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I am considering purchasing a laptop and I would like to buy one which Ubuntu can be installed on. Of course, it would be nice if all of the hardware works (i.e., webcam, etc.) but if they don't, I'm not too worried about it. What I am worried about is a computer which can't even accept Ubuntu (i.e., grub won't correctly install). I heard that there was a period where computers were being manufactured which contained Windows and nothing else could be installed on top of.

I'd like to dual boot it (i.e., with Windows), but if that isn't possible, that is fine.

Anyway, does anyone know what is this limitation called so that I can search for it with Google? Or does anyone know off-hand if the current laptops (i.e., running Windows 8.1) can accept grub? I vaguely recall that this was a problem with Windows 7-era computers, but I am not too sure.

karel
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Ray
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    shopping advice is off topic on AU. Any good advise is too limit to be of use. Plus you fail to supply a large amount of infomation that is needed to give a good answer. – Rinzwind Apr 20 '14 at 16:28
  • No, this isn't off topic. I was concerned it would be and tried to word my question very carefully. While others have mis-interpreted what I was asking for shopping advice, I'm glad that Karel understood what I meant. I've heard of the problem, but not what it was called... – Ray Apr 21 '14 at 04:03

4 Answers4

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I heard that there was a period where computers were being manufactured which contained Windows and nothing else could be installed on top of.

The terms to do a keyword search for this are lock-in, UEFI lock-in and locked bootloader.

...if the current laptops (i.e., running Windows 8.1) can accept grub?

Yes, most current laptops can accept GRUB, but there are a few laptop models which can't accept GRUB. There is a bug surrounding the UEFI implementation on certain laptops which caused them to be bricked after installing a Linux distribution in UEFI mode. That's how important it is to check the laptop model's compatibility with Linux before you buy. For more information about how to install Ubuntu as a dual boot OS on a Windows 8 laptop see: Installing Ubuntu on a Pre-Installed Windows 8 (64-bit) System (UEFI Supported).

Of course, it would be nice if all of the hardware works

You can make a bootable USB from the Ubuntu installation ISOs, and then try out an Ubuntu live session instead of installing Ubuntu to check if all the computer's hardware devices work as expected in Ubuntu. Running an Ubuntu live session will not install anything on the computer's hard disk.

karel
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  • Thanks Karel! UEFI lock-in...that's the term I was looking for. And I did not know they could be bricked... I thought I could use the Windows installation disks and get it back to the manufactruer's settings (but them I'd still be stuck with a Windows-only system). I will be careful...thank you! – Ray Apr 21 '14 at 04:00
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You could have a look at sytstem 76 computers. They come preinstaled with ubuntu and you could buy windows 7 and 8.1 and install it alongside.

NatureShade
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I would recommend looking at Dells XPS 13: you can get them preloaded with Ubuntu (or install it later without any problems) and it's a really great peace of hardware (Mark Shuttleworth himself is using one).

In terms of current (UEFI) Notebooks: you will have to google for the name of that model + Ubuntu to get information about compatibility.

super metty
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I'd check out the linlap.com site for user experiences on installing Linux on a laptop. There are many hardware compatibility sites, but linlap seems to be more current than most.

ubfan1
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