This repository contains everything you need to set up Arch Linux alongside Windows on your Dell XPS 13" 9350 with encrypted partitions and shared storage.

Your new Dell XPS 13" 9350 (258V, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 13.4", OLED, 3K Touch) will be configured with:

• Dual Boot: Windows + Arch Linux
• Encryption: Full disk encryption for Linux partitions using LUKS
• Hibernation: Full hibernation support with encrypted swap
• Shared Storage: NTFS partition accessible from both operating systems
• Optimized Setup: Intel-specific drivers and power management

Curated lists of official and AUR packages with comments indicating which ones are:

• Essential for your setup
• Intel-specific (keep for Dell XPS)
• Potentially outdated/unnecessary
• Experimental or legacy

Streamlined installation guide with rigid steps:

• Windows partition shrinking (BitLocker safe)
• Linux partition creation and formatting
• Arch Linux installation
• WSL setup for shared storage access

Automated installation script that handles:

• Partition verification
• System installation
• Encryption configuration
• systemd-boot setup
• Service configuration
• Automatic kernel file copying to EFI partition

Streamlined partition script for:

• Adding Linux partitions after Windows shrinking
• LUKS encryption setup
• No Windows partition modification

Post-installation configuration script for:

• Package installation
• Shell configuration
• Development environment setup
• GNOME desktop configuration
• Security hardening

Important: Explains how kernel files are managed between the Linux boot partition (p5) and the EFI partition (p1), including automatic synchronization via pacman hooks.

# In Windows Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc)
# Right-click Windows partition → Shrink Volume
# Shrink by 325GB (BitLocker partitions can be resized safely)

wget https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/iso/latest/archlinux-x86_64.iso
sudo dd bs=4M if=archlinux-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX status=progress oflag=sync

# Boot from USB, connect to internet
./partition-setup.sh  # Option 2: Add Linux partitions
./partition-setup.sh  # Option 3: Format Linux partitions
sudo ./arch-install.sh  # Install Arch Linux
./post-install.sh  # Configure system

wsl --install  # Install WSL
# In WSL: sudo cryptsetup open /dev/nvme0n1p5 shared
# Access: \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\username\shared

/dev/nvme0n1p1  EFI System Partition    260MB   FAT32 (ESP)
/dev/nvme0n1p2  Microsoft Reserved      16MB    NTFS
/dev/nvme0n1p3  Windows System          150GB   NTFS (shrunk)
/dev/nvme0n1p4  Windows Recovery        990MB   NTFS (physically moved to end)
/dev/nvme0n1p5  Linux Boot (XBOOTLDR)  512MB   FAT32 (kernels stored here)
/dev/nvme0n1p6  Linux Root (Encrypted) 150GB   LUKS
/dev/nvme0n1p7  Shared Storage (Encrypted) ~170GB LUKS (auto-sized)
/dev/nvme0n1p8  Linux Swap (Encrypted) 40GB    LUKS (sized for hibernation)

Note: Linux partitions (p5-p8) are physically located between Windows data (p3) and Recovery (p4), but Recovery keeps its p4 number while being moved to the end of the disk.

• Core system packages
• Intel-specific drivers
• Audio system (PipeWire)
• Development tools
• Desktop environment (GNOME)
• System utilities

• AMD/Radeon graphics drivers (if Dell XPS doesn't have AMD GPU)
• NVIDIA graphics drivers (if Dell XPS doesn't have NVIDIA GPU)
• VMware graphics drivers (not needed for physical machine)
• LaTeX packages (large installation)
• Virtualization tools (if not needed)
• Wine/Windows compatibility (if not needed)

• yay-bin-debug (debug version)
• unrar-free (duplicate of unrar)
• libpulse (replaced by PipeWire)
• Fun utilities (cowsay, fortune-mod)

• Full Disk Encryption: All Linux partitions encrypted with LUKS
• Secure Boot: Can be re-enabled after installation
• Firewall: UFW configured with default deny incoming
• Automatic Updates: Unattended upgrades enabled
• Backup: Timeshift configured for system snapshots

• SSD Optimization: TRIM enabled with fstrim.timer
• Memory Management: ZRAM for swap compression
• Power Management: TLP configured for laptop optimization
• Intel Graphics: Optimized drivers for Dell XPS

1. Boot fails after installation

   • Check GRUB configuration
   • Verify encryption setup
   • Ensure EFI partition is properly mounted

2. WiFi not working

   • Install iwd package
   • Configure NetworkManager
   • Check firmware installation

3. Audio not working

   • Verify PipeWire installation
   • Check sof-firmware installation
   • Configure audio settings in GNOME

4. Touchpad not working

   • Install xf86-input-libinput
   • Check GNOME touchpad settings

# Check disk usage
df -h

# Check mounted filesystems
mount | grep nvme

# Check encryption status
cryptsetup status root

# Check boot entries
efibootmgr -v

# Check systemd services
systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled

# Update system
sudo pacman -Syu
yay -Syu

# Create backup
sudo timeshift --create --comments "Manual backup"

For the shared storage partition, NTFS is recommended over exFAT because:

• Better Linux compatibility with ntfs-3g
• More mature driver support
• Better performance for large files
• Windows compatibility maintained

1. Review Package List: Go through packages.txt and remove unnecessary packages
2. Configure Development Environment: Set up your preferred tools and configurations
3. Customize GNOME: Install extensions and themes
4. Set Up Backup Strategy: Configure automated backups
5. Security Hardening: Review and enhance security settings
6. Performance Tuning: Optimize for your specific use case

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the troubleshooting section
2. Review the Arch Linux wiki
3. Check system logs: journalctl -xe
4. Verify hardware compatibility

Feel free to improve these scripts and documentation:

• Add more package categories
• Improve error handling
• Add more configuration options
• Enhance security features

Note: Always backup your data before proceeding with the installation. This setup will modify your disk partitions and may result in data loss if not done carefully.