Thinkpad T14s Gen1 dual boot Win10 + Linux

Software & Operating Systems Linux
1

I think this should work but I would like to get a second opinion to save myself a headache. I have a Thinkpad T14s Gen1 (AMD). It is currently running windows 10 with BitLocker. I want to dual-boot it with Linux, since it only has one drive spot (I typically installed two drives and just pic at boot time when that is an option). I am considering the following course of action:

  1. Back up with Macrium Reflect
  2. Disable bitlocker
  3. Resize main NTFS Windows partition (with gparted)
  4. Install Linux + Grub

Did I miss anything? is there anything I can do better? It has been a while since I dual booted on the same disk. Been using two disks for about a decade and this is the first machine I’ve had where this is not an option in a while.

2

Yes, gparted supports NTFS but I think it’s probably safer to shrink it in Windows Disk Management.

Just a heads up, BitLocker and grub don’t play nice together. There’s no issue with installing and using grub for linux selections but it will take you straight to the BitLocker recovery prompt if you attempt to boot Windows from it. But the the motherboard’s UEFI boot select menu works fine for starting Windows.

And everything else should be pretty straight forward. Don’t see you missing anything.

3

Wouldn’t disabling BitLocker (step 1) sidestep that issue? Did I miss something?

4

Sorry, I was assuming you were going to re-enable BitLocker after installing Linux. Disregard then.

5

Here is why I’m asking. I have BitLocker “disabled” but disk manager shows it is still encrypted.

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6

Also my TPM shows “ready for use”, does that imply that it is not currently in use?

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7

What does it show if you run manage-bde -status from an elevated command prompt? And if it is enabled what key protectors is it using?

8

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9

Yup, the partition is fully encrypted but there are no protectors (TPM,Password,Key,etc…). So the data is encrypted at rest but doesn’t require authentication.

Here’s the documentation on how to use manage-bde but it should be as simple as running manage-bde -off c: to disable BitLocker and decrypt the drive.

And you should backup your data first to be safe.

10

Thank you!

11

Does anyone know why these partitions are different in Macrium reflect?

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Disk Management:

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There’s a “unformatted primary” partition that is full? Then there is the EFI system partition, which shows up in both, then the C: drive. Then mystery 1001 MB partition with no information in Disk Management, but it is called “WinRE_DRV” in macrium.

Does anyone know what is going on with these partitions? Should I just resize the C: drive and ignore the other partitions?

12

I’ve used Macrium quite a few times and have nothing bad to say about it… but I wouldn’t trust it over Disk Management.

What are the output of these commands?

diskpart
select disk 0
list partition
13

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It appears macrium was correct.

Looks like I should keep them.

I guess its like a recovery drive, but just using a parition on the disk?

14

Interesting… I didn’t know partition layout could differ between Disk Management and diskpart. TIL you can’t trust Disk Management! Thanks for sharing :slight_smile:

You just need to resize your c: and then realign your recovery partition against it. After everything has been shifted to the “left” then install Linux.

15

Can you move the partition with Disk Management? I know how to do it with gparted, but I can’t figure it out in DM.

16

I tested in a VM and couldn’t realign using Disk Management either. My advice is to shrink primary partition using DM and then use your tool of choice to move the recovery partition. Either gparted or Macrium (if free version allows) will likely work fine.

17

thanks for confirming that!