MX Linux Forum

I've seen Thinkpads recommended here and I'd like to buy one and install MX onto it.
I want to install it directly out of the box - NO booting at all into windows.
I don't want dual boot.
All guides I can find show how to dual boot or install after going into windows.
Can I do want I want?
How do I to disable fast boot and secure boot on a Thinkpad?
TIA

Resume wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 7:14 am I've seen Thinkpads recommended here and I'd like to buy one and install MX onto it.
I want to install it directly out of the box - NO booting at all into windows.
I don't want dual boot.
All guides I can find show how to dual boot or install after going into windows.
Can I do want I want?
How do I to disable fast boot and secure boot on a Thinkpad?
TIA

Realize that on any laptop made within the last twelve years you will have to boot into Windows at least once to disable Fast Start Up. If the target computer has Win 11 preinstalled, you will need Windows to disable BitLocker encryption as well as Fast Start Up. In all cases, you will also need to disable Secure Boot in the bios.

Listen to John. I have used thinkpads for decades and now with all the new microsoft BS I too needed a bit of help which ohn always helped me on.

I am like you but you need to tweak and shutoff a couple of things or make sure it is already shutoff which happened on my carbon laptop i just got. then install over the whole HD and all is golden!

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/disable- ... in-windows

https://www.howtogeek.com/856514/how-to ... indows-10/

hope these links help a bit

enjoy the thinpad! I love them.

thinkpadx wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 8:10 am Listen to ohn. I have used thinkpads for decades and now with all the new microsoft BS I too needed a bit of help which ohn always helped me on.

I am like you but you need to tweak and shutoff a couple of things or make sure it is already shutoff which happened on my carbon laptop i just got. then install over the whole HD and all is golden!

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/disable- ... in-windows

https://www.howtogeek.com/856514/how-to ... indows-10/

hope these links help a bit

enjoy the thinpad! I love them.

I don't think that your "J" key is functioning properly. Its probably got some debris under it which you should be able to remove with some compressed air.

j2mcgreg wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 7:56 am Realize that on any laptop made within the last twelve years you will have to boot into Windows at least once to disable Fast Start Up. If the target computer has Win 11 preinstalled, you will need Windows to disable BitLocker encryption as well as Fast Start Up. In all cases, you will also need to disable Secure Boot in the bios.

If the OP isn't dual-booting, why would he need to Fast Startup and BitLocker encryption? I thought these were just Windows functions, and he will be blowing those away with his MX Linux install. What am I missing?

Chris

chrispop99 wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 8:57 am

j2mcgreg wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 7:56 am Realize that on any laptop made within the last twelve years you will have to boot into Windows at least once to disable Fast Start Up. If the target computer has Win 11 preinstalled, you will need Windows to disable BitLocker encryption as well as Fast Start Up. In all cases, you will also need to disable Secure Boot in the bios.

If the OP isn't dual-booting, why would he need to Fast Startup and BitLocker encryption? I thought these were just Windows functions, and he will be blowing those away with his MX Linux install. What am I missing?

Chris

In Win 10 and 11, Microsoft gained the ability to make changes directly to the bios. So now disabling these services can only be done from within Windows. In effect, if a new user were to neglect take these preliminary steps and just proceed to install a distro on the whole drive, he / she would have to reinstall Win 10 or 11 after the fact in order to make the changes.

j2mcgreg wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 9:34 am

chrispop99 wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 8:57 am

j2mcgreg wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2024 7:56 am Realize that on any laptop made within the last twelve years you will have to boot into Windows at least once to disable Fast Start Up. If the target computer has Win 11 preinstalled, you will need Windows to disable BitLocker encryption as well as Fast Start Up. In all cases, you will also need to disable Secure Boot in the bios.

If the OP isn't dual-booting, why would he need to Fast Startup and BitLocker encryption? I thought these were just Windows functions, and he will be blowing those away with his MX Linux install. What am I missing?

Chris

In Win 10 and 11, Microsoft gained the ability to make changes directly to the bios. So now disabling these services can only be done from within Windows. In effect, if a new user were to neglect take these preliminary steps and just proceed to install a distro on the whole drive, he / she would have to reinstall Win 10 or 11 after the fact in order to make the changes.

How would one proceed if you purchased a machine with a W11 install, and wanted change the HDD to install Linux, keeping the original disk if wanting to sell the machine on later? Would that not be possible?

What about a used machine with a broken Window install?

Chris

Thank you @j2mcgreg and @thinkpadx for the clear answers and the great links on "how to".

@chrispop99 wrote:

How would one proceed if you purchased a machine with a W11 install, and wanted change the HDD to install Linux, keeping the original disk if wanting to sell the machine on later? Would that not be possible?

What about a used machine with a broken Window install?

In the early builds of Win 10 and in its predecessors Fast Start Up was a bios switch called Quick Start which anybody with bios access could disable if they wished. In the later Win 10 builds and now in Win 11 it can only be disabled from within that OS. I don't know for sure whether BitLocker also makes changes to the bios, but I do know that when I disabled Secure Boot on my HP 15 and HP 17, I was asked to indicate that I had previously disabled BitLocker and if my intention was to install another operating system, so I assume that it does.
With a machine with a broken Win 10 or Win 11 install, I would reinstall that OS as a first step (provided that the Quick Start bios control wasn't available).

ya sorry john. JJJJJJ

glitchy keyboard - but gets better with use.