Omen Linux Installer

Windows tool for getting Linux onto an HP OMEN without fighting the ACPI tables by hand.

It dumps your DSDT from Windows, patches it (same rules as the online patcher), and injects that into a Linux install ISO. After you install, a couple of scripts on the ISO make the fix permanent and can set up keyboard RGB.

Part of OmenLinux.

Does this work with my distro?

We've actually tested Fedora Workstation, Ubuntu desktop, and Arch. Other distros might work fine too if the ISO has a normal initrd we can find (casper, LiveOS, etc.) - they just haven't been tested yet. If you try one and it works (or breaks in a useful way), open an issue.

How to use it

You need the OMEN on Windows, a Linux ISO, and a USB stick (8GB+). Rufus, Etcher, or dd for flashing.

1. Get OmenPrep.exe from Releases (or build it, see bottom).
2. Run it on the laptop.
3. Hit Fix my laptop for Linux, pick your stock ISO, save the -omen.iso.
4. Flash that file to the USB. In Rufus use DD mode, not ISO mode - hybrid images get weird otherwise.
5. Boot the stick (UEFI, Secure Boot off for the first install is easiest), install Linux normally.
6. Run the scripts from the ISO so the fix survives reboot.

There's an Advanced panel if you want to dump/patch/inject step by step. Most people don't need it.

After install (don't skip this)

While you're still in the live session, with the new root at /mnt:

# Ubuntu live usually has the ISO at /cdrom
sudo bash /cdrom/apply-omen-acpi.sh /mnt

# Fedora live - stick is usually under /run/media
sudo bash /run/media/$USER/*/apply-omen-acpi.sh /mnt

Reboot into the installed system, mount the USB again, then:

sudo bash /run/media/$USER/*/post-install-omen.sh   # Fedora-ish path
# or
sudo bash /media/$USER/*/post-install-omen.sh       # Ubuntu-ish path

That locks in ACPI for future kernels, tries to un-break Intel iGPU probe on some newer Fedora kernels, and builds the RGB DKMS module if headers exist.

Flags if you only want one piece:

sudo bash post-install-omen.sh --acpi-only
sudo bash post-install-omen.sh --rgb-only
sudo bash post-install-omen.sh --gpu-only

Reboot once more.

Did it work?

journalctl -k | grep -i 'Table Upgrade'
ls /sys/devices/platform/omen-rgb-keyboard/
echo rainbow | sudo tee /sys/devices/platform/omen-rgb-keyboard/rgb_zones/animation_mode

BIOS notes

Esc/F10 into setup: UEFI boot, Secure Boot off at least until things work. F9 for the one-shot boot menu if the stick doesn't show up.

Common problems

• No EFI entry / stick won't boot - reflash with Rufus DD mode. Don't reuse an old -omen.iso; patch again from the original ISO with a current build of the app.
• GRUB can't find /boot, or live crashes - same fix: fresh patch + DD flash.
• RGB missing - need kernel-devel/headers matching uname -r. Try --rgb-only. Secure Boot may want a MOK enrollment for DKMS.
• Desktop runs like a slideshow (Fedora) - Intel stuck on simpledrm. --gpu-only, reboot, check lspci -nnk for i915.
• NVIDIA - install akmod-nvidia from RPM Fusion yourself. Panel is usually on Intel; dGPU is offload. Not something this tool handles.

Building

.NET 10 SDK:

git clone https://github.com/OmenLinux/omen-linux-installer.git
cd omen-linux-installer
.\publish.ps1
# artifacts\OmenPrep.exe

dotnet test .\windows-tool.Tests\OmenPrep.Tests.csproj -c Release