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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →CSM (Compatibility Support Module) lets compatible Lenovo firmware boot legacy operating systems and use legacy device option ROMs. Enable it only when a specific operating system or boot device requires legacy support: on the Lenovo systems documented here, Secure Boot and CSM cannot be used together. The available settings and menu names vary by model, so check the manual for your exact machine before changing boot mode.
What CSM means in Lenovo BIOS
CSM is a compatibility feature within UEFI firmware. Lenovo describes it as support for legacy operating systems and legacy option ROMs—the firmware code some devices use during startup. It does not mean that every Lenovo computer offers the same controls, or that turning CSM on automatically makes every older device bootable.
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Some Lenovo firmware presents a general CSM Support switch. Other documented firmware also lets administrators choose whether network, storage, video, and other PCI-device option ROMs launch in UEFI mode, Legacy mode, or not at all. Those device policies are separate controls, and their presence depends on the firmware family. See Lenovo’s Legacy BIOS documentation and CSM Configuration documentation.
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Should you enable CSM?
Use legacy support only if you have confirmed that the operating system or a device needed to boot requires it. Possible reasons include an older operating system, a boot device without UEFI support, or an expansion card whose option ROM is available only in legacy form.
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- Check the operating system: Determine whether the installation you need to boot uses UEFI or legacy boot.
- Check the boot device or card: If a device is involved, confirm whether its boot firmware supports UEFI or requires a legacy option ROM.
- Check the security requirement: If Secure Boot must remain enabled, expect legacy CSM support to be unavailable on the Lenovo implementations described below.
- Check your exact machine’s documentation: Verify that its firmware offers the needed setting and identify the model-specific labels before making a change.
CSM is not a general performance improvement or a recommended compatibility upgrade for every Lenovo computer. If your current operating system and boot devices work in UEFI mode, the cited documentation gives no reason to switch to legacy boot.
CSM and Secure Boot
On the Lenovo platforms documented here, enabling Secure Boot disables Legacy BIOS/CSM. Lenovo’s Legacy BIOS page describes the firmware response as: “Legacy BIOS is disabled due to secure boot is enabled.” Lenovo’s ThinkPad L470 user guide also specifies UEFI Only with CSM Support set to No for Secure Boot. These examples support the practical rule that Secure Boot and legacy boot are incompatible on those systems; they do not establish identical wording or controls for every Lenovo model.
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If you need both a legacy-only boot device and Secure Boot, check your system’s official documentation before changing settings. Do not assume that a different menu choice will preserve both functions.
How Lenovo’s settings differ by model
Lenovo’s ThinkPad L470 guide describes three boot modes for that model: Both, UEFI Only, and Legacy Only, along with UEFI/Legacy priority controls. It also says CSM is required to boot a legacy operating system. The guide cautions that BIOS menus and defaults may differ by model and operating system; these labels are not a universal Lenovo menu map. The cited guide is a Slovenian-language edition, so its terminology should be understood as a translation of that model’s documented options.
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A server example is different again. Lenovo’s procedure for the ThinkSystem ST50 Type 7Y48 addresses a specific legacy-boot installation involving an add-on hardware RAID card. It uses CSM and Legacy Only as part of that support procedure, but also includes a UEFI-only configuration step during RAID-card setup. Follow the complete model-specific sequence rather than copying one setting in isolation. See Lenovo’s ST50 RAID-card procedure.
These examples show why a CSM switch, boot-mode selector, and individual option-ROM policies should not be treated as interchangeable. The controls that appear—and their defaults—depend on the firmware and system.
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Before changing boot mode
- Identify the full model or machine type. Use the machine’s product information, then locate its Lenovo user guide or support documentation.
- Confirm what must boot. Establish whether the operating system, boot device, or add-in card needs UEFI or legacy support.
- Decide whether Secure Boot is required. On the cited Lenovo platforms, enabling it disables legacy boot/CSM.
- Follow the exact model’s BIOS instructions. Use that manual for the entry method, menu names, and permitted settings; there is no single key sequence or menu path established for all Lenovo computers by these sources.
- Review the effect before saving. A boot-mode change can remove the boot path your current operating system or device depends on. Save only after confirming the resulting configuration suits the machine.
Lenovo’s AMD server CSM documentation also notes that physical-presence authorization for security-setting changes depends on firmware version on that platform: the requirement applies before UEFI v2.02 and no longer applies from v2.02 onward in the described context. That detail is specific to the documented platform, not a general Lenovo rule.
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