Ubuntu – How to update the BIOS of a Samsung Series 9

You didn't specify which graphics card drivers are you using. With your graphics card it can be either the open source ones, embedded into the kernel, or the proprietay ones that come with the Catalyst management software.

If you are using the proprietary ones, I suggest you try and uninstall them; then you can test wether it was their fault or not.

If you didn't install the Catalyst suite, you can download it here to make the reverse test.

Tell us how it went. :-)

Because your original plan was to install Ubuntu without Windows, the safest approach is to do that in BIOS/CSM/legacy mode. I recommend:

1. Boot Windows and create a set of emergency recovery discs, if it's got a program to do this; or create a complete backup of the hard disk using some other tool. This is so you can restore the system to its factory settings in the future, if you decide this is desirable.
2. Using a Linux live CD, launch GParted and tell it to create a fresh partition table. This will wipe out the GUID Partition Table (GPT) that's currently in use and replace it with an old-style Master Boot Record (MBR; aka "msdos") partition table.
3. Boot the Linux installer in BIOS mode. The details of how to do this depend on the firmware. You may need to enter the firmware setup utility to enable BIOS/CSM/legacy support or to disable EFI/UEFI support; or you may need to use the firmware's built-in boot manager to tell it explicitly to boot the installer in BIOS/CSM/legacy mode (usually by selecting a boot option for the medium that does not include the acronym "EFI" or "UEFI").
4. Verify that you've booted the installer in BIOS mode by dropping to a shell and looking for the directory /sys/firmware/efi. If it's not present, you've probably booted in BIOS mode. If that file is present, you should reboot and try again, since you've booted in EFI mode.
5. Install normally.

Thereafter, you've got a system that you can treat like a normal BIOS-based computer and not worry about the firmware's bricking bug, since that bug can be triggered only from an EFI-booted OS. Note that the bug can be triggered from Windows, so dual-booting with Windows in EFI mode poses at least some risk.