Can I format Windows 8 laptop and install anything I want?

[provoko]

For example Ubuntu or XBMC or even Windows XP/7.

Is it just formatting the disk and I'm good to go?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dantrax]

If you have driver disks for all your hardware you'll be golden. But you'll likely have to hope Win7 can find drivers for your hardware otherwise you'll have to download whatever is missing. I hope you know exactly what's in your laptop. Also you also might want to check that the mobo bios supports your new O/S.

 

[BladeVenom]

Does the laptop have Secure Boot? Can it be turned off? Does the OS you want, have a certificate?

 

[provoko]

Does the laptop have Secure Boot? Can it be turned off? Does the OS you want, have a certificate?

How do I know it has secure boot, is it advertised as a feature or hidden in the manual? Can secure boot be turned off in the BIOS, is that a standard install with all win8 laptops, is it a standard BIOS option, and if not, how do I turn it off?

Thanks.

EDIT, maybe it would be easier to buy a win7 laptop. Wow, WTF Microsoft, this is what we gotta deal with now?

Has no one bought a Windows 8 laptop and formatted it?

 

[heatlesssun]

Has no one bought a Windows 8 laptop and formatted it?

I bought a Windows 8 Clover Trail tablet, a Samsung Ativ 500T. The option to turn off Secure boot is in the BIOS. For x86 devices to receive Windows 8 certification the Secure Boot has to available and it's up to the OEM as to whether of not it can be disabled but as far as I know virtually all consumer devices should allow this.