Install Pop 20.10 next to Windows 10 in a multi-boot setup. Similar steps can be followed to install Ubuntu 20.10.

Update - PopOS 21.10⌗

If you are doing a fresh installation of the PopOS. I would recommend using their 21.10 version as most of the features will work out of the box without needing to install adding packages as documented.

Still doesn’t work:

  • Fingerprint login
  • Microphone mute & ROG button on the top of the keyboard
  • Function keys to control fan speed

Demo Mode on Live USB⌗

Fast startup option in Windows 10 and the secure boot option in BIOS needs to be disabled

  • Download PopOS 20.10 with NVIDIA drivers ISO from the official site
  • Create a live USB following the guide
  • Restart the laptop and press or hold the ESC key when the Republic of Gamers logo is seen on the screen
  • Select second EFI partition to boot into PopOS from USB
  • Follow the guide to try the Demo Mode

Install on SSD⌗

The steps below are to install PopOS and keep the Windows 10 system intact

  • Click Custom (Advanced) to make a new partition on SSD for PopOS

  • Click on Modify Partitions

  • Right-click on the main SSD partition of around 450+ GB and select resize.

  • Enter the sum of sizes for the new partitions and click on Resize/Move. This will create a new unallocated partition

    Name / LabelSizeFile SystemUse as
    EFI500 MiBfat32Boot
    PopOSMin. 20 GiBext4Root (/)
    SwapOptionallinux-swapSwap

  • Right-click on the unallocated partition and create new partitions as the above table

  • After partitions are modified, click on the green tick to create them on SSD

  • Find the new partitions and toggle the Use Partition option and choose Use as according to the above table

  • Click on Erase and Install

  • Click on Restart when the installation is complete

After installation, the laptop will load PopOS by default from now on. To use Windows 10, press or hold the ESC key when the Republic of Gamers logo is seen and select Windows Boot Manager each time.

Setup after installation⌗

ASUS Packages⌗

Install below packages to use the function key combinations, Animatrix display, fan speed, and graphic modes. A complete list of features is available at gitlab.com.

Add these packages using package manager

echo "deb https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/luke_nukem:/asus/xUbuntu_20.04/ /" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/asus.list
wget -q -O - https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/luke_nukem:/asus/xUbuntu_20.04/Release.key | sudo apt-key add -
apt-get update
apt-get install dkms-hid-asus-rog dkms-asus-rog-nb-wmi asus-nb-ctrl

Volume Control⌗

Add below lines to /usr/share/pulseaudio/alsa-mixer/paths/analog-output.conf.common file, just before the [Element PCM] section. This will also make the mute the microphone button usable.

[Element Master]
switch = mute
volume = ignore

Pulse Audio Configuration

System Time in Windows & PopOS⌗

Update the below timedatectl configuration in PopOS. Details are available at support.system76.com

timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock

Text on screen too small⌗

Out of the box, the text on the screen is too small to read. Enable Fractional Scaling in Settings > Displays to 125% or 150% for a comfortable reading.

Display Fractional Scaling

Known Issues⌗

  • No fingerprint login
  • No display in external monitor using the USB-C port (external display using HDMI port works)

Test Laptop⌗

The above steps are tested on the below laptop model.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IH-HE012T

  • AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6 VRAM
  • 8GB DDR4 3200MHz SDRAM
  • 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
  • Without Anime Matrix

References⌗

  • ASUS G14 Ubuntu 20.04 Setup at reddit.com
  • DKMS installable module for ASUS ROG laptops at gitlab.com
  • Installing Linux (Pop_OS!) on Asus Zephyrus G14 at heinbio.me