I am writing to report severe instability and compatibility issues when attempting to install and use Linux (Ubuntu) on one of your devices. The system is unusable due to frequent Kernel Panics, graphical failures, and driver errors.
I believe the issue is related to a firmware (BIOS) incompatibility with the new hardware, specifically the Intel Meteor Lake processor, in a Linux environment.
Below are the detailed system specifications and the errors I have encountered.
- System Information (from BIOS/UEFI):
Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 185H (Meteor Lake)
Serial Number: B185H5GG10144
BIOS Version: SEI14T118
BIOS Build Date: 07/06/2024
EC Version: 0109
ME FW Version: 18.0.5.1913
Total Memory: 98304 MB (96 GB) @ 5600 MHz
- Operating Systems Tested:
I have attempted to install and run several versions of Ubuntu, and the problem persists across all of them:
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Ubuntu 24.10 (Daily Build)
Ubuntu 25.04 (Daily Build)
- Description of Problems:
The issues are consistent across all tested OS versions and occur at various stages, from booting to desktop usage.
Kernel Panic: This is the most critical error. The system completely freezes and displays a Kernel Panic message with the following error (as seen in the attached photo):
Timeout: Not all CPUs entered broadcast exception handler
This strongly suggests a low-level problem with the Linux kernel’s management of the processor’s multiple core types (P-cores, E-cores), which is likely tied to the system firmware.
Graphical Corruption: During the boot sequence, the display becomes corrupted with artifacts and horizontal lines, rendering the screen unreadable. This points to a failure in initializing the graphics driver for the integrated Intel® Arc GPU.
Driver Installation Failures: When trying to install or update system packages, I encounter errors related to DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support). Specifically, Intel-related packages like intel-ipg-dkms fail to build and install correctly.
Application and Permission Errors: Basic applications such as Firefox and the snap package manager fail to launch, reporting “Permission denied” errors when attempting to create files in the user’s home directory. While this might be a secondary consequence of the installation failures, it highlights the overall system instability.
- Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
Attempting to reinstall linux-firmware and intel-microcode packages.
Running dpkg –configure -a to fix broken packages.
Using the “safe graphics” boot option in the GRUB menu.
None of these actions have resolved the fundamental issues of Kernel Panics and graphical failures.
Request:
I would like to inquire if your engineering team is aware of these Linux compatibility issues with this hardware and BIOS version. Is there a newer BIOS version available (either beta or stable) that improves support for Intel Core Ultra processors on Linux? Are there any specific BIOS settings or kernel boot parameters that you would recommend to work around these problems?
I have attached the photographs I took of the various error screens and system information pages for your reference.
Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.
