The following are the steps I used to install Ubuntu 16.10 (and Kubuntu 16.10) on my Defiance II:
1. Make sure the GPU is set to DISCRETE in the BIOS.
2. Boot from the Ubuntu (or Kubuntu) installation media (press F7 repeatedly when you see the "PC Specialist" logo).
3. Press the 'e' key the moment the GRUB menu is displayed.
4. Add 'nomodeset' just before "quiet splash", then press F10 to boot.
5. Install Ubuntu 16.10 (or Kubuntu 16.10). There might be an error reported before the installation finishes in the case of Kubuntu.
6. Reboot, and press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears (system may freeze if you don't do this in time).
7. Run all updates (sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade). No Wifi at this stage, so you'll need to use a cable.
8. Reboot (sudo reboot), and again press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears.
9. Install the latest (at time of writing) 4.9.4 kernel using:
10. Reboot (sudo reboot), and again press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears.
11. Install the latest nVidia driver (375.26 at time of writing) using:
12. Reboot (sudo reboot), and again press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears.
13. In /etc/default/grub, modify GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT so it looks like this:
When done, run:
14. Reboot (sudo reboot).
If you're using Kubuntu, there will be tearing. This is fixed by creating a file (call it whatever you want) in /etc/profile.d with the following:
(note: one line must be commented out - you can use either, but not both).
After doing all of the above, I have a stable tear-free system, and am able to switch the graphics mode to MSHYBRID. When switching to MSHYBRID (i.e. Intel GPU) you also need to switch the driver in the nVidia control panel (or from the terminal using: sudo prime-select intel). If you do not switch the prime setting to "intel", there will be tearing.
Unfortunately, in Intel GPU mode, the HDMI and mini-DisplayPort outputs don't work, but the battery will last a lot longer and the fans will rarely fire up. Here is the output from "powerstat" (which can be installed using: sudo apt install powerstat):
Also, I have found that suspend doesn't work. Whenever I shut my lid and then open, the screen remains blank.
I have performed the above several times using both Ubuntu 16.10 and Kubuntu 16.10.
Update on the suspend issue (running Kubuntu 16.10, not sure if it's the same for Ubuntu 16.10): It doesn't suspend at all in nVidia mode. In Intel GPU mode (MSHYBRID) it will suspend, but the screen will remain black when the lid is opened. The workaround for this is to press ALT + CTRL + F1 (screen will still be black), wait for about a second, then press ALT + CTRL + F7 - the login screen will then be displayed.
1. Make sure the GPU is set to DISCRETE in the BIOS.
2. Boot from the Ubuntu (or Kubuntu) installation media (press F7 repeatedly when you see the "PC Specialist" logo).
3. Press the 'e' key the moment the GRUB menu is displayed.
4. Add 'nomodeset' just before "quiet splash", then press F10 to boot.
5. Install Ubuntu 16.10 (or Kubuntu 16.10). There might be an error reported before the installation finishes in the case of Kubuntu.
6. Reboot, and press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears (system may freeze if you don't do this in time).
7. Run all updates (sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade). No Wifi at this stage, so you'll need to use a cable.
8. Reboot (sudo reboot), and again press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears.
9. Install the latest (at time of writing) 4.9.4 kernel using:
Code:
mkdir kernel && cd kernel
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.9.4/linux-headers-4.9.4-040904_4.9.4-040904.201701150831_all.deb
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.9.4/linux-headers-4.9.4-040904-generic_4.9.4-040904.201701150831_amd64.deb
wget http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.9.4/linux-image-4.9.4-040904-generic_4.9.4-040904.201701150831_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i *.deb10. Reboot (sudo reboot), and again press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears.
11. Install the latest nVidia driver (375.26 at time of writing) using:
Code:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt update && sudo apt install nvidia-37812. Reboot (sudo reboot), and again press CTRL + ALT + F1 the moment the login screen appears.
13. In /etc/default/grub, modify GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT so it looks like this:
Code:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_osi=\"!Windows 2015\""When done, run:
Code:
sudo update-grub214. Reboot (sudo reboot).
If you're using Kubuntu, there will be tearing. This is fixed by creating a file (call it whatever you want) in /etc/profile.d with the following:
Code:
export KWIN_TRIPLE_BUFFER=1
#export __GL_YIELD="USLEEP"(note: one line must be commented out - you can use either, but not both).
After doing all of the above, I have a stable tear-free system, and am able to switch the graphics mode to MSHYBRID. When switching to MSHYBRID (i.e. Intel GPU) you also need to switch the driver in the nVidia control panel (or from the terminal using: sudo prime-select intel). If you do not switch the prime setting to "intel", there will be tearing.
Unfortunately, in Intel GPU mode, the HDMI and mini-DisplayPort outputs don't work, but the battery will last a lot longer and the fans will rarely fire up. Here is the output from "powerstat" (which can be installed using: sudo apt install powerstat):
Code:
mnemonic@d2-lin:~$ sudo powerstat
[sudo] password for mnemonic:
Running for 300.0 seconds (30 samples at 10.0 second intervals).
Power measurements will start in 180 seconds time.
Time User Nice Sys Idle IO Run Ctxt/s IRQ/s Fork Exec Exit Watts
01:37:51 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 42 26 0 0 0 11.90
01:38:01 0.0 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 65 28 0 0 0 11.74
01:38:11 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 47 24 0 0 1 12.09
01:38:21 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 34 20 0 0 0 12.22
01:38:31 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 2 50 22 0 0 0 11.90
01:38:41 0.2 0.0 0.0 99.8 0.0 1 142 63 6 2 21 12.29
01:38:51 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 39 20 1 0 0 12.13
01:39:01 0.1 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 2 180 43 3 1 0 11.70
01:39:11 0.1 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 100 39 4 1 3 11.31
01:39:21 0.1 0.0 0.1 99.9 0.0 1 121 40 7 2 6 12.24
01:39:31 0.0 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 50 30 0 0 6 11.78
01:39:41 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 33 18 0 0 0 11.74
01:39:51 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 36 22 0 0 0 11.74
01:40:01 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 65 26 0 0 1 11.72
01:40:11 0.4 0.0 0.2 99.3 0.1 1 582 289 0 0 0 11.82
01:40:21 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 30 17 0 0 0 11.74
01:40:31 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 34 20 0 0 0 11.75
01:40:41 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 31 20 0 0 0 11.70
01:40:51 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 34 22 0 0 0 11.70
01:41:01 0.1 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 256 35 1 0 0 11.70
01:41:11 0.1 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 102 37 6 2 2 11.73
01:41:21 0.1 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 45 26 1 0 5 11.70
01:41:31 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 37 21 0 0 0 11.68
01:41:41 0.0 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 94 35 6 2 2 11.26
01:41:51 0.1 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 117 42 6 2 6 11.69
01:42:01 0.8 0.0 0.4 98.5 0.4 1 1138 539 0 0 4 11.87
01:42:11 0.0 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1 62 29 0 0 0 11.84
01:42:21 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 41 22 0 0 0 11.72
01:42:31 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 38 22 0 0 1 11.72
01:42:41 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 1 35 19 0 0 0 11.69
-------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ---- ---- ------
Average 0.1 0.0 0.0 99.9 0.0 1.1 122.6 53.8 1.4 0.4 1.9 11.79
StdDev 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.2 215.8 102.1 2.3 0.8 4.1 0.22
-------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ---- ---- ------
Minimum 0.0 0.0 0.0 98.5 0.0 1.0 29.5 17.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 11.26
Maximum 0.8 0.0 0.4 100.0 0.4 2.0 1138.1 539.4 7.0 2.0 21.0 12.29
-------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ---- ---- ------
Summary:
System: 11.79 Watts on average with standard deviation 0.22Also, I have found that suspend doesn't work. Whenever I shut my lid and then open, the screen remains blank.
I have performed the above several times using both Ubuntu 16.10 and Kubuntu 16.10.
Update on the suspend issue (running Kubuntu 16.10, not sure if it's the same for Ubuntu 16.10): It doesn't suspend at all in nVidia mode. In Intel GPU mode (MSHYBRID) it will suspend, but the screen will remain black when the lid is opened. The workaround for this is to press ALT + CTRL + F1 (screen will still be black), wait for about a second, then press ALT + CTRL + F7 - the login screen will then be displayed.
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