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I think but I'm not 100% sure that my onboard power supply ate itself. It doesn't turn on and if I can get it to anything the power button just blinks slowly green, one blink per second. I've had the thing 13 years and it might be the computer gods saying it's time to retire your laptop. It's a Lenovo t420. My question is this I'm looking to get a new laptop. I don't need anything super fancy I was actually thinking about something with a 512 SSD hard drive and an SD expandable port for up to a tb. I obviously want to put Linux on it (Linux mint actually) and I would like to purchase it from either Costco, Veterans Advantage, or Amazon. I don't think I can get it without an OS and my concern is the way Windows fucks with everything would I brick the laptop if I use my own OS. My old company password locked the BIOS because of theft so this gets me wondering if Windows would do something to the BIOS so I was stuck with Windows and if I tried to load my own software on there I just now created a door stop and lost a couple hundred dollars. Also I remember running into wireless issues with Dell. What do you guys and gals think the direction I should go should be. All I really do on the laptop is watch jooTube, type emails, play music, maybe dick around with audacity.

I think but I'm not 100% sure that my onboard power supply ate itself. It doesn't turn on and if I can get it to anything the power button just blinks slowly green, one blink per second. I've had the thing 13 years and it might be the computer gods saying it's time to retire your laptop. It's a Lenovo t420. My question is this I'm looking to get a new laptop. I don't need anything super fancy I was actually thinking about something with a 512 SSD hard drive and an SD expandable port for up to a tb. I obviously want to put Linux on it (Linux mint actually) and I would like to purchase it from either Costco, Veterans Advantage, or Amazon. I don't think I can get it without an OS and my concern is the way Windows fucks with everything would I brick the laptop if I use my own OS. My old company password locked the BIOS because of theft so this gets me wondering if Windows would do something to the BIOS so I was stuck with Windows and if I tried to load my own software on there I just now created a door stop and lost a couple hundred dollars. Also I remember running into wireless issues with Dell. What do you guys and gals think the direction I should go should be. All I really do on the laptop is watch jooTube, type emails, play music, maybe dick around with audacity.

(post is archived)

[–] • 3 pts

That usually indicates that it's in sleep mode. Since it's not, you may want to try and reseat all of the removable devices (RAM, HDD, WiFI card, etc.) and as a last resort reset the BIOS by pulling the CMOS battery and holding down the power button for a while before replacing the battery. There's a chance that the power brick could be bad as well, but that probably wouldn't cause that.

As far as new machines, you may have to tell the BIOS something about booting a "non-secure" system, but I don't have much experience with that.

[–] • 1 pt

Right here. First action is to disconnect the battery and power. Hit the power button a few times, press and hold for 30sec then let it sit for as long as you are willing. To power it back up do NOT re attach the battery, just the power brick and hit the power button once. Report your results.

[–] • 1 pt

It actually came back after 3 days when it first died about 3 weeks ago and lasted for about a week and then died again. I have two batteries and swap them both. But you're right the CMOS battery probably is dead. I'll pop it out and see if I can get one. I'll have to bring it down to Interstate Batteries and see if they can test it.

[–] • 3 pts

The battery looks to be a CR2032 with a Hirose connector. Amazon ASIN B08FJ928QH is what it looks like. You don't really test them, you just replace them.

[–] • 1 pt

Well I shouldn't jump the gun I actually don't know if that's what's actually wrong. I just think it could be what's wrong. It would be a 13-year-old if not older battery. Because it's a 4 yr old SSD hard drive and the ram is the same. I had a friend help me upgrade the BIOS 5 years ago.

I would bring it to Interstate and have them test it. if it's dead I'll just have them sell me another one.

[–] • 2 pts

They might be more expensive than what you’re looking for, but System76 laptops come with Ubuntu, and you can install any distro on them without the BIOS or secureboot locking you out of your own hardware.

Framework laptops also support Linux and they’re the most repairable laptops ever made. If your motherboard died you could replace that and keep everything else. You could keep one of those running for decades by replacing each part that dies; like a ship of Theseus.

[–] • 0 pt

Another good suggestion of you end up replacing it. Apparently the framework laptops work well with Linux too but they may cost more than you want to spend. Also, dell has a lot of Ubuntu certified laptops these days.

[–] • 0 pt

Framework may say they're the most repairable/modular, but fact is it's still just another proprietary system like every other laptop.

[–] • 1 pt

System 76 and framework are ungodly expensive. Not something I'm really looking for. But I guess you get what you pay for. I've been noticing on Amazon there's all these renewed laptops. And I've seen some of the same brand that I have. What I think I'd first is I would get a renewed laptop and then run my Linux on a thumb drive just to see how the laptop handled it. Then maybe I could dual boot it for a bit. After a month maybe then I would just wipe the windows OS off. I think wiping it right away and having a hardware problem would just get the person I bought it from to say well you avoided the warranty because you put your own operating system on it. A lot of these new laptops are just built like shit with flimsy touchpads. It is very discouraging trying to use them with said touch pads.

[–] • 0 pt

Framework says they are publishing their hardware specs so that other vendors can make parts that fit their chassis. They’re trying to create an open standard for easily replaceable laptop parts.

[–] • 1 pt

Do what I did, get a new power supply. I have a 10 year old Dell XPS 8500 running as a linux server and it's on power supply #2. When the board goes I'll update it to something else.

[–] • 1 pt (edited )

I bought my laptop from Walmart a couple years ago and it runs Linux like a champ, battery life sucks harder than your aunt though.

[–] • 1 pt

I reckon that was all my aunt was good for when she was able-bodied enough to suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.