Re: [tlug] New notebook & distro

[Lyle H Saxon <llletters@example.com>]

On Thu, Nov 7, 2013 at 1:17 PM, Scott Robbins <scottro@example.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 07, 2013 at 11:24:03AM +0800, Raymond Wan wrote:
>> On Thu, Nov 7, 2013 at 11:09 AM, Darren Cook <darren@example.com> wrote:
>> > I remember a year ago there was lots of talk that new notebooks with new
>> > bios and windows installed would not allow installing linux. Did that
>> > turn out to be a non-issue. Can I buy any old (er, new) HP or Dell
>> > notebook, repartition disks and install linux distro of my choice on it
>> > with no real pain? Or do I have to shop carefully? Windows pre-installed
>
> There is a thing called secure boot, which, in theory at least, should be
> able to be disabled by the user.  I think both Ubuntu and Fedora have ways
> to easily install upon a secure boot computer, but having no machines set
> up since that was instituted, I don't know.  I do remember at my last job,
> being given a new machine, but I just disabled the secure boot feature in
> BIOS.

This came up in a private thread elsewhere:

"... I came across my first SecureBoot locked BIOS today. I intended
to run CentOS 6.4 on this piece of hardware, but it is boot locked to
only use Windows 7, and it won't let me disable the security module to
use any other boot loader. Ironic, even Win8 won't boot on it. I guess
this is the new solution to the throw away hardware solution to keep
profits high. Thanks you scum bags. I hope you all rot in h**l.
... I like Lenovo's response: 'We are currently investigating the
matter and working with our engineers to try finding a solution.'
... Supposedly, red hat enterprise linux is claimed to work with this
system. I am trying to obtain a trial to test the claim. If it does
work, I have no issues giving them my money in exchange for a
license."