How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

2005-08-26T15:25:52Z

81.210.120.198: /* Adding the custom image */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#efefef; align:right;">
This page describes how to replace the standard IBM BIOS Bootsplash (The one with the ThinkPad- and Pentium M-Logo), without access to Microsoft Windows or a floppy drive.

Windows users who want to have a custom splash image when they start up should try [[How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen (under Windows) | this guide]] instead.
</div>
|}
== Getting the Files ==
You'll need the bios upgrade file from the IBM website.

=== Method 1: Using a Non-Diskette-File and cabextract ===

For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28us.exe 1ruj28us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29us.exe 1ruj29us.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe 1ruj30us.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''
There may be a more recent file on the IBM website.

You need the cabextract tool to extract files from the exe:
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install cabextract}}

Do this to get the ibm file and extract the disk image from it:
:{{cmdroot|cd /tmp}}
:{{cmdroot|wget ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|cabextract -F *.IMG 1ruj30us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|mv 1RUJ30US.IMG floppy.bin}}

=== Method 2: Using a Diskette-File and dosemu ===
Another option is to use the "Diskette BIOS file".<br>
For ThinkPads {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}} (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), {{R52}}, {{T40}}, {{T40p}}, {{T41}}, {{T41p}}, {{T42}}, {{T42p}}, {{T43}}, {{T43p}} this file is suitable:
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28ud.exe 1ruj28ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29ud.exe 1ruj29ud.exe]
* [ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30ud.exe 1ruj30ud.exe] Released 2005-05-26 '''NEW!'''

The file is an OS/2 executables and don't run with wine, so you need to install dosemu to run it and create the image.<br>
:{{cmdroot|apt-get install dosemu dosemu-freedos}}
(for non-debian-users: Get dosemu and freedos somewhere and make it work somehow).

With dosemu, you can run this executable, but this program unfortunately
needs a floppy drive to write to. So use the loopback device, to create a virtual floppy.
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/floppy.bin bs=1024 count=1440}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup /dev/loop0 /tmp/floppy.bin}}
Put this block device ({{path|/dev/loop0}}) into the dosemu configuration as the floppy disk device.
Now you can run the extractor executable, which makes {{path|/tmp/floppy.bin}} the desired floppy image.
:{{cmdroot|dosemu 1ruj27ud.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|losetup -d /dev/loop0}}

== Adding the custom image ==
Mount your floppy.bin as a loopback device.
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -o loop,umask=000 /tmp/floppy.bin /tmp/mnt}}
Create a 16 color 640x480 BMP (4 Bit/pixel) (for example with Gimp) and save it to {{path|/tmp/mnt/logo.bmp}}.
You could use this tux image ([http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.BMP logo.bmp], [http://www.thinkwiki.org/files/LOGO.MOD logo.mod]) for example.<br />
Now prepare the image with <tt>prepare.exe</tt> using wine: (This does not work with dosemu!)
:{{cmdroot|wine prepare.exe logo.scr}}
Now there should be a new {{path|logo.mod}} and your {{path|logo.bmp}}. If so, you are set, don't forget to unmount your loopback device:
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mnt}}

== Fake a floppy ==
Now you need to put the image on a floppy and boot from it. Since recent Thinkpads don't have a
floppy drive, we can use a CD-R (or a CD-RW, actually, for the cheap ones, like me) and burn it with the following command:
:{{cmdroot|1=mkisofs -b floppy.bin floppy.bin <nowiki>|</nowiki> cdrecord dev=<device> -}}
(<tt><device></tt> being your cd writer device)

== The exciting part ==
After this worked, reboot your Thinkpad from the cdrom by pressing F12 while booting
and wait for the IBM tool to start.
Be sure to have your Thinkpad on AC power and say ''Yes'' to the questions the BIOS Upgrade Tool asks.
It will then flash the BIOS, which will take about a minute.

Suddenly the laptop turns itself off with two beeps.
When booting, you'll have your bootsplash picture.

Unfortunately, you won't see it really long, but it's better
than the standard one, so it was worth the action.

Have fun!

How to make APM work

2005-08-26T13:48:37Z

81.210.120.198: /* General */

==General==
You need to enable the APM Power Management support in the kernel and install the [[apmd]] to handle the events triggered by the kernel driver.
The configuration for what to do at the different events is done in the proxy script which is usually found in {{path|/etc/apmd_proxy}}.
See {{cmd|man apmd}} for further information on this.

If both ACPI and APM are enabled in your kernel, ACPI will override APM on boot if an ACPI capable BIOS is detected. To keep it from doing so add {{bootparm|acpi|off}} to your [[kernel parameters]].

Beware that different kernels and distributions will provide different results. Mandrake has been better than Redhat, Fedora, and Debian generally with e.g. T20, 600X and 240X in providing sleep but no blank or hibernation with 2.4 and 2.6 kernels. Debian Sarge with 2.4 kernels also. On a RH9 distribution you can be successful using a MDK kernel.

Note:
On 600X (using kernel 2.6.12.5) APM suspend and hibernate functions won't work if floppy disk driver is not running (must be compiled into kernel or modprobe'd - even if your FDD is not connected). Running {{cmd|apm --suspend}} will return Input/Output Error.
After enabling the floppy's driver suspend and hibernate functions are running fine.

==Screen blanking (Standby)==
A {{cmdroot|apm -S}} will standby the machine. {{key|Fn}}{{key|F3}} should result in the same thing.

==Suspend to RAM (Sleep)==
A {{cmdroot|apm -s}} will suspend the machine. {{key|Fn}}{{key|F4}} should do the same thing.

==Suspend to disk (Hibernate)==
The Phoenix BIOS allows you three ways to hibernate with APM:
*using a special partition
*using a hibernation file on a dos type partition
*using [http://developer.berlios.de/projects/softwaresuspend/ SoftwareSuspend2]

===using a hibernation partition===
The partition to be used for hibernation must be a primary partition that is at least as big as your laptop's memory including its video ram. First set the partition type of this partition to a0 (IBM Thinkpad hibernation) with fdisk, and then use [[tphdisk]] to write a hibernation file directly to this partition.

Only follow these instructions, if you understand them. You will overwrite a partition on your hard disk and might lose valuable data - consider yourself warned. For example, assume that {{path|/dev/hda2}} is the partition that is to be converted to a hibernation partition.<br />
#Become root and type {{cmdroot|/sbin/fdisk /dev/hda}}.<br />
#At the fdisk prompt type {{key|t}} to change the partition type, then type {{key|2}} (or the number of the partition that's supposed to be the hibernation partition) to indicate that you want to change the type of partition 2, and then enter the partition type: a0.<br />
#Now type {{key|w}} to write the partition table back to disk and exit.<br />
#After that use [[tphdisk]] to initialize the hibernation partition. First estimate the size of your laptop's memory (main and video). For the sake of this example, let us assume that the main memory is 1024 MB and the video card has 128 MB of memory. Then the command {{cmdroot|tphdisk 1152 > /dev/hda2}} will properly initialize the hibernation partition. Note that this will only work if the partition is big enough.<br />
#After a reboot, {{key|Fn}}{{key|F12}} will work as expected.

I have successfully used this method on a T41 (2373GEU) that runs Fedora Core 3.

In case you have a floppy drive you can also use the [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4PESMK IBMs Standalone Hibernation Utility Diskette II] to create the hibernation partition.<br />
Or you can use [http://www-public.tu-bs.de:8080/~y0015821/hibernation-util-boot.iso this bootable CD image] if you don't.

===using a hibernation file on a dos partition===
The partition to put the file on must be a dos or vfat partition. Fat32 formatted partitions have been reported successful as well as Fat16 formatted ones. The file is either created with phdisk.exe, if you happen to have a floppy drive and a bootable dos floppy disk that you can start it from.
Under Linux [[tphdisk]] will do this job for you.

If you have 512MB or more of RAM installed, you will need to use a FAT32 partition, due to file-size limits in FAT16.

There have been varying reports of success or lack thereof using [[tphdisk]]; see [[APM setup on a type 2379 Thinkpad T40]] for workarounds and notes on required BIOS version, if [[tphdisk]] doesn't do the trick.

===using SoftwareSuspend2===
ToDo...

==External Sources==
*[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4PESMK IBMs Standalone Hibernation Utility Diskette II]

==ThinkPads on which using APM is recommended==
*ThinkPad {{220}}, {{230}}, {{235}}, {{240}}, {{240X}}
*ThinkPad {{300}}, {{300C}}
*ThinkPad {{310}}, {{310D}}, {{310E}}, {{310ED}}
*ThinkPad {{340}}, {{340CSE}}
*ThinkPad {{345C}}, {{345CS}}
*ThinkPad {{350}}, {{350C}}
*ThinkPad {{355}}, {{355C}}, {{355Cs}}
*ThinkPad {{360}}, {{360C}}, {{360CE}}, {{360CSE}}, {{360Cs}}, {{360P}}, {{360PE}}
*ThinkPad {{365C}}, {{365CD}}, {{365CS}}, {{365CSD}}, {{365E}}, {{365ED}}, {{365X}}, {{365XD}}
*ThinkPad {{370C}}
*ThinkPad {{380}}, {{380D}}, {{380E}}, {{380ED}}, {{380XD}}, {{380Z}}
*ThinkPad {{385D}}, {{385ED}}, {{385XD}}
*ThinkPad {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}}
*ThinkPad {{500}}, {{510Cs}}
*ThinkPad {{560}}, {{560E}}, {{560X}}, {{560Z}}
*ThinkPad {{570}}, {{570E}}
*ThinkPad {{600}}, {{600D}}, {{600E}}, {{600X}}
*ThinkPad {{700}}, {{700C}}, {{700T}}, {{701C}}, {{701CS}}
*ThinkPad {{710T}}
*ThinkPad {{720}}, {{720C}}
*ThinkPad {{730T}}, {{730TE}}
*ThinkPad {{750}}, {{750C}}, {{750Cs}}, {{750P}}
*ThinkPad {{755C}}, {{755CD}}, {{755CDV}}, {{755CE}}, {{755CSE}}, {{755CV}}, {{755CX}}, {{755Cs}}
*ThinkPad {{760C}}, {{760CD}}, {{760E}}, {{760ED}}, {{760EL}}, {{760ELD}}, {{760L}}, {{760LD}}, {{760XD}}, {{760XL}}
*ThinkPad {{765D}}, {{765L}}
*ThinkPad {{770}}, {{770D}}, {{770E}}, {{770ED}}

ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

How to make APM work