Installing Ubuntu Linux on Thinkpad X1 Gen 10

General topics
1

Made the USB Boot flash drive and replaced the WIN 11 SSD, with one that has Linux on it but it won’t boot from that SSD, not will it respond to Fn + F2 on start up. This worked on a Gen 7 yoga I had and wanted to upgrade for better graphics. Can someone advise me. I’m rather new with Linux and Thinkpads so do I have to return this laptop and get a previous generation?

2

Are you saying you installed Linux on a Gen 7 yoga laptop and then moved that drive to a Thinkpad and tried to boot it?

3

Yes, removed the existing SSD that had Win11 on it, installed the SSD that I had in a Yoga Gen 7, both Lenovo X1 Carbon Thinkpads. It would show it in the Bios menu. I’d select to boot from it but it would not boot up.

So I put the Win11 SSD back in it, started up ok and I’m returning this Gen 10.

Now, I purchased a Gen 6, and do the same removal of the Win11 SSD and put in a fresh, new SSD and then put an iso USB with Ubuntu Linux and install Linux. Maybe I should have used a fresh SSD for the Gen 10, maybe that would have been more proper/feasible.

Thanks for answering my wailing.

4

You have to install Linux on the computer you wish to run it upon. You cannot simply move a pre-installed drive around; the OS is tailored to boot and run that specific computer during installation.

5

I really needed a blank new NVME SSD, the Win11 one I removed and installed the SSD from Yoga Gen 7 but I realize now that the Gen 10 has perhaps architectural differences and just because the SSD I installed had Linux on it, there’s other differences that preclude the simple swap. The new SSD is on the way and so is the Gen 6 X1.

The first bootable USB drive for the Ubuntu Linux install got corrupted somehow using balancer and my Win11 desktop. I actually did that to a couple USBs. I had a really rough time finding the right link, then I tried reformatting the USBs and then it was telling me the USB was locked or I didn’t have the permission. I totally freaked out since one drive is a 128GB and the other is a 256GB USB. I ordered more USBs to do what did , so simply, for the install on the Yoga Gen 7.

I should have just kept the Gen 7 as Linux was working fine on it. I feel so computer illiterate sometimes.

Thanks again for corresponding. It’s appreciated.

Good news is my de-googled phone and my Brax VPN router arrived today…