Lenovo ideapad 330 (15ARR) ubuntu issues and there solutions

lenovo_ideapad_330_ubuntu.md

Lenovo ideapad 330 (15ARR) ubuntu issues and their solutions

Issue-1: None of the ubuntu distros are getting installed

Solution: Ubuntu distros lower than 18.10 will not work in this laptop, as minimum kernal version required is 4.18.

So install ubuntu 18.10 / xubuntu 18.10 / lubuntu 18.10 / kubuntu 18.10 in UEFI mode

Issue-2: Wifi is not working

Solution: Install drivers seperatly. In most of the cases the wifi network card manufacturer is Elan tech for this model.

So just run the following commands to download and install

git clone https://github.com/tomaspinho/rtl8821ce.git
cd rtl8821ce/
sudo make all
sudo make install
sudo modprobe -a 8821ce

Check your wifi networks!

Issue-3: Touchpad is not working at all

Solution: You need to upgrade kernel to minimum 4.19.15-041915-generic . From this kernal version, the touchpad drivers are present in the kernal.

So just download the kernal files and upgrade. Visit https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ to choose a kernal version

If you want to download 4.19.15, try the steps

First download the files

wget https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.19.15/linux-headers-4.19.15-041915_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_all.deb
wget https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.19.15/linux-headers-4.19.15-041915-generic_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_amd64.deb
wget https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.19.15/linux-modules-4.19.15-041915-generic_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_amd64.deb
wget https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.19.15/linux-image-unsigned-4.19.15-041915-generic_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_amd64.deb

Install

dpkg -i linux-headers-4.19.15-041915_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_all.deb
dpkg -i linux-headers-4.19.15-041915-generic_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_amd64.deb
dpkg -i linux-modules-4.19.15-041915-generic_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_amd64.deb
dpkg -i linux-image-unsigned-4.19.15-041915-generic_4.19.15-041915.201901130432_amd64.deb

Reboot

The WiFi fix works great for me, but if I turn the laptop off then on again, I have to rebuild and reinstall the package. This is the 330-15ARR from May 2018. I have secure boot turned off.

thanks for the help, it is working on v 20.04

Update Jan 2021:

• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (kernel 5.8) works with trackpad out of the box, and wifi with latest driver in this tutorial. You have to (1) Install Ubuntu for GPT/EFI/SecureBoot mode enabled in BIOS. (2) After wifi driver is installed, disable EFI/SecureBoot and enable Legacy in BIOS. (3) Reinstall wifi driver after every upgrade, or have it automated as a post-install hook.
• Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (kernel 4.18) still works with old wifi driver from the tutorial, and trackpad with the kernel params. (see my old comment.) Again, you have to reinstall the wifi driver after every upgrade.
• Void Linux Rolling-Release (kernel 5.10) works out of the box with everything. It is very easy to install from chroot. I used ipw to connect to wifi.

Notes:

1. It appears kernels at least 5.10 and later will work out of the box. (Distros like Void Linux that are rolling release are easiest to install, while Ubuntu LTS comes with 5.8)
2. This laptop does support booting to the NVME, as well as the SSD, USB, etc. (I am multi-booting the above 3 distros on different drives/partitions, as well as sharing storage partitions. Even booting to a partition inside VMware works. Booting from SuperGrub2 also works.)
3. This laptop apparently supports booting in Legacy mode even when booting to a GPT/EFI/SecureBoot configuration. (SecureBoot is what causes the third-party modules like the wifi driver not to work, unless you get it manually signed for SecureBoot.)
4. This laptop supports some 16GB 2400 RAM sticks even though the specs sheet says it is only compatible up to 8GB. (I used TeamGroup RAM, and there is ~4GB onboard RAM for a total of ~20GB RAM.)
5. This laptop supports upgrading the battery from ~30Wh to ~52Wh. (Charging works fine, may charge faster, and battery lasts much longer.)

Witch version of kernel wee need to use Wi-Fi out of the box ?

Witch version of kernel wee need to use Wi-Fi out of the box ?

judging by the 2021 update it's kernel 5.10

5. This laptop supports upgrading the battery from ~30Wh to ~52Wh. (Charging works fine, may charge faster, and battery lasts much longer.)

@xoftware Can you please provide a source/proof of battery replacement? If we are talking about 330S-15ARR, then I have not found anywhere confirmation that it is possible to replace to a 50wh battery, including chat with Lenovo technical support, and I am a bit afraid to change it without being sure that it works correctly (preferably in Windows too, cause I use dual-boot).

modprobe: ERROR: could not insert '8821ce': Invalid argument
getting this error after sudo modprobe -a 8821ce

Hello, I am getting terrible battery life with Linux on, at max it lasts for 45 minutes, with windows the battery easily lasts for over 1 and half an hour (Goes way beyond that). I have tried Manjaro Linux and it is the same... Is anyone else experiencing this?
If someone here has great battery life, can you share your configurations.

I'm impressed and happy. I just successfully installed Ubuntu 21.04 Mate on this laptop and it works flawlessly without doing anything at all. Just installed it and it worked out of the box with no tweaks or changes. Wifi, touchpad, etc work perfectly!

I'm with random freezes when i do anything in my ubuntu. I tried add some params to grub like "iommu=soft","processor.cstate=1", "idle=nomwait". Tried too update the kernel from 5.4 to 5.5, 5.6, 5.8... and nothing stop the problem.

More infos here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/comments/afktfv/linux_freezes_and_amd_2500u_chipset/

When the system freeze, the screen turn off, the keyboard stop working and i need to press the power button.

@italodea The issue is with amd. Downgrade Linux firmware to March version. People have reported this issue on arch Linux forums, this is the only working solution for now.

@SourabhSNath which kernel version are you using?

Hey everyone ! An update here. Recently, a new bug has been introduced with kernel update 5.15.x which prevents the rtl8821ce from compiling ! 😞

I got a 330S-15IKB running Arch, so far everything is working fine but there is one really annoying issue I didn't manage to fix. Ever since I installed the Laptop the journal is full of ACPI errors, which makes the reading the log very difficult and working on the console on battery impossible. 1-2 lines per second of these:

Jan 22 16:04:17 kernel: ACPI BIOS Error (bug): Could not resolve symbol [^^^GFX0.AFN2], AE_NOT_FOUND (20210730/psargs-330)
Jan 22 16:04:17 kernel: ACPI Error: Aborting method \_SB.PCI0.LPCB.H_EC._QC9 due to previous error (AE_NOT_FOUND) (20210730/psparse-529)

Has anyone figured out how to either make ACPI work or get rid of the errors?