Setting up your Thinkpad for Linux

A guide for beginners to get started

If Windows is already installed, do this first

Log into Windows with admin credentials.

Shrink the existing partition that Windows is on as much as possible using the disk management tool (or leave space for Windows if you think you will use it regularly). Do not create a new drive from the unallocated space, that will be done when you install your Linux distribution.
Disable fast startup from power settings.
Disable any Bitlocker encryption. To save space, you may also want to disable hibernation by running powercfg.exe /hibernate off from an Administrator Command Prompt.

Update the settings in your BIOS/UEFI

Boot into the BIOS/UEFI interface by pressing F1 when the laptop is starting up (on some ThinkPad models, you may need to press Enter first, then F1).

Ensure that the Secure Boot and encryption options are disabled (usually found under the Security tab).
For optimal compatibility, you may also want to check the Config or Restart menu and ensure OS Optimized Defaults is Disabled.
Some newer ThinkPads may require setting the Suspend Mode (often under the Power tab) to Linux or "Linux S3" for proper suspend-to-RAM functionality.
Save your changes with F10 and exit.

Create a bootable USB

Download the ISO image for the distribution of your choice (e.g., Ubuntu LTS).

Burn it onto a USB using Rufus or BalenaEtcher.

Install Ubuntu LTS

Boot from the USB: Plug the USB drive into your ThinkPad. When starting the laptop, press F12 immediately to bring up the Boot Menu. Select the USB drive from the list and press Enter.
Start the Installation: Once the USB boots, you will see a screen. Select Try or Install Ubuntu. It's generally recommended to select "Try Ubuntu" first to ensure everything works before committing to the installation, or simply select "Install Ubuntu" to proceed directly.
Follow the Installer Prompts:
- Choose your language and keyboard layout.
- Select your installation type: choose Normal Installation and check the box to Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware (this is important for proprietary drivers like Nvidia graphics or some Wi-Fi cards).
- When prompted for the Installation type, choose "Install Ubuntu alongside Windows Boot Manager" if you want to dual-boot, or "Something else" for a custom partition setup. If you created unallocated space earlier, select that space and create a new partition for Ubuntu (at minimum, one partition for the root directory / is needed; a separate partition for /home and a swap partition are optional but recommended).
- Complete the remaining steps by setting your time zone and creating your user account and password.
- Click Install Now and confirm the changes to the disk.
Restart: Once the installation is complete, select Restart Now and remove the USB drive when prompted. The laptop should now boot into the GRUB bootloader, allowing you to choose between Ubuntu and Windows.

Post-Installation Steps

After successfully logging into your new Ubuntu desktop, you should perform a few initial setup tasks:

Update Your System: Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the following commands to ensure all your packages are up-to-date:

Bash
```
  sudo apt update
  sudo apt full-upgrade -y
```
Install Drivers (if needed): If you checked the "third-party software" box, most drivers should be installed. However, if you have an Nvidia GPU or encounter issues with Wi-Fi, go to Software & Updates → Additional Drivers tab and check if any proprietary drivers are available and enabled.
Configure TLP Battery Charge Thresholds:

TLP is essential for optimizing battery life and health on ThinkPads. To protect your battery, you can set a custom charge threshold to stop charging before it reaches 100%.
1. Install TLP and TLP-RDW:
  
  Bash
```
 sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw
```
2. Edit the TLP Configuration File:
  
  Open the configuration file /etc/tlp.conf using a text editor like vim:
  
  Bash
```
 sudo vim /etc/tlp.conf
```
3. Set the Thresholds:
  
  Scroll down to the Battery Care section and find the lines for START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0 and STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0. Uncomment these lines (remove the # symbol) and set them to your desired values:
  - Start Charging Below 60%: Set START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=60
  - Stop Charging at 75%: Set STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=75

Your edited lines should look like this (for a single battery):

        # Main / Internal battery (values in %)
        START_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=60
        STOP_CHARGE_THRESH_BAT0=75

Save and exit Vim with :wq

Apply and Verify the Settings:

Apply the new configuration and start TLP:

Bash
```
 sudo tlp start
```
You can verify the settings were applied successfully by checking the battery status:

Bash
```
 sudo tlp-stat -b
```
Look for the output showing the configured charge_start_threshold and charge_stop_threshold values.

Final Check: Test closing the laptop lid to ensure the system correctly enters and resumes from a low-power state (suspend-to-RAM or S3 state).

Configuring Fingerprint Authentication

Configuring fingerprint authentication using fprintd and pam-auth-update on a Linux system (like Ubuntu) typically involves three main steps: installing the necessary packages, enrolling your fingerprint, and enabling the authentication module.

1. Install Required Packages

First, ensure your system recognizes your fingerprint reader. You can often check this with the command lsusb. If your device is supported by libfprint, install the required packages:

Bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt install fprintd libpam-fprintd

fprintd: This is the fingerprint matching daemon that communicates with your reader and manages fingerprints.
libpam-fprintd: This is the Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) component that allows system services to use fprintd for authentication.

2. Enroll Your Fingerprint

Once the packages are installed, you need to enroll your fingerprint so the system can recognize it.

Bash

fprintd-enroll

Follow the on-screen prompts, which will typically ask you to swipe or tap your finger on the sensor multiple times until the enrollment is complete. It will usually specify which finger it is enrolling (e.g., "right-index-finger").

You can also use your desktop environment's User Settings (e.g., in GNOME or KDE) to enroll your fingerprint, which often provides a graphical interface.

3. Enable Fingerprint Authentication via PAM

The pam-auth-update tool configures the system's authentication stack (PAM) to use the new fingerprint module.

Bash

sudo pam-auth-update

This command will open a text-based configuration menu.

Use the Up/Down arrow keys to navigate to "Fingerprint authentication".
Press the Spacebar to place an asterisk (*) next to it, indicating it is selected/enabled.
Use the Tab key to highlight <Ok>.
Press Enter to save the configuration and exit.

This step integrates the pam_fprintd.so module into the common authentication stack (usually by modifying files like /etc/pam.d/common-auth), allowing it to be used for things like graphical login, screen unlock, and sudo elevation.

4. Test the Configuration

After completing these steps, you should be able to test the fingerprint authentication:

Sudo: Open a terminal and run a sudo command. You should be prompted to either scan your finger or enter your password.
Login/Screen Unlock: Lock your screen or log out. The login prompt should offer a fingerprint option.

Now you can proceed to install all the other packages and utilities you might need, like homebrew for package management.

Setting up your Thinkpad for Linux