Now It Is Possible to Run Linux on Windows 10 ARM Laptops

Run Linux on ARM Laptops for Windows 10

Back in December 2017, Microsoft released Windows 10 on ARM that is a new operating system that can run on Windows 10 on laptops powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon chips. Although the computers designed for this version of Windows failed to impact on the market, they certainly draw the attention of the open source community.

If you want to run a different operating system on these computers, what should you do? Recently, there is a project named AArch64 Laptops on GitHub, which is a result of some Linux enthusiasts hoping to bring distros like Ubuntu to ARM laptops.

Microsoft Gives Support To Windows 10 On ARM Devices

Now, Microsoft supports Windows 10 on ARM, so you can expect to see more advanced apps very soon.

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Currently, you can only install Ubuntu 18.04 LTS on some of the first Windows 10 on ARM laptops. Specifically, the HP Envy x2 and Asus NovaGo (among the initial crop of these ARM-based notebooks) as well as Leno Miix 630, are the first machines to benefit from the open source project.

How to Install Ubuntu on Those Laptops

On the project page, you can see that it is allowed to download the images and flash them on the computers by using an SD card. Besides, it also offers a particular flash tool for the procedure.

Thus, in order to install Ubuntu on an Asus NovaGo, Lenovo Miix 630 or HP Envy x2, please download a pre-built image for your device, load it on an SD card with the project’s Flash Tool, then plug the SD card into your laptop and start the boot process to load Ubuntu rather than Windows.

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However, the Ubuntu operating system that is installed will be severely limited in many ways since this is still in the early phases and is a work in progress.

Three Limitations in Features for Windows 10 on ARM Laptops Running Linux

Although you can run Linux on Windows 10 ARM laptops and the OS is functional, it doesn’t support hardware accelerated graphics and there is no Wi-Fi or access to onboard storage.

Certainly, for most of you, the latter two demerits particularly are quite serious, but developers are working hard to solve these problems. Actually, according to some of the most recent bug squashing updates, the storage issue may have just been cracked, at least on Asus NovaGo laptop.

Besides, when using NovaGo, the touchpad does not work properly. Thus, you need to plug a mouse into a USB port and use it instead.

In addition to installing one of these pre-built images, you can build your own. Just check out the further details by clicking here.

Surely, Linux would offer an interesting alternative on the performance front, where much criticism of the laptops lies, at least for the initial crop of machines. And if you are not interested in beta testing, you can choose to hold off installing Ubuntu for now.