Score:3

Will installing Ubuntu over Windows 11 with BitLocker affect booting?

co flag

I want to wipe out Windows 11 on a laptop because it doesn't really give me the option to install alongside Windows without disabling bitlocker. I have not used Windows on this laptop and do not want to make a Microsoft account to disable something on a operating system I won't use.

Will this affect or interrupt my boot into Ubuntu after install?

This page I found says:

BitLocker uses the enhanced security capabilities of the TPM to make data accessible only if the computer’s BIOS firmware code and configuration, original boot sequence, boot components, and BCD configuration all appear unaltered and the encrypted disk is located in the original computer. On systems that leverage TPM PCR[7], BCD setting changes deemed safe are permitted to improve usability.

Is this pertinent to installing Ubuntu? Do I have to do anything different to boot after install or should everything work normally?

Score:5
ng flag

BitLocker is simply Microsoft's proprietary implementation of full disk encryption. Whether or not a drive has BitLocker encryption is not at all relevant to installing Ubuntu to replace all the data on such a drive.

The only thing you should do is disable "Fast Startup" on Windows so that Windows shuts down completely. This prevents potential problems that can happen as a result of Windows locking certain hardware when it is suspended. But disabling Fast Startup is something you should do before installing Ubuntu regardless of any existing BitLocker encryption.

Esther avatar
es flag
what about if OP never booted windows (which it sounds like, according to the question)? is it still necessary to boot Windows and create an account in order to disable Fast Startup? (assuming not, but might be worthwhile to clarify)
Nmath avatar
ng flag
There should only be a problem if Windows is hibernated. This could depend on how the system was installed. I imagine if the laptop is new out of the box and hasn't been booted since the OEM preinstalled the OS, then it shouldn't be necessary. It should be easy enough to determine if the Ubuntu installer isn't able to overwrite the hard drive.
Tim Richards avatar
mf flag
"as a result of Windows locking certain hardware" Eh? The hardware on the pc I paid for is mine, not Microsoft's, surely?
in flag
Fast startup should be a complete non-issue here unless Windows was hibernated just prior to attempting to install Ubuntu _and_ the storage device is an Opal SED, but even then it’s almost certainly not an issue because you can just reset the Opal storage stack using the `sedutil` command from the install image.
wizzwizz4 avatar
de flag
@TimRichards Kind of (see "trusted computing"), but that's a different issue. "Lock" here refers to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_(computer_science).
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