TESTING RESULTS
I’ve tried the following 64 bit operating systems on this machine: Fedora 28 and 11, Linux Mint Cinnammon 18, Tara XFCE 19, Zorin 12.4, Ubuntu 18.4 and finally Lubuntu 18.04.1 Desktop.
Most of them crashes after a while though they all do work pretty well and by that I mean that the system is able to recognize the internet connection (wifi or pp) the graphic card, the battery, and the buttons for making the display brighter or darker do work. However, the laptop freezes after a while so I found Lubuntu the most stable OS for Lenovo Ideapad 100s; it is very light weight and quite intuitive but not as easy as Linux Mint because it requires the use of the terminal for most operations. Apart from Fedora, none of the other systems can be booted directly on the Ideapad which requires a 32 bit Efi with a 64 bit OS. Later, I’m going to show you how to make it work by deleting and adding some files.
BAY TRAIL – INTEL ATOM NIGTHMARE
Lenvo Ideapad 100s belongs to the bay trail series with Intel Atom processor and HDMI driver audio which is not supported by ANY of the operating systems above mentioned. It took me months of research to find out what that meant and how to fix it and luckily, a very kind gentleman in Linux Mint Forums pointed me to the right direction. Unfortunately, I must say that the same kindness and understanding are almost impossible to find in websites such as AskUbuntu.com and Unix & Linux Stack Exchange where they easily dismiss your questions as off topic or downgrade your questions without any plausible explanations. I admit that as a noob in the process of learning I make mistakes or I might even say something inappropriate but their approach has nothing to do with the spirit of COLLABORATIVE HELP which their sites claim to offer and, in addition to that, the exact same people are in “charge” of both websites so if they don’t know the answer they don’t allow others to reply for fear of loosing their precious points thus their position of superiority! Am I pissed? Yes, I am: there shouldn’t be any hierarchical system in a so called collaborative environment: they are driving away a lot of people from the open source community because of their arrogance.
UPDATE May 1st 2019:
The previous bug with version 18.04.2 has been fixed and it’s now working perfectly fine. Please refer to the manual or the community for more info. Any Lubuntu developer is more than welcome to add comments or suggestions here.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
- A bootia32.efi (This file is necessary to boot from USB) you can download it here: bootia32.efi download
- Lubuntu 18.04.1 Desktop (64 bit) ISO . Download the ISO from the official site and make sure to get the right version https://lubuntu.me/downloads/
- An external keyboard. Unfortunately this happens with Windows as well because the drivers are not recognizable instantly by any system! (I bought my external keyboard for 7 dollars here in Cambodia)
- An external mouse. Same reason as above. Some people say that you can use the tab on the keyboard but believe me a cheap mouse makes your life much easier.
- Ideally, another machine with Linux Mint or Ubuntu installed but if you only have Windows available, you need 2 USB flash drives. Windows users click here
- A fat 32 formatted USB flash drive (at least 3 GB)
After the installation you will be able to remove your external keyboard and mouse and use your Ideapad as usual. To be honest, the new OS fixes the problem with the keyboard missing keys or lagging response. It was all caused by Windows 10.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LINUX OR UBUNTU :
- Download isorespin.sh which you can find here: LINUXIUM (http://linuxiumcomau.blogspot.com/2017/06/customizing-ubuntu-isos-documentation.html). Make sure isorespin is downloaded in the Downloads folder.
2. Open the terminal CTRL ALT T and input the following (substitute YOUR USERNAME with your own which is before @. For example mine is mh@mh so I only use mh :
sudo su
cd /home/YOUR USERNAME/Downloads
mv isorespin.sh /usr/local/bin
Close the terminal.
3. Now we need to make isorespin.sh executable. Open the following path by clicking on the Green or Blue folder at the bottom left of the screen:
/usr/local/bin
You will see that isorespin.sh is there.
4. Right mouse click on isorespin.sh and select Properties then Permissions. Change Execute (Nobody) to (Anyone)then click OK.
5. Install the necessary packages by copying and pasting the following in the terminal (one line at the time). Make sure you are connected to the internet first:
sudo apt -y install p7zip-full bc curl klibc-utils iproute2 genisoimage dosfstools
sudo apt -y install squashfs-tools rsync unzip wget findutils xorriso
6. Now let’s run isorespin.sh with a graphic interface. Type in the terminal (or copy and paste):
cd /usr/local/bin
sudo su
At this stage we need another package to be able to run isorespin.sh properly.
sudo apt-get install zenity
Always say Yes during installation when they ask you if you want to continue.
7. Now, type in the terminal:
isorespin.sh
A beautiful graphic interface opens. ISO should already be selected by default. Select the next one as well (Add frequently used options for Intel Atom ….).
8. Click Continue and navigate to the Lubuntu ISO (lubuntu-18.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso) you downloaded previously (it should be in the Downloads folder). Select it and click OK.
9. Confirm “Add frequently used options for an Intel Atom ….”. Click OK.
10. Confirm the ISO image (lubuntu-18.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso-atom)
11. Make sure you are connected to the Internet to proceed downloading files.
12. Allow sometime for the ISO to be respinned.
13. At the end of the process, you should have linuxium-atom-lubuntu-18.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso
14. If you are using Linux Mint, open the software manager and install Unetbootin.
15. If you are using Ubuntu you can add the PPA directly from terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gezakovacs/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install unetbootin
16. Insert a formatted USB flash driver (fat 32 is best)
17. Open Unetbootin.
Leave the upper part blank and proceed to the bottom where you have Diskimage ISO.
Navigate to the location of linuxium-atom-lubuntu-18.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso and select it.
Ignore Space used to preserve files across reboots (Ubuntu only). Leave it set to 0 MB
Type USB Drive, Drive (!!! Check your USB location with Disks to avoid damaging the Hard Disk). normally it’s /dev/sda1
Click OK
This process will take some time so just relax and have a cup of tea!
18. The last step is to replace the bootia32 efi.
Open your USB flash drive which contains the respin ISO (linuxium)
Open the folder EFI
Open the folder BOOT
If bootia32.efi is already there then don’t do anything, otherwise add it by dragging it on the window.
Now you are ready to boot.
19. Make sure Lenovo Idepad 100s is off and insert the bootable flash drive we have just created.
20. Start Ideapad from the bios (the little button on the top left of the keyboard on the right of the battery recharger led.
21. Select Boot from USB and select the USB flash drive we have just created.
22. You will see a list of options on the screen, the first one is to just try a live version of Lubuntu then you can decide whether you want to install it or not. The second is to install Lubuntu and because Idepadad has a very small HD (64GB), it’s recommended to erase your previous system – This means that if you still have Windows, it’s time to say goodbye for good but if you change your mind and for whatever reason want to betray humanity then you can read my article about how to make a bootable USB flash drive for Windows .
23. Fill in the usual information (location, username, etc..) and allow sometime for the laptop to install the files and download the updates.
24. After the installation is complete, choose to reboot the computer.
25. After rebooting you will notice that the keyboard and the mouse are not working. Don’t panic! Connect the external keyboard and the mouse.
26. On the bottom left of the screen select Preferences and Software Updater (make sure you are connected to the internet). Install all the updates available.
27. When you are done, shut down the computer.
20. Disconnect both the keyboard the the external mouse.
21. Turn on Ideapad normally.
22. Your keyboard and mouse are now working perfectly.
23. Now, let’s configure the sound: click on the speaker symbol on the bottom right (Volume Control) and select Sound Settings. Start from the farthest option right and proceed left:
Configuration:
Card Name
Profile: Digital Stereo (HDMI) Output
Built-in-Audio
Play HiFI quality Music
Input Device
(change the Show option to All Input Devices)
Monitor of Atom Processor
Built-in Audio Internal IN3 Mic capt
Port: Headset Mic Capture
Show All Input Devices
Output Device
Built-in Audio MonoSpeaker playback
Port: Speaker playback
Atom Processor Z36xxx..
Port: HDMI/DisplayPort
Show All Output Devices
Recording
is blank because you need a specific app to make it work but it does work, I tested it with Audacity.
Playback
System Sounds
AudioIPC Server (this depends on what programs you are using because it gets automatically detected)
Show Applications.
If you want to use your headphones, unfortunately it doesn’t happen automatically when you plug in the jack!
but it’s very easy to switch:
Volume Control
Output Devices
Change the first port from Speaker playback to Headphones playback.
Et voila’, you are ready to go!
>
WINDOWS USERS ONLY:
a. Download bootia32.efi : http://www.mediafire.com/file/f898yklljkf6utg/bootia32.efi/file
b. Download ubuntu 18.04.1 Desktop (64 bit) ISO : https://lubuntu.me/downloads/
c. Download UNetbootin for Windows (select 32 or 64 according to your system). If you are using Lenovo Ideapad 100s is 32 bit. https://unetbootin.github.io/)
d. Open UnetBootin, follow the instruction above (see point 17 above then come back here)
e. Once done:
– open the USB flash drive folder,
– open the folder EFI/BOOT/
– delete everything inside it and copy and paste bootia32.efi into it.
f. In another USB flashdrive, copy both bootia 32.efi and lubuntu-18.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso
g. Now follow point from 19 to 21.
h. Start again from point 1 to create a bootable Linuxium ISO (I know it’s tedius but there is no alternative)
CONCLUSION:
Your laptop will work like a charm after this, however, the volume control keys in F1 F2 and F3 need some adjusting, please find the article here (it will take you 2 minutes!).
If you have installed the minimal version of Lubuntu, I suggest you to download gnome-software which makes your life much easier to download and remove software. Info here (Gnome-Software).
TOGETHER WE ARE INVINCIBLE!
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Everything is a Miracle 
thanks for your great post to help rescue the Lenovo 100s. I am able to install and do software update with external keyboard. After I unplug the external keyboard and reboot, my build-in keyboard is still not working. I open word processor and try typing. When I press ‘s’, the ‘save document’ screen come out. When I press’f’, the ‘find words’ screen come out. It seems to me that the CTRL is always pressed by default. I check the keys and there is no problem with the CTRL mechanically. Any idea how to solve it..Thanks.
thank you very much for this great post. Really appreciate your great amount of work in researching the steps and recording them down. I am able to complete the ISO, load it onto the USB and install the whole system. After updating software, unplugging external keyboard and rebooting the system, everything seems to be ok. But my keyboard is still not working. Upon some trial, I see that somehow the CTRL key seems to be always on. When I open a word document and press ‘s’, the save document screen comes out. When I press ‘f’, the word search screen comes out. This seems to be that the CTRL key is always on. Need help your great help again. Thanks.
Thanks so much for the tutorial! Just successfully installed Lubuntu 18.04.4 last night on my 100s-11IBY and it’s been working great all day, with these modifications to the instructions here:
1. I started on Windows, and as one other commenter said just using rufus with the 64-bit image and following Ubuntu official instructions for making a bootable USB, then swapping out the bootia32.efi file worked for a full install with no extra steps (no need for 2 USB drives as described in this post).
2. Still needed external keyboard and mouse for setup but upon first boot the keyboard and trackpad worked even before updates.
3. Sound was the main issue. I got no sound out of the built-in speakers or headphone jack, and I didn’t try HDMI but I think that would have worked since there was some audio device available besides dummy (not labelled HDMI but I presume that’s what it was). I found a solution from this poster here: https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/alsa-driver/+question/671323.
As described there, first create a file under /etc/modprobe.d with the name blacklist_snd_hdmi_lpe_audio.co nf containing a single line: blacklist snd_hdmi_lpe_audio
Then, I went here https://github.com/plbossart/UCM , downloaded that repo and copied the folder bytcr-rt5640 to /usr/share/alsa/ucm/. Now the headphone jack and speakers are working as expected!
yesterday i try to install lubuntu 18.04.4(64) on ideapad 200s it work bluetooth, wifi, keyboard worked but now still have a problem with sound control
I know this article is a little old but does this method work with the new Lubuntu version? Also i cannot get my Lenovo to boot from USB. The only option i get is windows media boot or something like that. When i try to boot from USB using the SHIFT+Restart option, it says system doesn’t have boot from USB option. I have also disable secure boot from the bios.
Thank you for the post and for any help!
If our unable to get sound working (like myself) after installing Lubuntu, I found this tutorial and it worked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDSyeEMHKvM
thank you, Lubuntu is installing. Step 5 above gave me some problems. What you wrote
“sudo apt -y install p7zip-full bc curl klibc-utils iproute2 genisoimage dosfstools
sudo apt -y install squashfs-tools rsync unzip wget findutils xorriso”
only worked after I removed “-y”. Perhaps -y belongs at the end?
I cannot seem to get the micro SD slot working. It doesn’t seem to see a card I inserted.
Hi, thank you so much. I was able to install Lubuntu on Lenovo s100c
I have just acquired one of these machines and was looking for such a guide – thank you!
I’m a complete noob to this so I will have to see how I go. However could you tell me, once install is complete, will this be reliable for using Libre Office on?
Many thanks!
Hey there,
thanks to your tutorial I was able to install Lubuntu on my old laptop and get it going again!
Some little remarks since several months have passed since you posted the tutorial:
1. Use Lubuntu 18.4.3! It solves both the sound issues and the keyboard issues first try
2. Don’t use Lubuntu 19.4 – almost nothing worked out of the box with this one.
Only thing I’m currently missing is HDMI sound and automatically changing the sound output if you plugin headphones, but apart from that it seems to be running perfectly fine!
Thanks again,
Jan from Germany
Hello,
Really appreciate the instructions. However, I still have problems making the keyboard worked. Not so sure what I did wrong.
You need an external keyboard first, update the system then restart the laptop with the external keyboard disconnected. Everything should work fine but follow the other tutorials for some of the keys which need to be set manually.
I was about to give up this notebook after two days spending time to find a solution. Didnt believe it would ever work with ubuntu. Until i find your post. 😀 just awesome! Thanks
My 100s 11iby is zaputt . I cannot install a linuxium file because the UEFI protection file on the basic disk is corrupt. I have tried to get a file to refresh the basic disk ( solid state) but lenovo are unhelpfull .
Anybody any suggestions
Thanks a lot for the tutorial!!! Everythig is ok except the bluetooth, Do you know how to solve it?
Hi Sista,
your guide on booting Windows was clear and really helped. I finally got rid of annoying update alerts.
An now you got me curious to try Lubuntu in Dual Boot on this machine. Ideapad 100s IBY with 32GB!!
Question: if I leave Windows10 on 10GB would 20 remaining GB be enough for basic work (browsing+libre office)?
THANKS
(paid coffees arriving soon)
I think that the 100s IBY is not powerful enough for dual booting so I would strongly discourage it. In my experience, Windows 10 is huge and very hard to limit because in the end it will override your choices and causes a lot of lags. Libre Office can require plenty of ram and memory according to what you want to create. My opinion? Get rid of Windows and install an open source operating system so that your laptop would have space and ram available for other programs as well as improving performance.
I just downloaded lubuntu 64 bit iso and converted it with Rufus to usb. Then I put in bootia32 file and I was able to install it on IdeaPad 100s.
Great! Well done and thanks for sharing.
I followed your lead here and successfully installed the latest Lbuntu 64 iso. Keeboard and touchpad worked fine after installation. Windows 10 update bricked my machine into infinite loop. Now working fine but no sound. No big deal. Thanks very much for the tip.
That’s so much for this, I thought I was doomed to run windows 10 on this thing forever! Have you had any luck getting Chromium OS to work?
I haven’t tested Chromium but only the distros mentioned in the article and they all lacked HDMI audio support.
OK 2 questions if I may:
1. Did you get BT working? On mine the adapter is missing
2. Did you discover a workaround when the device won’t show the correct option in the output session of the sound settings? I get HDMI output only.
Many thanks in advance 🙂
Hello Chris:
1. I didn’t check the BT because I never use it on this machine but I’m pretty sure that if you contact Lubuntu forums they may be able to help you.
2. I get HDMI output only as well. Everything works perfectly fine.
This is brilliant and clear tutorial thank you it helped me so much
Thank you! I’m glad it can help others as well.
Hi sista,
Greatly admire your excellent article.
Could you tell me if touchpad scrolling works in (L)ubuntu in this machine?
As this feature is lacking in Windows 10 and on the live USB I could not get the scrolling to work.
Thanks
Hello TseChiu Au,
Yes, it does. Hold down the left touchpad button with one finger and, at the same time, with the other finger in the touchpad main area, move your cursor in the direction you want to scroll.
Thanks, what I mean is 2 finger scrolling or gestures as in many other laptops.
Yes, it is 2 finger scrolling just place one finger on the top touchpad and with the other finger keep the left touchpad button pressed. That’s all, you’ll get used to it.
To scroll you have to hold down the left mouse button with one finger and point to the desired direction by placing another finger in the main mouse area (above the two mouse buttons in Ideapad 100s 11IBY.
bro how about installing windows 7??
I’m a sista not a bro. Read this article here: https://everythingisamiracleblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/14/how-to-boot-your-lenovo-ideapad-100s-11iby-from-a-usb-uefi-flashdrive/
I encorage the use of Open Source OSs: free and reliable with tons of open source programs to go with them. I’m a sista not a bro, bro 😊
So I do “Try Lubuntu” and I proceed with the tutorial?
No, it’s better to install Lubuntu. It only takes a few minutes, just keep your external keyboard and mouse handy because you will need them. Stay connected to the internet so that you can upgrade the driver. When you are done, reboot the laptop and everything will work fine except for the Audio. Now, you can follow the tutorial from step 1 so that you can use the terminal.
Cheers,
I’ve installed the image onto a fat 32 formatted usb drive, turned off security boot, booted from usb, saw the Lubuntu cycle start, then I received the error message:
25.760895 couldn’t get size0x80000000000000000e
26.277305 i2c_hid i2c-ENEE3730:00: i2c_hid_get_input: incomplete report (11
Then some busybox stuff
Then
(Initramfs) Mount: mounting /dev/loop0 on //filesystem.squashfs failed: Invalid argument
Can not mount /dev/loop0 (/cdrom/casper/filesystem.squashfs) on //filesystem.squashfs
So now what. I don’t have a cdrom. Should I change some init file that says to look for a cdrom? Did I make the image wrong! That’s the best hypothesis I have right now.
Cheers and thanks for any clues you can direct me to
Can you give me a bit more information? Are you switching directly from Windows to Lubuntu? In the meantime, check the easiest thing, make sure the USB drive is working by testing it on a different computer. Check if your USB ports are working. For testing, download another ISO, for example LINUX MINT 64. When finished, open the file, open Boot folder and EFI. Delete everything in it and place the bootia32.efi inside it. Use Unetbootin again to make a bootable USB (use another one formatted 32 fat). Switch off Lenovo and start from the recovery button (the little button next to the battery led). This system will work but it’s too big for the Ideapad and there is no support for the Audio so it’s only for testing. If everything works fine then you will have to re-download Lubuntu 18.04.1 (make sure it’s not 18.04.2) from the official site and repeat the process with Linuxium. Let me know how it goes.
This is very unusual but your USB may be corrupt (it happens). Try another USB and see what happens.
i don’t understand step h of the Windows tutorial. What do you do after you boot into the USB? Please reply fast. Thank you, Adonys.
You have to go back to point 1 (INSTRUCTIONS FOR LINUX OR UBUNTU) and follow the instructions from there.
I Have the same question if I start the procedure by Windows: “I have to go back to point 1”, but which point until?
thanks!!!
You are welcome! I’m glad it helped you.