14 DAY TRIAL // Reports that reached the web yesterday claimed that Linux might be blocked on Windows 10 computers sold as Signature Edition and available from the Microsoft Store, and information posted online by Lenovo’s support staff even fueled the criticism by revealing that the company has a deal with Microsoft in this regard.
After Lenovo itself denied speculation and said that Linux is not blocked on its PCs shipped with Windows 10, Microsoft steps in with a similar statement, explaining that users can install any operating system they want if the necessary drivers are available.
“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,” a company spokesperson told us.
No Linux drivers for Signature Edition PCs
What Microsoft is trying to say is that Linux doesn’t yet have the necessary drivers to use the new RAID configuration for SSDs installed on Signature Edition computers, which perfectly aligns with the statement offered by Lenovo and denying any partnership that could eventually block Linux on its devices.
“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,” Lenovo stated.
So there you go, despite the criticism, Microsoft says that Linux can still be installed on Windows 10 PCs, no matter if they are Signature Edition or not. It’s all because of the new RAID system used on these devices, if we are to trust Microsoft, but time will tell if new drivers can actually get Linux running on Signature Edition devices or not.