Hi All,

A friend of mine recently bought a Linovo Thinkbook and asked me if I could install it with linux.
Once in the BIOS I noticed there was only UEFI boot, no legacy boot.

I enabled the option to boot from USB, but the USB doesn't show in the boot menu as an option to boot from.
After some online research I figured out that I have to disable secure boot and that should make booting from the linux iso on USB possible.

But still no boot from USB nor it showing up in boot menu.
I made another bootable USB with a new linux iso, but that didn't change a thing.

Both USB do boot on my laptop and PC, who do have legacy boot options, but not on the Lenovo.
So, the USB images seem to be ok.

I've been struggling with this on and off for the past 2 weeks, doing a lot of research but nothing seems to work.

Anyone got a suggestion?
If you need more info I will gladly supply.

have you tried making a UEFI usb disk?
I always use Rufus to make a UEFI boot disk

https://sourceforge.net/projects/rufus.mirror/

<IMG src="https://a.fsdn.com/con/app/proj/rufus.mirror/screenshots/rufus_en.png/max/max/1"> </IMG>

 It seems to be a Windows application.
I'm not running any Windows, just Linux.

Except of course for the Lenovo, that runs Windows.
I'll give it a try, see what happens.
I guess it is a matter of pointing the linux iso to the proper usb and make sure UEFI boot is possible.

Thanks.

It formats usb drives differently for uefi mode and could work the magic you need.

There is a Linux download and a git repo but I couldn't compile it.  

It should work on the windows laptop.
You just set uefi mode and give the iso path.

Or find some instructions for compiling for Linux. Probably just need dependencies.

it works with wine

(Click to enlarge)

BruceSteers said

it works with wine

Scrub that.  I found it runs but cannot see drives

Are we there yet ?  

Etcher can create an ISO, and it is available for Linux, if that helps.

Well I am sitting in front of one of those Lenovo Thinkbooks right now. Its a few months old and I recall that I had to perform some incantations before it would shut up and install linux from a USB.

The usual, tongue in left side of mouth, naked on a hilltop in Tipperary at midnight on a full moon, etc

Seriously IIRC. You have to both disable secure boot, enable USB boot and format the total, entire and complete hard drive (if and when you get that far).
Other clues, possibly destroy the MBS somehow. I don't think I had to go that far though.
 I wish I could help but I really cant remember. After whatever it was I did, it just worked. Still does.
Ah, one thing I do recall is that the USB image was made just using ddcopy (or whatever).

Well I hope that helps :-?

b

 Just remembered! Yes I did have to rewrite the MBS afterwards. Otherwise it still tried to load W!

You'd need a utility in the base install on the USB that would let you do that. (Cant remember)

BUT

THERE IS A WAY!

 When I purchased it. At a very exorbitant price. I told the guy that I was going to remove Windows and install linux.
Strangely he didn't even blink. But even though he may be able to shave successfully in the next few years, he offered no clues.
Not even when I suggested that if it took me over 8 hours to do it, that I would come back, kill him and then the rest of his family.
Cluey kid, he guessed I'd do it in less than 8 hours….. or perhaps he was just lucky? …

BruceSteers said

Are we there yet ?  

Nope we are not.

Let me first say what I have done, even before posting this question:
In BIOS:
1. Enabled booting from USB
2. Disabled secure boot

This in theory should allow me to boot from USB, but the boot menu only shows the harddrive with Windows, no USB.
No boot from USB happens and Windows starts up every time.
This USB was made by the application in Mint to make bootable USB with linux iso on there.
Note that these USB boot on all my other systems, just not the Lenovo.

Next I tried the BruceSteers option

Booted in Windows, started Rufus and wrote iso to USB:
Used the options:
- Partition scheme: MBR
- Target system: BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)
- File system: FAT32 (Default)
- Cluster size: 4096 bytes (Default)

It has 2 options to write:
1. Write in ISO image mode (recommended)
2. Write in DD image mode

I chose the first one

Rebooting, nothing happens, no boot from USB
Pressing F12 during startup for boot-menu only shows de harddrive with Windows.
I tried on 2 different USB-sticks. a 4 GB and a 8GB

I also tried option 2 to write (the DD image mode).
Still no success.

So in short, nothing changed, still not working.

thatbruce said

Well I am sitting in front of one of those Lenovo Thinkbooks right now. Its a few months old and I recall that I had to perform some incantations before it would shut up and install linux from a USB.

Seriously IIRC. You have to both disable secure boot, enable USB boot and format the total, entire and complete hard drive (if and when you get that far).

Disable secure boot -> checked
Enable USB boot -> checked
Format total entire and complete hard drive -> I would if I manged to boot from USB

thatbruce said

 I wish I could help but I really cant remember. After whatever it was I did, it just worked. Still does.
Ah, one thing I do recall is that the USB image was made just using ddcopy (or whatever).

Wished you remembered some more..

gbWilly said

BruceSteers said

Are we there yet ?  

Nope we are not.

Let me first say what I have done, even before posting this question:
In BIOS:
1. Enabled booting from USB
2. Disabled secure boot


Next I tried the BruceSteers option

Booted in Windows, started Rufus and wrote iso to USB:
Used the options:
- Partition scheme: MBR
- Target system: BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)
- File system: FAT32 (Default)
- Cluster size: 4096 bytes (Default)

I think it needs to be GPT not MBR

BruceSteers said

gbWilly said

Next I tried the BruceSteers option

Booted in Windows, started Rufus and wrote iso to USB:
Used the options:
- Partition scheme: MBR
- Target system: BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)
- File system: FAT32 (Default)
- Cluster size: 4096 bytes (Default)

I think it needs to be GPT not MBR

I only have the MBR option to choose from

Is there A BIOS update available?

 I haven't checked for BIOS update.
Don't have the system here, but at a friends.
I'll try checking that when I'm at his place.

I also had the Thinkbook and I had a ton of problems with it so I just sold it and bought a better and more powerful laptop.

 It's been a while but i also now recall having to run bootsect on a usb drive from a windows machine to get it to work.

(assume usb drive is J
I think i used something like this…

bootsect /nt60 /f J:
bootsect /nt60 /m J: