Some Lenovo Ryzen laptops are now only running Windows
Some Lenovo laptops are refusing to boot in Linux OS by default
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
SomeLenovo laptopspowered byAMDRembrandt chips andMicrosoft’s Pluton security co-processor are being restricted to Windowsoperating systems, reports have claimed.
The quirk was initially found byLinuxsecurity expert Matthew Garrett, who found he had difficulties getting Linux to boot from a USB drive on aLenovoZ13 ThinkPad laptopworkstation.
Those affected are running the AMD Ryzen 6000 chip, and have been found only to be allowing versions of Windows OS to boot by default.
Linux OS for Lenovo laptops
It seems that the affected Lenovo laptops do not trust bootloaders that use Microsoft 3rd party UEFI CA keys. When an operating system other than Windows is loaded onto the laptops which support Secure Boot and TPM, the previous OS’s keys are wiped.
Garrett explained on hisblogthat it “means that you won’t be able to boot from any third-party external peripherals that are plugged in via Thunderbolt.”
He continues: “There’s no security benefit to this. If you want security here you’re paying attention to the values measured into the TPM, and thanks to Microsoft’s own specification for measurements made into PCR 7, switching from booting Windows to booting something signed with the 3rd party signing key will change the measurements and invalidate any sealed secrets. It’s trivial to detect this. Distrusting the 3rd party CA by default doesn’t improve security, it just makes it harder for users to boot alternative operating systems.”
Dell, Lenovo and HP kill laptops with hard disk drives, marking the end of an era>Take note, Arm: The world’s first RISC-V laptop is now available for preorder>These are the best laptops for programming right now
For now, it sounds like it may be possible to boot Linux onto affected AMD-powered Lenovo laptops by disabling the restriction from within the UEFI BIOS, but given the company’s recent improvements in support for the Linux OS recently, the entire move seems somewhat counterproductive if not confusing.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
This is unlikely to cause an issue for most users, who are happy with the default Windows OS, however this may put pro users off an entire chunk of the Lenovo range. That said,Tom’s Hardwareemphasises that this hurdle does not correspond directly to all Lenovo or Microsoft Pluton-powered laptops, which is great news for Linux lovers.
With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!
Best Usenet client of 2024
Best secure file transfer solution of 2024
MacBook Air OLED reportedly delayed until at least 2028 – here’s why
