Lenovo laptops refuse to run Linux due to storage woes, not Microsoft evildoing - johnsondech1948

IT looks like Linux lovers have another roadbump to watch for beyond Microsoft's slow tightening of the UEFI Batten Charge screws.

Lenovo's forums and the Linux subreddit are ablaze amidst reports of failed Linux installs on the Lenovo Yoga 900 13ISK2 and Ideapad 710S, American Samoa Tech Republic first reported. The howls intensified when an unverified person identifying herself as a "Lenovo Product Practiced" answered a interrogative sentence about the issue on the Best Grease one's palms site with, "The system has a Theme song Edition of Windows 10 Household installed. It is secured per our agreement with Microsoft."

Whew. Talk about a response guaranteed to send Linux enthusiasts scrambling for torches and pitchforks. Only the gloss (and its parent question) give since been removed—and seemingly for good reason. The compatibility issues aren't nefarious, Lenovo says. Or else, the Linux installation woes are tied to the storage configuration in those laptops.

Here's what a Lenovo spokesperson told Tech Republic and ZDNet:

"To improve system performance, Lenovo is leading an industry trend of adopting RAID happening the SSDs in certain product configurations. Lenovo does not by desig engine block customers using other operating systems on its devices and is amply committed to providing Linux certifications and installation guidance on a wide range of products. Unbraced models will depend on Linux operating system vendors emotional novel kernel and drivers to support features such as Foray on SSD."

So the underlying issue is a questionable BIOS implementation by Lenovo, rather than malicious Microsoft machinations, as this Reddit poster succinctly sums up.

Don River't get me wrong: Between the shutting hairgrip of UEFI Protected Boot and Intel's Boot Guard, information technology is getting more difficult for Linux and open-source enthusiasts to install the software of their choice on modern notebooks. But Lenovo's ThinkPads have e'er been at the forefront of Linux compatibility, and you can indeed install Linux on a Personal computer with Secure Boot enabled. None of that changes the fact that you can't install Linux on these notebooks, alas, but this new issue with Lenovo's laptops isn't a conspiracy.

The bear on on you at dwelling: But IT is a reminder to do your homework before purchasing a prebuilt PC or laptop computer if you plan to endure Linux thereon. The easiest option may even cost to buy a notebook with Linux already installed, which isn't as rare an occurrence equally information technology used to be. Check out PCWorld's pass over to determination out if your PC is compatible with Linux for more info.