education due to constant fixing. so avoid it on the laptop if you can. Best to go full out Linux and learn without adding the headaches.

 

[Egzoset]

...i figure Linux Ubuntu will let me save the UNTOUCHED partitions in a safe place prior to any modifications by Windows 11 Home family. ... ...no amovible back-panels for upgrades.

...if you remove windows you kill your warranty.

It still seems like a good idea to backup. Having chosen the 512 GB SSD option there's no incentive to remove Windows which i intended to keep for a few fetish applications anyway - not to mention i suspect that digging inside after removal of its 8 screws also voids the warranty.

My choice of the « UNTOUCHED » word was meant to evoke the idea of Windows partitions in their INITIAL STATE, before i take it out of the box and turn it on. In addition, its packaging slip clearly specifies a « fixed hardware configuration », so...

...ubuntu, Fedora, or Mint are great

The machine it replaces showed that Fedora was heavier, but a previous Mint version did install just fine from YUMi-exFAT despite my atom's ia32/x86-64 bootloader. As for Ubuntu it used to be claimed as "certified" on Dell's web site - the 22.04 release as i vaguely recall.

...they tend to work out of the box.

There's no motive for me to think otherwise, so far. Its documentation (in 3 languages, printed in microscopic fonts on a 10.5 cm x 15.7 cm piece of paper...) won't say much about batteries and related advice from Google felt ambiguous at best. Dell clarifies the situation by explaining it's only been half-charged prior to transport, because of security imperatives, hence requiring a full charge when it arrives.

The absence of an USB-C charging option seems coherent with having ventilation fins on both sides - which my old detachable tablet with a unique USB-C port (on its touchscreen part) just didn't have at all. Consequently it won't come as a surprise to observe a boost of performances.

Dual booting will give you one hell of an education due to constant fixing.

Indeed, but i only attempted it some long while ago and discovered the uEFi (via [F12] here) will bring a hybrid System BiOS with legacy support, so i was planning to use such « Boot Once » menu right from the begining, to give Linux an exclusive ESP partition of its own; otherwise updates risk messing up with 'grub.cfg' and more...

The application 'rEFind' can be installed from Linux and integrate as a beautiful/convenient 1st boot option.

Best to go full out Linux and learn without adding the headaches.

And frustration... M'yeah, i totally agree! That's only more reason why i initially wanted to backup my whole Windows system; besides, Linux does let me run many of my old Windows applications via 'Wine' and/or 'PlayOnLinux 4.

...a USB3 type "A" one supporting external DP screens...

This was an early impression i must correct now: a companion paper (also printed in Liliput...) actually shows 1 USB-C port where DisplayPort and USB-C 3.2 gen 1 are explicitely associated, the alternate type "A" only hardware variant having no equivalent DP feature.

As a complement of information i forgot to write about the lack of a mechanic camera obturator, which means i must open the System BiOS if i want to kill it, as i won't require that function.

So far so good. That's all i can comment about, no doubt more information will be found via 'HardInfo' v2!

Ah and model appears to be "P112F", while part number is "MT3TVH", and/or "8JTD9"... With even more like that but i'd rather not try sort it in fear of such accumulation threatening to trigger that headache of yours!

So, how about a backup using 'GParted'? For example.

 

[APTI]

It still seems like a good idea to backup. Having chosen the 512 GB SSD option there's no incentive to remove Windows which i intended to keep for a few fetish applications anyway - not to mention i suspect that digging inside after removal of its 8 screws also voids the warranty.

My choice of the « UNTOUCHED » word was meant to evoke the idea of Windows partitions in their INITIAL STATE, before i take it out of the box and turn it on. In addition, its packaging slip clearly specifies a « fixed hardware configuration », so...



The machine it replaces showed that Fedora was heavier, but a previous Mint version did install just fine from YUMi-exFAT despite my atom's ia32/x86-64 bootloader. As for Ubuntu it used to be claimed as "certified" on Dell's web site - the 22.04 release as i vaguely recall.



There's no motive for me to think otherwise, so far. Its documentation (in 3 languages, printed in microscopic fonts on a 10.5 cm x 15.7 cm piece of paper...) won't say much about batteries and related advice from Google felt ambiguous at best. Dell clarifies the situation by explaining it's only been half-charged prior to transport, because of security imperatives, hence requiring a full charge when it arrives.

The absence of an USB-C charging option seems coherent with having ventilation fins on both sides - which my old detachable tablet with a unique USB-C port (on its touchscreen part) just didn't have at all. Consequently it won't come as a surprise to observe a boost of performances.



Indeed, but i only attempted it some long while ago and discovered the uEFi (via [F12] here) will bring a hybrid System BiOS with legacy support, so i was planning to use such « Boot Once » menu right from the begining, to give Linux an exclusive ESP partition of its own; otherwise updates risk messing up with 'grub.cfg' and more...

The application 'rEFind' can be installed from Linux and integrate as a beautiful/convenient 1st boot option.



And frustration... M'yeah, i totally agree! That's only more reason why i initially wanted to backup my whole Windows system; besides, Linux does let me run many of my old Windows applications via 'Wine' and/or 'PlayOnLinux 4.



This was an early impression i must correct now: a companion paper (also printed in Liliput...) actually shows 1 USB-C port where DisplayPort and USB-C 3.2 gen 1 are explicitely associated, the alternate type "A" only hardware variant having no equivalent DP feature.

As a complement of information i forgot to write about the lack of a mechanic camera obturator, which means i must open the System BiOS if i want to kill it, as i won't require that function.

So far so good. That's all i can comment about, no doubt more information will be found via 'HardInfo' v2!

Ah and model appears to be "P112F", while part number is "MT3TVH", and/or "8JTD9"... With even more like that but i'd rather not try sort it in fear of such accumulation threatening to trigger that headache of yours!

So, how about a backup using 'GParted'? For example.

ANY changes to the boot or any partition changes including removing then restoring widows from a backup will void warranty. Anything they can blame so best to remove the drive and DO NOT PLAY with partitions. Faster and easier to pull the entire drive. And no, removing the screws will not void warranty. Do yourself the favor and just use a new drive for Linux, install a VM for windows if you need things that can run that way. I never support using WINE as it is flaky and dangerous.

gparted is not for backup. Gparted is for doing partition work, any backup feature is not what you think it is. if you want a great backup I suggest looking into an image backup like "redo" and that can backup windows, mac and linux.

 

[KGIII]

ANY changes to the boot or any partition changes including removing then restoring widows from a backup will void warranty.

Do I void my warranty if I install Linux alongside Windows 10? (A315-22)

I'm currently using an Acer Aspire 3 (A315-22) that comes preinstalled with Windows 10.

community.acer.com

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Gaming-Notebooks/Will-Installing-Linux-void-warranty/td-p/7746131

Can Linux void a warranty? | DELL Technologies

I want to dual boot Linux on my PC, but don't want to void the warranty. Can that void it?

www.dell.com

Etc, etc, etc...

I've never had issues with the warranty. They won't give you support, but they will still warranty the hardware. (At least in my experience and many other's experience.)

 

[APTI]

Do I void my warranty if I install Linux alongside Windows 10? (A315-22)

I'm currently using an Acer Aspire 3 (A315-22) that comes preinstalled with Windows 10.

community.acer.com

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Gaming-Notebooks/Will-Installing-Linux-void-warranty/td-p/7746131

Can Linux void a warranty? | DELL Technologies

I want to dual boot Linux on my PC, but don't want to void the warranty. Can that void it?

www.dell.com

Etc, etc, etc...

I've never had issues with the warranty. They won't give you support, but they will still warranty the hardware. (At least in my experience and many other's experience.)

I have found companies will do anything to void a warranty. They will refuse to help you until you restore back to how you got it then they will help you which is same as no warranty to me.

 

[KGIII]

I have found companies will do anything to void a warranty. They will refuse to help you until you restore back to how you got it then they will help you which is same as no warranty to me.

I used to remove the storage in devices before installing Linux on new storage media (or just swapping in a disk from the previous device, or a clone of an existing install). This is less possible as a regular end user (and my effort has dwindled). I've still been able to return a laptop to HP and Acer with Linux still installed on the device.

They sure as heck weren't going to give me any support, meaning I couldn't contact them for anything other than hardware issues. I haven't had to return a device since the pandemic, however. I'd expect it to be the same. Just tell 'em that it no longer works and get your RMA. If anything, it's easier because they don't ask you to try a million things with Windows first.

 

[APTI]

I used to remove the storage in devices before installing Linux on new storage media (or just swapping in a disk from the previous device, or a clone of an existing install). This is less possible as a regular end user (and my effort has dwindled). I've still been able to return a laptop to HP and Acer with Linux still installed on the device.

They sure as heck weren't going to give me any support, meaning I couldn't contact them for anything other than hardware issues. I haven't had to return a device since the pandemic, however. I'd expect it to be the same. Just tell 'em that it no longer works and get your RMA. If anything, it's easier because they don't ask you to try a million things with Windows first.

good point and something to keep in mind. But to keep safe i always suggest to my clients wanting to do this to preserve the old hard drive as it was and use a new one for linux. Always put old one back in for warranty. But I am so used to doing this daily that I forget most laptops do not have easy access to get inside to replace the drive or anything else. I am used to opening them up so I do not think about the normal end user that may not be able to do this now.

 

[Egzoset]

Hummm...

Oh well, here's my update anyway:

​

[ https:// i.postimg.cc/d3pTbXQq/Dell-Inspiron-15-3520-GParted-AFTER-430x480.png ]​

My guess is that should result in resetting perspectives.

 

[KGIII]

I am used to opening them up so I do not think about the normal end user that may not be able to do this now.

While we're bordering on off-topic, the last laptop I took apart took six star-shaped screws and a spudger to wedge the laptop apart without marring it. It was a horrible affair that I don't think end-users are likely to do these days. Unless you're careful about what you buy, they're pretty much outside the range of what Joe Average is willing to do - perhaps by design or perhaps as a function of design.

 

[Egzoset]

Being in the 3rd age i can only agree it's no longer an option.

Unless you're careful about what you buy, they're pretty much outside the range...

It wasn't too bad for a purchase but no bargain neither, considering there's zero mention anywhere of the model i've actually chosen on Dell's own web site. What bothers me is the claim of support for Linux Ubuntu launched from YUMi-exFat, since i'm one of those who ain't got the sort of patience required in the « good old days », and there's always going to be trade-offs, for example any OS must survive its installation beyond the reboot process... In my example illustrated above only 3 selections were able to stick around, mainly LMDE 6, then MX23 and finally WUbuntu though it got assassinated by mister Secure Boot.

Premium functions as mirroring to some Roku "smart" TV remains an exclusivity of Microsoft Windows 11 Fam. "S", so far, and i suspect WiFi which it handles fine may not feel this gracious trying to decide what Linux i'm going to prefer.

In any case it was necessary to act politely with Secure Boot left "ON", but it did allow me to prepare a 31 GB rescue media from Windows itself, only then it could get rid of an odd error message preventing down-sizing to about 1 third its initial capacity. Boot order could be modified once done with it, either its uEFI BiOS lets me lauch from the 1st ESP partition or i pick another dedicated to as much as 5 Linux flavours awaiting evaluation, with spare for 2 more ESP ones, ya never know...

Having to erase/reformat/rewrite a whole USB flash drive only to check the late new arrival is retrogade at best and i don't care if Ubutunu been "certified" a couple release ago!

On a side-note, Wubuntu had failed this test but LMDE recuperated its GrUB menu entries as for MX23.

Good day, have fun!!

 

[Egzoset]

UPDATE


The release of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (and its "L"/"X" variants) emerged on my Linux radar yesterday via YouTube, so i started downloading and didn't stop at 3!



The "CLi" has its uses but that's not how Linux is going to gain popularity trying to deal with « End Users », as was formulated recently. Lets simply say i had a few early rejects, while my new Dell netbook keeps pushing Windows and companion applications - but i'd rather have picked a model that came with 1 virgin SSD (or better yet a pair of 2½" SSD slots) in place of its present "NVMe" drive apparently configured for SATA performance and possibly soldered as i saw mention of "fixed" hardware configuration as i vaguely recall...

Considering my initial plan to purchase a laptop/tablet (transformer) replacement i,ve got to admit its sum of trade-offs is piling up. Although that's no serious issue i realize this selection is probably overkill relatively to the final goal which was to carry a 12" wireless TV around, using "open" type BlueTooth headphones with my favourite linux flavour of the day. My tablet was totally sealed except for connection ports that could collect dust and now there's heat ventilation under sucking more! Add the half-way protruding SD flash card and the replacement feels odd at best - a shame 'cause this excludes permanent easy user upgrades - not to mention insertion/removal of the SD card requires almost no force at all.

Inside i bet i'd find NVMe chips directly soldered on a "motherboard" the size of my palm... Searching for items to mourn include a GPS + associated features (as an acceleromer & gyroscope) is futile, consequently these can't help detect intrusion of privacy, for example. Etc., etc.

I'm ain't saying its reason to regret my pruchase, just that software pushing doesn't really help it and hence boosts my desire to have linux successfully installed. In addition i realized there's a whole bloated system weigting giga-bytes besides Windows and it's connected with my WiFi router even BEFORE Linux/Windows, including their bootloader... So i downloaded the « Net » version of Debian 12.5, in case that would render reboots more manageable via some virtual connection that requires no credentials since i gave them prviously in Windows... But my plate is full already, having to remove/re-install 'Pulse Audio' and 'BlueTooth' elements hurts a favourable 1st impression a bit! In any case Ubuntu remained a painful experience the same as before, « Licensed » or not; instead give Fedora a try indeed: its handling of the uEFi bootloader setup & associated reboot proved suifficient. On another hand it may not be too obvious as a result of the increased processing power but my old tablet would have crawled under the weight, so my impression so far has rating Fedora « a must try » if one's CPU happens to require active ventilation - to put it short, euh... Then if it's a tablet like my defunct Atom CherryTrail i'd definitely opt for LMDE6 as an alternative, but this is a hit-or-miss gamble because the WiFi chip ain't what i initially recorded during the purchase... As a complement MX23 could be refurbished by the 2 others - maybe i'll manage adding a few more (up to 5 partitions of 60 GB each), my present objective being to collect « before/after » ('HardInfo2') hardware/driver reports so to allow more objective comparisons over performance, eventually.

 

[gvisoc]

Re. voiding the warranty: not sure about dell, but in 2020 I purchased a Thinkpad with Windows 10, created the recovery media, fully wiped the storage to install Debian, only to find a month later that it was faulty.

They not only provided me with customer support without having to reinstall Windows, but also they replaced the unit for me with Debian installed, explicitly saying that "you don´t need to reinstall windows at all, it's all good".

I am not saying that there are companies out there with insane and anti-consumer practices, but maybe it'd be a good idea to point out resources (or create our owns) to list companies that are Linux-friendly and be able to not only track them, but also changes in their behaviour.

 

[Egzoset]

Maybe my judgment will feel too acidic, but in retrospective many of my initial expectations didn't verify, starting with its SD reader which happens to stick out halfway, then the HDMi extension actually staying blank at boot time... Not to mention i couldn't verify the early claims of DP support or is it because of an absence of a USB-C plug?

One nice surprize was the smart uEFi BiOS leaving me a choice to juxtapose Secure Boot systems with others not complying. The odd thing was that my 'YUMI-exFAT' used to be "secure" then i got in trouble until this great feature attracted all my attention...



Dell's rescue media requiring 31 GB and significant time to perform doesn't even manage to boot, my guess is that's to be used by yet another rescue thumbdrive, euh... Ah, and one other way to backup via Windows asked me 330 GB or so! It sure made me refocuss twice.

I don't miss a touchscreen considering it can never become a tablet anyway. The absence of a USB-C is a lesser issue once i've benefited from civilized file transfer speeds inside, though not beyond the USB3/SATA3 days i think. No backlit keyboard nor camera obstructor was part of the initial deal and yet i'd have liked at least the option to choose, im my case the camera could as well be replaced by an IrDA (infra-red) bidirectional interface - and of course Windows 11 Fam "S" was no imperative to say the least...

It wasn't a problem saying good bye to playing James Bond with a fingerprint sensor, its back ventilation fins was one trade-off i found hard to justify, regrettably.

...the warranty...

Ubuntu which was released very recently still didn't "work" using a YUMi exFAT (Ventoy) drive, lets suppose "certification" won't go that far and yet this is why i chose Dell's "deal" nonetheless.

...companies that are Linux-friendly...

Dell certainly ranks as one rare exception relatively to Linux, but do they really understand a customer's reluctance to get Windows and pay for it before accessing the goodies, eventually?

How many months of "dialogue" would it have taken only to perform such basic functions as this:

​

[ https:// i.postimg.cc/V6WbGr68/Dell-Inspiron-15-3520-GParted-BEFORE-AFTER-2024-May-8-1024x125.png ]​

Green boxes are mainly Dell's ones, mine have most of the black contours.

A perfect illustration how bloated pushware can get IMHO, euh... E.G. a Ghost in the Machine constantly interrupting my work, challenging my concentration until i give up or forget why i flipped the switched in the 1st place.

At least with Linux where there's place for one there's also place for two. No jokes, it seems like my trial of Federa Cinnamon required a modest fraction of the original blob set in a factory located so far away it shames my sense of environment correctness!

 

[APTI]

Re. voiding the warranty: not sure about dell, but in 2020 I purchased a Thinkpad with Windows 10, created the recovery media, fully wiped the storage to install Debian, only to find a month later that it was faulty.

They not only provided me with customer support without having to reinstall Windows, but also they replaced the unit for me with Debian installed, explicitly saying that "you don´t need to reinstall windows at all, it's all good".

I am not saying that there are companies out there with insane and anti-consumer practices, but maybe it'd be a good idea to point out resources (or create our owns) to list companies that are Linux-friendly and be able to not only track them, but also changes in their behaviour.

Dell produces computers with factory installed linux so they are likely an exception. But either way I play safe there and retain the original drive with original installation of OS which I usually recycle after warranty expires.

 

[Egzoset]

Life's short and the wait was too long already.