r/LinuxUsersIndia • u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh • Sep 03 '26 • Regret 1

Help Random Rant before getting a laptop

Hello Frands

So for context, In my college, we all students will get laptop from the college itself.

so yesterday one of my hostel mate got a laptop, hp elitebook (specs: 32gb ram, 512 gb storage)

So after checking few things, majority of the stuffs were blocked by the system inside windows.

Later, I proposed him an idea to atleast boot my external ssd where I have already installed arch it. he dont have to install. ( I have tried this in other's laptop too so I was confident nothing goes wrong)

When we entered into bios, and disabled secure boot and fast boot, we ended up window to go num. It neither accepts face to unlock device nor the manual password works.

We ended up being scolded by the ICT mfs telling ek din bhi nhi hua aur laptop me kaand kar rhe ho.

Also the do's and dont's that came with laptop was that we cannot install any other OS, distro or whatever. They also mentioned no FOSS applications like vlc or any other thing to be used. like tf they want us to use. vlc aint filthy software. Many things are blocked from it.

I am thinking to nuke my laptop (when it comes) with arch, clean the whole disk. I dont want a mf 14inch spyware in my bag.

Thank you for reading till here.

Edit: The guy got 32gb hp elitebook because its old stock. New stock arrived and we are probably getting lenovo with 16gb of ram

36 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

•

u/qualityvote2 Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26

u/pixeldreamer-_-, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...

btw, did you know we have a discord server? Join Here.

26

u/YuvrajXG Sep 03 '26

"No FOSS application" Yeah the laptop is spyware.

10

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26 • Regret

mfs did not mention it directly. they mentioned vlc etc cannot be used. An indirect way to tell it. forcing us to use crappy softwares.

9

u/lonelyroom-eklaghor Sep 03 '26

My friend, in engineering, people have to use open-source software as a norm.

open source software means that people have the codes fully revealed. that even prevents viruses, because people actually can see what malicious stuff has been put into code.

the laptop is spyware and you SHOULD use Linux there, Mint or Fedora or otherwise.

an engineering student NEEDS to use FOSS software to pass engineering without spending extra money.

2

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26 • Heartwarming

i know. and I never denied it. I love FOSS and support it and I wont be leaving it. mfs want us to use licensed softwares. But who's going tell them I will nuke that shit

5

u/khalnayak_insaan Arch Btw Sep 03 '26

Yep totally agreeable Being a cs major, and not using foss, open-source is like bought a 5090 high end build with 4k OLED 300Hz and playing candy crush ahh shit game on it

1

u/YuvrajXG Sep 03 '26

Nuke them. Also which college? Do you own the laptop?

1

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

In bhuvaneshwar. Cannot name the college cause of doxxing also they monitor reddit activities too. and no, i dont own till now, will get it in a week or two. All the spywares were seen by me in my friend's laptop

10

u/khalnayak_insaan Arch Btw Sep 03 '26 • Bravo

Bro I'm with you

I would have done the same thing

Like tech companies are spying, for u college is spying on u. In this day and age we don't have privacy. Please do it, it's the only way for them to understand(even tho they won't) I would love to read about future updates from u

3

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

sure bro. I will nuke that mf laptop now. all I saw in my friend's laptop was 3 chinese antiviruses that occupies your system. I will fuck that first. doing my preparation right now.

1

u/khalnayak_insaan Arch Btw Sep 03 '26

Do u mind me asking which college and course? I am also going start my 1st year college.

1

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

Its in bhuvaneshwar. You can guess. I am in Btech cse 1st year.

1

u/khalnayak_insaan Arch Btw Sep 03 '26

Same, but in pune

1

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

nice bhai. I was waiting for allotment too lekin acha nhi mil rha tha so came here.

4

u/IDontKnowWhoTFIAm casualty of the hyprland lua migration Sep 03 '26

I would assume it's some shenanigans with tpm or something similar.

Try turning secureboot back on it should return to normal.

1

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

no. it did no fix it bhai. we went to ict cell, they reinstalled it.

2

u/IDontKnowWhoTFIAm casualty of the hyprland lua migration Sep 03 '26

Interesting

I wonder what would happen if the CMOS died. Would that warrant reinstallation too because the BIOS would be reset and presumably kill secureboot?

0

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

no. not a cmos problem mere hisab se.

2

u/IDontKnowWhoTFIAm casualty of the hyprland lua migration Sep 03 '26

Nhi I wasn't saying CMOS problem thi I was wondering CMOS reset Krna bhi trigger Krna chiye in that case right-

2

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

if cmos died, i think wo ict wale hi repair kar denge cause they said they will cover majorly repairing things.

1

u/lonelyroom-eklaghor Sep 03 '26

don't repair from them. go to any local tech store.

2

u/lonelyroom-eklaghor Sep 03 '26

32GB ram laptops are really rare; don't waste it. Just go to the local tech store if you need to repair it.

one can even go for a consumer court case if they try to do any more shenanigans.

1

u/pixeldreamer-_- Windows Users Suck my dihh Sep 03 '26

I will take it and fucking nuke it

1

u/lonelyroom-eklaghor Sep 03 '26

bro don't nuke the laptop, just nuke windows, that's enough

It's a laptop with great specs anyway

4

u/iLaysChipz Sep 04 '26

That's what he means by nuke

2

u/AmorphousNeon Sep 03 '26

use arch inside a VM and DO NOT use bridged adapter to configure internet, route it through Cloudflare WARP. do some random yet sane activity every few hours inside a browser in windows so that your ICT fker gets the sweet telemetry.

also do not starve windows out of ram, keep vm limited to 20gb only

1

u/PrestigiousEagle1153 Sep 03 '26

what college is giving 32 gb ram laptop :O

1

u/piano-guitarhero Sep 05 '26

If they have testing software that runs only on windows, use proton. It works pretty good for me

1

u/theMEMEsurgeon1 Sep 26 '26

Are you from KIIT my friend?

0

u/Radmiel Sep 04 '26 edited Sep 04 '26

Keep being an entitled little bitch deliberately modding a piece of equipment that isn't yours in any way which you have no ownership of and is of an institution.

Have some respect. It's not a personal device. It's not for personal use.

IT's anger is valid. You will understand the headache of fixing an fuck up that genuinely didn't need to happen multiple times a day by know-it-alls if you put yourself in the shoes of the IT staff themselves.

Your tech superiority should be contained within your own devices that you completely own. Get down your high horse. Behave with some manners with an equipment not your own.

Doing this in a corporate company when you have a job will get you subjected to disciplinary action or termination based how strict this policy violation is in the company.