How can I install Linux on a Lenovo IdeaPad 110 when BIOS access is failing?
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MellowPine47
I'm new to Linux and want to experiment with distributions on an older Lenovo IdeaPad 110 with about 4 GB of RAM. The laptop's firmware menus seem difficult to access: I can open the boot menu by removing the hard drive or pressing the Novo button, but selecting the boot manager or BIOS setup simply restarts the machine. When I tried booting Puppy Linux from a USB drive with the hard drive removed, I received "Verification failed (0x1a): Security Violation." I tested the same USB drive on my main computer, so it appears to work correctly. I'm wondering whether Secure Boot is causing the problem and how I can configure the laptop to boot from USB. I'm also considering installing Linux onto the laptop's drive using my main PC, but I'm concerned the drive might not be recognized afterward. I'm interested in beginner-friendly distributions such as Linux Mint, and I'm open to other suggestions for learning Linux and using it for coding, drawing, music, and general-purpose software.
Answers
That security-violation message usually means Secure Boot is rejecting the operating system on the USB. Enter the firmware settings, disable Secure Boot, and set the USB drive ahead of the internal disk in the boot order. On Lenovo laptops, the Novo button often provides a way into the firmware setup even when the normal boot key does not work. Linux Mint is probably a more comfortable first distribution than Puppy Linux.
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Look up the exact IdeaPad 110 model because Lenovo used different key combinations across versions. The boot menu and firmware setup are separate options, and some models use a small Novo button rather than Delete or F2. If the firmware is password-protected, that has to be resolved through Lenovo-specific procedures. For this hardware, Linux Mint with a lightweight desktop such as Xfce would be a sensible starting point; CachyOS may be less beginner-friendly and more demanding to troubleshoot.
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Try using the Novo menu to reach BIOS/UEFI setup, then check the Secure Boot and boot-order settings. Once Secure Boot is disabled, reinstall the hard drive, insert the USB installer, and choose the USB device as the boot target. You should not need to install Linux onto the drive from another computer; doing so can create boot-mode or driver problems. Installing directly on the laptop lets the installer configure the bootloader for that machine.
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