[sf-lug] Don't buy a computer with Windows Signature edition installed!

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Bobbie Sellers (bliss-sf4ever at dslextreme.com):

> Microsoft Doesn’t Want You To Install Linux On Its “Signature PCs” (Update)
> by Adarsh Verma on Sep 21, 2016 – in News / Tech
> 
> Please read this story at the URL below...
> <https://fossbytes.com/microsoft-doesnt-want-you-to-install-linux-on-its-signature-pcs/>

It's mostly sensationalist bullshit and wild surmises.

Some Lenovo 'Signature PC' laptops have a chipset for the hardware
interface to the SSD that is BIOS-locked into a so-far-obscure fakeraid
mode, rather than leaving AHCI mode enabled or selectable.  The only
part of the wild tale that's (according to accounts I consider reliable)
true is that the 'Signature PC' program requires that covered machines
must be be locked into their highest performing mode in the BIOS -- and
this happens to be be the NVMe fakeraid mode in this case.

Which is currently problematic because nobody's yet figured out a Linux
dmraid driver for the weird-ass fakeraid operating mode.
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/53ri0m/warning_microsoft_signature_pc_program_now/

The reason to return such Lenovo laptops for refund is their mandating
of a weird-ass fakeraid mode.  Buy one that doesn't do that.

Fakeraid explained here:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installing_with_Fake_RAID