Fix Kali Linux Freezing on Dell 7390

Installing Kali Linux on a Dell 7390 can be frustrating — the screen freezes mid-install and nothing responds. Here’s how to get past it.

If you’ve tried installing Kali Linux on a Dell XPS 13 7390, you’ve probably hit this wall: the installer boots, looks fine for a moment, then completely freezes. The cursor stops, the keyboard dies, and the only option is a hard shutdown. This happens because of a power management bug in the Intel i915 graphics driver that affects certain Intel Iris Plus GPU configurations. The fix is a one-line kernel parameter change.

Here’s everything you need — from creating the bootable drive to completing the install.

What You’ll Need

• A USB drive (16 GB or more)
• Rufus (Windows) to create the bootable drive
• The latest Kali Linux ISO
• A Dell 7390 (or a similar Intel Ice Lake laptop with i915 GPU)

Step 1 — Create the Bootable USB with Rufus

Download and open Rufus, then configure it exactly as follows:

Setting Value Partition scheme MBR File system NTFS Write mode DD Image

Why these settings? MBR ensures compatibility with Dell’s BIOS/UEFI. NTFS handles the large Kali ISO without the FAT32 4 GB file size limit. DD (disk dump) mode writes the ISO byte-for-byte — this preserves the bootloader correctly and avoids installer corruption that can occur with ISO mode.

Once Rufus is configured:

1. Click SELECT and choose your Kali Linux .iso file
2. Click START
3. When prompted, choose Write in DD Image mode
4. Wait for Rufus to finish — this takes a few minutes

Step 2 — Boot from the USB

1. Plug the USB into your Dell 7390
2. Power on the laptop and immediately press F12 to open the boot menu
3. Select your USB drive from the list
4. The Kali Linux GRUB menu will appear

Do not press Enter yet. The system will freeze if you boot with default settings.

Step 3 — Edit the GRUB Boot Parameters (The Critical Fix)

This is the step that prevents the freeze. At the GRUB menu:

1. Use the arrow keys to highlight “Graphical Install” or “Install”
2. Press **e** to edit the boot entry

You’ll see a screen full of boot parameters. Find the line that starts with:

linux   /install.amd/vmlinuz ...

Scroll to the end of that line. You’ll see something like:

... quiet splash

Add the following parameter right after splash:

i915.enable_dc=0

So the end of the line should now look like:

... quiet splash i915.enable_dc=0

What does this do? i915.enable_dc=0 disables the Intel i915 GPU's display power-saving (DC states). On the 7390's Intel Iris Plus GPU, these DC states cause the driver to hang during installation, freezing the entire system. Disabling them keeps the GPU fully awake during install.

1. Press **Ctrl + X or `F10`** to boot with the modified parameters

The installer will now load without freezing.

Step 4 — Complete the Installation Normally

With the kernel parameter applied, proceed through the Kali Linux installer as usual:

• Select your language, location, and keyboard layout
• Set up your hostname and user credentials
• Partition your disk (use Guided if you’re unsure)
• Let the installer copy files and configure the bootloader
• Remove the USB when prompted and reboot

Step 5 — Make the Fix Permanent After Installation

The GRUB edit you made was temporary — it only applies to that one boot session. After installation, you need to make it permanent so Kali doesn’t freeze on every boot.

Open a terminal and edit the GRUB configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Find this line:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

Change it to:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash i915.enable_dc=0"

Save the file (Ctrl + O, then Enter, then Ctrl + X), then update GRUB:

sudo update-grub

Reboot your system:

sudo reboot

Your Dell 7390 will now boot into Kali Linux without freezing — every time.

Why This Happens

The Intel i915 driver’s DC (display C-state) power management is aggressive on Ice Lake-based machines like the 7390. During a live installer session, the GPU enters a low-power DC state at a moment when the driver isn’t ready to handle the transition, causing a hard hang. Setting i915.enable_dc=0 keeps the GPU out of those power states entirely. The performance trade-off is negligible — you lose a small amount of battery efficiency, but gain a stable system.

Quick Reference

# GRUB edit during install (temporary)
# Add to end of linux line in GRUB editor:
i915.enable_dc=0

# After install — make it permanent
sudo nano /etc/default/grub
# Edit: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash i915.enable_dc=0"
sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

Tested on: Dell 7390 i5 16gb RAM· Kali Linux 2025.x · Intel Iris Plus (Ice Lake)

If this helped you, consider sharing it with others stuck on the same problem.

-inzamul sepoy