Exhibits

Complete Linux Installation Guide for Dell XPS 13 9360

For Educators: Focus on Simplicity, Stability, and Development

Target User: Former software engineer, high school CS/Engineering teacher
Hardware: Dell XPS 13 9360 (Kaby Lake / 8th‑gen refresh)
Primary Uses: Google Workspace, curriculum development, blogging (Jekyll/GitHub Pages), VSCode development
Priority: Ease of use, low maintenance, reliable desktop environment

Distribution Recommendation
Why This Choice
Pre-Installation Preparation
BIOS Configuration (XPS 13 9360)
Installation Process
Post-Installation Setup
Installing Development Tools
Hardware Optimization for XPS 13 9360
Stability Tips for XPS 13 9360
Troubleshooting
Useful Resources
Maintenance Schedule

1. Distribution Recommendation

Winner: Linux Mint 22 “Wilma” (Cinnamon Edition)

Why Linux Mint for You:

Lowest maintenance burden – Updates are conservative and well-tested, ideal when you have limited time.
Windows-like interface – Cinnamon desktop feels familiar (panel + menu + taskbar).
5‑year support cycle – Based on Ubuntu LTS, with long-term security updates.
Excellent laptop support – Mint/Ubuntu are well-tested on XPS machines including the 9360.
Pre-configured multimedia support – Optional codecs installer handles MP3, H.264, etc.
Google Workspace friendly – Chrome/Chromium supported, web apps work perfectly.
Huge ecosystem – Ubuntu base means easy access to VSCode, Jekyll, and teaching tools.

Alternative Options

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS – If you prefer GNOME or want “official” Dell Ubuntu alignment.
Fedora Workstation (current) – Great for cutting-edge dev tools, but requires more frequent upgrades.

2. Why This Choice Fits Your Work

Requirement	Linux Mint Solution
Limited time for maintenance	Conservative updates; Timeshift snapshots; LTS base.
Google Workspace access	Chrome/Chromium + PWAs for Classroom/Docs/etc.
VSCode & dev tools	Official VSCode .deb and repos; strong language support.
Blogging with Jekyll + GitHub Pages	Ruby & Jekyll install cleanly on Ubuntu/Mint; GitHub docs target this stack.
Non-intrusive desktop	Cinnamon’s traditional UX stays out of your way.
Curriculum & docs creation	LibreOffice, PDF export, screenshot tools included/available.

You get a stable, predictable machine that behaves much like a polished Windows laptop but with better control, no forced restarts, and first-class dev tooling.

3. Pre-Installation Preparation

Materials Needed

USB flash drive (≥ 8 GB, 16 GB recommended)
External drive or cloud storage for backups
Stable internet
90–120 minutes of uninterrupted time

Step 1: Backup Windows Data

Copy Documents, Downloads, Desktop, and any course materials to an external drive or cloud.
Ensure Chrome/Edge/Firefox are syncing bookmarks/passwords via your account.
Optionally, create a full Windows image (Macrium Reflect Free or built-in Windows backup) if you might return to Windows later.

Step 2: Download Linux Mint

Go to: https://linuxmint.com/download.php
Choose Linux Mint 22 “Wilma” – Cinnamon Edition.
Pick a nearby mirror (Northeast US).
Also download the SHA256 checksum file.

Verify checksum (Windows PowerShell):

cd Downloads
Get-FileHash linuxmint-22-cinnamon-64bit.iso -Algorithm SHA256
# Compare with SHA256 listed on the Mint download page

Step 3: Create Bootable USB (balenaEtcher)

Download Etcher: https://etcher.balena.io/
Insert USB drive.
Open Etcher → “Flash from file” → select Mint ISO.
“Select target” → choose USB.
Click “Flash!” and wait.
If Windows later offers to “format” the USB, cancel – it’s already bootable.

(You can also use Rufus on Windows with default settings for “GPT + UEFI” if you prefer.)

Step 4: Update BIOS/Firmware

Go to Dell support for your model:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-bm/drivers/supportedos/xps-13-9360-laptop
Download the latest BIOS update for XPS 13 9360.
Plug in AC power; run the .exe from Windows; let it reboot and finish.

This also improves power management and fixes older Linux-related issues.

4. BIOS Configuration (XPS 13 9360)

F2 at power‑on: BIOS setup
F12 at power‑on: one‑time boot menu

Key Settings for Linux

SATA Operation → AHCI
- Path: System Configuration → SATA Operation
- Change from RAID to AHCI.
- Required for clean NVMe support on Linux.
If you plan to keep Windows, switch Windows into Safe Mode once before changing this, or reinstall Windows with AHCI; otherwise Windows may fail to boot.
Secure Boot
- Path: Secure Boot
- Set Secure Boot = Disabled for the simplest Mint install.
- You can re‑enable later if you desire, but Mint works fine without it.
Boot Mode
- Ensure UEFI (not Legacy) is enabled.
Boot Priority
- Move USB Storage above “Windows Boot Manager” so you can boot the Mint USB.
Optional power tweaks (can do later):
- Disable Thunderbolt if you never use TB3 docks; this saves power and can avoid rare resume issues.
- Disable Bluetooth if you don’t use it; small power savings.

Save and exit (usually F10).

5. Installation Process

5.1 Boot the Live System

Insert the Mint USB.
Power on and tap F12 for the boot menu.
Select your USB drive (UEFI entry).
At the GRUB menu, pick “Start Linux Mint”.

After ~30–60 seconds you should see the Mint Cinnamon desktop.

5.2 Sanity Check Hardware

Before installing, quickly test:

Wi‑Fi: click network icon → connect to your SSID.
- With your Intel Dual Band Wireless‑AC 8265, this should work out of the box via iwlwifi.
Trackpad/keyboard: cursor movement, tap‑to‑click, function keys.
Audio: play the sample video.
Display: correct resolution, brightness keys.

If all looks good, proceed.

5.3 Run the Installer

Double‑click “Install Linux Mint” on the desktop.
Language: English (US) or your preference → Continue.
Keyboard: verify layout → Continue.
On “Multimedia codecs” screen: check “Install multimedia codecs” → Continue.
Installation type:
- Erase disk and install Linux Mint – simplest, wipes Windows.
- Install alongside Windows – for dual‑boot; allocate ≥ 50 GB for Mint.
- Something else – manual partitioning (only if you want a custom layout).

Recommended (if you don’t need Windows): Erase disk and install Linux Mint.

For manual partitioning, a sensible layout:

EFI System Partition: existing 512 MB FAT32 (mounted at /boot/efi)
Root /: 50–100 GB, ext4
Swap: 8–16 GB (optional if you use swapfile; Mint handles this)
/home: remaining space, ext4

Set time zone (Boston / New York).
Create user:
- Name: James Burke
- Username: james
- Strong password, “Require password to log in” checked.
Let the installer run (~10–15 minutes).
When prompted, Restart Now, remove the USB when it says so.

6. Post-Installation Setup

6.1 System Updates

Using Update Manager (GUI):

Open Update Manager from the welcome screen or menu.
Accept default mirrors if asked.
Click “Refresh”, then “Install Updates”.
Reboot if the kernel was updated.

Or via terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo apt autoremove -y

6.2 Timeshift Snapshots (Safety Net)

Menu → Administration → Timeshift.
Select RSYNC.
Choose your system partition.
Schedule: daily (keep 3) + weekly (keep 2).
Create a first snapshot.

This makes it trivial to roll back after a bad update or experiment.

6.3 Firewall

sudo apt install ufw -y
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

7. Installing Development Tools

7.1 Visual Studio Code

Official Microsoft repo (recommended):

# Import Microsoft GPG key
wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > packages.microsoft.gpg
sudo install -D -o root -g root -m 644 packages.microsoft.gpg /usr/share/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg
rm packages.microsoft.gpg

# Add VSCode repo
echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64,armhf signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/code stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list

# Install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install code -y

Launch with code or from Menu → Programming → Visual Studio Code.

Suggested extensions:

Markdown All in One
GitLens
GitHub Pull Requests
Live Server
Python, ESLint, etc., depending on your courses.

7.2 Git & GitHub

sudo apt install git -y

git config --global user.name "James P. Burke"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"
# press Enter for defaults; set a passphrase if you want
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy that key to GitHub (Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key).

7.3 Ruby & Jekyll (GitHub Pages)

sudo apt install ruby-full build-essential zlib1g-dev -y

echo 'export GEM_HOME="$HOME/gems"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/gems/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

gem install jekyll bundler
jekyll -v    # sanity check

Create a new Jekyll site:

mkdir -p ~/sites && cd ~/sites
jekyll new my-blog
cd my-blog
bundle exec jekyll serve
# Visit http://localhost:4000

Push to GitHub Pages following the GitHub Pages + Jekyll docs.

7.4 Chrome for Google Workspace

wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
sudo apt --fix-broken install -y

Chrome menu → More tools → Create shortcut… → “Open as window”
for Classroom, Drive, Docs, etc.

8. Hardware Optimization for XPS 13 9360

The 9360 is already efficient; these tweaks refine it.

8.1 Power Management (TLP)

sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw -y
sudo systemctl enable tlp
sudo systemctl start tlp

TLP automatically tunes CPU, PCIe, and USB power.

8.2 Intel Graphics

Your XPS 13 9360 uses Intel integrated graphics only; the i915 driver is loaded automatically.

Optional extra power-savings (only if you want to experiment):

sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/i915.conf

Add:

options i915 enable_fbc=1

8.3 Wi‑Fi – Intel 8265

You’re using Intel Dual Band Wireless‑AC 8265, which is the preferred card for Linux on this model.

Optional tweak to reduce disconnects and temper powersave:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d
sudo nano /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/wifi-powersave.conf

Put:

[connection]
wifi.powersave = 2

Then:

sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

8.4 SSD TRIM

sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer
sudo systemctl start fstrim.timer
sudo fstrim -av   # test run

8.5 Temperature Monitoring

sudo apt install lm-sensors htop -y
sudo sensors-detect   # accept defaults
sensors

Expect idle temps in the 40–50 °C range, moderate load 60–80 °C.

9. Stability Tips for XPS 13 9360

Run a current kernel (Mint 22 / Ubuntu 24.04 satisfy this).
Keep BIOS up to date via Dell’s support site.
Thunderbolt/docks:
- If you don’t use TB3, disable Thunderbolt in BIOS for lower power and fewer wake‑up quirks.
- If you use Dell TB16/D6000 docks and see freezes, update dock firmware and test with/without the dock.
Avoid extreme powertop auto‑tuning; some aggressive tunables can cause hard freezes on this model.

NVMe quirks (only if you see lockups under disk load):

sudo nano /etc/default/grub
# append inside GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT:
nvme_core.default_ps_max_latency_us=170000
sudo update-grub

10. Troubleshooting

10.1 Cannot Boot from USB

Confirm USB is created in GPT/UEFI mode.
Ensure UEFI (not Legacy) and USB first in boot order.
Try another USB port or stick.

10.2 System Freezes / Hangs

Check in this order:

BIOS up to date? Thunderbolt disabled or dock firmware updated?
Using a recent kernel from your distro?
Did you apply many manual kernel parameters or powertop tunings? Remove them and revert to defaults first.
If freezes occur mostly on heavy I/O, test the NVMe parameter above.

10.3 Suspend/Resume Problems

Test with no external devices attached; TB3 docks are common culprits.
If system wakes to a black screen, try switching TTYs (Ctrl + Alt + F2) then back (Ctrl + Alt + F1); ensure system is fully updated.

10.4 Brightness Keys Not Working

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Change:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_backlight=vendor"