Dell XPS 15 Ubuntu 16.04外接ASUS HDMI双显示器时系统冻结求助

开发者阿泽

2026-5-19

Hey there, let's work through this frustrating freeze issue you're having when connecting your ASUS HDMI monitor to your Dell XPS 15 on Ubuntu 16.04. I’ve helped troubleshoot similar problems before, so here are some practical steps to try out:

1. Upgrade your kernel first

Your current kernel (4.13.0-32) is a bit outdated for Ubuntu 16.04, and older kernels often have bugs with newer hardware (like HDMI displays or touchscreens). Ubuntu 16.04 supports Hardware Enablement (HWE) kernels that bring newer driver support:

Open a terminal and run this command to install the latest HWE kernel and Xorg stack:

sudo apt-get install --install-recommends linux-generic-hwe-16.04 xserver-xorg-hwe-16.04

Reboot your laptop, then check the new kernel version with uname -r. Once done, connect your HDMI monitor again to see if the freeze happens.

2. Update your graphics drivers

Display freezes are almost always related to graphics drivers. The XPS 15 typically uses either an Intel integrated GPU or an NVIDIA discrete GPU—let’s cover both cases:

If you have an NVIDIA GPU:
Open the "Software & Updates" app, go to the "Additional Drivers" tab. You’ll see a list of available NVIDIA drivers; select the recommended closed-source driver (usually version 390 or higher for Ubuntu 16.04), click "Apply Changes", then reboot.
If you’re using Intel integrated graphics:
Install the latest Intel microcode updates to fix potential GPU bugs:
```
sudo apt-get install intel-microcode
```
Reboot after installation and test the monitor connection.

3. Rule out the touchscreen as the culprit

Since you mentioned your laptop is a touchscreen, let’s temporarily disable it to see if that’s causing the conflict:

First, find your touchscreen’s device ID by running:
```
xinput list
```
Look for an entry like "Dell Touchscreen" and note the number next to id= (e.g., id=12).
Disable the touchscreen with:
```
xinput disable 12
```
Replace 12 with your actual device ID. Now connect the HDMI monitor—if the system doesn’t freeze, the touchscreen driver is conflicting with the display setup. You can then try updating the touchscreen driver or create a udev rule to disable it automatically when an external monitor is connected.

4. Tweak display settings to avoid conflicts

Sometimes incorrect display configurations can trigger freezes:

After connecting the monitor, switch from "Mirror Displays" to "Extend Displays" in the Ubuntu display settings. Mirroring can cause GPU overload on some setups.
Make sure you’re using a resolution and refresh rate that’s natively supported by your ASUS monitor. For most monitors, 1920x1080@60Hz is safe. You can also set this manually via the xrandr command—first run xrandr to get your display names (e.g., eDP-1 for the laptop screen, HDMI-1 for the external monitor), then run:
```
xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode 1920x1080 --rate 60 --right-of eDP-1
```

5. Check for physical hardware issues

Don’t overlook the basics:

Try a different HDMI cable—cheap or damaged cables can cause unstable signal that leads to system freezes.
Inspect your laptop’s HDMI port for dust or debris, and clean it gently if needed.

If none of these steps work, you can dig into the system logs to find clues about what’s causing the freeze. Run this command to view the logs from your last frozen session:

journalctl -b -1

Look for error messages related to graphics (e.g., nvidia, intel, drm) or HDMI connections right before the system froze. That can help pinpoint the exact issue.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Mechanical Engineer LEG3