#asknostr #Linux
I'm gonna be buying a couple of used Lenovo Thinkpads for a family member, and then wipe Windows off of them, then install Linux. I've done this for myself before with no issues, but since this will be for someone else, I have a question: Is there anything else i need to check or change on the laptops, in regard to possible malicious tampering on the laptops? Or is wiping Windows enough?
Wiping is plenty. What distro are you installing for them?
Mint, only because i'm familiar with it, and i can easily help the new convert if they need assistance.
Nope. That will work! Such a great idea.
I love mint, but I have a weird bug of late where my wireless connection deletes itself. it's made the OS unusable for me
Hmm, i havent had that issue with mine at all.
I like mint too. But for personal computers I actually prefer Windows. I know I'll get massacred for this opinion but I have windows and Linux servers and I use Windows for all my personal computers.
Nothing wrong with that, everyone has specific needs/wants. Its great that we have options.
My work has to be done on windows and when you have a PC for games, all games are optimized for Windows. Naturally I lean windows. Of course a ton of Happy Tavern services are run in my Linux Ubuntu server
The only other issue is to check the bios to set if it's password locked. If it is, kick the seller in the gonads. Twice.
yes. double gonad punishment
I meanβ¦ bios tampering is possible but pretty unlikely. And if youβre installing Linux, wiping the hard drive is usually enough.
Thanks.
Depends on what you want to do with it
Safer to get a brand new ssd
No, i need to check it out. Thanks for the link.
In regards to POSSIBLE malicious tampering you want to select a distribution that is LIBRE and endorsed by the FSF.org like trisquel.info
It has all proprietary code and binary blobs removed from the Linux kernel. Perfect for ThinkPads.
With thinkpads you can also replace the bios with LibreBoot.
With LibreBoot and Trisquel, you will have the ultimate protection against malicious code or bios tampering.
For example, I dont do any bitcoin stuff on anything beside my Trisquel ThinkPad machine which has libreboot and is wired ethernet only.
Why take risks.
For daily usage and non mission critical stuff, I have a gaming PC with Linux mint and multiple virtualboxes on it.
Let me know your thoughts, happy to discuss.
Wow, thats above my knowledge level, but i will look those up. Thanks.
its not different than install mint really.
You can have the same MATE desktop that Mint offers or LXDE so the experience is virtually identical.
LibeBoot is more complicated to replace your BIOS with but ThinkPads support it.
Here Richard Stallman talks about the dangers of proprietary distributions like Ubuntu and Linux mint.
Libreboot only works on some very specific models, and requires an external flasher. Which can result in a bricked device.
Trisquel is the extreme end of the FSF ethos which refuses to use any software which is not fully open, including device drivers, rendering many devices inoperable. You need to know in advance what all of your devices are, what drivers they require, and if there are fully open drivers available before installing.
Designed for, and by the extremely morally commited freesoftware individual, who can talk at great length why their position is morally superior π¬π€
Great explanation, thanks. Someone like me would be asking for trouble if i tried all that.
I appreciate people like Richard Stallman, the FSF and the all or nothing, absolute stance they take. We need these kinds of examples. But they donβt always understand the need for progressive movements toward a goal for the rest of us.
Erasing the disk is enough, the subject of the bios is unlikely to have any malware.
If the disks have a good % of useful life, it is not necessary to change them.
Use Ubuntu if it is for normal use.
If they're normies and won't care about installing critical updates, make sure you use a #Linux distro that does this automatically for them. From our experience with managing around 20 school PCs, #Ubuntu or its flavours with their hated #snaps are perfect for this!
Otherwise, if you want #flatpaks, we've also tested #PopOS on several machines with automatic updates enabled for a year with no issues or intervention required.
Perhaps, #LinuxMint can do it too but someone else will need to share their experience. Hope this was helpful.
