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All of my 3 ports (usb-c) on my Dell xps-13-9380-laptop (ubuntu 19.04) don't work anymore. These are the specs of my laptop.

I tried to update my BIOS by following these instructions.

I also read in this post that downloading the update to the firmware would fix it:.

However, it says I need to download the .exe file to a USB stick. Since all my ports don't work, I can't do that, obviously.

I ran this command in my terminal

fwupdmgr get-updates

and got this result:

No upgrades for XPS 13 9380 System Firmware, current is 0.1.6.0: 0.1.6.0=same, 0.1.5.0=older, 0.1.4.0=older, 0.1.3.2=older, 0.1.2.1=older

I assume my firmware is up-to-date?

I ran Dell's Diagnostic tool. It says everything is fine. I turned it on/off and restarted it. Result doesn't change though.

What else can I do other than sending it back to Dell or resetting to factory settings and installing everything again?

EDIT:

Running sudo dmidecode gives me this:

# dmidecode 3.2
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 3.2.1 present.
# SMBIOS implementations newer than version 3.2.0 are not
# fully supported by this version of dmidecode.
Table at 0x000E0000.

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 26 bytes
BIOS Information
    Vendor: Dell Inc.
    Version: 1.6.0
    Release Date: 07/07/2019
    Address: 0xF0000
    Runtime Size: 64 kB
    ROM Size: 32 MB
    Characteristics:
        PCI is supported
        PNP is supported
        BIOS is upgradeable
        BIOS shadowing is allowed
        Boot from CD is supported
        Selectable boot is supported
        EDD is supported
        Japanese floppy for NEC 9800 1.2 MB is supported (int 13h)
        5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
        3.5"/720 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
        3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
        Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
        8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
        Serial services are supported (int 14h)
        Printer services are supported (int 17h)
        ACPI is supported
        USB legacy is supported
        Smart battery is supported
        BIOS boot specification is supported
        Function key-initiated network boot is supported
        Targeted content distribution is supported
        UEFI is supported
    BIOS Revision: 1.6

Running fwupdmgr get-devices gives me this:

XPS 9380 Thunderbolt Controller
  DeviceId:             2bb8e4b8d5a86a6860d53f48940c203385734c6c
  Guid:                 0f401ed2-b847-532a-adc8-3193fc737be6
  Summary:              Unmatched performance for high-speed I/O
  Plugin:               thunderbolt
  Flags:                internal|updatable|registered
  Vendor:               Dell
  VendorId:             TBT:0x00D4
  Version:              40.00
  Icon:                 computer
  Created:              2019-08-28

XPS 13 9380 System Firmware
  DeviceId:             6c24a747f97668873b761558e322398a91dbf394
  Guid:                 ce945437-7358-49f1-95d8-6b694a10a755
  Plugin:               uefi
  Flags:                internal|updatable|require-ac|supported|registered|needs-reboot
  Version:              0.1.6.0
  VersionLowest:        0.1.6.0
  Icon:                 computer
  Created:              2019-08-28

UPDATE

I fixed (for now) by shutting down (not restart but shut down) and unplug everything that is connected to the port (charger, USB, docking station etc.) and then leave it there for like an hour. After that it would work correctly like before, I can use all the ports now. Not sure how long this state will last for me though

2 Answers 2

0

fwupdmgr will not upgrade your BIOS.

First, we will check what is the version of the BIOS installed on your system:

sudo apt install dmidecode
sudo dmidecode

This will reveal all the BIOS related information to you.
The BIOS is DMI Type 0 (and usually the first entry). Look out for "BIOS Information". For me, it looks like this:

# dmidecode 3.1
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 2.8 present.
29 structures occupying 1999 bytes.
Table at 0x000E6F90.

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
        Vendor: Insyde Corp.
        Version: V1.04
        Release Date: 05/06/2014
        Address: 0xE0000
        Runtime Size: 128 kB
        ROM Size: 6144 kB
        Characteristics:
                PCI is supported
                BIOS is upgradeable
                BIOS shadowing is allowed
                Boot from CD is supported
                Selectable boot is supported
                EDD is supported
                Japanese floppy for NEC 9800 1.2 MB is supported (int 13h)
                Japanese floppy for Toshiba 1.2 MB is supported (int 13h)
                5.25"/360 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
                5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
                3.5"/720 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
                3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
                8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
                CGA/mono video services are supported (int 10h)
                ACPI is supported
                USB legacy is supported
                BIOS boot specification is supported
                Targeted content distribution is supported
                UEFI is supported
        BIOS Revision: 1.4
        Firmware Revision: 1.4

You will see the Version information in Version:

If you have verified that the BIOS is, in fact the latest, then send the unit to Dell for repair.

4
  • See my EDIT. IT says BIOS Revision: 1.6.. I assume I got the latest version? Aug 28, 2019 at 8:47
  • @thadeuszlay Yes, according to Dell Drivers and Downloads, you have the latest BIOS for your laptop. The latest version on their site is 1.6.0 (filename: XPS_9380_1.6.0.exe )
    – Domo N Car
    Aug 28, 2019 at 9:42
  • 1
    See my update. It is working now. Aug 28, 2019 at 11:22
  • @thadeuszlay Congrats! Now mark the Question as solved. And chose an answer (or write your own) as an accepted answer so people in future can also see what steps solved the issue for you.
    – Domo N Car
    Aug 29, 2019 at 10:04
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My solution is to turn off the computer (shut down not restart) and plug out everything. Wait for an hour. Then start the computer again.

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