Device maker Lenovo has confirmed in a statement that its Yoga 900 and 900S laptops cannot boot Linux Operating System, only Windows 10.
The Lenovo Yoga 900 and 900S convertible laptops will reject any attempt to install Linux OS, making users turn to Microsoft as the culprit behind the issue. The statement follows a popular discussion on Reddit's Linux subreddit page documenting the same.
Following the complaints that those devices could not run Linux, Lenovo issued its official statement and the discussion had started after the issue cropped up on Lenovo's discussion board. Later on, it turned out that Microsoft had nothing to do with the issue.
The OS concerns seemed to have begun when a Reddit post by BaronHK lamented the challenge of installing Linux onto the latest Lenovo Yoga Book. In the post, BaronHK said that the installation was blocked by a locked solid state drive (SSD), which Linux cannot understand. As a result, this turned out to be the basis of the argument, linking Microsoft to a nefarious plot that purportedly seeks to exclude non-Windows platform into the new Lenovo laptops.
The thread claims that a "Lenovo product expert" posted on Best Buy forum saying that the laptop was locked down because it runs a "Signature Edition" of Windows 10, suggesting that such devices are blocked from alternative OSes "per our agreement with Microsoft." This stoked the furor forcing Lenovo to issue an official response. Microsoft and Lenovo both denied the claim, with the former saying that "recent claims about software installation issues related to Microsoft Signature are inaccurate," Engadget reported.
Lenovo further explained the issue in a statement on its website saying, "As the world's number 1 PC Company, we continue to focus on bringing value and quality to the PC user, and creating innovative and unique form factors such as Yoga. Beyond the controller setup limitation, other great capabilities of the Yoga design would likely not work with current Linux offerings."
The tech giant confirmed that it does not intentionally prohibit customers from using other OS of their choice. Users are free to use Operating Systems such as Linux on Yoga, and is fully committed to availing Linux certifications and installation assistance on a wide range of suitable products. More details about hardware specifications and compatibility were further cited to exonerate Microsoft, though so far, Microsoft has not made any statement.
The recent Lenovo hitch has highlighted a growing concern to Linux as well as PC users in general. With Lenovo's statement not specifying whether it will be able to run Linux, consumers need to conduct great research when buying PCs to determine whether a prebuilt device allows the installation of Linux or other OS.
Watch a video of Lenovo Yoga 900S first impressions here: