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Microsoft Signature PC Requirements Now Blocks Linux Installation: Reports
Reader sombragris writes: According to a well-documented forum thread, the Signature PC program by Microsoft now requires to lock down PCs. This user found out that his Lenovo Yoga 900 ISK2 UltraBook has the SSD in a proprietary RAID mode which Linux does not understand and the BIOS is also locked down so it could not be turned off. When he complained that he was unable to install Linux, the answer he got was: "This system has a Signature Edition of Windows 10 Home installed. It is locked per our agreement with Microsoft."
Even worse, as the original poster said, "[t]he Yoga 900 ISK2 at Best Buy is not labeled as a Signature Edition PC, but apparently it is one, and Lenovo's agreement with Microsoft includes making sure Linux can't be installed." As some commenter said: "If you buy a computer with this level of lockdown you should be told."
There is also a report on ZDNet which looks very understanding towards Lenovo, but the fact remains: the SSD is locked down in a proprietary RAID mode that cannot be turned off.
Even worse, as the original poster said, "[t]he Yoga 900 ISK2 at Best Buy is not labeled as a Signature Edition PC, but apparently it is one, and Lenovo's agreement with Microsoft includes making sure Linux can't be installed." As some commenter said: "If you buy a computer with this level of lockdown you should be told."
There is also a report on ZDNet which looks very understanding towards Lenovo, but the fact remains: the SSD is locked down in a proprietary RAID mode that cannot be turned off.
Which RAID level works best with a single drive?
You want some action, get the FTC on the case.. FAR FAR better than the BBB....
THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
An interesting reddit post:
"[–]0xFFFFFF 89 points 7 hours ago*
Levono is aware of the issue and fixing it: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/L...
It is on hackernews, where people are being rational and theorizing that this is not microsofts fault. More like best-buy rep doesn't know what he talks about and the SSD doesn't have support drivers in linux kernal.. Or lenova messed up their bios implementation.
Luckily we have the reddit witchhunt in full force, so we can make uninformed rants!
Note: Every single previous similar scenario about linux being locked out has not been microsofts fault, which is why people are sceptical that this is the case this time..
I also have a Signature Edition laptop, it runs linux fine.."
Link to Linux on iPhone?
Scream from the highest rooftop. Get the BBB involved.
You obviously don't understand how the BBB works. If you want to pursue a complaint, the BBB will offer arbitration, with the BBB as arbitrator. Since a business must pay a yearly fee to belong to the BBB you now have a situation where it's you against a business and the arbitrator has been paid by the business. How do suppose that's going to work out? I can tell you because I got ripped off by a local business for $500 and learned the hard way how the BBB really works.
I most often grab something quickly from Best Buy, Walmart, or Fry's. It would cost me money to delay.
When one of our laptops dies, I'm paying someone to work, but they don't have a proper computer work on. Until we get them a new machine, they are stuck on whatever POS is in closet. It's probably in the closet because it's half broken.
So I grab something that looks like it'll work from the closest store, boot it to be sure it's not completely defective, then run the Linux install script and they can get back to work. 95% of the time, that works fine.
One time, Walmart was the quickest store, so I grabbed a laptop there, took it back to the office, and booted it. Wifi didn't work. Windows said it didn't have the driver for the wifi card. The web site of the laptop manufacturer didn't have a wifi driver for that version of Windows. I tried the manufactuer of the wireless card - no driver for that version of Windows. Windows Update? Nope, probably a million of that laptop sold at Walmart, with a wifi card that does not work with the preloaded Windows. Well that's stupid. Screw it, we use wired ethernet anyway. I pop in a CentOS install disk and 30 minutes later she's up and running - with wifi. CentOS included a driver that "just works"; apparently no driver existed for the preloaded, current version of Windows.
It's competition and Microsoft would never openly say they love Linux even if they've made use of it for their datacenters.
That being said, I doubt Microsoft feels they need to shutdown the 1% of users that insist on Linux. There's definitively more to this story.
That's kind of what I was thinking.
The OP seems to be much like "Microsoft comes up with devious plan to make it impossible to install Linux" when the truth may be "Microsoft's Signature program involves keeping users from breaking RAID settings, but the new settings aren't supported by Linux yet."
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
On desktop - 1.5%
Amongst developers - 20%
Of course, developers are a very influential set. If, for example, a developer writes an app using Electron because it works well on both Linux AND Windows... it works well on Linux. And software that works well on Linux makes it an attractive platform.
MS knows the best way to keep useful software exclusively on their platform is to get developers hooked on their toolchain.
Can I use the Sherman Antitrust to drop ESPN with out dropping all the channels
Why are you siding with Microsoft and/or the vendors for this? Sure, they have a right to sell it however they like, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be criticized for it. The one thing that the PC has over other platforms is its open endedness.. These products deserve criticism for even getting the ball rolling to change that. The last thing I'd want is for the PC market to be more like cellphones.