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Microsoft confirms that it is not blocking Linux installations on Signature PCs

Yesterday, we reported that users of Lenovo's Yoga 900 ISK2, Yoga 900S, and Yoga 710S were reporting that their PC was actively blocking them from installing a third-party operating system, such as Linux. To make matters worse, the Reddit thread where the news went viral offered a screenshot from Best Buy's website where a "Lenovo Product Expert" said that the devices are locked due to the company's agreement with Microsoft for Signature PCs.

Of course, Best Buy really doesn't sell Signature PCs. Those usually come from the Microsoft Store. Nevertheless, Lenovo shared the following statement with Neowin:

To improve system performance, Lenovo is leading an industry trend of adopting RAID on the SSDs in certain product configurations. Lenovo does not intentionally block customers using other operating systems on its devices and is fully committed to providing Linux certifications and installation guidance on a wide range of products -https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd031426. Unsupported models will rely on Linux operating system vendors releasing new kernel and drivers to support features such as RAID on SSD.

Let me emphasize:

Yoga 900 is designed for Windows 10 and is not on Lenovo’s Linux supported list. As mentioned, Lenovo has an extensive list of Linux supported and/or certified products.

Today, a Microsoft spokesperson also issued a statement to Neowin, saying the following:

Lenovo recently adopted RAID on SSDs in certain product configurations, which require additional steps to support all system features. More information can be found on their support page; https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/pd031426. Recent claims about software installation issues related to Microsoft Signature are inaccurate.

As you can see, there is no deal between OEMs and Microsoft that blocks the installation of Linux on Signature PCs. In other words, there's nothing to see here.

A Lenovo staff member stated on Lenovo's support forums that the issue has been passed on to the development team, and that a fix will likely be available within "several weeks to several months". Still, if you're buying a PC and you plan to install Linux on it, maybe you should look elsewhere than the Yoga 900.

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