Questions tagged [laptop]

Questions about laptops in relationship to Ubuntu. Common subjects are trackpads, batteries and wireless cards.

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154 votes
17 answers
301k views

How can I limit battery charging to 80% capacity?

I just learned that some Lenovo laptops include a utility that offers to limit battery charging capacity to within 0–80% in order to slow the attenuation of the battery lifespan: How can I do this in ...
ændrük's user avatar
  • 76.7k
81 votes
5 answers
110k views

How to copy an Ubuntu install from one laptop to another

I am going to change my machine: from a laptop with Ubuntu to another laptop where I am going to install Ubuntu... I am quite happy with the current system, what I am afraid of is having to rebuild ...
SoftTimur's user avatar
  • 3,069
66 votes
10 answers
165k views

How can I tell if my laptop has Bluetooth?

How can I tell if my laptop has a Bluetooth adapter?
James's user avatar
  • 3,213
64 votes
3 answers
136k views

What does the kernel boot parameter "set acpi_osi=Linux" do?

I am facing an issue with brightness control in my laptop which has Intel HD graphics and Ubuntu 10.10 64-bit. So when I searched for a fix I found that a common suggestion is to edit the GRUB file ...
AIB's user avatar
  • 1,431
60 votes
1 answer
63k views

Ubuntu Server 13.10 now goes to sleep when closing laptop lid

I recently upgraded to the latest version (13.10). I have it running on an old laptop. Since the upgrade, whenever I close the laptop lid, it goes to sleep mode. Any idea on how to fix? I've ...
user203846's user avatar
59 votes
17 answers
130k views

Stop sound from speakers when connecting headphones

The problem is that I can hear the sound from my laptop's speakers even if I plugged in my headphones. Headphones is just standard stereo headphones. And the most interesting thing is that all was ...
Ilay's user avatar
  • 868
49 votes
15 answers
103k views

Unable to change brightness in a Lenovo laptop

Brightness adjustment keys <Fn + ⇑/⇓> have no effect (although they are recognized by the environment), and I can't change the brightness using GUI tools as well. This seems like a problem in ...
Oleh Prypin's user avatar
  • 2,545
49 votes
4 answers
43k views

With Ubuntu 16.04 laptop doesn't suspend when lid is closed

I have a Dell 7737 laptop, and with Ubuntu 16.04 it no longer suspends when the laptop lid is closed. With 14.04 closing the lid put the laptop to suspend as expected. However, I reloaded the system ...
Adam Culp's user avatar
  • 971
39 votes
5 answers
59k views

How do I set default display brightness? [duplicate]

Is it possible to set the default display brightness so you don't have to re-adjust it everytime you reboot? My laptop display is killing my eyes at the login screen already because it starts at 100% ...
Jeremy's user avatar
  • 391
35 votes
5 answers
37k views

Why does my computer get less battery life with Ubuntu compared to Windows?

Last year I purchased a Dell Inspiron 5315 laptop shipping with Windows 7 preinstalled. I installed Ubuntu 10.10 alongside it with dual-booting. On upgrading to Ubuntu 11.10, I was upset to find I now ...
Rajesh Pantula's user avatar
31 votes
2 answers
57k views

Laptop headphone jack produces no sound

The headphones are detected, because when they are plugged in, they appear in the sound settings. The problem is that they just don't output any sound. Laptop speakers output sound just fine. I'm ...
pleasedesktop's user avatar
31 votes
5 answers
35k views

Stop/start battery charging through software?

If a laptop is powered on and connected to AC power, is there a way to issue a command that tells it not to charge the battery? EDITED: Perhaps charging of the battery may be stopped if there were a ...
Sepero's user avatar
  • 4,557
29 votes
2 answers
3k views

How may I improve my boot / shutdown time?

I have a pretty decent laptop (Intel Core i7-3520M CPU @ 2.90GHz, SataII SSD from Samsung, 8GB Ram), but I not satisfied with my boot and shutdown times... I have installed bootchart, and am trying to ...
alci's user avatar
  • 5,839
25 votes
5 answers
15k views

Does it make sense to create swap partitions for new installations nowadways?

For a desktop installation in a new and shiny laptop (let's say 16gb ram and ssd hd), does it make sense to have a swap partition?
Frey Olake's user avatar
25 votes
5 answers
11k views

laptop fails to suspend or hibernate (wakes up after 2-5 seconds without user interaction)

This all started happening after upgrading to 13.10, now I am running 14.04 and still have the same issue. When I close the lid or I do sudo pm-suspend the laptop goes into suspend for 2-5 seconds ...
feniix's user avatar
  • 494
24 votes
6 answers
20k views

Thinkpad middle button scrolling

I'm running Ubuntu on my Thinkpad T60. Is there a way to get the middle button to act like a scroll like it would when it runs Windows? I'd like to be able to hold the middle button down and scroll ...
spong's user avatar
  • 475
21 votes
5 answers
78k views

Battery not charging but detected

my Lenovo N581 detects the battery, but it doesn't charge it (as soon as I unplug the AC, it turns off). When i type upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0 into the terminal I get: ...
gxor's user avatar
  • 379
19 votes
3 answers
10k views

How do I configure the screen to lock when I close the lid?

I've configured Ubuntu to put the screen in black when I close the lid of the laptop, but I want that, when I open it again, it demand the password like blocking the screen with Ctrl+Alt+L, but I can'...
Quejio's user avatar
  • 203
18 votes
5 answers
25k views

Set battery thresholds on Ubuntu (ASUS)

I've recently switched from Windows to Ubuntu, and I was kind of frustrated when I found out that there was no way to set battery thresholds on Linux. On Windows, I can choose to limit charge to 60% (...
Théo Cheynel's user avatar
18 votes
1 answer
640 views

How can I make my laptop "phone home" if it ever gets stolen?

If my laptop ever gets stolen, I want it to make an attempt to "phone home" so that I can track it down. What can I set up to accomplish this?
ændrük's user avatar
  • 76.7k
18 votes
2 answers
30k views

Forcing grub menu to external monitor connected to laptop via HDMI/VGA

Is there any way to force grub menu to show it's content in external monitor (for selecting the os to boot on win or ubuntu), I use my laptop more like a desktop with a monitor connected to it because ...
biozalp's user avatar
  • 635
17 votes
2 answers
27k views

How can I change audio output to HDMI from command line?

Backstory This thread suggests pacmd list-sinks and switching to a different sink with pacmd set-default-sink "SINKNAME", but my laptop only appears to have 1 sink, so that didn't help me. This ...
James Moore's user avatar
17 votes
4 answers
9k views

Laptop battery life drastically decreased compared to Windows 7 [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Why does my computer get less battery life with Ubuntu compared to Windows? I am running Ubuntu 10.10 on my Dell Studio XPS 1640 and have about one hour of battery life in it, ...
Aron Rotteveel's user avatar
17 votes
6 answers
83k views

How to make keyboard backlight Fn buttons work in Samsung Series 9?

I've just installed Ubuntu 12.10 on my Samsung 900X4C. However, I can't get the keyboard backlights to work. I added the keymaps as per community docs - Samsung Series 9 (section Function Keys). But ...
mmalmeida's user avatar
  • 510
17 votes
2 answers
5k views

How to prevent resume from sleep/suspend on lid open?

I've got pretty much the same problem as this old 2006 thread on the Ubuntu forums: my old laptop's lid is a bit shaky, which causes the computer to wakeup/suspend if I just touch it the wrong way (e....
Ludovic Chabant's user avatar
16 votes
4 answers
81k views

Trying to boot from usb [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Boot failure : No DEFAULT or UI configuration directive found! I have similar issues but none with the 12.04 build. Im trying this on a dell d610 laptop with a bad hard drive ...
iron's user avatar
  • 163
16 votes
2 answers
74k views

Internal SD card reader not detected HP realtek RTS5227

I recently installed Ubuntu 14.04 on my HP Envy m7-j020dx. The only problem I am currently having is that the internal SD card reader does not seem to be detected at all. I have tried to find a ...
Adam's user avatar
  • 487
16 votes
4 answers
27k views

What should VM writeback timeout be set to for a laptop?

I am using powertop to check that my machine is setup in a way that will give me good battery life. After installing laptop-mode-tools all of the "Tunables" section shows "Good" except VM writeback ...
Chas. Owens's user avatar
16 votes
4 answers
16k views

Enable Dolby 5.1 or at least subwoofer on Acer laptop?

I have Dolby Virtual Surround Sound 5.1 speakers with Tuba CineBass Subwoofer on Acer laptop (mine is 5951G but there is also bunch of models with similar configuration of speakers with/without ...
MakingHarmony's user avatar
15 votes
4 answers
41k views

How do I enable keyboard backlight in Ubuntu 20.04.02 on Dell G5 Laptop?

I recently bought a Dell G5 laptop which came pre-installed with Windows OS. However, I removed Windows OS and install Ubuntu 20.04.02 LTS on it. Now, I'm unable to get the keyboard backlight to work ...
alpinesummit's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
19k views

Why does my laptop resume immediately after suspend? [closed]

I seem to be having some problem with suspend mode. Every time I try to suspend my laptop, it just locks the screen. Or maybe it successfully suspends just to resume only an instant after. What could ...
Igor Zinov'yev's user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
9k views

How to tune touchpad for smaller area?

I just purchased the Asus Zenbook UX31A and I require some advice regarding tuning the touchpad. Basically my problem is that the mouse buttons are withing the touch area and I would like it to be ...
M.L.'s user avatar
  • 251
15 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why does powertop still detect tunable settings on >12.04?

According to this Q&A laptop-mode-tools and powertop are not needed anymore with ubuntu 12.04 as the power savings are now included in the kernel. So I decided to remove laptop-mode-tools from ...
user138784's user avatar
15 votes
1 answer
14k views

How to count battery cycles?

Like most users that have searched know, Manufacturers ACPI implementation is a mess and for most of our laptops, battery info is unavailable or wrong (on a dell inspiron 15z, the rate is divided by ...
The_guy_with_a_laptop's user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
25k views

Cannot make Wi-Fi hotspot

I want to make my laptop as wi-fi hotspot. To do so, I pressed button Settings->Network->Wireless->Use as Hotspot.. Then it creates a wireless network connection 'Hostspot' and connects. But it gets ...
Junaid's user avatar
  • 505
14 votes
10 answers
29k views

Display brightness cannot be adjusted 18.04

I have recently installed Ubuntu mate 18.04 on my XPS 15 9560. I cannot adjust the display brightness through any means. I have tried the following: Set the acpi_backlight=vendor in boot parameters ...
xypnox's user avatar
  • 351
14 votes
5 answers
14k views

15.04, 15.10, 16.04 - Closing lid does not suspend laptop if connected to external monitor

Since the upgrade to 15.04 (update: 15.10 still same), my laptop's behavior on closing lid has changed: if it is connected to an external monitor, it will not suspend. In addition, all the windows are ...
Phil's user avatar
  • 321
14 votes
7 answers
15k views

Laptop Screen Black After Suspend

I'm a new user to Linux and i am running into an issue with suspend on my laptop with the following configuration Model : HP Envy m6 (AMD A10-4600M APU with Radeon HD Graphics) Operating System : ...
stetson's user avatar
  • 143
14 votes
4 answers
5k views

Wrong battery state reading cause brutal shutdown

I have an Asus Zenbook UX31A, the Asus 13" unit from first generation ultrabooks. I run Ubuntu 12.10 up to date on it. Before a week or two I used to enjoy more that 5 hours of battery life, ...
thomas's user avatar
  • 301
13 votes
2 answers
10k views

Artificially increase maximum screen brightness

I have my laptop set to maximum brightness, but it's not bright enough. Is it possible to somehow make it brighter?
oshirowanen's user avatar
  • 3,977
13 votes
4 answers
36k views

How to change boot priority?

I have a laptop with Ubuntu installed as the only OS. I also have a USB stick with a Windows 7 installation on it. I want to install Windows from the USB stick on my laptop but when I try to restart ...
Marc's user avatar
  • 131
13 votes
4 answers
55k views

How to enable laptop-mode?

Laptop-mode is said to be one of the energy efficiency boosters for Linux. Now, sources I found say that to activate it you need to: Install laptop-mode-tools. Append LAPTOP_MODE_ENABLED=true (if it ...
metakermit's user avatar
  • 2,630
13 votes
4 answers
21k views

Suspend/hibernate doesn't work on an Asus laptop

I'm having issues suspending Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) on my new Asus U30SD-XA1 laptop. It's a new laptop on the market. Is this a known issue and is there a fix for it? Basically, whenever I ...
b1kjsh's user avatar
  • 275
13 votes
4 answers
2k views

How to install Ubuntu on an old laptop missing its built-in display

I have an old HP laptop that is missing its built-in display. I use it plugged in to my TV via VGA. It runs Windows Vista fine, but it has recently started to slow down, and I decided it needed a dose ...
willem.hill's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
13k views

How to boost volume in Lubuntu

The audacious audio player volume is fine, but when I try to watch videos on youtube the volume is far too low. Is there a way to boost the overall sound? THank you for your time.
Maysam's user avatar
  • 131
13 votes
1 answer
11k views

Increment Brightness by value using xrandr [duplicate]

So I have an Alienware 13 R3 with the OLED display, and for the first time I was able to change the brightness using the xrandr command. The problem was the absence of backlight in OLED displays, so I ...
Fjolfrin's user avatar
  • 131
12 votes
2 answers
58k views

Laptop keyboard stopped working

Ubuntu 14.04 I started my pc and suddenly my keyboard isn't working anymore. Is there a possibility to debug or something? The mouse and some of the keys still work, like changing the brightness of ...
MatthiasRoelandts's user avatar
12 votes
5 answers
2k views

How to secure Ubuntu for a non-technical user? (your mom)

My mother will be traveling for a while and I need to provide her with a secure laptop so she can work. A windows laptop is out of the question because: she'll be logging into dodgy hotel wireless ...
Avogado's user avatar
  • 231
12 votes
8 answers
27k views

Brightness function keys not working [duplicate]

I have an ASUS X55A-SPD0204O laptop. The rest of the FN+Fx (where x = number) like sound + - mute, screen turn off, wireless etc. work perfectly. The problem is with the 2 brightness keys. They just ...
Halta's user avatar
  • 669
12 votes
3 answers
14k views

How to permanently set screen brightness level in Ubuntu 12.04 on Dell Vostro 2420 laptop?

On Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on a Dell Vostro 2420 laptop, each time I start Ubuntu, the screen brightness is set to the maximum level, which gives a high glare. (I have recently installed Ubuntu on the laptop,...
TooBrightScreen's user avatar

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