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Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

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Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#21

Post by Freak_NL »

voltagex_ wrote: post #7
dTal wrote: post #6

This was so predictable. And of course, the FSF called it: https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot

Has anyone actually confirmed this is anything but missing drivers in 3.2.x kernel versions?

This article could certainly use some clarification. I bought a Lenovo Yoga 500 two weeks ago and had no problems whatsoever with installing Ubuntu 16.04 after setting the UEFI to 'legacy' and nuking the complete drive after making a disk image backup for warranty purposes.

Did I dodge a bullet here? It came with Windows 10, but perhaps it wasn't this 'signature edition'.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#22

Post by colemickens »

dTal wrote: post #8
voltagex_ wrote: post #4

Site is down. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:fossbos... The article looks dangerously uninformed, from a brief skim. It's based on https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_micro... I can't find any info on what SSD the Lenovo Yoga uses but if it's anything like the NVMe drive in my Dell XPS, it's just the way the card is set up. Depending on which kernel your installer is using it…

I dunno, this looks like a smoking gun: http://i1.wp.com/fossboss.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/B7g...

A random post by a nameless employee in a forum which offers absolutely zero substantiation...? If that's a smoking gun, I know who killed JFK...

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#23

Post by afarrell »

Yaggo wrote: post #13

Just out of curiosity, what's the rationale for MS & Lenovo to do this, why to risk PR? The number of people wanting to install Linux is marginal and they are already "on the wrong side".

And they can just switch to Dell and buy an external Lenovo keyboard.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#24

Post by stephenboyd »

dTal wrote: post #8
voltagex_ wrote: post #4

Site is down. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:fossbos... The article looks dangerously uninformed, from a brief skim. It's based on https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_micro... I can't find any info on what SSD the Lenovo Yoga uses but if it's anything like the NVMe drive in my Dell XPS, it's just the way the card is set up. Depending on which kernel your installer is using it…

I dunno, this looks like a smoking gun: http://i1.wp.com/fossboss.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/B7g...

I doubt that. It's more likely that Best Buy's "Lenovo Product Expert" misunderstood the review and referred to the agreement to not install any software on Signature Edition devices.

I have no serious position on whether Microsoft is currently enforcing secret deals to sabotage Linux, but I'm sure the employee assigned to respond to product reviews would not be given such inside information.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#25

Post by veeti »

dTal wrote: post #8
voltagex_ wrote: post #4

Site is down. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:fossbos... The article looks dangerously uninformed, from a brief skim. It's based on https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_micro... I can't find any info on what SSD the Lenovo Yoga uses but if it's anything like the NVMe drive in my Dell XPS, it's just the way the card is set up. Depending on which kernel your installer is using it…

I dunno, this looks like a smoking gun: http://i1.wp.com/fossboss.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/B7g...

Support reps often have no idea what they're talking about.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#26

Post by mhsabbagh »

voltagex_ wrote: post #4

Site is down. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:fossbos... The article looks dangerously uninformed, from a brief skim. It's based on https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_micro... I can't find any info on what SSD the Lenovo Yoga uses but if it's anything like the NVMe drive in my Dell XPS, it's just the way the card is set up. Depending on which kernel your installer is using it…

The website is down from the load, it will come back after a while.

The article is based on many sources, in the original forum thread on Lenovo forums there are many people who faced the problem with other models, some weren't even Lenovo but the problem with Lenovo is that the BIOS is locked completely, those people (using ASUS and Dell laptops) confirmed the problem is solved after the switch to AHCI from RAID.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#27

Post by dTal »

voltagex_ wrote: post #11
dTal wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dunno, this looks like a smoking gun: http://i1.wp.com/fossboss.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/B7g...

I don't think being able to change the drive to AHCI mode would fix the problem. The BIOS (actually UEFI) "locking" and storage driver are two separate issues. I mean, hell, if someone wants to send me one of these laptops I'll test it and do a full writeup. Of course Reddit has gone off without anyone actually confirming what the issue is. Microsoft would be smart to come out with a statement on this if it picks up…

I'll spell it out: a Lenovo representative said "This system has a Signature Edition of Windows 10 Home installed. It is locked per our agreement with Microsoft." This is what people are reacting to.

Now, of course the rep might be mistaken. We need official clarification from someone higher up. But we won't get that until we go off on one and this goes viral.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#28

Post by beagle3 »

INTPenis wrote: post #9

On some recent Lenovo laptops. I have a recent X260 running Fedora 24 and I'm very happy with it, and with Fedoras support. I use both smartcard and 4G data module with it. Only thing I don't use is the fingerprint reader. Only sad bit is that I had to disable SecureBoot to run VirtualBox. I would have happily signed the VirtualBox kernel modules if it wasn't for Lenovo missing a small detail in the implementation of…

Wait a second. Are you running Fedora24 on metal or on Virtualbox? If on metal, then how do the (unsigned) virtual box kernel modules matter?

And if on virtualbox - you don't actually know if it would run on metal. VirtualBox hides quite a lot from you.

(I expect that it will run on metal - I just don't think you have evidence one way or another if you are running it on vbox)

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#29

Post by voltagex_ »

dTal wrote: post #27
voltagex_ wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think being able to change the drive to AHCI mode would fix the problem. The BIOS (actually UEFI) "locking" and storage driver are two separate issues. I mean, hell, if someone wants to send me one of these laptops I'll test it and do a full writeup. Of course Reddit has gone off without anyone actually confirming what the issue is. Microsoft would be smart to come out with a statement on this if it picks up…

I'll spell it out: a Lenovo representative said "This system has a Signature Edition of Windows 10 Home installed. It is locked per our agreement with Microsoft." This is what people are reacting to. Now, of course the rep might be mistaken. We need official clarification from someone higher up. But we won't get that until we go off on one and this goes viral.

Yes, but has anyone verified that? The person posting it even said they've booted a Linux installer - if it was "locked" at firmware level you wouldn't even be able to do that.
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