I am willing to fiddle: I fried the motherboard’s graphics card on my laptop and I then replaced it by using the manual alone. Does this require fiddling with software? Does it work out of the box? Some motherboard bios will give overclocking(OC) options. Does Libreboot give OC options, RAID drivers, or boot security options (encrypted OS)? If i wanted to take my current Franken-desktop and switch out the BIOS/UEFI and keep the OS, could this do it gracefully?
I am mostly just curious, but I like the idea of increasing the amount of FOSS on my devices.
Does this require fiddling with software?
Depends. Libreboot replaces your processor’s firmware with fully libre software. Most importantly, it gets rid of Intel Management Engine, which is a firmware-level spyware that all modern laptops have. Almost all laptops are stuck with this firmware – the sole exception are ~10 machines, mostly Toshiba, from 2008-2012ish. With these, you can completely eliminate the Intel ME by flashing your firmware with libreboot.
Now, in most cases, this requires tinkering with hardware. If you’re lucky, you can find a ThinkPad model that you can flash without having to gut the whole machine first. So in most cases (to my understanding), librebooting a machine is heavy on having to disassemble your laptop.
Does it work out of the box?
If by ‘out of the box’ you mean ‘works without issue once installed’, then yes. Once you’ve done the fiddling and set everything up, you don’t even have to think of libreboot again.
Some motherboard bios will give overclocking(OC) options. Does Libreboot give OC options, RAID drivers, or boot security options (encrypted OS)?
This is mostly beyond my expertise, but I recommend going through libreboot’s extremely informative official website.
If i wanted to take my current Franken-desktop and switch out the BIOS/UEFI and keep the OS, could this do it gracefully?
Almost definitely no. Libreboot only works on a select few devices, all of which have been out of production for about a decade (usually more). It’s a great option if you’re 1) Willing to tinker, AND 2) Either have one of the compatible models lying around, OR 3) Are willing to find one off of eBay auctions or local marketplaces.
You can find the list of compatible laptops on the libreboot website – if you’re lucky, maybe you have/can find one of these. If not, I’m not fully sure this has been of much help to you :')
The main appeal of libreboot is that you can truly create a 100% libre laptop with it. No blobs, no proprietary software, no invasive surveillance even at the firmware level.
Thank you for the thorough response!
I can’t stand laptops, only have a desktop. Good luck, my thoughts are with you!
Cheers! Fwiw, here’s a list of compatible desktops from the libreboot website:
- Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L motherboard
- Acer G43T-AM3
- Intel D510MO and D410PT motherboards
- Apple iMac 5,2
- HP Elite 8200 SFF (HP 6200 Pro Business probably works too)
is Libreboot support lenovo ThinkPad T470?
Sadly not!
Oh 😔
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