ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

Buyers Guide

2007-06-05T19:51:10Z

Andersolsson: /* Build it yourself and save money */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is dedicated to hints about buying used or new ThinkPad models. You can find notes about typical weaknesses of used ThinkPads here and other things you should care about when choosing a ThinkPad and where to buy it.
|}
==Build it yourself and save money==
Lenovo offers more flexibility than any other major manufacturer of laptop computers, at least that I know of. Their "configure-to-order" (CTO) offerings let you build the computer you want, without paying for anything you don't want. The basic CTO includes the mainboard and CPU, but no RAM, disk, mini-PCI cards, software, or other add-ons. You can even get a laptop in a CTO configuration.

I built my {{X32}} notebook with 1GB RAM, 60GB 5400RPM hard drive, USB DVD-ROM CD-RW drive, and 802.11a/b/g mini-PCI for a grand total of US$1,206, including tax and shipping.

Start with the complete list of [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_product_list.cfm products]. Look for items that end with "CTO" or "Custom." Choose the chassis you want. Then add whatever [http://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/Upgrades.html upgrades] you need that only Lenovo offers (such as WiFi). Fill in the rest of the components from other, less expensive vendors.

Update: you cant do this nowadays. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you cant do it online. You might have to 'con' a sales agent.

Response to update: I did not need to con anyone. I just ordered the CTO chassis and the parts I needed from their website. I placed the order on August 18, 2005 and received all the shipments by August 26, 2005.

Comment from visitor: [https://www-03.ibm.com/lenovo/shop/personalpages/public/public/products/dsp_feature_product.cfm?display=main&cat_id=24 Try this page]. You can at least get a Z60 with the titanium cover in a more stripped down model than is otherwise available.

Special prices: You can get a laptop from Lenovo for special price if you are a student, alumni, researcher
or something like that. You need to go to education -> computers for home -> students (or such), and
now click on "My Account" to create a new account. Perhaps there is another way, but you must end up with a student
account. Then you get around 5% off the web price.

You can also buy a Lenovo thinkpad pre-configured with Linux from [http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux-laptop-lctp60.html here]

== Special deals for certain customer groups ==
IBM makes huge discounts to students and teachers:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:left;"
! country !! shops & target groups
|-
| Austria ||
* [http://www.studentline.at/ Studentline.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.notebook4u.at/ notebook4u.at] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.abax.at/academic/ ABAX] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
* [http://www.bostelmann.com/ Computer Bostelmann] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| France ||
*[http://www.ibm.com/easyaccess/education IBM education homepage]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Germany ||
*[http://www.notebooksbilliger.de notebooksbilliger.de] (pupils, students)
*[http://www.lapstars.de lapstars.de] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.ok1.de ok1] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.campusrabatt.de/index.php ADD Datensysteme: CampusRabatt] (students, university staff, pupils and teachers)
*[http://www.pro-com.org pro-com Datensysteme]:
**[http://www.pro-com.org/b2b pro-com b2b] (businesses)
**[http://www.nofost.de/ NOFOST] (students & university staff)
**[http://www.no4ed.de/ NOFOED] (pupils & teachers)
**[http://www.nofoch.de/ NOFOCH] (clinics and medical institutions and their staff)
**[http://www.pro-com.org/lf pro-com luf] (universities, schools & other educational and research institutes)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| Switzerland ||
*[http://www.rabais-etudiant.ch/ Rabais-Etudiant] (students, teachers, schools)
*[http://www.studentenrabatt.ch/ Studentenrabatt] (students, teachers, schools)
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| United States ||
* [http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/education/ Education] (K-12 and Higher Education)
* [http://www.dealmine.com/search_by_product.php?s=thinkpad Comparison shop] at DealMine.com to find Thinkpad and membership discounts [http://www.dealmine.com/deals_from/Union_Plus/23 AFL-CIO/AFT] matched up at various stores

|}

== Buying FRUs ==

You can buy single components, called, FRU (Field Replacement Unit), directly from Lenovo.

* US orders: https://www-132.ibm.com/content/home/store_IBMPublicUSA/en_US/parts/parts_r.html
* Other countries: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-50278&sitestyle=lenovo

To find the right FRU, you can look up your model's part lists here:
* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=TPAD-FRU Service parts list index - ThinkPad General]

== Official list of linux certified computers ==

* A [http://www.lenovo.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-48NT8D.html list] of completed Linuxâ„¢ certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

== Buying on eBay ==
* Many sellers do not know exactly what they have. Get the full 7-digit machine type if at all possible. Compare it to the specifications in the *book.pdf series: twbook.pdf, tabook.pdf, tawbook.pdf, etc, to determine actual screen size, original CPU speed, original hard disk, etc.
* You can try getting the serial number as well to check the warranty status at IBMs support pages.
* Check completed auctions carefully to determine going prices for comparable machines.
* Be aware if any port covers are missing. If they are, see if any current auctions are running to check availability.
* If the unit doesn't come with a hard drive, know whether it has the caddy and cover. Make sure that the three passwords are NOT set or that you know the right passwords before you install your hard drive! If you don't: A password can be set into your hard disk automatically, making it a brick - useful for door stopping only!
* Anything with a PIII or later most likely came with a Windows Certificate of Authenticity. Find out whether the listed machine does. Even if you don't want it, it may help resale value when you '''sell''' the machine.
* Read the feedback of the seller on items he has sold, especially electronics, computers and laptops. If meangranny is suddenly selling T43's after three years of lace, stay away.
* If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. There's a reason no one else is bidding on it.

==Long-time Weaknesses of certain models==
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Model !! Issues
|-
| {{390X}} || *models with 15" display are said to have weak display cables that tend to break.
|-
| {{600X}} || Battery problems.
|-
||{{A20p}} || *Base cover corner are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges
|-
||{{A31}} || Several reports of [[Problem with garbled screen]] independent on Operating System
|-
| {{A30}}, {{A30p}}, {{A31}}, {{A31p}} || *seem to have a mechanical design that can cause the motherboard to break. At least there are a significant number of reports of broken motherboards on these models.
|-
| {{T30}} || *had a problem with memory sockets detaching from the system board. IBM replaced these free of charge even after warranties expired.
|-
| {{T20}} || Many models have a problem of gradually dying. Attempting to turn on will only cause a blinking light, and many attempts must be made in order to start the machine. Eventually, the machine is no longer bootable. Cause by faulty onboard transistors building up energy.
|}

Harddrive Upgrade

2007-06-05T19:47:10Z

Andersolsson: Fixed broken url

= Why? =

* More capacity
* Quieter drives
* Faster drives
* To replace a malfunctioning drive

= Options =

[http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/momentus/ Seagate Momentus] 2.5-inch notebook drives are highly recommended.

= Howto =

# Buy the upgrade
# Buy a USB enclosure ~10USD
# Mount upgrade in the USB enclosure
# Boot with a liveCD such as Knoppix or Ubuntu's LiveCD

Normally your hard drive would be /dev/hda and your external USB hard drive upgrade should be /dev/sda. Check with `dmesg` if this is the case. There is [http://thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_copy_a_Linux_installation several different irksome ways to migrate your data to the upgrade.] I've performed the `cat` method:

cat /dev/hda > /dev/sda

This can take as much as an entire day to perform, depending on the size of your original hard drive. You can work out how long it takes if you know the USB throughput.

And then resize the partition with the tool `parted`. This takes far less time thankfully, 30 minutes in my case.

Now the tricky part, [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-42410 taking your hard drive out and replacing it with the upgrade.]

# Shutdown the machine, disconnect from the mains and take out the battery.
# Take the upgrade out the USB enclosure. In my case my upgrade got stuck in the USB enclosure. Be wary of these types of awful situations!
# With a good Philips screw driver remove the hard drive. Refer to [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-42410 IBM's documentation how to do this.] My tips are to have the lid open when performing this. The hard drive is mounted typically just above your audio jacks.
# The side panel covering on the hard drive mount clips off and now mounting the new upgrade should be straight forward.
# You need to put the b(l)ack panel back on the mount, otherwise it is very difficult to get the hard drive out of Thinkpad's enclosure.
# Once the swap is complete you should be able to boot into your new hard drive. Thinkpads typically automagically detect the hard drive so, that's it!

= Source=

* http://natalian.org/archives/2006/02/03/dreading-the-upgrade/

Harddrive Upgrade

2007-06-05T19:43:34Z

Andersolsson: /* Howto */

= Why? =

* More capacity
* Quieter drives
* Faster drives
* To replace a malfunctioning drive

= Options =

[http://www.seagate.com/products/discfamily/momentus/ Seagate Momentus] 2.5-inch notebook drives are highly recommended.

= Howto =

# Buy the upgrade
# Buy a USB enclosure ~10USD
# Mount upgrade in the USB enclosure
# Boot with a liveCD such as Knoppix or Ubuntu's LiveCD

Normally your hard drive would be /dev/hda and your external USB hard drive upgrade should be /dev/sda. Check with `dmesg` if this is the case. There is [http://thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_copy_a_Linux_installation several different irksome ways to migrate your data to the upgrade.] I've performed the `cat` method:

cat /dev/hda > /dev/sda

This can take as much as an entire day to perform, depending on the size of your original hard drive. You can work out how long it takes if you know the USB throughput.

And then resize the partition with the tool `parted`. This takes far less time thankfully, 30 minutes in my case.

Now the tricky part, [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-42410 taking your hard drive out and replacing it with the upgrade.]

# Shutdown the machine, disconnect from the mains and take out the battery.
# Take the upgrade out the USB enclosure. In my case my upgrade got stuck in the USB enclosure. Be wary of these types of awful situations!
# With a good Philips screw driver remove the hard drive. Refer to [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-42410 IBM's documentation how to do this.] My tips are to have the lid open when performing this. The hard drive is mounted typically just above your audio jacks.
# The side panel covering on the hard drive mount clips off and now mounting the new upgrade should be straight forward.
# You need to put the b(l)ack panel back on the mount, otherwise it is very difficult to get the hard drive out of Thinkpad's enclosure.
# Once the swap is complete you should be able to boot into your new hard drive. Thinkpads typically automagically detect the hard drive so, that's it!

= Source=

* http://natalian.org/archives/2006/02/03/dreading-the-upgrade/

Problem with key and trackpoint markings on the display

2006-05-28T11:38:38Z

Andersolsson: Note on protective films

==Problem Description==
You may discover markings on your display that match the positions of the [[TrackPoint]] or/and some of the keys.

This is a known phenomena that is caused by the display having contact with the TrackPoint or keyboard. The input elements of your ThinkPad gather oil from your fingers. When you carry your ThinkPad around with the display closed, i.e. in a bag, it is very likely and normal, that the display is exposed to small amounts of pressure. Since the space between display panel and keyboard is very tiny, it can happen that they have contact. In that case, parts of the oil on your keys and TrackPoint are transferred to the display. If this happens often, you get harder to remove markings on the display.

==Affected Models==
*all models except TransNote

==Solutions==
===Prevention===
You can avoid getting these markings by putting a very thin layer of textile or paper between your keyboard and the display before closing it. Take care that the layer you put in between is thin enough to not put pressure on the display panel.

Another option is to use a transparent LCD protection film that attaches to the screen. These can be found from around $10. They won't prevent the markings from appearing but they will appear on the film and not the screen itself so you can just replace the film to get rid of them, and you don't need to insert and remove a sheet of textile or papaer each time you open and close the laptop. On the downside, a protective film may affect the visual quality of the screen.

===Removal===
*Wipe the display gently with a soft patch of dry, lint-free textile. Make sure the textile is clean, since hard particles of dirt will cause scratches.
*If the markings are too resistant, moisten the textile with LCD-Cleaner. If you don't have LCD-Cleaner, water is ok, as well, but don't wetten the textile, you don't want any liquid to drop or flow into the casing. Remember to wipe the display dry afterwards.
*If the markings still resist, DON'T increase the pressure, but be patient and wipe longer. Switching between moist and dry wiping might help as well.

==External Sources==
*[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-4A2P54 IBMs LCD care and cleaning instructions]

Talk:BIOS Upgrade

2006-02-21T21:53:19Z

Andersolsson: /* Upgrading BIOS and Embedded Control Program from Win XP */ - Added comment

== BIOS upgrade without battery ==

Concerning the known problem with 600 series with batteries dead too soon, it is impossible to upgrade the bios without the battery because the original ibm update program doesn't allow this. I bought an old 600E without the battery. There was one workaround, but i think for the older releases of the bios, where you just extracted files and upgraded manualy, bypassing the ibm install program. The page that describes this (i lost the link) has a list of different files, that the ones found in current release so i never did figure out what to do? I would like to upgrade because i have really old bios, where ACPI doesn't cooperate so well with the operating system, either windows or linux.

If somebody finds a workaround please help. Thanks

== Bios upgrade & hidden partition ==

I have disabled the hidden partition to make more space for linux (24G). I still have Windows on the 14G partition. Is it safe to upgrade the BIOS without the hidden partition? I want to get a newer BIOS to fix the annoying fan issue. Thanks

- yes don't worry about it. bios upgrades have nothing to do with whats inside the harddrive.

== BIOS upgrade over PXE ==

Hi,

I have a Thinkpad X20 with a very early BIOS and Embedded Controller Program which I'd like to update. Currently, the only feasible way of doing this is over the network using PXE. I already have a fully functional PXE server using SYSLINUX, and have so far been able to boot the BIOS diskette image using MEMDISK, although I have not attempted to flash anything yet due to the warnings given on the page. Is there any safe way I can update both the Controller Program and the BIOS in the same session over the network in this manner? If not, what other methods would be suitable? I have a USB CD-ROM drive and could probably get hold of a USB floppy drive.

Thanks.

Update: I ended up burning CDs as described and successfully updated everything. I'd still like to know if there is a way I could do it entirely over the network, though.

== RE: grub initrd ==

"Another possibility which works even without a CD-drive or network is to boot the disk image via the grub initrd mechanism."

0) Interesting suggestion. Might be better of in its own section.

1) Could you please elaborate?

2) My first guess (pending your elaboration) would be to "chainload" the first block of the diskimage using the grub commandline, like:
blocklist (''path'')/''to''/''diskimage''
chainloader ''blockvalue''+1

But that's just a guess!

[[user:Pebolle|Paul Bolle]] Fri Jul 15 12:20:47 CEST 2005

== bios/controller update sequence ==

The article says:
"If you go through the readme's on the IBM site they'll cleary state that you must update the Control Program first, then imediately update the BIOS"

When I look at the IBM udpate instructions for the T23, it says:
"If you need to update the BIOS as well as the Embedded Controller Program, update the BIOS first."

Comments?

> I would first contact IBM for clarification, but you should probably be following instructions specific to your model.

>> I did it following IBM's instructions to upgrade the BIOS first. Everything worked out great!

== Firmware upgrade for Intel minipci combo card ==

I just purchased an [[Intel 10/100 Ethernet Mini-PCI Adapter with 56K Modem]] that has an ancient (2.0.6) firmware version. I Downloaded the update file intlbtag.EXE but cabextract was unable to find any cabfiles inside it. I tried running the program via wine and that didn't work either.

Finally I ran the program on a windows machine and created a boot floppy. Then I went through the the process of converting the floppy to a bootable cd via linux and that worked like a charm. The cd successfully updated the minipc card's firmware.

Everything worked but I ended up needing a windows box to do it. Could this have been done without windows?

== Firmware upgrade for Wireless LAN MiniPCI COMBO Card using prism2_srec ==

The appropriate firmware installation program for the wlan card in my R32 can be extracted using cabextract as described in the article. It contains (besides some installation programs) a disk image (1awg06ww.IMG) that seems to be a simple dos boot disk. This image contains 3 .hex files (id010001.hex, pk010100.hex, sf010402.hex) that are recognized by prism2_srec to be "srec"-files. Trying to load them to RAM yields:

{{cmdroot|prism2_srec -v -r wlan0 sf010402.hex}}
S3 CRC-16 generation record: start=0x007E1800 len=65642 prog=1
Start address 0x00000000
srec summary for sf010402.hex
Component: 0x001f 1.4.2 (station firmware)
<snip>
Interface compatibility information:
role=Supplier variant=2 range=1-9 iface=Station Firmware-Driver (4)
role=Actor variant=1 range=1-1 iface=Modem-Firmware (1)
role=Actor variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
role=Actor variant=1 range=4-4 iface=Primary Firmware-Driver (3)
<snip>
Wireless LAN card information:
Components:
NICID: 0x8013 v1.0.0
PRIID: 0x0015 v1.0.7
STAID: 0x001f v1.3.6
Interface compatibility information:
PRI role=Supplier variant=1 range=1-1 iface=Modem-Firmware (1)
PRI role=Supplier variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
PRI role=Supplier variant=1 range=4-4 iface=Primary Firmware-Driver (3)
STA role=Supplier variant=1 range=1-9 iface=Station Firmware-Driver (4)
PRI role=Actor variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
STA role=Actor variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
STA role=Actor variant=1 range=1-1 iface=Modem-Firmware (1)
<snip>
This image is not meant to be downloaded to volatile memory.
Incompatible update data.

Has anyone tried to flash this device using prism2_srec yet?
What bothers me is, that the upgrade is for many different parts of the combo card. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this could work?

OK, I took the risk and successfully upgraded my station firmware, BUT when I tried to upgrade the primary firmware the system froze!!! The thinkpad won't start up with the miniPCI card inserted and all efforts to reflash it using the original DOS boot image failed!!!

I'm quite sure the system freeze was not caused directly by prism2_srec, because I have noticed rare system freezes since I have been using my PCMCIA wireless card.
Anyway, if anyone should own a TP R32, I'd be glad if he could tell me the base address of the Wlan card, or it's PCI address.

Thinkpad r32 owner here. I want to upgrade the firmware as well. If you need any information just send an email to haftbar[a]gmail.com [[User:Quickie|Quickie]] 02:12, 1 February 2006 (CET)

==Reorganization suggestion==
The Downloads section is rather long. Would it be an idea to put it on a separate, new page (say: BIOS_Downloads) and link to that new page from this page?

[[User:Pebolle|Paul Bolle]] 21:27, 15 Oct 2005 (CEST)

> I agree with this suggestion.

== Upgrading BIOS and Embedded Control Program from Win XP ==

I'm trying to upgrade the BIOS and Embedded Controller Program from Windows XP following the instructions on the Lenovo website. The problem is the instructions are not very clear about this. The instructions basically state that I must upgrade them at the same time because the Control Program does not work with the older BIOS and the BIOS does not work with the older Control Program. They also state that I should upgrade the Control Program first.

But that means I must boot into XP after having upgraded the Control Program but with the older BIOS in order to then update the BIOS. But if this works then they are actually compatible and there's a contradiction. Am I missing something? I just want to make sure I don't end up with a non-functioning unit.

I have an X23 and want the latest BIOS (v 1.32) and Control Program (v 1.30).

Maybe there should be a note about this in the article? Or maybe I'm the only one who is this stupid :)

Update: I talked to Lenovo support. The situation apparently is that though the description says that the newer control program is not compatible with the older BIOS, they are not so incompatible as to cause the machine to stop working so it is actually possible to use incompatible versions of BIOS and control program. In fact according to the support person it makes no difference if the BIOS is upgraded before the control program or vice versa. So I upgraded the control program using the executable running in Windows XP, which rebooted the computer to perform the upgrade and then I booted Windows again to upgrade the BIOS in the same manner and it all worked fine. If anyone reading this finds it useful maybe you can put it in the article? Or if you find it superfluous just delete this section.

Talk:BIOS Upgrade

2006-02-18T15:53:46Z

Andersolsson:

Talk:BIOS Upgrade

2006-02-18T15:50:46Z

Andersolsson: Upgrading BIOS and Embedded Control Program from Win XP

== BIOS upgrade without battery ==

Concerning the known problem with 600 series with batteries dead too soon, it is impossible to upgrade the bios without the battery because the original ibm update program doesn't allow this. I bought an old 600E without the battery. There was one workaround, but i think for the older releases of the bios, where you just extracted files and upgraded manualy, bypassing the ibm install program. The page that describes this (i lost the link) has a list of different files, that the ones found in current release so i never did figure out what to do? I would like to upgrade because i have really old bios, where ACPI doesn't cooperate so well with the operating system, either windows or linux.

If somebody finds a workaround please help. Thanks

== Bios upgrade & hidden partition ==

I have disabled the hidden partition to make more space for linux (24G). I still have Windows on the 14G partition. Is it safe to upgrade the BIOS without the hidden partition? I want to get a newer BIOS to fix the annoying fan issue. Thanks

- yes don't worry about it. bios upgrades have nothing to do with whats inside the harddrive.

== BIOS upgrade over PXE ==

Hi,

I have a Thinkpad X20 with a very early BIOS and Embedded Controller Program which I'd like to update. Currently, the only feasible way of doing this is over the network using PXE. I already have a fully functional PXE server using SYSLINUX, and have so far been able to boot the BIOS diskette image using MEMDISK, although I have not attempted to flash anything yet due to the warnings given on the page. Is there any safe way I can update both the Controller Program and the BIOS in the same session over the network in this manner? If not, what other methods would be suitable? I have a USB CD-ROM drive and could probably get hold of a USB floppy drive.

Thanks.

Update: I ended up burning CDs as described and successfully updated everything. I'd still like to know if there is a way I could do it entirely over the network, though.

== RE: grub initrd ==

"Another possibility which works even without a CD-drive or network is to boot the disk image via the grub initrd mechanism."

0) Interesting suggestion. Might be better of in its own section.

1) Could you please elaborate?

2) My first guess (pending your elaboration) would be to "chainload" the first block of the diskimage using the grub commandline, like:
blocklist (''path'')/''to''/''diskimage''
chainloader ''blockvalue''+1

But that's just a guess!

[[user:Pebolle|Paul Bolle]] Fri Jul 15 12:20:47 CEST 2005

== bios/controller update sequence ==

The article says:
"If you go through the readme's on the IBM site they'll cleary state that you must update the Control Program first, then imediately update the BIOS"

When I look at the IBM udpate instructions for the T23, it says:
"If you need to update the BIOS as well as the Embedded Controller Program, update the BIOS first."

Comments?

> I would first contact IBM for clarification, but you should probably be following instructions specific to your model.

>> I did it following IBM's instructions to upgrade the BIOS first. Everything worked out great!

== Firmware upgrade for Intel minipci combo card ==

I just purchased an [[Intel 10/100 Ethernet Mini-PCI Adapter with 56K Modem]] that has an ancient (2.0.6) firmware version. I Downloaded the update file intlbtag.EXE but cabextract was unable to find any cabfiles inside it. I tried running the program via wine and that didn't work either.

Finally I ran the program on a windows machine and created a boot floppy. Then I went through the the process of converting the floppy to a bootable cd via linux and that worked like a charm. The cd successfully updated the minipc card's firmware.

Everything worked but I ended up needing a windows box to do it. Could this have been done without windows?

== Firmware upgrade for Wireless LAN MiniPCI COMBO Card using prism2_srec ==

The appropriate firmware installation program for the wlan card in my R32 can be extracted using cabextract as described in the article. It contains (besides some installation programs) a disk image (1awg06ww.IMG) that seems to be a simple dos boot disk. This image contains 3 .hex files (id010001.hex, pk010100.hex, sf010402.hex) that are recognized by prism2_srec to be "srec"-files. Trying to load them to RAM yields:

{{cmdroot|prism2_srec -v -r wlan0 sf010402.hex}}
S3 CRC-16 generation record: start=0x007E1800 len=65642 prog=1
Start address 0x00000000
srec summary for sf010402.hex
Component: 0x001f 1.4.2 (station firmware)
<snip>
Interface compatibility information:
role=Supplier variant=2 range=1-9 iface=Station Firmware-Driver (4)
role=Actor variant=1 range=1-1 iface=Modem-Firmware (1)
role=Actor variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
role=Actor variant=1 range=4-4 iface=Primary Firmware-Driver (3)
<snip>
Wireless LAN card information:
Components:
NICID: 0x8013 v1.0.0
PRIID: 0x0015 v1.0.7
STAID: 0x001f v1.3.6
Interface compatibility information:
PRI role=Supplier variant=1 range=1-1 iface=Modem-Firmware (1)
PRI role=Supplier variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
PRI role=Supplier variant=1 range=4-4 iface=Primary Firmware-Driver (3)
STA role=Supplier variant=1 range=1-9 iface=Station Firmware-Driver (4)
PRI role=Actor variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
STA role=Actor variant=2 range=1-1 iface=Controller-Firmware (2)
STA role=Actor variant=1 range=1-1 iface=Modem-Firmware (1)
<snip>
This image is not meant to be downloaded to volatile memory.
Incompatible update data.

Has anyone tried to flash this device using prism2_srec yet?
What bothers me is, that the upgrade is for many different parts of the combo card. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this could work?

OK, I took the risk and successfully upgraded my station firmware, BUT when I tried to upgrade the primary firmware the system froze!!! The thinkpad won't start up with the miniPCI card inserted and all efforts to reflash it using the original DOS boot image failed!!!

I'm quite sure the system freeze was not caused directly by prism2_srec, because I have noticed rare system freezes since I have been using my PCMCIA wireless card.
Anyway, if anyone should own a TP R32, I'd be glad if he could tell me the base address of the Wlan card, or it's PCI address.

Thinkpad r32 owner here. I want to upgrade the firmware as well. If you need any information just send an email to haftbar[a]gmail.com [[User:Quickie|Quickie]] 02:12, 1 February 2006 (CET)

==Reorganization suggestion==
The Downloads section is rather long. Would it be an idea to put it on a separate, new page (say: BIOS_Downloads) and link to that new page from this page?

[[User:Pebolle|Paul Bolle]] 21:27, 15 Oct 2005 (CEST)

> I agree with this suggestion.

== Upgrading BIOS and Embedded Control Program from Win XP ==

I'm trying to upgrade the BIOS and Embedded Controller Program from Windows XP following the instructions on the Lenovo website. The problem is the instructions are not very clear about this. The instructions basically state that I must upgrade them at the same time because the Control Program does not work with the older BIOS and the BIOS does not work with the older Control Program. They also state that I should upgrade the Control Program first.

But that means I must boot into XP after having upgraded the Control Program but with the older BIOS in order to then update the BIOS. But if this works then they are actually compatible and there's a contradiction. Am I missing something? I just want to make sure I don't end up with a non-functioning unit.

I have an X23 and want the latest BIOS (v 1.32) and Control Program (v 1.30).

Maybe there should be a note about this in the article? Or maybe I'm the only one who is this stupid :)

== Upgrading BIOS and Embedded Control Program from Win XP ==

I'm trying to upgrade the BIOS and Embedded Controller Program from Windows XP following the instructions on the Lenovo website. The problem is the instructions are not very clear about this. The instructions basically state that I must upgrade them at the same time because the Control Program does not work with the older BIOS and the BIOS does not work with the older Control Program. They also state that I should upgrade the Control Program first.

But that means I must boot into XP after having upgraded the Control Program but with the older BIOS in order to then update the BIOS. But if this works then they are actually compatible and there's a contradiction. Am I missing something? I just want to make sure I don't end up with a non-functioning unit.

I have an X23 and want the latest BIOS (v 1.32) and Control Program (v 1.30).

Maybe there should be a note about this in the article? Or maybe I'm the only one who is this stupid :)

Talk:BIOS Upgrade

2006-02-18T15:50:03Z

Andersolsson: Upgrading BIOS and Embedded Control Program from Win XP

Installation

2006-02-11T11:37:40Z

Andersolsson: Spelling - Operation Systems - operating systems

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
Here you will find specific information on how to install different operating systems on your ThinkPad.
|}

==General installation instructions==
*[[Pre-Installation steps]]
*[[Installation on ThinkPads without CD-ROM drive]]
*[[How to setup boot loaders]]
*[[Supported Boot Devices]]

==Installation instructions for specific ThinkPads==
{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1"
|- style="text-align:left;"
!Numbered!!A series!!G series!!R series!!S series!!T series!!X series!!Z series!!others
|- style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;"
|
'''{{ThinkPad|220|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|230|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|240|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|340|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|350|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|360|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|365|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|370|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|380|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|385|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|390|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|500|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|560|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|570|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|600|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|700|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|701|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|750|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|755|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|760|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|765|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|770|Installation instructions for the}}'''
||
'''{{ThinkPad|A20m|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A20p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A21e|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A21m|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A21p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A22e|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A22m|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A22p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A30|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A30p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A31|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|A31p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

||
'''{{ThinkPad|G40|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|G41|Installation instructions for the}}'''

||
'''{{ThinkPad|R30|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R31|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R32|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R40|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R40e|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R50|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R50p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R50e|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R51|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R51e|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|R52|Installation instructions for the}}'''
||
'''{{ThinkPad|S30|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|S31|Installation instructions for the}}'''
||
'''{{ThinkPad|T20|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T21|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T22|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T23|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T30|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T40|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T40p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T41|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T41p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T42|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T42p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T43|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T43p|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|T60|Installation instructions for the}}'''
||
'''{{ThinkPad|X20|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X21|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X22|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X23|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X24|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X30|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X31|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X32|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X40|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X41|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X41 Tablet|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X60|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|X60s|Installation instructions for the}}'''
||
'''{{ThinkPad|Z60m|Installation instructions for the}}'''

'''{{ThinkPad|Z60t|Installation instructions for the}}'''
||
'''[[Installation instructions for the RS/6000 Notebook 860|RS/6000 Notebook 860]]'''[[Category:860]]

'''[[Installation instructions for the PC110|PC110]]'''[[Category:PC110]]

'''{{ThinkPad|TransNote|Installation instructions for the}}'''
|}

==External Sources==
*[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=ibm&lndocid=MIGR-48NT8D IBMs Linux on Personal Systems page]
*[http://www.linux-laptop.net Linux on Laptops] features a [http://www.linux-laptop.net/ibm.html list of installation guides for IBM Notebooks]
*[http://tuxmobil.org/ TuxMobil] also features a [http://tuxmobil.org/ibm.html list of installation guides for IBM Notebooks]