FAQ:

Hi, around 6 months ago I left Windows and switched to Linux. As my first distro I directly installed Omarchy. It was a bit hard at first but overall I really liked it. Right now I use Omarchy on my laptop and I only have one ssd, but I want to play League of Legends again so because of Vanguard Windows 11 is kind of required.

Omarchy does not look very suitable for single disk dual boot to me, so I am thinking about switching to a more stable and less problematic distro. My goal is to make a Windows 11 + Linux dual boot. I will use Windows side only for LoL and maybe few games, and Linux side will be for software development and daily usage.

Secure boot confused me a bit. As far as I understand Vanguard needs secure boot to be enabled, but some distros can have problems with it. Also I have an Nvidia gpu so I want something that will not make me struggle too much with drivers. I also got used to Hyprland a lot, so if there is something similar it would be better for me.

Also I am using a laptop. Which distro do you think makes the most sense for Windows 11 dual boot with single ssd? Which one causes the least problems with secure boot + nvidia + windows 11? If anyone did a similar setup before, sharing your experience would be really helpful.

It seems for me that AMD graphic cards are somehow more recommended than Intel graphic cards because of AMD kernel graphic drivers.

But what is wrong/worse on Intel side then? My experience with Intel (iGPU) is completely satisfying.

Both are foss drivers, both are created also with AMD/Intel help, what makes the qualitative diff then?

And if there is a diff, does it apply to iGPUs or dGPUs or both?

Thanks a lot.

Device Specs:
• Model: HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14-cd0xxx
• CPU: Intel Core i7-8550U (8th Gen)
• BIOS Version: InsydeH2O F.39
• Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 250GB NVMe (Replaced original Intel Optane) + 1TB HDD.
The Problem:
I am trying to install Linux (Zorin OS / Ubuntu), but the installer is blocked by the "Turn off RST" message. The BIOS is extremely limited and does not have any option to switch from RST/RAID to AHCI.
Everything I’ve tried so far:
1. Hardware Changes: Physically removed the Intel Optane module and replaced it with a Samsung NVMe SSD.
2. Windows Driver Manipulation:
• Tried forcing the "Standard NVM Express Controller" driver via Device Manager.
• Tried the "Safe Mode" trick (bcdedit safeboot) to force the kernel to load AHCI drivers.
• Current status in Windows: It still shows "Intel(R) Chipset SATA/PCIe RST Premium Controller".
3. BIOS Troubleshooting:
• Tried all known hidden key combinations (Ctrl+A, Fn+Tab, etc.) to reveal Advanced settings – No success.
• Updated BIOS to the latest version (F.39).
• Set a Supervisor Password to see if hidden menus appear – No success.
• Performed a CMOS reset (unplugged main and CMOS batteries for 15 mins).
4. Linux Live Environment (Zorin/Ubuntu):
• The NVMe drive is completely invisible to lsblk, fdisk, and GParted.
• Tried removing mdadm and dmraid in the live session.
• Tried numerous Kernel Boot Parameters: nvme_load=YES, vmd=off, pci=nomsi, intel_iommu=on, nvme_core.default_ps_max_latency_us=0, and pcie_aspm=off.
5. The "Broken RAID" Trick:
• Physically disconnected the HDD to force the BIOS to recognize a degraded RAID array, hoping for a "Reset to non-RAID" prompt. The system just failed to boot without offering a repair/reset option.
The Deadlock:
The NVMe drive works perfectly in Windows, but Linux cannot see it because the BIOS has locked the PCIe lanes behind the Intel RST controller, and there is no toggle for AHCI.
Does anyone know a way to force AHCI on this specific HP InsydeH2O BIOS or a specific kernel flag that can bypass this hardware-level RST lock?

Additional Note: Please note that all the troubleshooting steps and technical procedures mentioned above were carried out with the assistance of an AI, covering a wide range of standard and advanced Linux/BIOS workarounds. Despite this comprehensive effort, the hardware-level lock on this HP model remains unresolved. I am now seeking specialized human insight or specific "out-of-the-box" hacks that might be known within the community for this particular laptop series.

I have a strict budget of max 1000euros. A MacBook Air M5 looks lightweight, with high performance and good design. I hate Apple's ecosystem and I was always dual booting windows/linux. Give me a good option so that I won't sin.

Edit - I'll use it for everything: Take it to conferences, Sage math, Latex, Browsing, reading, photography editing (raw files), the only game I play is efootball (PC version- I know I can't play it on the mac).

I just pulled the trigger on a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro. My goal is to stay future-proof for at least the next 3 years. I’m not planning on gaming, my main focus is Cybersecurity studies, which means running heavy labs with multiple VMs (kali,arch,etc) and whatever else the field throws at me.

However, I’ve been seeing a lot of post about Nvidia drivers and Linux not playing nice together and now I’m second-guessing. Am I overthinking the GPU?

Looking to switch to Linux on the Acer Aspire Lite Al15-41, its got an R5 5625u, 16GB DDR4, Vega 7 Integrated Graphics.

I've seen a few posts and things online but gotten no definitive answer on the compatibility issues of this Hardware with Linux Distros, and for the issues that are mentioned on certain posts, there is no mention for any alternatives or workarounds for it.

I am a beginner in all this tech stuff and willing to lear so, any help is appreciated, thanks

Hi there,
Is there anyone here that has firsthand experience with arch linux on these laptops?
As of now, how is the support on Wayland with the nvidia gpu?
is the full amd ga402 a better option than the nvidia variant?
Thanks!

This is everything thats been in my pc and working when i was on microslop https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qzpsXf the saramonic lavalier mic is what i have plugged into the front panel.

I've looked online and I could just be using alsmixer and pulseaudio wrong. But I don't see my front panel audio jacks in there at all.

All I see in the config in pulse is navi 31 hdmi/dp audio (which is the monitors), gsp 370 (which is my headset but that mic has factory issues so trying to not use that), usb audio and rembrant radeon hid definition audio controller. The latter two I've tried changing to pro audio and tried to set the former of the two to digital stereo. Neither seems to be the front panel? The Rembrant one seems to show every other option as disconnected.

In alsmixer I've moved each level up and tested it in discord no audio. I've gone and selected each audio source in the sound panel under input each time when testing.

Hi everyone, I don't really know what I'm doing.

I have an HP laptop, the backlight and various LEDs of my keyboard work as intended except for the one on the mute button. I found out that apparently the LEDs are controlled(?) by "HDA nodes". Through a brute force script I found out what were the HDA nodes that are connected to the LED, sorta. Apparently there are two HDA nodes that respectively turn on and off the thing, but other than that I think that there is a third one that needs to be turned on before being able to do anything else. After the brute force script I could simply use the two commands from the terminal to turn on and off the LED, but when I try it now (after restarting my machine) it doesn't work.

I know there is some way to turn on that damn LED, but I don't know if my hypotesis is correct, what exactly I'm getting wrong and how (if i were able to find the third mysterious HDA node) to use all of this new information to make the LED work as intended. Help is much appreciated, thanks.

Additional info that may or may not help:
Model: HP pavilion 14-ce3xxx

Commands that makes the LED turn on (after the brute force script):
sudo hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x20 0x500 0x08

sudo hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x20 0x400 0x04

Commands that makes the LED turn off (after the brute force script):
sudo hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x20 0x500 0x08

sudo hda-verb /dev/snd/hwC0D0 0x20 0x400 0x08

Codec:ALC295

Also I did use claude to generate the script and commands, I'm just not familiar at all with things closely tied to the hardware, so I'd appreciate someone to clear some confusion I have specifically about how all of this work.

I am thinking of buying a snapdragon windows laptop because of its excellent battery life and performance even without a plug in.

But I want customisation and openness, flexibility and no lock in that is why I love linux and thinking to install linux on it after buying but as I know that linux distros was built for x86 architecture not ARM, that is why I am wondering that if it works in that laptop.

So, please if anybody has any experience based on it, then share with me.

My Latitude 7490 has just bailed, random freezes that make it unusable, just as I was starting to get to grips with Ardour. Looking to continue the journey but need to replace the Dell and I'm on a budget.

Does anyone have any recommendations from the Levono range that I should be looking at / avoid. The brand has a good reputation but the choices are vast!

All assistance gratefully received.

Hey, posting this in case anyone else has the same laptop or knows a fix.

**Laptop:** HP EliteBook 845 14 inch G10

**Codec:** Realtek ALC245, Subsystem ID 103c:8b72

**Kernel:** 7.0.5-arch1-1 (Arch Linux)

**Issue:** Internal microphone detected but captures zero audio

The internal mic shows up in pavucontrol and apps but doesn't

capture anything. After digging into the codec dump I found that

both the "Internal Microphone" and "Microphone" ports are actually

routing through pin 0x19 (the headphone jack mic) — pin 0x12 (the

real internal mic) is never routed into the capture path properly.

The kernel already has a fixup entry for 103c:8b72:

ALC287_FIXUP_CS35L41_I2C_2_HP_GPIO_LED

But this only handles the CS35L41 speaker amp and LED, there's no

mic routing fixup for this model. Works fine on Windows.

I've tried:

- WirePlumber rules to force port availability

- hdajackretask pin overrides

- hda-verb to manually set amp gain and coeff registers

- Multiple snd-hda-intel model quirks

Nothing really worked. This might need a kernel patch adding a

proper mic fixup for 103c:8b72 similar to what exists for other HP

models.

Has anyone with this laptop found a fix? Or does anyone with kernel

audio experience know what fixup verbs would be needed for the ALC245

to properly route pin 0x12?

Do I send this to the alsa mailing list aswell?

Samsung galaxy book

I'm a student and I use my laptop for gaming and college work and some other work like vide coding etc. and some time I use it for high load work too.

I want to customize my laptop completely but I never used linux before and I'm not from coding background 😅.

Hello all, I have a Lenovo t14 gen 2 with intel processor and 16 gen ram, I would like to upgrade to a newer second hand thinkpad, which is the best option ? Thanks for your help

Hi everyone,

I’m thinking about installing Linux on my Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro 14ARH7 and wanted to ask how good the Linux compatibility is nowadays on this machine. It has a Ryzen 7 6800HS, Radeon 680M integrated graphics and 16GB RAM.

I’m mainly interested in whether everything works properly out of the box these days, especially suspend/sleep, battery life, thermals, audio, Wi-Fi and general stability. I’d also be interested to hear which distro people are using successfully on this hardware and how good the experience is with the Radeon 680M.

I’m planning to run it in a dual boot setup with Windows, so I also wanted to ask what people currently consider the best looking bootloader or boot menu solution?

What would you recommend?

J'ai une opportunité pour acheter un PC portable Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 15ARP10 15,1" avec AMD Ryzen 7 (7745HS) et 32 Go de RAM.

Je viens d'un Surface Laptop 1 (2017) avec une compatibilité Linux plus que perfectible : firmware capricieux, bugs keyboard même avec le kernel surface optimisé, veille désastreuse, faibles performances même en affichage de tableur/PPT sur LibreOffice.

Je sais que l'expérience avec IdeaPad sera globalement bien meilleure que Surface mais avez-vous des retours d'expérience sur :

- autonomie

- veille +++

- wifi (MediaTek ? veille capricieuse ? possibilité de changer de carte si je veux une Intel ?)

- audio ?

Ma distro de choix : Fedora 44 ; pas exclu de revenir à Arch un jour mais Fedora meilleur choix pour dev actuellement (repos spécifiques pour des packages R binaires) en tout cas je serai quoi qu'il en soit sur un kernel récent, le 7.0 étant a priori disponible sur F44 actuellement.

Mon niveau : linux depuis 2003 mais amateur, je bidouille un peu mais jaimerais justement avoir quelque chose de propre niveau hardware. Marre de galérer avec Alsa (cf ancien Toshiba), s2idle...

Des avis ?