One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
came across some people complaining that it was very
difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
because they would not recognize the internal SSD.

I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.

On 2/5/22 20:50, 25.BZ942 wrote:
> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
> came across some people complaining that it was very
> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>
> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.
>

When you say small laptop give us some specs. I saw a nice
very small computer, with a 7 inch display but it cost just as much
as a 14 inch with the same specs.

How small and how fast are important consideration, so is
how much for most folks.

I got lucky in 2020 and picked up a Dell E7450 for a song of
$240 USD. Only a few years old and easily updated to a 500 GB SSD
and 16 GB of ram.
But what do you want?

bliss - brought to you by the power and ease of PCLinuxOS
and a minor case of hypergraphia

--
bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

On 2/6/22 12:11 AM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
> On 2/5/22 20:50, 25.BZ942 wrote:
>> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
>> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
>> came across some people complaining that it was very
>> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
>> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>>
>> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.
>>
>
>     When you say small laptop give us some specs.  I saw a nice
> very small computer, with a 7 inch display but it cost just as much
> as a 14 inch with the same specs.
>
>     How small and how fast are important consideration, so is
> how much for most folks.
>
>     I got lucky in 2020 and picked up a Dell E7450 for a song of
> $240 USD.  Only a few years old and easily updated to a 500 GB SSD
> and 16 GB of ram.
>     But what do you want?
>
>
> bliss - brought to you by the power and ease of PCLinuxOS
>                  and a minor case of hypergraphia
>

Well, the Swift has a 14" screen and you can get it
with an i3 or i5 and as much RAM as you want to pay
for. I'm currently using a sub-notebook for a lot of
stuff but the screen is a bit too "short" and the
CPU a bit too slow and 'disk' a bit too small for what
I need to do in the future.

And yes, it was a bit of a pain to install Linux, but
the MX installer was smart enough. Still had to tweak
the secure-boot/UEFI stuff ... apparently the Swift
HIDES some of these critical settings unless you know
to use a control-key combo. You have to create a BIOS
password first too (but you can delete it afterwards).

Why oh why do they keep dumbing-down PCs ??? You used
to be able to get at EVERYTHING in the BIOS - including
lots of stuff you really shouldn't mess with ... but it
was THERE, just in case.

On 2022-02-06, 25.BZ942 <25BZ492.net> wrote:

> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
> came across some people complaining that it was very
> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>
> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.

I hear you, brother.

My choice for Linux laptops has been to pick up a refurbished
ThinkPad at the local laptop store. They have professional-grade
keyboards (which is very important to me), and get along well with
Linux.

What I'm looking for now, though, is a Linux-based tablet.
I'm not looking for super performance, just the ability to
store and display PDFs - in particular, sheet music. I need
a USB or Bluetooth connection to a foot pedal for page turns.
My wife just picked up a pedal for her iPad yesterday and it
works well - but I don't want to drink the Apple Kool-Aid,
nor be tied to Google via an Android device.

I've seen references to the PineTab and the JingPad -
has anyone had any experience with them?

--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | Microsoft is a dictatorship.
\ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | Apple is a cult.
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | Linux is anarchy.
/ \ if you read it the right way. | Pick your poison.

Am Samstag, 05. Februar 2022, um 23:50:37 Uhr schrieb 25.BZ942:

> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
> came across some people complaining that it was very
> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>
> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.

I don't recommend Acer.
Some Acer laptops have a really bad UEFI that makes it difficult to
install Linux distributions, especially with SecureBoot. I recommend
business models from HP/Lenovo/Dell where at least one Linux
distribution is supported by the manufacturer. Other distributions
should also run well.

On 06/02/2022 04:50, 25.BZ942 wrote:
> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
> came across some people complaining that it was very
> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>
> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.
>
I got a refurbed HP Pro book.. fitted an SSD and 8GB RAM and never
looked back. It was 100% compatible with Linux (Mint).

e.g.

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refurbished-hp-probook-6470b-core-i5-3210m-4gb-500gb-14-inch-windows-10-lap-tr-78-434/version.asp

HP pitched their machines at a business market - they are standard,
reliable and solidly built.

--
Canada is all right really, though not for the whole weekend.

"Saki"

On 06/02/2022 08:27, Marco Moock wrote:
> I recommend business models from HP/Lenovo/Dell where at least one
> Linux distribution is supported by the manufacturer. Other
> distributions should also run well.

I have come to the same conclusion.

Teh leap from plasticky 'shoolkids first laptop' with stripped down
BIOS, cheap and unreliable wifi chip. to 'built to last, from bog
standard components with a wifi that works ' was a revelation.

--
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere,
diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.”
― Groucho Marx

25.BZ942 wrote:
> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
> came across some people complaining that it was very
> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>
> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.
>
Linux/BSD Compatible Hardware - DistroWatch

https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=hardware

On Sun, 6 Feb 2022 09:27:49 +0100, Marco Moock wrote:
>
> Am Samstag, 05. Februar 2022, um 23:50:37 Uhr schrieb 25.BZ942:
>
>> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
>> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
>> came across some people complaining that it was very
>> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
>> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>>
>> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.
>
> I don't recommend Acer.

Same. Had three new laptops dying from overheating within a year or two.

What about a Chromebook? Saw one with 15.6" screen at BestBuy for
$299. No Windows (Chrome OS instead). And the web has articles how to
install Linux instead, or next to it.
--
Andreas

On Sun, 6 Feb 2022 09:03:12 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
> I got a refurbed HP Pro book.. fitted an SSD and 8GB RAM and never
> looked back. It was 100% compatible with Linux (Mint).
>
> e.g.
>
> https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refurbished-hp-probook-6470b-core-i5-3210m-4gb-500gb-14-inch-windows-10-lap-tr-78-434/version.asp
>
> HP pitched their machines at a business market - they are standard,
> reliable and solidly built.

As mentioned in another article, my Acers died like flies, while I write
this on a HP Laptop (bought new) which is now in its 10th year. Still
works, although the letters on often used keys are gone and some keys
stopped working. Also both speakers died (one after 7, the other 8
years).

I imported a Debian installation. WIFI wouldn't work in late 2012, so I
compiled a the experimental and unreliable driver. After a few weeks
Linux had a solid driver itself.

It was budget ($350 + tax) back then. Bought it at Futureshop, which
ceased to exist (merged with BestBuy) half a decade ago.
--
Andreas

Am Sonntag, 06. Februar 2022, um 08:33:18 Uhr schrieb Andreas Kohlbach:

> What about a Chromebook? Saw one with 15.6" screen at BestBuy for
> $299. No Windows (Chrome OS instead). And the web has articles how to
> install Linux instead, or next to it.

What type of CPU architecture does it have?
x86_64?

On 2/6/22 01:39, Andrei Z. wrote:
> 25.BZ942 wrote:
>> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
>> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
>> came across some people complaining that it was very
>> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
>> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>>
>> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.
>>
> Linux/BSD Compatible Hardware - DistroWatch
>
> https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=hardware
>

Regarding the ChimpBox with PCLinux installed listed
at the Distrowatch. The builder ran out of hardware due to
supply chain issues and could NOT afford to keep the site up.

PCLinux has plenty of fresh isos though KDE in 2 versions, Mate,
and XFCE from the main packager and Community release with
Trinity, OpenBox and LXDE.

bliss - brought to you by the power and ease of PCLinuxOS
and a minor case of hypergraphia

--
bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

On 2/6/22 8:44 AM, Andreas Kohlbach wrote:
> On Sun, 6 Feb 2022 09:03:12 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>
>> I got a refurbed HP Pro book.. fitted an SSD and 8GB RAM and never
>> looked back. It was 100% compatible with Linux (Mint).
>>
>> e.g.
>>
>> https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refurbished-hp-probook-6470b-core-i5-3210m-4gb-500gb-14-inch-windows-10-lap-tr-78-434/version.asp
>>
>> HP pitched their machines at a business market - they are standard,
>> reliable and solidly built.
>
> As mentioned in another article, my Acers died like flies, while I write
> this on a HP Laptop (bought new) which is now in its 10th year. Still
> works, although the letters on often used keys are gone and some keys
> stopped working. Also both speakers died (one after 7, the other 8
> years).
>
> I imported a Debian installation. WIFI wouldn't work in late 2012, so I
> compiled a the experimental and unreliable driver. After a few weeks
> Linux had a solid driver itself.
>
> It was budget ($350 + tax) back then. Bought it at Futureshop, which
> ceased to exist (merged with BestBuy) half a
ade ago.

I will probably go HP ... the Dell offerings are currently
too many bucks for the bang. Even HPs aren't super-cheap
right now either alas. Supplies can be tight, choices few.

HPs, a decade back, used to have a Linux UN-friendly rep.
I think this has changed.

The main problem with most brands now is - and I suspect it's
at M$ bidding - tweak all the BIOS settings so that you HAVE
to run Winders. As mentioned earlier with the Acer, there are
usually some super-secret ways to get around it, but it can
take a lot of effort and searching around to get it to work.

It took three days of messing around with settings and distros
just to get one that'd install on my little sub-notebook. MX
saved the day (but it hates my touchpad, no matter what
I do - I think it'll respond to one of Musk's satellites
passing overhead. Had an idea yesterday though - put a layer
of some kind of TAPE over the pad to make it less sensitive.
Haven't tried it yet. Maybe plastic tape, but paper tape
might work too). (ps - installed Deb-11 on it's brother
subnotebook - same touchpad issues. Currently it's
EndeavourOS, no touchpad issues)

UEFI & "Secure" Boot ,,, I'd rather skip those if possible.
Don't do anything for ME. Might in some environments though.

On 07/02/2022 02:32, 25.BZ942 wrote:
> The main problem with most brands now is - and I suspect it's at M$
> bidding - tweak all the BIOS settings so that you HAVE to run
> Winders.... UEFI & "Secure" Boot ,,, I'd rather skip those if
> possible. Don't do anything for ME. Might in some environments though.

Ok my lappy and indeed this desktop was about 6 year old, but Linux Mint
at least created some sort of UEFI boot thing filled it with magic
spells and installed itself elsewhere.,..

$ mount | grep boot
/dev/sda1 on /boot/efi type vfat
(rw,relatime,fmask=0077,dmask=0077,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro)

$ df -h | grep boot
/dev/sda1 511M 4.0K 511M 1% /boot/efi

/boot/efi is empty as far as Linux is concerned on my system. No idea
what its for.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFI_system_partition = TLDR

Now I am not that interested in delving into what exactly that was all
about, because what I wanted was a quick install on new hardware of any
up to date pleasant to use Linux that works out of the box, and for me
that's Mint MATE.

Mainly because they do a huge amount of work on installation, making it
as foolproof as possible. So the UEFI/legacy boot BIOS munging that
seemed to be necessary a few years back simply 'just works' these days.

I think all I had to do was to turn on some CPU features to enable
VirtualBox to work, and that was it in this HP *DESKTOP*.

The laptop I don't recall needed any BIOS munging, but if it did, there
was a script online somewhere that I followed.

Perhaps other gurus will give you chapter and verse on latest
developments in GRUB to avoid Micro$oft traps, but they seem to all work

The main thing is to erase winders completely. Dual booting under EFI is
a shade unpleasant (allegedly) .

--
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on
its shoes.

On Sun, 6 Feb 2022 15:19:39 +0100, Marco Moock wrote:
>
> Am Sonntag, 06. Februar 2022, um 08:33:18 Uhr schrieb Andreas Kohlbach:
>
>> What about a Chromebook? Saw one with 15.6" screen at BestBuy for
>> $299. No Windows (Chrome OS instead). And the web has articles how to
>> install Linux instead, or next to it.
>
> What type of CPU architecture does it have?
> x86_64?

Quick googling says Intel N5000. It's on the lower end. Should still be
fine for word processing. Not, if you want play today's 3D games. Then
you might not even want Linux.
--
Andreas

On 07/02/2022 16:29, Andreas Kohlbach wrote:
> On Sun, 6 Feb 2022 15:19:39 +0100, Marco Moock wrote:
>>
>> Am Sonntag, 06. Februar 2022, um 08:33:18 Uhr schrieb Andreas Kohlbach:
>>
>>> What about a Chromebook? Saw one with 15.6" screen at BestBuy for
>>> $299. No Windows (Chrome OS instead). And the web has articles how to
>>> install Linux instead, or next to it.
>>
>> What type of CPU architecture does it have?
>> x86_64?
>
> Quick googling says Intel N5000. It's on the lower end. Should still be
> fine for word processing. Not, if you want play today's 3D games. Then
> you might not even want Linux.

My thought processes went through all the same shenanigans

I could get a brand new chromebook for around £200, spend ages trying to
install linux on it and add RAM and storage, or I could buy a 6 year old
HP for the same money, end up with far more CPU power and memory, and no
issues when running Linux at all.

I got my laptop for less than the (new) cost of the i5 processor in it....

--
“I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the
greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most
obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of
conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which
they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by
thread, into the fabric of their lives.”

― Leo Tolstoy

On Mon, 7 Feb 2022 17:42:41 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
> On 07/02/2022 16:29, Andreas Kohlbach wrote:
>> On Sun, 6 Feb 2022 15:19:39 +0100, Marco Moock wrote:
>>
>>> What type of CPU architecture does it have?
>>> x86_64?
>> Quick googling says Intel N5000. It's on the lower end. Should still
>> be
>> fine for word processing. Not, if you want play today's 3D games. Then
>> you might not even want Linux.
>
> My thought processes went through all the same shenanigans
>
> I could get a brand new chromebook for around £200, spend ages trying
> to install linux on it and add RAM and storage, or I could buy a 6
> year old HP for the same money, end up with far more CPU power and
> memory, and no issues when running Linux at all.

Yes, the ones available here come with 4GB Memory and 32GB eMMC. Might
just be enough for office work and browsing the web. But there shall be
some with 8 GB, but you have to look.

My ten year old laptop I type this on has 4 GB RAM and only a DualCore
CPU. Actually it's an APU (hybrid of CPU and GPU), so work becomes more
and more a PITA over time.

> I got my laptop for less than the (new) cost of the i5 processor in it....

At the end of last year a DELL desktop was donated to me. 8 GB RAM and 4
CPU cores. It's running in another rooms, while I still configure it
(remotely via SSH). Debian is installed on both computers. Already
when running aptitude, it takes may be five times as long to initialize
it (OK, the old has far more packages installed, but not five times as
many). And only starting LibreOffice on the old machine takes almost one
minute, while it comes up in about five seconds on the new machine. I
will retire the old laptop (using it as server only to access it
remotely) once the "new" computer is set up.

The "new" desktop is from 2014 and has an i3 processor. It runs circles
around my two years older laptop...
--
Andreas

25.BZ942 <25BZ492.net> wrote:
> One site suggested the Acer Swift-2/3 ... an affordable
> laptop with just the specs I am looking for. Alas I also
> came across some people complaining that it was very
> difficult to get Linux to install (at least some distros)
> because they would not recognize the internal SSD.
>
> I do not want to co-install ... I want Winders GONE.

I didn't notice it mentioned by others, but I really like
my Teclast F5R, specs at...
https://www.priceboon.com/product/teclast-f5r/
Problem for you is that I bought mine (and liked it so much
that I bought a second) for that advertised price, but if you
click through to the actual sellers, it's doubled. I bought
both mine from gearbest for $325 at that time, Sept 2019.
And if you can find a seller for about that price, then
I'd highly recommend it.

Installs slackware without a hitch -- indeed, weirdly for me,
it's the only laptop I ever saw where the bios security was
already set to "other", so I didn't even have to reset that.
Personally, I kept the pre-installed win10, shrunk its partition,
and am dual-booting. But I'd suppose you can just delete its
partition entirely.

Screen's a little small (11.6") for you, but the whole reason
I bought it is because the entire thing fits snugly into the
side pocket of the leather portfolio I typically carry to work
nowadays. And it's full HD touchscreen makes reading pdf's
very easy and comfortable. And that's pretty much why I want to
carry a laptop around to begin with -- reading my pdf library.
But if you want a larger screen, try googling Teclast F7R,
which adds a few inches.

The one problem I had is that it's a yoga-style keyboard that
rotates full 360 so you can use it as a tablet. In windows,
the keyboard is automatically disabled when you do that, and
automatically re-enabled when you rotate back. But I haven't
been able to configure the stuff in /etc to accomplish that
same functionality. I can just xinput --disable $id (the $id
for the keyboard), but then re-enabling is a bit of a Catch-22.
--
John Forkosh ( mailto: j@f.com where j=john and f=forkosh )

Update - based on advice, I ordered an HP 14" x300 with G11 i3, 8gb ram
and 128gb SSD. This is more than adequate for my Linux needs and the
i3 ought to be fairly power-efficient. Price under $500. I also get
a proper 1080p display, unlike my sub-laptop.

It comes with some sort of Win-Home ... but that will never run
for even a single second.

Torn between vanilla Debian/LXDE and MX. I like both. MX has lots
of good extras, but Deb is more 'standard' and can be made to
install in less space if you use apt properly.

Marco Moock wrote:
> I recommend
> business models from HP/Lenovo/Dell where at least one Linux
> distribution is supported by the manufacturer.

Absolutely! Privately I use my company LenovoT480s. Can't use the built-in SSD
because it has BitLockered Win10 on it, but for private use I velcroed a NVME
disk connected via USB3. Workd like a charm, and the BIOS works really well
with UEFI on external disks. Using both Debian and Arch.

For my kids I bought some HP G820 G2's from a refurbisher. Built like tanks,
threw Manjaro on them, no issues. Of course I get plenty of complaints that
they're not MacBook Pro's.

If you want cheap, go for refurbished stuff. Never buy cheap new hardware.

On 2/13/22 05:32, Robert Latest wrote:
> Marco Moock wrote:
>> I recommend
>> business models from HP/Lenovo/Dell where at least one Linux
>> distribution is supported by the manufacturer.
>
> Absolutely! Privately I use my company LenovoT480s. Can't use the built-in SSD
> because it has BitLockered Win10 on it, but for private use I velcroed a NVME
> disk connected via USB3. Workd like a charm, and the BIOS works really well
> with UEFI on external disks. Using both Debian and Arch.
>
> For my kids I bought some HP G820 G2's from a refurbisher. Built like tanks,
> threw Manjaro on them, no issues. Of course I get plenty of complaints that
> they're not MacBook Pro's.
>
> If you want cheap, go for refurbished stuff. Never buy cheap new hardware.

Buy a copy of PartEd Magic which will have tools to permit dealing with
the Windows locked drive or go into Windows. I know
I hate the Windows with a passion but the Windows Partition manager
can change the whole and make use of the previoiusly locked drive.

When the kids are grown enough to get jobs and pay for the MacBook Pros
they will appreciate them all the more unless they find Linux superior.

bliss - brought to you by the power and ease of PCLinuxOS
and a minor case of hypergraphia

--
bliss dash SF 4 ever at dslextreme dot com

On 13/02/2022 13:32, Robert Latest wrote:
> If you want cheap, go for refurbished stuff. Never buy cheap new hardware.

Amen!

--
“Progress is precisely that which rules and regulations did not foresee,”

– Ludwig von Mises

On 2/7/22 8:52 AM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 07/02/2022 02:32, 25.BZ942 wrote:
>> The main problem with most brands now is - and I suspect it's at M$
>> bidding - tweak all the BIOS settings so that you HAVE to run
>> Winders.... UEFI & "Secure" Boot ,,, I'd rather skip those if
>> possible. Don't do anything for ME. Might in some environments though.
>
>
> Ok my lappy and indeed this desktop was about 6 year old, but Linux Mint
> at least created some sort of UEFI boot thing filled it with magic
> spells and installed itself elsewhere.,..
>
> $ mount | grep boot
> /dev/sda1 on /boot/efi type vfat
> (rw,relatime,fmask=0077,dmask=0077,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,errors=remount-ro)
>
>
> $ df -h | grep boot
> /dev/sda1                                  511M  4.0K  511M   1% /boot/efi
>
> /boot/efi is empty as far as Linux is concerned on my system. No idea
> what its for.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFI_system_partition = TLDR
>
>
> Now I am not that interested in delving into what exactly that was all
> about, because what I wanted was a quick install on new hardware of any
> up to date pleasant to use Linux that works out of the box, and for me
> that's Mint MATE.
>
> Mainly because they do a huge amount of work on installation,  making it
> as foolproof as possible. So the UEFI/legacy boot BIOS munging that
> seemed to be necessary a few years back simply 'just works' these days.
>
> I think all I had to do was to turn on some CPU features to enable
> VirtualBox to work, and that was it in this HP *DESKTOP*.
>
> The laptop I don't recall needed any BIOS munging, but if it did, there
> was a script online somewhere that I followed.
>
> Perhaps other gurus will give you chapter and verse on latest
> developments in GRUB to avoid Micro$oft traps, but they seem to all work
>
> The main thing is to erase winders completely. Dual booting under EFI is
> a shade unpleasant (allegedly) .

UEFI is often more mysterious than the Winders registry. If I can
install an '-ix' using legacy boot I do.

Alas most 'consumer' BIOS these days don't even give you that
option. For motherboards - buy "gaming" boards ... the ASUS
ROG and TUFF series are excellent. They give you ALL the
possible tweaks, even ones mortals should NEVER mess with.

Me, I got my HP x360 and am proud to say Winders never ran on it
for a single second. Had to enable USB booting (won't boot from
an SD card for some reason) and move it to the top of the boot
order. Turn OFF "Secure Boot". Then you can boot off a live
distro or whatever and install. Once again, MX had the smartest
installer and offered an "ECP" option for where to put the
GRUB stuff. The BIOS *can* find that. Then told it to use the
entire disk and it zapped all the Winders crap and remade
the UEFI partition in it's own image.

So, I'm happy and the G-11 i3 is a LOT faster than the N-something
processor in my old subnotebook without being TOO power-hungry.
Switched over to LXDE, civilized simplicity, and all is well.

I have a larger SSD coming (plus a usb adapter) so I'll 'dd' over
what's on the current smallish one. Did find a very short video
showing how to get the case open (hidden screws, naturally).

Dunno if it's relevant, but MX at least now offers a version
with extended/advanced drivers and such and suggest it for
the very latest hardware like G10/11 chips and fresh wifi
chips and such. I used that. I'd also tried a supposedly
enhanced Debian, but it didn't like my touchpad.

On 2/13/22 11:08 AM, Bobbie Sellers wrote:
> On 2/13/22 05:32, Robert Latest wrote:
>> Marco Moock wrote:
>>> I recommend
>>> business models from HP/Lenovo/Dell where at least one Linux
>>> distribution is supported by the manufacturer.
>>
>> Absolutely! Privately I use my company LenovoT480s. Can't use the
>> built-in SSD
>> because it has BitLockered Win10 on it, but for private use I velcroed
>> a NVME
>> disk connected via USB3. Workd like a charm, and the BIOS works really
>> well
>> with UEFI on external disks. Using both Debian and Arch.
>>
>> For my kids I bought some HP G820 G2's from a refurbisher. Built like
>> tanks,
>> threw Manjaro on them, no issues. Of course I get plenty of complaints
>> that
>> they're not MacBook Pro's.
>>
>> If you want cheap, go for refurbished stuff. Never buy cheap new
>> hardware.
>
>     Buy a copy of PartEd Magic which will have tools to permit dealing
> with the Windows locked drive or go into Windows.  I know
> I hate the Windows with a passion but the Windows Partition manager
> can change the whole and make use of the previoiusly locked drive.
>
> When the kids are grown enough to get jobs and pay for the MacBook Pros
> they will appreciate them all the more unless they find Linux superior.

"Refurbished" means THERE WAS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY DEFECTIVE
WITH THE THING.

I did get my HP x360, and did manage to install (MX) Linux
on the internal SSD.

Instructions :

Immediately after engaging the power button, start tapping
the ESC key.

You will get an ugly menu of options. Press F10 to get into
the (pitiful) BIOS section.

Under "Boot", turn "Secure Boot" OFF.

Enable USB boot.

In the UEFI Boot Order, move the USB up to the top position.

Insert USB with MX Live iso on it and press F10 to save config
changes and restart.

You should see the MX boot screen, select the top option to
go directly into MX live.

INSTALL button.

The most important thing is when it asks where to put the
vital GRUB start-up stuff. Use the "ECP" option - none of
the others serve the purpose.

When it asks about partitioning, go with the default "Use
Entire Disk" option. This will completely purge everything
on the SSD, including Winders, and rebuild it as a Linux
UEFI system with a small EFI partition, a main EXT4 and a
small Swap.

The HP crap BIOS will now abandon it's pref for Winders
Boot Manager and instead go with the MX setup.

There is no "Legacy" option in this cut-down BIOS, only
a UEFI install works. If you want all that good stuff
I'd suggest a real desktop motherboard of the "gaming"
variety which offers ALL options - The ASUS ROG and
TUF boards are excellent, used a lot of them.

ANYway, remove USB and reboot and you will now have MX,
and Winders will not have contaminated your nice new
laptop for a for a single moment.

Not every kind of Linux has a smart enough installer to
offer that "ECP" option. I've had to use MX on more than
one laptop/sublaptop because of this. Fortunately MX is
a very good mid-sized distro - but I always post-install
the more simple/civil LXDE on it afterwards.

Now ye impure who want to dual-boot, I think you'd have
to run Winders and use disk manager to shrink the Winders
partition. Then the Linux installer would find space to
create a partition - and, hopefully, be able to set up
GRUB. This would all require a manual/custom partitioning
option. For this you would initially NOT disable "Secure
Boot" which would allow WInders to boot up. Not 100%
sure about AFTER you've installed Linux ... I think
"Secure Boot" might still be required to let Winders
start at all.

On 15/02/2022 07:10, 25.BX943 wrote:
> "Refurbished" means THERE WAS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY DEFECTIVE
>   WITH THE THING.
Not really.

It means that its been bought as a job lot, checked over, cleaned and
works as intended.

Probably with a new hard drive/SSD and a fresh copy of windows 11
installed.,

--
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to
rule.
– H. L. Mencken, American journalist, 1880-1956