ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

Known Problems

2011-01-28T03:35:59Z

Demonoid724: /* Misc Problems */

{| width="100%"
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|style="vertical-align:top" |
Information on known problems with certain ThinkPad models.
|}
==Display Problems==
*[[Problem with unusable console | Console unusable]] <tt>(models with savage video chipset: T2x, A22e)</tt>
*[[Problem with Pixel Error | Dead pixels on TFT displays]] <tt>(all models)</tt>
*[[Problem with DVI throughput | DVI throughput on port replicators and docks]] <tt>(models from 2000-2004)</tt>
*[[Problems with fglrx | Problems with ATI proprietary fglrx display driver]] <tt>(ATI Radeon models)</tt>
*[[Problem with garbled screen | Garbled Screen]] <tt>(T40, T41, T42, R32, R40, R50p, R51, A30, A31, A31p)</tt>
*[[Problem with broken inverter | Inverter broken]] <tt>(all models)</tt>
*[[Problem with key and trackpoint markings on the display | Key and Trackpoint markings on display]]
*[https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2187 Radeon 7500 "DynamicClocks" randomly hangs] <tt>(TP T4x, Xorg-X11 bug report)</tt>
*[[Problem with red display shadow | Red shadow on display]] <tt>(TP T41p)</tt>
*[[Problem with red tinted display | Red tinted display]] <tt>(TP 23)</tt>
*[[Problem with black X | Unmovable square black X in X]] <tt>(TP T2x)</tt>
*[[Problem with video related system lockup | System Lockups related to video adapter]] <tt>(TP T2x)</tt>
*[[Problem with video related system lockup II | System Lockups related to video adapter T42]] <tt>(TP T42, T42p)</tt>
*[[Problem with video blanks after lid close and open | Video blanks after closing and opening lid]] <tt>(X41)</tt>
*[[Problem with ati driver in xorg 6.9.x | System lockup soon after starting xorg 6.9.x ]] <tt>(TP T4x)</tt>
*[[Problem with video output switching | Video output switching]]
*[[Problem with LCD brightness buttons | Video brightness up keys don't work or cause crashes]]

==Harddisk Drive related Problems==
*[[Problem with APS harddisk parking|APS harddisk parking]] <tt>(models featuring APS)</tt>
*[[Problem with too large harddrive|BIOS hangs with harddrive sized over 8G]] <tt>(560)</tt>
*[[Problem with hard drive clicking | Clicking Hard Drive]] <tt>(models with Hitachi's 5k80 hard drive)</tt>
*[[Problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks|Non-ThinkPad hard disks]] <tt>(T43, X41, R52)</tt>
*[[Problems with SATA and Linux|SATA and Linux]] <tt>(T43, X41, R52, Z60)</tt>

==Network Problems==
*[[Problem with 3Com 10/100 Ethernet card not being recognized|3Com 10/100 Ethernet card not recognized]] <tt>(models with that card)</tt>
*[[Problem with unauthorized MiniPCI network card|"Unauthorized" MiniPCI Wireless Network card error (Error 1802)]] <tt>(Recent TPs)</tt>
*[[Cisco Aironet Wireless 802.11b]] fails to work with certain firmware versions
*[[Problem with error 01C9 - More than one Ethernet devices | Error 01C9: More than one Ethernet Devices are found (Atheros WLAN MiniPCI)]] <tt>(T23, T30, A31p, R40 and others)</tt>
*[[Problem with e1000: EEPROM Checksum Is Not Valid]] <tt>(T60, X60, may be others)</tt>
*[[Problem with e1000: 99.9% packet loss on 7.x drivers]] <tt>(Recent TPs)</tt>
*[[Problem with 3945ABG: Internal wifi cannot associate with AP]] <tt>(T60, probably others)</tt>
*[[Need to disable V90/V92/56K modem speed]] ([[IBM_Integrated_Bluetooth_III_with_56K_Modem_(BMDC-2)|BMDC-2]] on X40)

==Power Management, AC-adapter or Battery Problems==
*[[Problem with ThinkPad 600 batteries | 600 series Battery dying prematurely]] <tt>(TP 600/E/X)</tt>
*[[Damage in 56W AC-Adapter, plastic housing melted |AC-Adapter damaged, plastic housing melted]] <tt>(240, 390, i and s models)</tt>
*[[Problems with ACPI suspend-to-ram|ACPI suspend-to-ram]] <tt>(ACPI sleep troubles)</tt>
**[[Problem with display remaining black after resume|Blank display after resume]] <tt>(various models)</tt>
**[[Problem with high power drain in ACPI sleep | High power drain in ACPI sleep]] <tt>(various models)</tt>
**[[Problem with LCD backlight remaining on during ACPI sleep | LCD backlight remaining on during ACPI sleep]] <tt>(various models)</tt>
*[[Problem with fan noise | Fan noise]] <tt>(TP T4x/p, TP R5x/p)</tt>
*[[Problem with checking battery status | Checking battery status causes mouse to jerk around]] <tt>(R31)</tt>
*[[Battery drains despite seemingly being charged]] <tt>(A/C adapter issues)</tt>
*[[Problem with high pitch noises | High pitch noises]] <tt>(several models)</tt>
*[[Problem with CPU frequency scaling | CPU frequency scaling locks up when on AC power only]] <tt>(several models)</tt>
*[[Problem with system turning itself on | Immediate restarts from suspend, hibernate, and halt]] <tt>(several models)</tt>
*[[Replacing your AC Adapter or AC/DC Combo adapter]] <tt>(many models)</tt>

==Sound Problems==
*[[Problem with broken sound on ThinkPad 600 | Broken sound on ThinkPad 600/E]] <tt>(TP 600/E/X, 770Z)</tt>
*[[Problem with audio jacks | Audio jacks not working properly]] <tt>(TP T43)</tt>
*[[Problem with ALSA audio output | No audio heard with kernel 2.6.11+/ALSA]] <tt>(TP T43, T40)</tt>
*[[Problem with audio clipping|Audio clipping]] <tt>(TP T43)</tt>
*[[Problem with no sound on ThinkPad R60e | No Sound on ThinkPad R60e and T60]] <tt>(R60e, T60)</tt>

==Misc Problems==
*[[System randomly freezes and requires hard reset]] <tt>(X61s and all newer systems including X,T,R,Z series)</tt>
*[[Problem with Bending / Twisting|Casing malformed by bending/twising]] <tt>(X41)</tt>
*[[Problem with failing memory slot]] <tt>(T30, some T2x and X3x models)</tt>
*[[Problem with Dock USB Ports | Dock USB Ports]] <tt>(T30/X21)</tt>
*[[High-pitch noise from AC-Adapter]] <tt>(T60/p)</tt>
*[[Problem with lm-sensors | lm_sensors kills ThinkPads]] <tt>(TP 570E, 770X/Z, 600E/X, 240, X20)</tt>
*[[Problem with USB 2.0 | USB 2.0 problems]] <tt>(T40/T41/X40)</tt>
*[[Embedded Controller Firmware#Firmware_issues|Firmware issues]]
*[[Problem with hot surfaces|Problem with hot surfaces]] <tt>(T43)</tt>
*[[Problem with disabled VT]] <tt>(Z61t, X60, X60s)</tt>
*[[Unable to create recovery cds when another python is installed on the system]] <tt>(T43p)</tt>
*[[Problems accessing cdrom drive]] <tt>(T400)</tt>

Problem with failing memory slot

2011-01-28T03:32:58Z

Demonoid724: /* Affected Models */ added confirmed models with this problem

Information about the failing memory slot on the T30 model.

==Problem description==
One of the two memory expansion slots in the T30s fails after some time. This is also encountered in some T2x series Thinkpads, and eventually this problem can occur in both memory slots if it is not repaired early enough.
Hot weather seems to induce the failure.

==Affected Models==
*ThinkPad {{T30}}
*ThinkPad {{T20}}/{{T21}} (in some cases)
*ThinkPad {{X30}}/{{X31}}/{{X32}}(in some cases)

==Solutions==
IBM will replace motherboards of machines under warranty.

Quite often the problem occurs first in the secondary memory slot. The root cause of the failing memory slot in T20/T30 series laptops is in fractured solder joints between the RAM memory module socket legs and the motherboard. The solder joint micro-fractures arise after a few years' use as the heavy and unsupported memory module sockets are located under the motherboard. Exposing the laptop frequently to even minor shocks or vibration (e.g. placing the laptop daily onto a table or port replicator) will cause slow fatigue to the solder joints as the memory modules are basically hanging unsupported on the bottom side of the motherboard, and all vibration will cause them to move microscopically small amounts up and down. Eventually the fatigue of the solder joints will be creating a crack on one or more joints, being visible using a stereo microscope.

Permanent fix: The best way to repair the broken solder joints in a permanent way is to re-solder all the memory module socket legs after removing all memory modules and the laptop battery. The repair can be performed either by a qualified electronics repair shop or a skilled electronics hobbyist using a very narrow-tipped soldering iron (e.g. Weller or Metcal), some liquid soldering flux needed for treating the solder joints before re-soldering them, a stereo microscope for accurate viewing of the work area, and of course a good skill in electronics soldering. Using this procedure it is often possible to save and permanently repair a Thinkpad T20/T30 series laptop without replacing the motherboard. After the solder joint repair it is a good practise to place a well-supporting soft padding (thick adhesive tape etc.) between the installed memory modules and the memory panel/door that covers the modules, preventing this problem from occurring again after a few years.

Temporary fix: The problem can often be corrected temporarily by applying pressure to the RAM memory modules, thus making a better contact in the fractured solder joints mentioned above. One way to do this is to cut a small strip of metal and fold it in half. Then tape it to the inside of the memory panel so that when the panel closes, it places pressure on the middle of the affected module. Close the door (may not shut all the way), and boot the system. The computer should regcognize all RAM again. If the primary slot fails, the computer will fail to POST, or lock up during boot. In this case it is absolutely necessary to make the permanent fix mentioned above.

==See also==
http://www.omskakas.se/2007/07/thinkpad-t30-memory-slot-failure.html

BIOS Upgrade

2011-01-23T09:02:28Z

Demonoid724: /* Updating the BIOS in DOS mode */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is meant to describe ways to update the BIOS on a ThinkPad that only runs Linux for users that don't have ready access to Windows. If you have Windows on your ThinkPad you can just boot into it and follow instructions on the Lenovo website.

Updating the BIOS in Linux (with few exceptions) '''is not officially supported''' by Lenovo. However there are work arounds.

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems.

'''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}
|}

= Downloading New Firmware =
{{WARN|Flashing the wrong firmware for your hardware may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad. It is up to you to confirm that the firmware you are using is correct.}}

A list of links to firmware downloads can be found at [[BIOS Upgrade Downloads]] for most Thinkpad models. You can also check the Lenovo Support website's [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TPAD-MATRIX|ThinkPad driver matrix].

Lenovo provides firmware upgrades in a variety of packages:
* Diskette
* Non-diskette
* Linux diskette
* BIOS Utility
* Bootable CD

Not every type of package is available for every model.

The ''BIOS Utility'' and ''Bootable CD'' packages combine the BIOS and ECP firmwares. For the other packages, there is one for each firmware.
{| align="right" style="width:20em;"
| {{HELP|Can an image be extracted from a "Linux diskette" .exe file?}}
|}

The ''Linux diskette'' is just the ''Diskette'' package that runs on Linux instead of Windows/DOS. It's unknown if a boot image can be extracted from it.

You may need to try different packages to find the one from which you can extract a boot image.

== Two Firmwares: BIOS and ECP ==
{{WARN|Flashing incompatible firmwares, or flashing them in the wrong order, may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad.}}

It is important to understand that Thinkpads from IBM have two separate firmwares: the BIOS, and the Embedded Controller Program (ECP).

A given BIOS version will require a certain version of the ECP. You must read the Lenovo website and/or .txt files to confirm which BIOS is compatible with which ECP, and '''the order in which to update them'''.

=== Update Order ===

The IBM documentation is sometimes unclear about the order in which these two firmwares should be updated. When in doubt (i.e. IBM didn't provide specific instructions for your model or a particular firmware update), '''update the ECP first, and then the BIOS'''. Also, make sure to do the two updates '''immediately one after the other'''.

The EC firmware is usually much better at backwards compatibility than the BIOS.

(Updaters for newer models take care of both BIOS and EC, and use automatically whatever sequence is needed, so you don't have to worry about it.)

== Installed Firmware ==
You can check the current BIOS and ECP versions on your ThinkPad by using '''dmidecode'''. For example:

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -s bios-version}}

1RETDRWW (3.23 )

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -t 11}}

# dmidecode 2.9
SMBIOS 2.33 present.
Handle 0x0029, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
String 1: IBM ThinkPad Embedded Controller -[1RHT71WW-3.04 ]-

Showing BIOS version 3.23 (1RETDRWW) and ECP version 3.04 (1RHT71WW).

===DMI IDs===
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] before (and after) updating your BIOS.

= Updating Firmware =

There are two basic steps to updating the firmware (either the BIOS or the ECP) on a ThinkPad not running Windows:
# Extract a bootable update image
# Boot from that image

== Extracting an update image ==
{{WARN|Though this process has been successfully tested on many versions of .exe files found on IBMs website, that doesn't mean it will work for all of them. '''Proceed at your own risk'''. Consult the testing tables farther down of this page to see other users' experience with your model Thinkpad.}}
{{NOTE|These EXE unpack procedures no longer work on more recent downloads, as Lenovo has changed the packaging format. You may still be able to unpack them using wine, or alternatively an actual (virtual) Windows machine.}}
Older .exe installers from Lenovo mostly appear to be just a wrapper license program around Windows .cab files (see [[How_to_change_the_BIOS_bootsplash_screen|BIOS-Bootsplash]]). If you install the Linux program [http://freshmeat.net/projects/cabextract/ '''cabextract'''] you can expand these .cab files directly. For example, if you downloaded {{path|1iuj13us.exe}} from Lenovo:

:{{cmduser|cabextract 1iuj13us.exe}}

Extracting cabinet: 1iuj13us.exe
extracting 1IUJ13US.IMG
extracting BIOSUPTP.EXE
extracting DOBOOT.EXE
extracting DOSBOOT.COM
extracting DOSBOOT.SYS
extracting DOSBOOT.VXD
extracting DOSBOOT2.COM
extracting ECTLUPTP.EXE
extracting EFLASHAS.SYS
extracting HDFWUPTP.EXE
extracting IBMTPI.XML
All done, no errors.

The file we want is '''FILENAME.IMG''', with "FILENAME" being the .exe. you downloaded. E.g., {{path|1IUJ13US.IMG}}.

(If this does not work for the Non-diskette .exe, try it on the Diskette .exe. It's reported, for example, that the Non-diskette .exe for BIOS version 3.23 for the T41p was not extractable, but the Diskette .exe worked perfectly, with {{cmduser|cabextract}} delivering a .IMG file.)

==== Testing the Image ====

You can test that FILENAME.IMG is really a floppy image by running:

{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mntfloppy}}

{{cmdroot|mount -o loop FILENAME.IMG /tmp/mntfloppy}}

If a '''ls''' command on the image returns what looks like a DOS floppy, and no read errors were displayed, you have a pretty good chance that the image is usable. For example:

{{cmdroot|ls /tmp/mntfloppy}}
$0195000.FL1 069580.PAT 06d2.HSH IBMDOS.COM TPCHKS.EXE
0691.HSH 06D0.PAT 06d6.HSH LOGO.BAT UPDTFLSH.EXE
0691.PAT 06D1.PAT 06d8.HSH LOGO.SCR UPDTMN.EXE
0694.HSH 06D2.PAT CHKBMP.EXE PHLASH16.EXE USERINT.EXE
0694.PAT 06D6.PAT COMMAND.COM PREPARE.EXE UTILINFO.EXE
0695.HSH 06D8.PAT CONFIG.SYS PROD.dat lcreflsh.bat
0695.PAT 06d0.HSH FLASH2.EXE QKFLASH.EXE
069580.HSH 06d1.HSH IBMBIO.COM README.TXT

Unmount the image after you are done testing:

{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mntfloppy}}

== Booting from update image ==
Now that you have a bootable image for the correct update for you hardware, you need to do is boot from that image to install the update.

There are different ways to do that:
* [[#Booting from a CD|Boot from a CD]]
* [[#Booting_using_GRUB|Boot from the image, using GRUB]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_floppy|Boot from a floppy]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_USB_Flash_drive|Boot from a USB Flash drive]]

=== Booting from a CD ===
{| align="right" style="width:40em;"
|{{HINT|If there is a ''Bootable CD'' image available, e.g., FILENAME.iso, just download that, instead of mucking around with image files.}}
|}
If you are going to update the firmware by booting from a CD, you need to turn FILENAME.IMG that you extracted above into an .iso file.

The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Torito_%28CD-ROM_standard%29 El Torito Bootable CD Specification] is a wonderful thing. Thanks to it, a bootable CD can be made with a bootable floppy image in such as way that the CD believes that it is a 2.88 MB floppy drive. This allows you to replace a boot floppy by a boot CD in nearly all situations.

It is very easy to create such a bootable CD ISO image in Linux using the '''mkisofs''' tool{{footnote|1}}. Run a command as follows:

{{cmdroot|genisoimage -b 1WUJ25US.IMG -c boot.catalog -o bootcd.iso 1WUJ25US.IMG}} #or older mkisofs

Where *.IMG is the name of the image file extracted above. This creates a CD with one file on it and marks that file as the boot image.

You can now burn the {{path|bootcd.iso}} to a CD in your favorite CD-burning program.
{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Boot from the CD to update your firmware. Remember to have [[BIOS_Upgrade#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|both BIOS and ECP firmware boot-CDs]] ready, as needed, and use them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].

==== Successful tests ====

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-4AU ||
* George Tellalov <gtellalov_dontspamme@bigfoot.com>. BIOS 1.16 from spsdin36.exe worked perfectly with the method bootable cd from floppy image. I highly recommend this upgrade because it made my ibm-acpi module load (it wouldn't load before) and fixed some suspend to ram problems. Here's the [http://george.tellalov.info/bios_upgrade_600e_spsdin36.iso cd image] I used. Use at your own risk. You can send me a chocolate if it works for you ;)
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-5bU ||
* Mike Vincent<matchstc-putobvioushere.com>. Bios 1.16 from spsdin36.exe and then to the boot cd worked great for me. Thought I had bricked it three separate times using a "real" floppy! Each from different diskettes .The updater would start, give me the "going to take30 seconds" speech...and then access the HD for 10 minutes. Each time it would reboot fine. Did the cd as described above...worked great first time. Perhaps 10 year old seldom used floppy disc drives have some challenges?
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Jonathan Byrne <jonathan@RemoveThisToMailMe.yamame.org>. BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe worked perfectly using cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Andy Barnes <andy@RemoveThisToMailMe.itchypaws.co.uk>. As per Jonathan above, extracted BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe using cabextract, created a CD boot image and burnt to CD. Worked flawlessly - thanks to everyone who contributed to this article!
|-
| {{A20p}} 2629-6VU ||
* Chris Pickett http://www.sable.mcgill.ca/~cpicke/. BIOS 1.11 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A21e}} 2628-JXU ||
* Amit Gurdasani <gurdasani at yahoo dot com>. BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. Alarmingly, after the BIOS update, the laptop beeped but did not shut down as was indicated onscreen -- that was frozen on the "do not shut down the laptop" screen. On power down and up again, the BIOS setup showed the newer BIOS image running, and Linux booted up fine. Linux ACPI didn't complain about the BIOS being too old either.
|-
| {{A31p}} 2653 ||
* Matthias Meinke largeeddy@gmx.at, BIOS 1.09 1NET15WW flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A31}} 2652 ||
* [[User:Wnoise|Aaron Denney]], BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. The cabextract/CD method also worked for BIOS 1.10.
|-
| {{R30}} ||
* Jarrod, 30 August 2007, Thinkpad R30 Type 2656-E0M. BIOS updated to 1.40 (1CETF0WW) using floppy disk/mkisofs/cdrecord. Worked fine, no problems.
|-
| {{R31}} ||
* [http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/pipermail/linux-thinkpad/1998-January/009743.html Mathias Dalheimer]
* Sebastian Sauer (with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{R40}} ||
* Matthew Lambie, http://lambie.org
* Antti S. Lankila, update to 1.27 via direct use of phlash16.exe against a BIOS image. Normal method did not work because the battery is dead.
|-
| {{R50}} 1836-3SU ||
* jlbartos <jlbartos at hotmail dot com>
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834-PTG ||
* item <item at freemail dot hu> : successfully finished with cabextract/CD method for "1wuj25us.exe" (BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10), Release Date: 2006/12/22)
* Christos Nouskas <nouskas at gmail dot com>: upgraded to BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10) and EC version 1VHT28WW (1.04) using GRUB (BIOS first / EC second)
|-
| {{R51}} 1829 ||
* Robert Uhl <rob dot uhl at gmx dot de>, Jellby <jellby at yahoo dot com>
|-
| {{R51}} 1830-RM7 ||
* Will Parker <stardotstar at sourcepoint dot com dot au> successfully flashed 3.20 using existing 3.04 ECP and retained custom boot splash.
|-
| {{R51}} 2887 ||
* Ingo van Lil <inguin at gmx dot de>
|-
| {{R52}} 1858 ||
* Stuart McCord <stuart dot mccord at gmail dot com> flashed both BIOS and ECP using cabextract, BIOS flashed first as on IBM website
|-
| {{T20}} ||
* Franz Hassels <fhassel at suse dot com>
|-
| {{T22}} ||
* Daniel Maier <nusse teamidiot de>
* Mathias Behrle (with cabextract/CD method, Version 1.07 => 1.12) --[[User:Mathiasb|Mathiasb]] 11:58, 14 December 2006 (CET)
* Bob Skaroff (cabextract/CD), 1.06 => 1.12
* Leo Butler (cabextract/CD), 1.11 => 1.12
|-
| {{T23}} ||
* Bart Snapp <snapp at uiuc dot edu> Note: I followed IBM's instructions to flash the BIOS '''first''' and the Embedded Controller '''second'''.
* Moy Easwaran: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a via cabextract and CD-boot. The BIOS-update exe generated errors in Windows 2000.
* Joe Renes: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a on 2006-03-20 via cabextract and CD-boot. Piece of cake.
* Raphael Errani: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 2006-11-06 via cabextract and CD-boot (using mkisofs). Worked without errors. 1st Bios, 2nd EC
* Myron Getman: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 9/10/08 via cabextract --> k3b --> CD-boot. Worked like a charm. First BIOS update with Linux!
* Leo Butler: BIOS 1.13 / EC 1.04 to 1.20/1.06a via cabextract and syslinux/memdisk boot through grub. Worked like a charm and no wasted CD.
|-
| {{T30}} ||
* Martin GÃ¼hring <guehring at gmail.com> BIOS 2.10 via cabextract the Non-Diskette BIOS -> mkisofs '''in the directory the exe was extracted''' to generate the iso -> burn the iso -> boot the CD
|-
| {{T40}} ||
* Sean Dague, http://dague.net
* Justin Mason, http://jmason.org
* Ivanhoe (Bios 3.19)
* Alessandro Raulino (roger_2) EC 3.04 & BIOS 3.23 flashed with cabextract/CD method
* Nick Jenkins, using BIOS 3.23 with the '''Non-diskette updater + cabextract method''', then [[#Creating_a_Bootable_CD_from_a_Floppy_Image|created a bootable CD from the cabextracted .IMG file]], then boot that ISO, and it worked great!
* xyz: BIOS 3.23 & EC 3.04 flashed with cabextract/CD method. No problem.
|-
| {{T40p}} ||
* Lukas KrÃ¤henbÃ¼hl, ismo at pop dot agri dot ch
* Thomas Achtemichuk, tom at tomchuk dot com. BIOS 3.15 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method
* paper, BIOS 3.23 (1RETDRWW) flashed fine with cabextract/genisoimage method.
|-
| {{T41}} ||
* Lev Givon (Bios 3.15 / EC 3.04) <lev at columbia dot edu>
* Ernesto HernÃ¡ndez-Novich (Bios 3.19 / CP 3.04) < emhn at usb dot ve >
* [http://maebmij.org James Ballantine] (Bios 3.21 / CP 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW
* Vladimir Pycha (to Bios 3.23 / EC 3.04, from Bios 3.20 / EC 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW. Booted with external USB optical drive (I have internal drive broken) - at the beginning of the boot sequence press PAUSE, then wait several seconds, then ENTER, then F12 and select the drive. Without pressing PAUSE I am not able to boot from USB optical/hard drive as the drive does not show in the F12 boot list menu.
|-
| {{T41p}} ||
* Nils Newman, work great. (Version: Bios 3.14 / Embedded Controller 3.04)
|-
| {{T42}} 2373-JXG ||
* magarzo <mdr.magarzo at gmail.com> (BIOS v.3.23 / Embedded Controller v.3.04 / both with cabextract to non-diskette v. plus Bootable CD)
|-
| {{T42}} ||
* Dan (BIOS 3.20 / EC 3.04, cabextract/CD method) <tronic171 at evilphb.org>
* Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T42p}} ||
* Robert Schiele <rschiele@uni-mannheim.de>, Joern Heissler <joern@heissler.de>, Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-W34 ||
* Florian Boucault <florian at boucault dot ath dot cx> (Version: Bios 1.23 / Embedded Controller 1.03)
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-4AG ||
* [http://blog.martinmcdowell.com/about/contact Martin McDowell] 28-Feb-2010
* BIOS 70ET62WW (1.22) to 70ET69WW (1.29),
* ECP 70HT26WW (1.03) to 70HT28WW (1.05)
Both successfully upgraded from CD Image made from the instructions on this website.
|-
| {{T43}} 2886 ||
* Till Heikamp <t dot heikamp at geniusbytes dot com> (Bios 1.22 to 1.29, Embedded Controller 1.03 to 1.06)
|-
| {{T43}} ||
* Conrad Rentsch <Conrad dot Rentsch at t-online dot de> (Version: Bios 1.29 / Embedded Controller 1.06)
* Tom Heady <tom-thinkwiki.org@punch.net>
|-
| {{T60}} ||
* 1951 Roman Komkov <roman at komkov dot org dot ru> (Bios 1.07 to 2.13) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
* 8744-HCG Konstantin Khorenko <horenko at mail dot ru> (Bios 1.06 to 1.18) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{T61}} ||
* Kai Weber <kai.weber at glorybox dot org> (Bios 1.06 to 1.26) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{X20}} ||
* Neil Caunt <retardis at gmail dot com>
|-
| {{X21}} ||
* Patrick Leickner <ranma at web dot de>, (BIOS 2.21->2.25 / EC 1.31->1.36) via non-disk/cabextract/mkisofs/cdrecord
|-
| {{X22}} ||
* David Emery <dave at skiddlydee dot com>, (EC 1.30, BIOS 1.32 using non-disk/cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X23}} ||
* Nils Faerber <nils dot faerber at kernelconcepts dot de> (Embedded Controller 1.30, BIOS 1.32 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X30}} ||
* Hella Breitkopf, [http://www.unixwitch.de/ www] (Embedded Controller 1.04, BIOS 1.07 with cabextract/CD method)
* William Roe <willroe at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.06, BIOS 1.09 - cabextract/mkisofs/wodim)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Grzegorz KuÅ›nierz <koniu at sheket dot org> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.01 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Paul Litwack <paullitwack at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.02 with cabextract/unetbootin method)
cabextract & unetbootin are staight foward(toggle floppy image instead of iso image in unetbootin dialog)
No problems with update software.
x31 has to be cajoled into booting from usb. Boot hangs when pendrive is present. Hit the key to bring up the boot menu.
Unplug the pendrive. Let the boot menu come up. Plug in the pendrive. Select the pendrive in the boot menu and it boots.
|-
| {{X40}} ||
* Robbie Stone <robbie@serendipity.cx>
* Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@gmail.com> (Fine by cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{Z60m}} ||
* [[User:Morle|Morle]] 01:09, 17 Nov 2007 (CEST), (Embedded Controller 1.18 and Bios 1.24 with cabextract/CD method)
|}

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
|<pre> </pre> 
|
|}

=== Booting using GRUB ===
{|
| style="width:75%" | {{WARN|Many have warned '''not''' to use the SYSLINUX image-loader '''memdisk''' to boot firmware update images.}}
| style="font-size:80%" | {{HELP|Who are these "many"? Link to a discussion?}}
|}
Once the bootable image, FILENAME.IMG, is extracted from the .exe, it can be booted directly through GRUB without the need of burning a CD, using the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] image-loader '''[http://syslinux.zytor.com/memdisk.php memdisk]'''.

Locate the '''memdisk''' file from the syslinux package. You can search for it with '''find''':

{{cmdroot|find /usr -name memdisk}} #or just use "dlocate memdisk" or "locate memdisk" if these programs are installed

If {{path|/usr/.../memdisk}} is not present, syslinux is not installed. You will need to install it to boot a .IMG from GRUB.

Copy both the '''FILENAME.IMG''' and '''memdisk''' files into {{path|/boot}} directory. For example:

{{cmdroot|cp ./FILENAME.IMG /usr/share/syslinux/memdisk /boot/}}

Open {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}} in your favourite editor. '''Copy''' the active section into a '''new section''', and edit the new section:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Parameter
! Instructions
! Example
|-
| ''title'' || Pick a name for the new section. This will show up in the GRUB boot menu. || <tt>title IBM ECP Update</tt>
|-
| ''root'' || Do not change. This is the partition containing the {{path|/boot}} directory || <tt>root (hd0,0)</tt>
|-
| ''kernel'' || '''/boot/memdisk''' will allow you to boot an image file. || <tt>kernel /boot/memdisk</tt>
|-
| ''initrd'' || This is the name of the firmware-updater image file, e.g., 1IUJ13US.IMG || <tt>initrd /boot/1IUJ13US.IMG</tt>
|}

Do '''not''' modify the original section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}, or you might not be able to boot back to the operating system.

If you have [[#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|two firmware updates to do]], you will need a section for each firmware's FILENAME.IMG in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

{{NOTE|If both BIOS and ECP are to be updated, be sure to update them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].}}

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Reboot your computer, entering the GRUB menu and selecting ''IBM BIOS Update'', or whatever you named the new section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

==== GRUB2 ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.IMG #or whatever yours is
}

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R30}} 2656-64G || v.1.40 || || [[User:english.voodoo|Yuri Spirin]] ||
|-
| {{R40}} 2723 || 1OHJ11WW.IMG || 1PUJ25US.IMG || [[User:qunying|Qunying]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.70 (slackware 12.1)
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834NV1 || 1WUJ25US.IMG || || [[User:Jidanni|Jidanni]] || memdisk from syslinux-common 2:3.84+dfsg-1 (Debian), grub2 (1.96+20080724-16)
|-
| {{R51}} 2888 || || || ||
|-
| {{T23}} 2647 || 1AUJ20US.IMG || 1AHJ06US.IMG || [[User:cthon|cthon]] || memdisk from syslinux 4.02-1 (arch linux)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:Euphoria|Euphoria]] || memdisk from syslinux 1:3.31-4 (Debian package version)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RHJ10U2.IMG (3.04, 2004-11-15) || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || [[User:Morphics|Morphics]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3:1.36-4ubuntu5
|-
| {{T41}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Tonko|Tonko]] || Fedora 12
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Deggel|Deggel]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3.71 on gentoo
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || || || [[User:MrStaticVoid|James Lee]] ||
|-
| {{T42}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || || [[User:Secsaba|Simon Csaba Endre]] || Ubuntu 10.04 Pre-update versions: BIOS v3.21 / ECP v3.04 After-update versions: BIOS v3.23 / ECP v3.04
|-
| {{T42p}} 2374 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:aderigs|Achim Derigs]] || Debian GNU/Linux sid, works with `linux16 ...' and `initrd16 ...' only
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-CBU || || || [[User:JanTopinski|Jan Topinski]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-CXU || || || [[User:TheAnarcat|TheAnarcat]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-JBU || 3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || 1.08 1QUJ08US.IMG || [[User:twbxf4|twbxf4]] || worked flawlessly
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-58G || || || [[User:FaUl|FaUl]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || || || [[User:Starox|Starox]] || a big moment between starting update and the updating window
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || v3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || v1.08 1QHJ08US.IMG || [[User:TeeLittle|TeeLittle]] || Apr 10, 2010: Using Debian 5.0 "Lenny" + package syslinux-common (Version: 2:3.71+dfsg-5). Pre-update versions: BIOS v2.11 / ECP v1.03
|-
| {{X40}} 2371 || 2.07 1uuj21us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Jakob Truelsen]] || Worked on two X40-2371
|-
| {{X40}} 2386 || 2.08 1uuj22us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Galen Seitz]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.61
|}
(More successful grub tests are scattered in the previous table too.)

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! style="width:10em;" | BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R32}} 2658-NWU || 2.16 1MUD23US.IMG || n/a || [[User:Millman12345|Mike Millman]] || Boots into the BIOS flashing program just fine, but when it comes time to start the update process, the system hangs completely. Luckily, it hangs before it actually modifies anything... A hard reboot got me back into a working system. I would not recommend this route!
|-
| {{R52e}} 1846-CGL || 1.29 76UJ28UD.IMG || 1.01 || [[User:Lacyc3|Laszlo Takacs]] || Boots into BIOS flashing program but it hangs up before the upgrade process. I used memdisk from syslinux-4.01.
|-
| {{T43}} 2668-F7G || 1.29 1YUJ18US.IMG || || [[User:Maus3273|Maus3273]] || I got into the bios program, but the machine never restarts after initiating the upgrade.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-FAG || 2.09 74UJ15US || || [[User:Ukleinek|Uwe Kleine-König]] || booted fine (Debian syslinux 2:3.71+dfsg-5), but didn't succeed to write, just hang at "Don't restart or remove diskette etc. pp" (not bricked). Worked fine via CD method.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-F8G || 2.06 74UJ12US.IMG 2.07 74UJ13US.IMG 2.09 74UJ15US.IMG || || [[User:ladoga|Lauri Koponen]] || hangs while initializing the actual BIOS flashing process ECP: 1.02 74HJ03US.IMG works
|-
|}

==== GRUB2 boot cd image ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk iso raw
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.iso #or whatever yours is
}

This works for official iso images from ibm website.

On newer versions of Ubuntu grub.cfg is generated - add the entry to ''/etc/grub.d/40_custom'' then run <code>sudo update-grub</code>.

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{X100e}} 2876-55G || 6xuj05uc.iso || || [[User:nikel]] ||
|-
| {{Edge}} || 1.17 6yuj04uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 1.13 6duj40uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.14 6duj41uc.iso || 1.06 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.01
|-
| {{X201}} 3626-A14 || 1.15 6quj05uc.iso || 1.09 6quj05uc.iso || [[User:Alexander List|Alexander List]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.86
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-6GG || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:fethio]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-34Q || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:Kapil]] || Current memdisk from syslinux debian version 2:4.01+dfsg-1
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.15 6duj42uc.iso || || [[User:lawnjam]] || Memdisk 4.02 worked, the one provided by Ubuntu 10.04 did not.
|-
| {{X201}} || 1.22 6quj08uc.iso || 1.11 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.03
|-
|}

=== Booting from a Floppy ===
{{WARN|Using a floppy disk '''is NOT recommended'''.}}

This is how IBM/Lenovo intended it. Use their .exe files to create a bootable floppy with the flash update on it. Boot from the floppy and there you go.

So, why is it not recommended?
# If something goes wrong, your ThinkPad may be permanently damaged
# Floppy disk drives are not reliable
# Floppy disks are not reliable
# It only works with /dev/fd0, meaning it won't work with a USB floppy

So, even though Lenovo is now offering "Linux diskette" updaters, that will create a bootable floppy under Linux, using a floppy is still not recommended. Besides, many people don't even ''have'' a floppy drive on their ThinkPad.

If you really want to do it with a floppy, some tips:
* Use a clean (in the physical sense) floppy drive
* Use new floppies
* Test floppies for errors before starting update process
* Have multiple copies of the update disks ready--if one should fail, replace it with a copy
* Should DOS complain of a read error, '''only''' respond wth "Retry"

{{NOTE|Should the system encounter a disk read error during the flash process, and you select "Abort", your system could be permanently damaged.}}

=== Booting from a USB Flash drive ===

==== Updating the BIOS in MS-DOS mode ====
(This process works for most Thinkpad models that has Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS)

1. Using HP USB Boot Utility, [http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2004/10/utility-to-make-usb-flash-driv.html create a bootable USB flash drive [http://www.bay-wolf.com/utility/usbkey/win98boot.zip DOS using Windows 98 Boot Disk Floppy Image].

2. Extract the (*.ima) from the ISO BIOS image (e.g. [http://www.rarsoft.com WinRAR] will do this).

3. Using a tool that can open .IMA files (such as [http://www.winimage.com/ WinImage]), extract all files to a temporary folder.

4. Run the HP tool, select the USB device, I used FAT32, create a DOS bootable disk and point at the win98boot folder - then "Start". Warning: this '''formats''' the USB flash drive and all data will be erased!

5. Once complete (you could test if it boots at this point), copy the extracted BIOS files from the temporary folder you created to the USB flash drive.

6. Boot from USB flash drive by pressing F11 within the BIOS boot logo. At the DOS command prompt, type "updflsh" and then follow the prompts by pressing "Y" or Enter. Make sure that you have a fully charged battery pack and the AC Adapter is firmly plugged before proceeding with the BIOS update.
'''DO NOT Power off the laptop or unplug the USB flash drive while the update is in progress or else update will fail and your computer will be unable to boot and system board may need to be serviced.'''

This process takes around 1-2 minutes. A long beep followed by a short beep will notify you that the update is complete and the system will automatically power off.

7. Power on the laptop then enter the BIOS setup by pressing F1 and Load BIOS defaults.

==== Using grub4dos (also for Linux) ====

[http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/wiki/ grub4dos] is a GNU GRUB fork with interesting features. One of them is the ability to boot ISO images directly off USB flash drives. Contrary to the name, GRUB for DOS works fine on Linux. Follow these steps:
* Download the latest grub4dos package at http://download.gna.org/grub4dos/ (I needed 0.4.4 for my USB2 drive - 0.4.3 did not work.)
* Unpack
* Insert your FAT-32 formatted pendrive
* Run <code>sudo ./bootlace.com /dev/sdX</code>, where /dev/sdX is the device name assigned to your pendrive (use <code>sudo fdisk -l</code> to figure this out). Be very careful to get the device correct or else you could overwrite your hard drive! This creates grub4dos boot sector in MBR of the flash drive.
* Copy the files <code>grldr</code> and <code>menu.lst</code> to the root directory of your pendrive.
* Convert the ThinkPad .IMG file to a .ISO file using <code>genisoimage -b 1yuj18us.img -c boot.catalog -o 1yuj18us.iso 1yuj18us.img</code>
* Copy the ISO image to the root directory of your pendrive (e.g. <code>1yuj18us.iso</code>).
* Edit <code>menu.lst</code> on the pendrive and include the following section (of course putting the appropriate ISO image name):
<pre>
title thinkpad-bios
map (hd0,0)/1yuj18us.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)
boot
</pre>
* Reboot and press F12 to select booting from USB.
* If all went well, you should be able to boot the Thinkpad's ISO image and flash the BIOS. I tested it successfully on T400. [[User:Wanted|Wanted]] 20:23, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

==== Using UNetbootin ====

Unetbootin 422 worked with the image files unpacked with cabextract on my x31.

{{HELP|How exactly did you do this? It failed for me. Does it work only with .IMG files that are converted to .ISO files, or can .ISO files provided by Lenovo also work (how?)}}

=== Booting from a Network Boot Image ===
BIOS, ECP, CD/DVD and Harddisk firmware disks can be booted over the network with [http://syslinux.zytor.com/pxe.php PXELINX] as part of the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] package. This requires that you have a DHCP and tftp server configured and setup properly on your network, and is probably not for the faint of heart.

Make sure the firmware bootdisk is in linux 'dd' format, as the self-extracting .exe disks from the IBM website cannot be booted directly as such.

This worked on the {{R31}}, {{X22}}, {{T21}}, {{T30}} and {{T41p}} with various firmware updates. On the {{X22}}, it worked with ECP 1.30 but '''not''' with BIOS 1.32

= Updating without battery or with dead battery =

This is a last-resort approach. Use this only if everything else fails.

The BIOS updater may refuse to update a BIOS without a battery, or if the battery charge is too low. In that case, extract the disk image with cabextract as per instructions above and dd it to an usb stick. (This will destroy the data on it, of course.) Acquire a pure DOS boot cd such as Windows 98 recovery CD and boot that.

Use F8 to abort the boot sequence of a windows 98 boot CD. If you need CD-ROM support, load CD-related things but say no to everything else. In particular, avoid loading himem.sys and doskey, as the presence of either program causes Phoenix bios flash tool phlash16.exe to abort.

Change to the volume where flash2.exe and other tools are installed, and execute "flash2.exe /u". This should bypass the battery check and perform the flashing. If that doesn't work, check if the update disk contains a tool called "phlash16.exe". This can be used directly to flash the image, and the invocation is typically "phlash16 /exit $01c80000.fl1".

This method won't work for the Thinkpad {{560X}} (and likely other older models). Since the 560X is a bit older, it won't be a big surprise if the battery is dead as a dodo. Here's how to update the bios in this case: download the spsdi833 bios update and create the update floppy. If you have trouble creating this disk, [http://rapidshare.com/files/413598837/spsdi833-bios-560X.zip.html download an archive with the files] and put them on a floppy. Don't worry about making it bootable. Also, you will need a DOS bootdisk. A Windows 98 bootdisk will be fine. Boot the system with the W98 bootdisk, do not load CD-rom support. Remove the W98 bootdisk and put the disk with the BIOS update in the drive. If you would now run UPDTFLSH you would get the battery message, so don't do that. If you open UPDTFLSH.exe with a text editor, you would find some lines about UPDTROM. UPDTROM is the actual flash tool, but you can't simply run it just like that. Run the following:

*updtrom /np /prep1
*updtrom /np /prep2
*updtrom /np /prep3
*updtrom /np /romcmp /romflsh /prep4
*updtrom /np /h8flsh /h8img /model

Yes, you need to run updtrom five times. Hold your breath and reboot the machine. It's done.

Perhaps not all these lines are necessary, but to be sure I ran them all, and this worked for me. So I suggest you do the same. This could probably be done from the harddisk as well, but I did not test that.

=After updating=
Lenovo recommends reseting your BIOS settings to their factory defaults after a firmware update.

==DMI IDs==
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] after updating your BIOS.

= Special Cases =
* In one case, see ([[APM setup on a type 2379 ThinkPad T40]]), it was not possible to upgrade the BIOS from Windows XP; a downgrade to Windows 98 was required to successfully run the BIOS upgrade app. The symptoms in this case were that, once the files had been extracted to the hard disk, and the machine was to reboot into the upgrade app, it would beep and hang just before reboot, requiring a power cycle. Once the power was cycled, it would simply reboot back into XP without performing any BIOS upgrade actions. So even if you have Windows, you may still need to use the info on this page.

== Updating Thinkpad X Series ==
The special update instructions for {{X_Series}} Thinkpads are quite long. You can find them at the page [[BIOS_Upgrade/X_Series]].

----

{{footnotes|
# For lots of detail on making and burning .iso files, see The Linux Documentation Project (tldp.org): [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO-3.html#ss3.1 3.1 Writing CD-ROMs (pure data)].
}}

BIOS Upgrade

2011-01-23T08:59:14Z

Demonoid724: /* Updating the BIOS in DOS mode */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is meant to describe ways to update the BIOS on a ThinkPad that only runs Linux for users that don't have ready access to Windows. If you have Windows on your ThinkPad you can just boot into it and follow instructions on the Lenovo website.

Updating the BIOS in Linux (with few exceptions) '''is not officially supported''' by Lenovo. However there are work arounds.

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems.

'''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}
|}

= Downloading New Firmware =
{{WARN|Flashing the wrong firmware for your hardware may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad. It is up to you to confirm that the firmware you are using is correct.}}

A list of links to firmware downloads can be found at [[BIOS Upgrade Downloads]] for most Thinkpad models. You can also check the Lenovo Support website's [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TPAD-MATRIX|ThinkPad driver matrix].

Lenovo provides firmware upgrades in a variety of packages:
* Diskette
* Non-diskette
* Linux diskette
* BIOS Utility
* Bootable CD

Not every type of package is available for every model.

The ''BIOS Utility'' and ''Bootable CD'' packages combine the BIOS and ECP firmwares. For the other packages, there is one for each firmware.
{| align="right" style="width:20em;"
| {{HELP|Can an image be extracted from a "Linux diskette" .exe file?}}
|}

The ''Linux diskette'' is just the ''Diskette'' package that runs on Linux instead of Windows/DOS. It's unknown if a boot image can be extracted from it.

You may need to try different packages to find the one from which you can extract a boot image.

== Two Firmwares: BIOS and ECP ==
{{WARN|Flashing incompatible firmwares, or flashing them in the wrong order, may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad.}}

It is important to understand that Thinkpads from IBM have two separate firmwares: the BIOS, and the Embedded Controller Program (ECP).

A given BIOS version will require a certain version of the ECP. You must read the Lenovo website and/or .txt files to confirm which BIOS is compatible with which ECP, and '''the order in which to update them'''.

=== Update Order ===

The IBM documentation is sometimes unclear about the order in which these two firmwares should be updated. When in doubt (i.e. IBM didn't provide specific instructions for your model or a particular firmware update), '''update the ECP first, and then the BIOS'''. Also, make sure to do the two updates '''immediately one after the other'''.

The EC firmware is usually much better at backwards compatibility than the BIOS.

(Updaters for newer models take care of both BIOS and EC, and use automatically whatever sequence is needed, so you don't have to worry about it.)

== Installed Firmware ==
You can check the current BIOS and ECP versions on your ThinkPad by using '''dmidecode'''. For example:

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -s bios-version}}

1RETDRWW (3.23 )

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -t 11}}

# dmidecode 2.9
SMBIOS 2.33 present.
Handle 0x0029, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
String 1: IBM ThinkPad Embedded Controller -[1RHT71WW-3.04 ]-

Showing BIOS version 3.23 (1RETDRWW) and ECP version 3.04 (1RHT71WW).

===DMI IDs===
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] before (and after) updating your BIOS.

= Updating Firmware =

There are two basic steps to updating the firmware (either the BIOS or the ECP) on a ThinkPad not running Windows:
# Extract a bootable update image
# Boot from that image

== Extracting an update image ==
{{WARN|Though this process has been successfully tested on many versions of .exe files found on IBMs website, that doesn't mean it will work for all of them. '''Proceed at your own risk'''. Consult the testing tables farther down of this page to see other users' experience with your model Thinkpad.}}
{{NOTE|These EXE unpack procedures no longer work on more recent downloads, as Lenovo has changed the packaging format. You may still be able to unpack them using wine, or alternatively an actual (virtual) Windows machine.}}
Older .exe installers from Lenovo mostly appear to be just a wrapper license program around Windows .cab files (see [[How_to_change_the_BIOS_bootsplash_screen|BIOS-Bootsplash]]). If you install the Linux program [http://freshmeat.net/projects/cabextract/ '''cabextract'''] you can expand these .cab files directly. For example, if you downloaded {{path|1iuj13us.exe}} from Lenovo:

:{{cmduser|cabextract 1iuj13us.exe}}

Extracting cabinet: 1iuj13us.exe
extracting 1IUJ13US.IMG
extracting BIOSUPTP.EXE
extracting DOBOOT.EXE
extracting DOSBOOT.COM
extracting DOSBOOT.SYS
extracting DOSBOOT.VXD
extracting DOSBOOT2.COM
extracting ECTLUPTP.EXE
extracting EFLASHAS.SYS
extracting HDFWUPTP.EXE
extracting IBMTPI.XML
All done, no errors.

The file we want is '''FILENAME.IMG''', with "FILENAME" being the .exe. you downloaded. E.g., {{path|1IUJ13US.IMG}}.

(If this does not work for the Non-diskette .exe, try it on the Diskette .exe. It's reported, for example, that the Non-diskette .exe for BIOS version 3.23 for the T41p was not extractable, but the Diskette .exe worked perfectly, with {{cmduser|cabextract}} delivering a .IMG file.)

==== Testing the Image ====

You can test that FILENAME.IMG is really a floppy image by running:

{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mntfloppy}}

{{cmdroot|mount -o loop FILENAME.IMG /tmp/mntfloppy}}

If a '''ls''' command on the image returns what looks like a DOS floppy, and no read errors were displayed, you have a pretty good chance that the image is usable. For example:

{{cmdroot|ls /tmp/mntfloppy}}
$0195000.FL1 069580.PAT 06d2.HSH IBMDOS.COM TPCHKS.EXE
0691.HSH 06D0.PAT 06d6.HSH LOGO.BAT UPDTFLSH.EXE
0691.PAT 06D1.PAT 06d8.HSH LOGO.SCR UPDTMN.EXE
0694.HSH 06D2.PAT CHKBMP.EXE PHLASH16.EXE USERINT.EXE
0694.PAT 06D6.PAT COMMAND.COM PREPARE.EXE UTILINFO.EXE
0695.HSH 06D8.PAT CONFIG.SYS PROD.dat lcreflsh.bat
0695.PAT 06d0.HSH FLASH2.EXE QKFLASH.EXE
069580.HSH 06d1.HSH IBMBIO.COM README.TXT

Unmount the image after you are done testing:

{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mntfloppy}}

== Booting from update image ==
Now that you have a bootable image for the correct update for you hardware, you need to do is boot from that image to install the update.

There are different ways to do that:
* [[#Booting from a CD|Boot from a CD]]
* [[#Booting_using_GRUB|Boot from the image, using GRUB]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_floppy|Boot from a floppy]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_USB_Flash_drive|Boot from a USB Flash drive]]

=== Booting from a CD ===
{| align="right" style="width:40em;"
|{{HINT|If there is a ''Bootable CD'' image available, e.g., FILENAME.iso, just download that, instead of mucking around with image files.}}
|}
If you are going to update the firmware by booting from a CD, you need to turn FILENAME.IMG that you extracted above into an .iso file.

The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Torito_%28CD-ROM_standard%29 El Torito Bootable CD Specification] is a wonderful thing. Thanks to it, a bootable CD can be made with a bootable floppy image in such as way that the CD believes that it is a 2.88 MB floppy drive. This allows you to replace a boot floppy by a boot CD in nearly all situations.

It is very easy to create such a bootable CD ISO image in Linux using the '''mkisofs''' tool{{footnote|1}}. Run a command as follows:

{{cmdroot|genisoimage -b 1WUJ25US.IMG -c boot.catalog -o bootcd.iso 1WUJ25US.IMG}} #or older mkisofs

Where *.IMG is the name of the image file extracted above. This creates a CD with one file on it and marks that file as the boot image.

You can now burn the {{path|bootcd.iso}} to a CD in your favorite CD-burning program.
{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Boot from the CD to update your firmware. Remember to have [[BIOS_Upgrade#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|both BIOS and ECP firmware boot-CDs]] ready, as needed, and use them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].

==== Successful tests ====

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-4AU ||
* George Tellalov <gtellalov_dontspamme@bigfoot.com>. BIOS 1.16 from spsdin36.exe worked perfectly with the method bootable cd from floppy image. I highly recommend this upgrade because it made my ibm-acpi module load (it wouldn't load before) and fixed some suspend to ram problems. Here's the [http://george.tellalov.info/bios_upgrade_600e_spsdin36.iso cd image] I used. Use at your own risk. You can send me a chocolate if it works for you ;)
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-5bU ||
* Mike Vincent<matchstc-putobvioushere.com>. Bios 1.16 from spsdin36.exe and then to the boot cd worked great for me. Thought I had bricked it three separate times using a "real" floppy! Each from different diskettes .The updater would start, give me the "going to take30 seconds" speech...and then access the HD for 10 minutes. Each time it would reboot fine. Did the cd as described above...worked great first time. Perhaps 10 year old seldom used floppy disc drives have some challenges?
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Jonathan Byrne <jonathan@RemoveThisToMailMe.yamame.org>. BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe worked perfectly using cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Andy Barnes <andy@RemoveThisToMailMe.itchypaws.co.uk>. As per Jonathan above, extracted BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe using cabextract, created a CD boot image and burnt to CD. Worked flawlessly - thanks to everyone who contributed to this article!
|-
| {{A20p}} 2629-6VU ||
* Chris Pickett http://www.sable.mcgill.ca/~cpicke/. BIOS 1.11 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A21e}} 2628-JXU ||
* Amit Gurdasani <gurdasani at yahoo dot com>. BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. Alarmingly, after the BIOS update, the laptop beeped but did not shut down as was indicated onscreen -- that was frozen on the "do not shut down the laptop" screen. On power down and up again, the BIOS setup showed the newer BIOS image running, and Linux booted up fine. Linux ACPI didn't complain about the BIOS being too old either.
|-
| {{A31p}} 2653 ||
* Matthias Meinke largeeddy@gmx.at, BIOS 1.09 1NET15WW flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A31}} 2652 ||
* [[User:Wnoise|Aaron Denney]], BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. The cabextract/CD method also worked for BIOS 1.10.
|-
| {{R30}} ||
* Jarrod, 30 August 2007, Thinkpad R30 Type 2656-E0M. BIOS updated to 1.40 (1CETF0WW) using floppy disk/mkisofs/cdrecord. Worked fine, no problems.
|-
| {{R31}} ||
* [http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/pipermail/linux-thinkpad/1998-January/009743.html Mathias Dalheimer]
* Sebastian Sauer (with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{R40}} ||
* Matthew Lambie, http://lambie.org
* Antti S. Lankila, update to 1.27 via direct use of phlash16.exe against a BIOS image. Normal method did not work because the battery is dead.
|-
| {{R50}} 1836-3SU ||
* jlbartos <jlbartos at hotmail dot com>
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834-PTG ||
* item <item at freemail dot hu> : successfully finished with cabextract/CD method for "1wuj25us.exe" (BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10), Release Date: 2006/12/22)
* Christos Nouskas <nouskas at gmail dot com>: upgraded to BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10) and EC version 1VHT28WW (1.04) using GRUB (BIOS first / EC second)
|-
| {{R51}} 1829 ||
* Robert Uhl <rob dot uhl at gmx dot de>, Jellby <jellby at yahoo dot com>
|-
| {{R51}} 1830-RM7 ||
* Will Parker <stardotstar at sourcepoint dot com dot au> successfully flashed 3.20 using existing 3.04 ECP and retained custom boot splash.
|-
| {{R51}} 2887 ||
* Ingo van Lil <inguin at gmx dot de>
|-
| {{R52}} 1858 ||
* Stuart McCord <stuart dot mccord at gmail dot com> flashed both BIOS and ECP using cabextract, BIOS flashed first as on IBM website
|-
| {{T20}} ||
* Franz Hassels <fhassel at suse dot com>
|-
| {{T22}} ||
* Daniel Maier <nusse teamidiot de>
* Mathias Behrle (with cabextract/CD method, Version 1.07 => 1.12) --[[User:Mathiasb|Mathiasb]] 11:58, 14 December 2006 (CET)
* Bob Skaroff (cabextract/CD), 1.06 => 1.12
* Leo Butler (cabextract/CD), 1.11 => 1.12
|-
| {{T23}} ||
* Bart Snapp <snapp at uiuc dot edu> Note: I followed IBM's instructions to flash the BIOS '''first''' and the Embedded Controller '''second'''.
* Moy Easwaran: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a via cabextract and CD-boot. The BIOS-update exe generated errors in Windows 2000.
* Joe Renes: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a on 2006-03-20 via cabextract and CD-boot. Piece of cake.
* Raphael Errani: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 2006-11-06 via cabextract and CD-boot (using mkisofs). Worked without errors. 1st Bios, 2nd EC
* Myron Getman: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 9/10/08 via cabextract --> k3b --> CD-boot. Worked like a charm. First BIOS update with Linux!
* Leo Butler: BIOS 1.13 / EC 1.04 to 1.20/1.06a via cabextract and syslinux/memdisk boot through grub. Worked like a charm and no wasted CD.
|-
| {{T30}} ||
* Martin GÃ¼hring <guehring at gmail.com> BIOS 2.10 via cabextract the Non-Diskette BIOS -> mkisofs '''in the directory the exe was extracted''' to generate the iso -> burn the iso -> boot the CD
|-
| {{T40}} ||
* Sean Dague, http://dague.net
* Justin Mason, http://jmason.org
* Ivanhoe (Bios 3.19)
* Alessandro Raulino (roger_2) EC 3.04 & BIOS 3.23 flashed with cabextract/CD method
* Nick Jenkins, using BIOS 3.23 with the '''Non-diskette updater + cabextract method''', then [[#Creating_a_Bootable_CD_from_a_Floppy_Image|created a bootable CD from the cabextracted .IMG file]], then boot that ISO, and it worked great!
* xyz: BIOS 3.23 & EC 3.04 flashed with cabextract/CD method. No problem.
|-
| {{T40p}} ||
* Lukas KrÃ¤henbÃ¼hl, ismo at pop dot agri dot ch
* Thomas Achtemichuk, tom at tomchuk dot com. BIOS 3.15 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method
* paper, BIOS 3.23 (1RETDRWW) flashed fine with cabextract/genisoimage method.
|-
| {{T41}} ||
* Lev Givon (Bios 3.15 / EC 3.04) <lev at columbia dot edu>
* Ernesto HernÃ¡ndez-Novich (Bios 3.19 / CP 3.04) < emhn at usb dot ve >
* [http://maebmij.org James Ballantine] (Bios 3.21 / CP 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW
* Vladimir Pycha (to Bios 3.23 / EC 3.04, from Bios 3.20 / EC 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW. Booted with external USB optical drive (I have internal drive broken) - at the beginning of the boot sequence press PAUSE, then wait several seconds, then ENTER, then F12 and select the drive. Without pressing PAUSE I am not able to boot from USB optical/hard drive as the drive does not show in the F12 boot list menu.
|-
| {{T41p}} ||
* Nils Newman, work great. (Version: Bios 3.14 / Embedded Controller 3.04)
|-
| {{T42}} 2373-JXG ||
* magarzo <mdr.magarzo at gmail.com> (BIOS v.3.23 / Embedded Controller v.3.04 / both with cabextract to non-diskette v. plus Bootable CD)
|-
| {{T42}} ||
* Dan (BIOS 3.20 / EC 3.04, cabextract/CD method) <tronic171 at evilphb.org>
* Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T42p}} ||
* Robert Schiele <rschiele@uni-mannheim.de>, Joern Heissler <joern@heissler.de>, Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-W34 ||
* Florian Boucault <florian at boucault dot ath dot cx> (Version: Bios 1.23 / Embedded Controller 1.03)
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-4AG ||
* [http://blog.martinmcdowell.com/about/contact Martin McDowell] 28-Feb-2010
* BIOS 70ET62WW (1.22) to 70ET69WW (1.29),
* ECP 70HT26WW (1.03) to 70HT28WW (1.05)
Both successfully upgraded from CD Image made from the instructions on this website.
|-
| {{T43}} 2886 ||
* Till Heikamp <t dot heikamp at geniusbytes dot com> (Bios 1.22 to 1.29, Embedded Controller 1.03 to 1.06)
|-
| {{T43}} ||
* Conrad Rentsch <Conrad dot Rentsch at t-online dot de> (Version: Bios 1.29 / Embedded Controller 1.06)
* Tom Heady <tom-thinkwiki.org@punch.net>
|-
| {{T60}} ||
* 1951 Roman Komkov <roman at komkov dot org dot ru> (Bios 1.07 to 2.13) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
* 8744-HCG Konstantin Khorenko <horenko at mail dot ru> (Bios 1.06 to 1.18) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{T61}} ||
* Kai Weber <kai.weber at glorybox dot org> (Bios 1.06 to 1.26) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{X20}} ||
* Neil Caunt <retardis at gmail dot com>
|-
| {{X21}} ||
* Patrick Leickner <ranma at web dot de>, (BIOS 2.21->2.25 / EC 1.31->1.36) via non-disk/cabextract/mkisofs/cdrecord
|-
| {{X22}} ||
* David Emery <dave at skiddlydee dot com>, (EC 1.30, BIOS 1.32 using non-disk/cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X23}} ||
* Nils Faerber <nils dot faerber at kernelconcepts dot de> (Embedded Controller 1.30, BIOS 1.32 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X30}} ||
* Hella Breitkopf, [http://www.unixwitch.de/ www] (Embedded Controller 1.04, BIOS 1.07 with cabextract/CD method)
* William Roe <willroe at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.06, BIOS 1.09 - cabextract/mkisofs/wodim)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Grzegorz KuÅ›nierz <koniu at sheket dot org> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.01 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Paul Litwack <paullitwack at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.02 with cabextract/unetbootin method)
cabextract & unetbootin are staight foward(toggle floppy image instead of iso image in unetbootin dialog)
No problems with update software.
x31 has to be cajoled into booting from usb. Boot hangs when pendrive is present. Hit the key to bring up the boot menu.
Unplug the pendrive. Let the boot menu come up. Plug in the pendrive. Select the pendrive in the boot menu and it boots.
|-
| {{X40}} ||
* Robbie Stone <robbie@serendipity.cx>
* Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@gmail.com> (Fine by cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{Z60m}} ||
* [[User:Morle|Morle]] 01:09, 17 Nov 2007 (CEST), (Embedded Controller 1.18 and Bios 1.24 with cabextract/CD method)
|}

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
|<pre> </pre> 
|
|}

=== Booting using GRUB ===
{|
| style="width:75%" | {{WARN|Many have warned '''not''' to use the SYSLINUX image-loader '''memdisk''' to boot firmware update images.}}
| style="font-size:80%" | {{HELP|Who are these "many"? Link to a discussion?}}
|}
Once the bootable image, FILENAME.IMG, is extracted from the .exe, it can be booted directly through GRUB without the need of burning a CD, using the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] image-loader '''[http://syslinux.zytor.com/memdisk.php memdisk]'''.

Locate the '''memdisk''' file from the syslinux package. You can search for it with '''find''':

{{cmdroot|find /usr -name memdisk}} #or just use "dlocate memdisk" or "locate memdisk" if these programs are installed

If {{path|/usr/.../memdisk}} is not present, syslinux is not installed. You will need to install it to boot a .IMG from GRUB.

Copy both the '''FILENAME.IMG''' and '''memdisk''' files into {{path|/boot}} directory. For example:

{{cmdroot|cp ./FILENAME.IMG /usr/share/syslinux/memdisk /boot/}}

Open {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}} in your favourite editor. '''Copy''' the active section into a '''new section''', and edit the new section:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Parameter
! Instructions
! Example
|-
| ''title'' || Pick a name for the new section. This will show up in the GRUB boot menu. || <tt>title IBM ECP Update</tt>
|-
| ''root'' || Do not change. This is the partition containing the {{path|/boot}} directory || <tt>root (hd0,0)</tt>
|-
| ''kernel'' || '''/boot/memdisk''' will allow you to boot an image file. || <tt>kernel /boot/memdisk</tt>
|-
| ''initrd'' || This is the name of the firmware-updater image file, e.g., 1IUJ13US.IMG || <tt>initrd /boot/1IUJ13US.IMG</tt>
|}

Do '''not''' modify the original section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}, or you might not be able to boot back to the operating system.

If you have [[#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|two firmware updates to do]], you will need a section for each firmware's FILENAME.IMG in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

{{NOTE|If both BIOS and ECP are to be updated, be sure to update them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].}}

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Reboot your computer, entering the GRUB menu and selecting ''IBM BIOS Update'', or whatever you named the new section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

==== GRUB2 ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.IMG #or whatever yours is
}

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R30}} 2656-64G || v.1.40 || || [[User:english.voodoo|Yuri Spirin]] ||
|-
| {{R40}} 2723 || 1OHJ11WW.IMG || 1PUJ25US.IMG || [[User:qunying|Qunying]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.70 (slackware 12.1)
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834NV1 || 1WUJ25US.IMG || || [[User:Jidanni|Jidanni]] || memdisk from syslinux-common 2:3.84+dfsg-1 (Debian), grub2 (1.96+20080724-16)
|-
| {{R51}} 2888 || || || ||
|-
| {{T23}} 2647 || 1AUJ20US.IMG || 1AHJ06US.IMG || [[User:cthon|cthon]] || memdisk from syslinux 4.02-1 (arch linux)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:Euphoria|Euphoria]] || memdisk from syslinux 1:3.31-4 (Debian package version)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RHJ10U2.IMG (3.04, 2004-11-15) || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || [[User:Morphics|Morphics]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3:1.36-4ubuntu5
|-
| {{T41}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Tonko|Tonko]] || Fedora 12
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Deggel|Deggel]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3.71 on gentoo
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || || || [[User:MrStaticVoid|James Lee]] ||
|-
| {{T42}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || || [[User:Secsaba|Simon Csaba Endre]] || Ubuntu 10.04 Pre-update versions: BIOS v3.21 / ECP v3.04 After-update versions: BIOS v3.23 / ECP v3.04
|-
| {{T42p}} 2374 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:aderigs|Achim Derigs]] || Debian GNU/Linux sid, works with `linux16 ...' and `initrd16 ...' only
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-CBU || || || [[User:JanTopinski|Jan Topinski]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-CXU || || || [[User:TheAnarcat|TheAnarcat]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-JBU || 3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || 1.08 1QUJ08US.IMG || [[User:twbxf4|twbxf4]] || worked flawlessly
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-58G || || || [[User:FaUl|FaUl]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || || || [[User:Starox|Starox]] || a big moment between starting update and the updating window
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || v3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || v1.08 1QHJ08US.IMG || [[User:TeeLittle|TeeLittle]] || Apr 10, 2010: Using Debian 5.0 "Lenny" + package syslinux-common (Version: 2:3.71+dfsg-5). Pre-update versions: BIOS v2.11 / ECP v1.03
|-
| {{X40}} 2371 || 2.07 1uuj21us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Jakob Truelsen]] || Worked on two X40-2371
|-
| {{X40}} 2386 || 2.08 1uuj22us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Galen Seitz]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.61
|}
(More successful grub tests are scattered in the previous table too.)

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! style="width:10em;" | BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R32}} 2658-NWU || 2.16 1MUD23US.IMG || n/a || [[User:Millman12345|Mike Millman]] || Boots into the BIOS flashing program just fine, but when it comes time to start the update process, the system hangs completely. Luckily, it hangs before it actually modifies anything... A hard reboot got me back into a working system. I would not recommend this route!
|-
| {{R52e}} 1846-CGL || 1.29 76UJ28UD.IMG || 1.01 || [[User:Lacyc3|Laszlo Takacs]] || Boots into BIOS flashing program but it hangs up before the upgrade process. I used memdisk from syslinux-4.01.
|-
| {{T43}} 2668-F7G || 1.29 1YUJ18US.IMG || || [[User:Maus3273|Maus3273]] || I got into the bios program, but the machine never restarts after initiating the upgrade.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-FAG || 2.09 74UJ15US || || [[User:Ukleinek|Uwe Kleine-König]] || booted fine (Debian syslinux 2:3.71+dfsg-5), but didn't succeed to write, just hang at "Don't restart or remove diskette etc. pp" (not bricked). Worked fine via CD method.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-F8G || 2.06 74UJ12US.IMG 2.07 74UJ13US.IMG 2.09 74UJ15US.IMG || || [[User:ladoga|Lauri Koponen]] || hangs while initializing the actual BIOS flashing process ECP: 1.02 74HJ03US.IMG works
|-
|}

==== GRUB2 boot cd image ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk iso raw
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.iso #or whatever yours is
}

This works for official iso images from ibm website.

On newer versions of Ubuntu grub.cfg is generated - add the entry to ''/etc/grub.d/40_custom'' then run <code>sudo update-grub</code>.

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{X100e}} 2876-55G || 6xuj05uc.iso || || [[User:nikel]] ||
|-
| {{Edge}} || 1.17 6yuj04uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 1.13 6duj40uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.14 6duj41uc.iso || 1.06 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.01
|-
| {{X201}} 3626-A14 || 1.15 6quj05uc.iso || 1.09 6quj05uc.iso || [[User:Alexander List|Alexander List]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.86
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-6GG || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:fethio]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-34Q || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:Kapil]] || Current memdisk from syslinux debian version 2:4.01+dfsg-1
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.15 6duj42uc.iso || || [[User:lawnjam]] || Memdisk 4.02 worked, the one provided by Ubuntu 10.04 did not.
|-
| {{X201}} || 1.22 6quj08uc.iso || 1.11 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.03
|-
|}

=== Booting from a Floppy ===
{{WARN|Using a floppy disk '''is NOT recommended'''.}}

This is how IBM/Lenovo intended it. Use their .exe files to create a bootable floppy with the flash update on it. Boot from the floppy and there you go.

So, why is it not recommended?
# If something goes wrong, your ThinkPad may be permanently damaged
# Floppy disk drives are not reliable
# Floppy disks are not reliable
# It only works with /dev/fd0, meaning it won't work with a USB floppy

So, even though Lenovo is now offering "Linux diskette" updaters, that will create a bootable floppy under Linux, using a floppy is still not recommended. Besides, many people don't even ''have'' a floppy drive on their ThinkPad.

If you really want to do it with a floppy, some tips:
* Use a clean (in the physical sense) floppy drive
* Use new floppies
* Test floppies for errors before starting update process
* Have multiple copies of the update disks ready--if one should fail, replace it with a copy
* Should DOS complain of a read error, '''only''' respond wth "Retry"

{{NOTE|Should the system encounter a disk read error during the flash process, and you select "Abort", your system could be permanently damaged.}}

=== Booting from a USB Flash drive ===

==== Updating the BIOS in DOS mode ====
(This process works for most X-series that has Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS)

1. There is an HP utility tool floating around the net called HP USB Boot Utility. This [http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2004/10/utility-to-make-usb-flash-driv.html can create a bootable USB flash drive using the boot/system files you have].

2. Get some [http://www.bay-wolf.com/utility/usbkey/win98boot.zip DOS (or similar) boot files] - I found something called "win98boot.zip" e.g.

3. Extract the (*.ima) from the ISO BIOS image (e.g. [http://www.rarsoft.com WinRAR] will do this).

4. Using a tool that can open .IMA files (such as [http://www.winimage.com/ WinImage]), extract all files to a temporary folder.

4. Run the HP tool, select the USB device, I used FAT32, create a DOS bootable disk and point at the win98boot folder - then "Start". Warning: this '''formats''' the USB flash drive and all data will be erased!

5. Once complete (you could test if it boots at this point), copy the extracted BIOS files from the temporary folder you created to the USB flash drive.

6. Boot from USB flash drive by pressing F11 within the BIOS boot logo. At the DOS command prompt, type "updflsh" and then follow the prompts by pressing "Y" or Enter. Make sure that you have a fully charged battery pack and the AC Adapter is firmly plugged before proceeding with the BIOS update.
'''DO NOT Power off the laptop or unplug the USB flash drive while the update is in progress or else update will fail and your computer will be unable to boot and system board may need to be serviced.'''

This process takes around 1-2 minutes. A long beep followed by a short beep will notify you that the update is complete and the system will automatically power off.

7. Power on the laptop then enter the BIOS setup by pressing F1 and Load BIOS defaults.

==== Using grub4dos (also for Linux) ====

[http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/wiki/ grub4dos] is a GNU GRUB fork with interesting features. One of them is the ability to boot ISO images directly off USB flash drives. Contrary to the name, GRUB for DOS works fine on Linux. Follow these steps:
* Download the latest grub4dos package at http://download.gna.org/grub4dos/ (I needed 0.4.4 for my USB2 drive - 0.4.3 did not work.)
* Unpack
* Insert your FAT-32 formatted pendrive
* Run <code>sudo ./bootlace.com /dev/sdX</code>, where /dev/sdX is the device name assigned to your pendrive (use <code>sudo fdisk -l</code> to figure this out). Be very careful to get the device correct or else you could overwrite your hard drive! This creates grub4dos boot sector in MBR of the flash drive.
* Copy the files <code>grldr</code> and <code>menu.lst</code> to the root directory of your pendrive.
* Convert the ThinkPad .IMG file to a .ISO file using <code>genisoimage -b 1yuj18us.img -c boot.catalog -o 1yuj18us.iso 1yuj18us.img</code>
* Copy the ISO image to the root directory of your pendrive (e.g. <code>1yuj18us.iso</code>).
* Edit <code>menu.lst</code> on the pendrive and include the following section (of course putting the appropriate ISO image name):
<pre>
title thinkpad-bios
map (hd0,0)/1yuj18us.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)
boot
</pre>
* Reboot and press F12 to select booting from USB.
* If all went well, you should be able to boot the Thinkpad's ISO image and flash the BIOS. I tested it successfully on T400. [[User:Wanted|Wanted]] 20:23, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

==== Using UNetbootin ====

Unetbootin 422 worked with the image files unpacked with cabextract on my x31.

{{HELP|How exactly did you do this? It failed for me. Does it work only with .IMG files that are converted to .ISO files, or can .ISO files provided by Lenovo also work (how?)}}

=== Booting from a Network Boot Image ===
BIOS, ECP, CD/DVD and Harddisk firmware disks can be booted over the network with [http://syslinux.zytor.com/pxe.php PXELINX] as part of the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] package. This requires that you have a DHCP and tftp server configured and setup properly on your network, and is probably not for the faint of heart.

Make sure the firmware bootdisk is in linux 'dd' format, as the self-extracting .exe disks from the IBM website cannot be booted directly as such.

This worked on the {{R31}}, {{X22}}, {{T21}}, {{T30}} and {{T41p}} with various firmware updates. On the {{X22}}, it worked with ECP 1.30 but '''not''' with BIOS 1.32

= Updating without battery or with dead battery =

This is a last-resort approach. Use this only if everything else fails.

The BIOS updater may refuse to update a BIOS without a battery, or if the battery charge is too low. In that case, extract the disk image with cabextract as per instructions above and dd it to an usb stick. (This will destroy the data on it, of course.) Acquire a pure DOS boot cd such as Windows 98 recovery CD and boot that.

Use F8 to abort the boot sequence of a windows 98 boot CD. If you need CD-ROM support, load CD-related things but say no to everything else. In particular, avoid loading himem.sys and doskey, as the presence of either program causes Phoenix bios flash tool phlash16.exe to abort.

Change to the volume where flash2.exe and other tools are installed, and execute "flash2.exe /u". This should bypass the battery check and perform the flashing. If that doesn't work, check if the update disk contains a tool called "phlash16.exe". This can be used directly to flash the image, and the invocation is typically "phlash16 /exit $01c80000.fl1".

This method won't work for the Thinkpad {{560X}} (and likely other older models). Since the 560X is a bit older, it won't be a big surprise if the battery is dead as a dodo. Here's how to update the bios in this case: download the spsdi833 bios update and create the update floppy. If you have trouble creating this disk, [http://rapidshare.com/files/413598837/spsdi833-bios-560X.zip.html download an archive with the files] and put them on a floppy. Don't worry about making it bootable. Also, you will need a DOS bootdisk. A Windows 98 bootdisk will be fine. Boot the system with the W98 bootdisk, do not load CD-rom support. Remove the W98 bootdisk and put the disk with the BIOS update in the drive. If you would now run UPDTFLSH you would get the battery message, so don't do that. If you open UPDTFLSH.exe with a text editor, you would find some lines about UPDTROM. UPDTROM is the actual flash tool, but you can't simply run it just like that. Run the following:

*updtrom /np /prep1
*updtrom /np /prep2
*updtrom /np /prep3
*updtrom /np /romcmp /romflsh /prep4
*updtrom /np /h8flsh /h8img /model

Yes, you need to run updtrom five times. Hold your breath and reboot the machine. It's done.

Perhaps not all these lines are necessary, but to be sure I ran them all, and this worked for me. So I suggest you do the same. This could probably be done from the harddisk as well, but I did not test that.

=After updating=
Lenovo recommends reseting your BIOS settings to their factory defaults after a firmware update.

==DMI IDs==
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] after updating your BIOS.

= Special Cases =
* In one case, see ([[APM setup on a type 2379 ThinkPad T40]]), it was not possible to upgrade the BIOS from Windows XP; a downgrade to Windows 98 was required to successfully run the BIOS upgrade app. The symptoms in this case were that, once the files had been extracted to the hard disk, and the machine was to reboot into the upgrade app, it would beep and hang just before reboot, requiring a power cycle. Once the power was cycled, it would simply reboot back into XP without performing any BIOS upgrade actions. So even if you have Windows, you may still need to use the info on this page.

== Updating Thinkpad X Series ==
The special update instructions for {{X_Series}} Thinkpads are quite long. You can find them at the page [[BIOS_Upgrade/X_Series]].

----

{{footnotes|
# For lots of detail on making and burning .iso files, see The Linux Documentation Project (tldp.org): [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO-3.html#ss3.1 3.1 Writing CD-ROMs (pure data)].
}}

BIOS Upgrade

2011-01-23T08:57:33Z

Demonoid724: /* Updating the BIOS in DOS mode */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is meant to describe ways to update the BIOS on a ThinkPad that only runs Linux for users that don't have ready access to Windows. If you have Windows on your ThinkPad you can just boot into it and follow instructions on the Lenovo website.

Updating the BIOS in Linux (with few exceptions) '''is not officially supported''' by Lenovo. However there are work arounds.

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems.

'''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}
|}

= Downloading New Firmware =
{{WARN|Flashing the wrong firmware for your hardware may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad. It is up to you to confirm that the firmware you are using is correct.}}

A list of links to firmware downloads can be found at [[BIOS Upgrade Downloads]] for most Thinkpad models. You can also check the Lenovo Support website's [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TPAD-MATRIX|ThinkPad driver matrix].

Lenovo provides firmware upgrades in a variety of packages:
* Diskette
* Non-diskette
* Linux diskette
* BIOS Utility
* Bootable CD

Not every type of package is available for every model.

The ''BIOS Utility'' and ''Bootable CD'' packages combine the BIOS and ECP firmwares. For the other packages, there is one for each firmware.
{| align="right" style="width:20em;"
| {{HELP|Can an image be extracted from a "Linux diskette" .exe file?}}
|}

The ''Linux diskette'' is just the ''Diskette'' package that runs on Linux instead of Windows/DOS. It's unknown if a boot image can be extracted from it.

You may need to try different packages to find the one from which you can extract a boot image.

== Two Firmwares: BIOS and ECP ==
{{WARN|Flashing incompatible firmwares, or flashing them in the wrong order, may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad.}}

It is important to understand that Thinkpads from IBM have two separate firmwares: the BIOS, and the Embedded Controller Program (ECP).

A given BIOS version will require a certain version of the ECP. You must read the Lenovo website and/or .txt files to confirm which BIOS is compatible with which ECP, and '''the order in which to update them'''.

=== Update Order ===

The IBM documentation is sometimes unclear about the order in which these two firmwares should be updated. When in doubt (i.e. IBM didn't provide specific instructions for your model or a particular firmware update), '''update the ECP first, and then the BIOS'''. Also, make sure to do the two updates '''immediately one after the other'''.

The EC firmware is usually much better at backwards compatibility than the BIOS.

(Updaters for newer models take care of both BIOS and EC, and use automatically whatever sequence is needed, so you don't have to worry about it.)

== Installed Firmware ==
You can check the current BIOS and ECP versions on your ThinkPad by using '''dmidecode'''. For example:

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -s bios-version}}

1RETDRWW (3.23 )

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -t 11}}

# dmidecode 2.9
SMBIOS 2.33 present.
Handle 0x0029, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
String 1: IBM ThinkPad Embedded Controller -[1RHT71WW-3.04 ]-

Showing BIOS version 3.23 (1RETDRWW) and ECP version 3.04 (1RHT71WW).

===DMI IDs===
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] before (and after) updating your BIOS.

= Updating Firmware =

There are two basic steps to updating the firmware (either the BIOS or the ECP) on a ThinkPad not running Windows:
# Extract a bootable update image
# Boot from that image

== Extracting an update image ==
{{WARN|Though this process has been successfully tested on many versions of .exe files found on IBMs website, that doesn't mean it will work for all of them. '''Proceed at your own risk'''. Consult the testing tables farther down of this page to see other users' experience with your model Thinkpad.}}
{{NOTE|These EXE unpack procedures no longer work on more recent downloads, as Lenovo has changed the packaging format. You may still be able to unpack them using wine, or alternatively an actual (virtual) Windows machine.}}
Older .exe installers from Lenovo mostly appear to be just a wrapper license program around Windows .cab files (see [[How_to_change_the_BIOS_bootsplash_screen|BIOS-Bootsplash]]). If you install the Linux program [http://freshmeat.net/projects/cabextract/ '''cabextract'''] you can expand these .cab files directly. For example, if you downloaded {{path|1iuj13us.exe}} from Lenovo:

:{{cmduser|cabextract 1iuj13us.exe}}

Extracting cabinet: 1iuj13us.exe
extracting 1IUJ13US.IMG
extracting BIOSUPTP.EXE
extracting DOBOOT.EXE
extracting DOSBOOT.COM
extracting DOSBOOT.SYS
extracting DOSBOOT.VXD
extracting DOSBOOT2.COM
extracting ECTLUPTP.EXE
extracting EFLASHAS.SYS
extracting HDFWUPTP.EXE
extracting IBMTPI.XML
All done, no errors.

The file we want is '''FILENAME.IMG''', with "FILENAME" being the .exe. you downloaded. E.g., {{path|1IUJ13US.IMG}}.

(If this does not work for the Non-diskette .exe, try it on the Diskette .exe. It's reported, for example, that the Non-diskette .exe for BIOS version 3.23 for the T41p was not extractable, but the Diskette .exe worked perfectly, with {{cmduser|cabextract}} delivering a .IMG file.)

==== Testing the Image ====

You can test that FILENAME.IMG is really a floppy image by running:

{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mntfloppy}}

{{cmdroot|mount -o loop FILENAME.IMG /tmp/mntfloppy}}

If a '''ls''' command on the image returns what looks like a DOS floppy, and no read errors were displayed, you have a pretty good chance that the image is usable. For example:

{{cmdroot|ls /tmp/mntfloppy}}
$0195000.FL1 069580.PAT 06d2.HSH IBMDOS.COM TPCHKS.EXE
0691.HSH 06D0.PAT 06d6.HSH LOGO.BAT UPDTFLSH.EXE
0691.PAT 06D1.PAT 06d8.HSH LOGO.SCR UPDTMN.EXE
0694.HSH 06D2.PAT CHKBMP.EXE PHLASH16.EXE USERINT.EXE
0694.PAT 06D6.PAT COMMAND.COM PREPARE.EXE UTILINFO.EXE
0695.HSH 06D8.PAT CONFIG.SYS PROD.dat lcreflsh.bat
0695.PAT 06d0.HSH FLASH2.EXE QKFLASH.EXE
069580.HSH 06d1.HSH IBMBIO.COM README.TXT

Unmount the image after you are done testing:

{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mntfloppy}}

== Booting from update image ==
Now that you have a bootable image for the correct update for you hardware, you need to do is boot from that image to install the update.

There are different ways to do that:
* [[#Booting from a CD|Boot from a CD]]
* [[#Booting_using_GRUB|Boot from the image, using GRUB]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_floppy|Boot from a floppy]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_USB_Flash_drive|Boot from a USB Flash drive]]

=== Booting from a CD ===
{| align="right" style="width:40em;"
|{{HINT|If there is a ''Bootable CD'' image available, e.g., FILENAME.iso, just download that, instead of mucking around with image files.}}
|}
If you are going to update the firmware by booting from a CD, you need to turn FILENAME.IMG that you extracted above into an .iso file.

The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Torito_%28CD-ROM_standard%29 El Torito Bootable CD Specification] is a wonderful thing. Thanks to it, a bootable CD can be made with a bootable floppy image in such as way that the CD believes that it is a 2.88 MB floppy drive. This allows you to replace a boot floppy by a boot CD in nearly all situations.

It is very easy to create such a bootable CD ISO image in Linux using the '''mkisofs''' tool{{footnote|1}}. Run a command as follows:

{{cmdroot|genisoimage -b 1WUJ25US.IMG -c boot.catalog -o bootcd.iso 1WUJ25US.IMG}} #or older mkisofs

Where *.IMG is the name of the image file extracted above. This creates a CD with one file on it and marks that file as the boot image.

You can now burn the {{path|bootcd.iso}} to a CD in your favorite CD-burning program.
{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Boot from the CD to update your firmware. Remember to have [[BIOS_Upgrade#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|both BIOS and ECP firmware boot-CDs]] ready, as needed, and use them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].

==== Successful tests ====

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-4AU ||
* George Tellalov <gtellalov_dontspamme@bigfoot.com>. BIOS 1.16 from spsdin36.exe worked perfectly with the method bootable cd from floppy image. I highly recommend this upgrade because it made my ibm-acpi module load (it wouldn't load before) and fixed some suspend to ram problems. Here's the [http://george.tellalov.info/bios_upgrade_600e_spsdin36.iso cd image] I used. Use at your own risk. You can send me a chocolate if it works for you ;)
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-5bU ||
* Mike Vincent<matchstc-putobvioushere.com>. Bios 1.16 from spsdin36.exe and then to the boot cd worked great for me. Thought I had bricked it three separate times using a "real" floppy! Each from different diskettes .The updater would start, give me the "going to take30 seconds" speech...and then access the HD for 10 minutes. Each time it would reboot fine. Did the cd as described above...worked great first time. Perhaps 10 year old seldom used floppy disc drives have some challenges?
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Jonathan Byrne <jonathan@RemoveThisToMailMe.yamame.org>. BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe worked perfectly using cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Andy Barnes <andy@RemoveThisToMailMe.itchypaws.co.uk>. As per Jonathan above, extracted BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe using cabextract, created a CD boot image and burnt to CD. Worked flawlessly - thanks to everyone who contributed to this article!
|-
| {{A20p}} 2629-6VU ||
* Chris Pickett http://www.sable.mcgill.ca/~cpicke/. BIOS 1.11 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A21e}} 2628-JXU ||
* Amit Gurdasani <gurdasani at yahoo dot com>. BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. Alarmingly, after the BIOS update, the laptop beeped but did not shut down as was indicated onscreen -- that was frozen on the "do not shut down the laptop" screen. On power down and up again, the BIOS setup showed the newer BIOS image running, and Linux booted up fine. Linux ACPI didn't complain about the BIOS being too old either.
|-
| {{A31p}} 2653 ||
* Matthias Meinke largeeddy@gmx.at, BIOS 1.09 1NET15WW flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A31}} 2652 ||
* [[User:Wnoise|Aaron Denney]], BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. The cabextract/CD method also worked for BIOS 1.10.
|-
| {{R30}} ||
* Jarrod, 30 August 2007, Thinkpad R30 Type 2656-E0M. BIOS updated to 1.40 (1CETF0WW) using floppy disk/mkisofs/cdrecord. Worked fine, no problems.
|-
| {{R31}} ||
* [http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/pipermail/linux-thinkpad/1998-January/009743.html Mathias Dalheimer]
* Sebastian Sauer (with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{R40}} ||
* Matthew Lambie, http://lambie.org
* Antti S. Lankila, update to 1.27 via direct use of phlash16.exe against a BIOS image. Normal method did not work because the battery is dead.
|-
| {{R50}} 1836-3SU ||
* jlbartos <jlbartos at hotmail dot com>
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834-PTG ||
* item <item at freemail dot hu> : successfully finished with cabextract/CD method for "1wuj25us.exe" (BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10), Release Date: 2006/12/22)
* Christos Nouskas <nouskas at gmail dot com>: upgraded to BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10) and EC version 1VHT28WW (1.04) using GRUB (BIOS first / EC second)
|-
| {{R51}} 1829 ||
* Robert Uhl <rob dot uhl at gmx dot de>, Jellby <jellby at yahoo dot com>
|-
| {{R51}} 1830-RM7 ||
* Will Parker <stardotstar at sourcepoint dot com dot au> successfully flashed 3.20 using existing 3.04 ECP and retained custom boot splash.
|-
| {{R51}} 2887 ||
* Ingo van Lil <inguin at gmx dot de>
|-
| {{R52}} 1858 ||
* Stuart McCord <stuart dot mccord at gmail dot com> flashed both BIOS and ECP using cabextract, BIOS flashed first as on IBM website
|-
| {{T20}} ||
* Franz Hassels <fhassel at suse dot com>
|-
| {{T22}} ||
* Daniel Maier <nusse teamidiot de>
* Mathias Behrle (with cabextract/CD method, Version 1.07 => 1.12) --[[User:Mathiasb|Mathiasb]] 11:58, 14 December 2006 (CET)
* Bob Skaroff (cabextract/CD), 1.06 => 1.12
* Leo Butler (cabextract/CD), 1.11 => 1.12
|-
| {{T23}} ||
* Bart Snapp <snapp at uiuc dot edu> Note: I followed IBM's instructions to flash the BIOS '''first''' and the Embedded Controller '''second'''.
* Moy Easwaran: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a via cabextract and CD-boot. The BIOS-update exe generated errors in Windows 2000.
* Joe Renes: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a on 2006-03-20 via cabextract and CD-boot. Piece of cake.
* Raphael Errani: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 2006-11-06 via cabextract and CD-boot (using mkisofs). Worked without errors. 1st Bios, 2nd EC
* Myron Getman: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 9/10/08 via cabextract --> k3b --> CD-boot. Worked like a charm. First BIOS update with Linux!
* Leo Butler: BIOS 1.13 / EC 1.04 to 1.20/1.06a via cabextract and syslinux/memdisk boot through grub. Worked like a charm and no wasted CD.
|-
| {{T30}} ||
* Martin GÃ¼hring <guehring at gmail.com> BIOS 2.10 via cabextract the Non-Diskette BIOS -> mkisofs '''in the directory the exe was extracted''' to generate the iso -> burn the iso -> boot the CD
|-
| {{T40}} ||
* Sean Dague, http://dague.net
* Justin Mason, http://jmason.org
* Ivanhoe (Bios 3.19)
* Alessandro Raulino (roger_2) EC 3.04 & BIOS 3.23 flashed with cabextract/CD method
* Nick Jenkins, using BIOS 3.23 with the '''Non-diskette updater + cabextract method''', then [[#Creating_a_Bootable_CD_from_a_Floppy_Image|created a bootable CD from the cabextracted .IMG file]], then boot that ISO, and it worked great!
* xyz: BIOS 3.23 & EC 3.04 flashed with cabextract/CD method. No problem.
|-
| {{T40p}} ||
* Lukas KrÃ¤henbÃ¼hl, ismo at pop dot agri dot ch
* Thomas Achtemichuk, tom at tomchuk dot com. BIOS 3.15 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method
* paper, BIOS 3.23 (1RETDRWW) flashed fine with cabextract/genisoimage method.
|-
| {{T41}} ||
* Lev Givon (Bios 3.15 / EC 3.04) <lev at columbia dot edu>
* Ernesto HernÃ¡ndez-Novich (Bios 3.19 / CP 3.04) < emhn at usb dot ve >
* [http://maebmij.org James Ballantine] (Bios 3.21 / CP 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW
* Vladimir Pycha (to Bios 3.23 / EC 3.04, from Bios 3.20 / EC 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW. Booted with external USB optical drive (I have internal drive broken) - at the beginning of the boot sequence press PAUSE, then wait several seconds, then ENTER, then F12 and select the drive. Without pressing PAUSE I am not able to boot from USB optical/hard drive as the drive does not show in the F12 boot list menu.
|-
| {{T41p}} ||
* Nils Newman, work great. (Version: Bios 3.14 / Embedded Controller 3.04)
|-
| {{T42}} 2373-JXG ||
* magarzo <mdr.magarzo at gmail.com> (BIOS v.3.23 / Embedded Controller v.3.04 / both with cabextract to non-diskette v. plus Bootable CD)
|-
| {{T42}} ||
* Dan (BIOS 3.20 / EC 3.04, cabextract/CD method) <tronic171 at evilphb.org>
* Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T42p}} ||
* Robert Schiele <rschiele@uni-mannheim.de>, Joern Heissler <joern@heissler.de>, Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-W34 ||
* Florian Boucault <florian at boucault dot ath dot cx> (Version: Bios 1.23 / Embedded Controller 1.03)
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-4AG ||
* [http://blog.martinmcdowell.com/about/contact Martin McDowell] 28-Feb-2010
* BIOS 70ET62WW (1.22) to 70ET69WW (1.29),
* ECP 70HT26WW (1.03) to 70HT28WW (1.05)
Both successfully upgraded from CD Image made from the instructions on this website.
|-
| {{T43}} 2886 ||
* Till Heikamp <t dot heikamp at geniusbytes dot com> (Bios 1.22 to 1.29, Embedded Controller 1.03 to 1.06)
|-
| {{T43}} ||
* Conrad Rentsch <Conrad dot Rentsch at t-online dot de> (Version: Bios 1.29 / Embedded Controller 1.06)
* Tom Heady <tom-thinkwiki.org@punch.net>
|-
| {{T60}} ||
* 1951 Roman Komkov <roman at komkov dot org dot ru> (Bios 1.07 to 2.13) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
* 8744-HCG Konstantin Khorenko <horenko at mail dot ru> (Bios 1.06 to 1.18) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{T61}} ||
* Kai Weber <kai.weber at glorybox dot org> (Bios 1.06 to 1.26) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{X20}} ||
* Neil Caunt <retardis at gmail dot com>
|-
| {{X21}} ||
* Patrick Leickner <ranma at web dot de>, (BIOS 2.21->2.25 / EC 1.31->1.36) via non-disk/cabextract/mkisofs/cdrecord
|-
| {{X22}} ||
* David Emery <dave at skiddlydee dot com>, (EC 1.30, BIOS 1.32 using non-disk/cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X23}} ||
* Nils Faerber <nils dot faerber at kernelconcepts dot de> (Embedded Controller 1.30, BIOS 1.32 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X30}} ||
* Hella Breitkopf, [http://www.unixwitch.de/ www] (Embedded Controller 1.04, BIOS 1.07 with cabextract/CD method)
* William Roe <willroe at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.06, BIOS 1.09 - cabextract/mkisofs/wodim)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Grzegorz KuÅ›nierz <koniu at sheket dot org> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.01 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Paul Litwack <paullitwack at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.02 with cabextract/unetbootin method)
cabextract & unetbootin are staight foward(toggle floppy image instead of iso image in unetbootin dialog)
No problems with update software.
x31 has to be cajoled into booting from usb. Boot hangs when pendrive is present. Hit the key to bring up the boot menu.
Unplug the pendrive. Let the boot menu come up. Plug in the pendrive. Select the pendrive in the boot menu and it boots.
|-
| {{X40}} ||
* Robbie Stone <robbie@serendipity.cx>
* Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@gmail.com> (Fine by cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{Z60m}} ||
* [[User:Morle|Morle]] 01:09, 17 Nov 2007 (CEST), (Embedded Controller 1.18 and Bios 1.24 with cabextract/CD method)
|}

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
|<pre> </pre> 
|
|}

=== Booting using GRUB ===
{|
| style="width:75%" | {{WARN|Many have warned '''not''' to use the SYSLINUX image-loader '''memdisk''' to boot firmware update images.}}
| style="font-size:80%" | {{HELP|Who are these "many"? Link to a discussion?}}
|}
Once the bootable image, FILENAME.IMG, is extracted from the .exe, it can be booted directly through GRUB without the need of burning a CD, using the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] image-loader '''[http://syslinux.zytor.com/memdisk.php memdisk]'''.

Locate the '''memdisk''' file from the syslinux package. You can search for it with '''find''':

{{cmdroot|find /usr -name memdisk}} #or just use "dlocate memdisk" or "locate memdisk" if these programs are installed

If {{path|/usr/.../memdisk}} is not present, syslinux is not installed. You will need to install it to boot a .IMG from GRUB.

Copy both the '''FILENAME.IMG''' and '''memdisk''' files into {{path|/boot}} directory. For example:

{{cmdroot|cp ./FILENAME.IMG /usr/share/syslinux/memdisk /boot/}}

Open {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}} in your favourite editor. '''Copy''' the active section into a '''new section''', and edit the new section:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Parameter
! Instructions
! Example
|-
| ''title'' || Pick a name for the new section. This will show up in the GRUB boot menu. || <tt>title IBM ECP Update</tt>
|-
| ''root'' || Do not change. This is the partition containing the {{path|/boot}} directory || <tt>root (hd0,0)</tt>
|-
| ''kernel'' || '''/boot/memdisk''' will allow you to boot an image file. || <tt>kernel /boot/memdisk</tt>
|-
| ''initrd'' || This is the name of the firmware-updater image file, e.g., 1IUJ13US.IMG || <tt>initrd /boot/1IUJ13US.IMG</tt>
|}

Do '''not''' modify the original section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}, or you might not be able to boot back to the operating system.

If you have [[#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|two firmware updates to do]], you will need a section for each firmware's FILENAME.IMG in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

{{NOTE|If both BIOS and ECP are to be updated, be sure to update them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].}}

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Reboot your computer, entering the GRUB menu and selecting ''IBM BIOS Update'', or whatever you named the new section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

==== GRUB2 ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.IMG #or whatever yours is
}

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R30}} 2656-64G || v.1.40 || || [[User:english.voodoo|Yuri Spirin]] ||
|-
| {{R40}} 2723 || 1OHJ11WW.IMG || 1PUJ25US.IMG || [[User:qunying|Qunying]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.70 (slackware 12.1)
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834NV1 || 1WUJ25US.IMG || || [[User:Jidanni|Jidanni]] || memdisk from syslinux-common 2:3.84+dfsg-1 (Debian), grub2 (1.96+20080724-16)
|-
| {{R51}} 2888 || || || ||
|-
| {{T23}} 2647 || 1AUJ20US.IMG || 1AHJ06US.IMG || [[User:cthon|cthon]] || memdisk from syslinux 4.02-1 (arch linux)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:Euphoria|Euphoria]] || memdisk from syslinux 1:3.31-4 (Debian package version)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RHJ10U2.IMG (3.04, 2004-11-15) || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || [[User:Morphics|Morphics]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3:1.36-4ubuntu5
|-
| {{T41}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Tonko|Tonko]] || Fedora 12
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Deggel|Deggel]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3.71 on gentoo
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || || || [[User:MrStaticVoid|James Lee]] ||
|-
| {{T42}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || || [[User:Secsaba|Simon Csaba Endre]] || Ubuntu 10.04 Pre-update versions: BIOS v3.21 / ECP v3.04 After-update versions: BIOS v3.23 / ECP v3.04
|-
| {{T42p}} 2374 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:aderigs|Achim Derigs]] || Debian GNU/Linux sid, works with `linux16 ...' and `initrd16 ...' only
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-CBU || || || [[User:JanTopinski|Jan Topinski]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-CXU || || || [[User:TheAnarcat|TheAnarcat]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-JBU || 3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || 1.08 1QUJ08US.IMG || [[User:twbxf4|twbxf4]] || worked flawlessly
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-58G || || || [[User:FaUl|FaUl]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || || || [[User:Starox|Starox]] || a big moment between starting update and the updating window
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || v3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || v1.08 1QHJ08US.IMG || [[User:TeeLittle|TeeLittle]] || Apr 10, 2010: Using Debian 5.0 "Lenny" + package syslinux-common (Version: 2:3.71+dfsg-5). Pre-update versions: BIOS v2.11 / ECP v1.03
|-
| {{X40}} 2371 || 2.07 1uuj21us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Jakob Truelsen]] || Worked on two X40-2371
|-
| {{X40}} 2386 || 2.08 1uuj22us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Galen Seitz]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.61
|}
(More successful grub tests are scattered in the previous table too.)

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! style="width:10em;" | BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R32}} 2658-NWU || 2.16 1MUD23US.IMG || n/a || [[User:Millman12345|Mike Millman]] || Boots into the BIOS flashing program just fine, but when it comes time to start the update process, the system hangs completely. Luckily, it hangs before it actually modifies anything... A hard reboot got me back into a working system. I would not recommend this route!
|-
| {{R52e}} 1846-CGL || 1.29 76UJ28UD.IMG || 1.01 || [[User:Lacyc3|Laszlo Takacs]] || Boots into BIOS flashing program but it hangs up before the upgrade process. I used memdisk from syslinux-4.01.
|-
| {{T43}} 2668-F7G || 1.29 1YUJ18US.IMG || || [[User:Maus3273|Maus3273]] || I got into the bios program, but the machine never restarts after initiating the upgrade.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-FAG || 2.09 74UJ15US || || [[User:Ukleinek|Uwe Kleine-König]] || booted fine (Debian syslinux 2:3.71+dfsg-5), but didn't succeed to write, just hang at "Don't restart or remove diskette etc. pp" (not bricked). Worked fine via CD method.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-F8G || 2.06 74UJ12US.IMG 2.07 74UJ13US.IMG 2.09 74UJ15US.IMG || || [[User:ladoga|Lauri Koponen]] || hangs while initializing the actual BIOS flashing process ECP: 1.02 74HJ03US.IMG works
|-
|}

==== GRUB2 boot cd image ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk iso raw
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.iso #or whatever yours is
}

This works for official iso images from ibm website.

On newer versions of Ubuntu grub.cfg is generated - add the entry to ''/etc/grub.d/40_custom'' then run <code>sudo update-grub</code>.

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{X100e}} 2876-55G || 6xuj05uc.iso || || [[User:nikel]] ||
|-
| {{Edge}} || 1.17 6yuj04uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 1.13 6duj40uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.14 6duj41uc.iso || 1.06 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.01
|-
| {{X201}} 3626-A14 || 1.15 6quj05uc.iso || 1.09 6quj05uc.iso || [[User:Alexander List|Alexander List]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.86
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-6GG || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:fethio]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-34Q || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:Kapil]] || Current memdisk from syslinux debian version 2:4.01+dfsg-1
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.15 6duj42uc.iso || || [[User:lawnjam]] || Memdisk 4.02 worked, the one provided by Ubuntu 10.04 did not.
|-
| {{X201}} || 1.22 6quj08uc.iso || 1.11 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.03
|-
|}

=== Booting from a Floppy ===
{{WARN|Using a floppy disk '''is NOT recommended'''.}}

This is how IBM/Lenovo intended it. Use their .exe files to create a bootable floppy with the flash update on it. Boot from the floppy and there you go.

So, why is it not recommended?
# If something goes wrong, your ThinkPad may be permanently damaged
# Floppy disk drives are not reliable
# Floppy disks are not reliable
# It only works with /dev/fd0, meaning it won't work with a USB floppy

So, even though Lenovo is now offering "Linux diskette" updaters, that will create a bootable floppy under Linux, using a floppy is still not recommended. Besides, many people don't even ''have'' a floppy drive on their ThinkPad.

If you really want to do it with a floppy, some tips:
* Use a clean (in the physical sense) floppy drive
* Use new floppies
* Test floppies for errors before starting update process
* Have multiple copies of the update disks ready--if one should fail, replace it with a copy
* Should DOS complain of a read error, '''only''' respond wth "Retry"

{{NOTE|Should the system encounter a disk read error during the flash process, and you select "Abort", your system could be permanently damaged.}}

=== Booting from a USB Flash drive ===

== Updating the BIOS in DOS mode ==
(This process works for most X-series that has Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS)

1. There is an HP utility tool floating around the net called HP USB Boot Utility. This [http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2004/10/utility-to-make-usb-flash-driv.html can create a bootable USB flash drive using the boot/system files you have].

2. Get some [http://www.bay-wolf.com/utility/usbkey/win98boot.zip DOS (or similar) boot files] - I found something called "win98boot.zip" e.g.

3. Extract the (*.ima) from the ISO BIOS image (e.g. [http://www.rarsoft.com WinRAR] will do this).

4. Using a tool that can open .IMA files (such as [http://www.winimage.com/ WinImage]), extract all files to a temporary folder.

4. Run the HP tool, select the USB device, I used FAT32, create a DOS bootable disk and point at the win98boot folder - then "Start". Warning: this '''formats''' the USB flash drive and all data will be erased!

5. Once complete (you could test if it boots at this point), copy the extracted BIOS files from the temporary folder you created to the USB flash drive.

6. Boot from USB flash drive by pressing F11 within the BIOS boot logo. At the DOS command prompt, type "updflsh" and then follow the prompts by pressing "Y" or Enter. Make sure that you have a fully charged battery pack and the AC Adapter is firmly plugged before proceeding with the BIOS update.
'''DO NOT Power off the laptop or unplug the USB flash drive while the update is in progress or else update will fail and your computer will be unable to boot and system board may need to be serviced.'''

This process takes around 1-2 minutes. A long beep followed by a short beep will notify you that the update is complete and the system will automatically power off.

7. Power on the laptop then enter the BIOS setup by pressing F1 and Load BIOS defaults.

==== Using grub4dos (also for Linux) ====

[http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/wiki/ grub4dos] is a GNU GRUB fork with interesting features. One of them is the ability to boot ISO images directly off USB flash drives. Contrary to the name, GRUB for DOS works fine on Linux. Follow these steps:
* Download the latest grub4dos package at http://download.gna.org/grub4dos/ (I needed 0.4.4 for my USB2 drive - 0.4.3 did not work.)
* Unpack
* Insert your FAT-32 formatted pendrive
* Run <code>sudo ./bootlace.com /dev/sdX</code>, where /dev/sdX is the device name assigned to your pendrive (use <code>sudo fdisk -l</code> to figure this out). Be very careful to get the device correct or else you could overwrite your hard drive! This creates grub4dos boot sector in MBR of the flash drive.
* Copy the files <code>grldr</code> and <code>menu.lst</code> to the root directory of your pendrive.
* Convert the ThinkPad .IMG file to a .ISO file using <code>genisoimage -b 1yuj18us.img -c boot.catalog -o 1yuj18us.iso 1yuj18us.img</code>
* Copy the ISO image to the root directory of your pendrive (e.g. <code>1yuj18us.iso</code>).
* Edit <code>menu.lst</code> on the pendrive and include the following section (of course putting the appropriate ISO image name):
<pre>
title thinkpad-bios
map (hd0,0)/1yuj18us.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)
boot
</pre>
* Reboot and press F12 to select booting from USB.
* If all went well, you should be able to boot the Thinkpad's ISO image and flash the BIOS. I tested it successfully on T400. [[User:Wanted|Wanted]] 20:23, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

==== Using UNetbootin ====

Unetbootin 422 worked with the image files unpacked with cabextract on my x31.

{{HELP|How exactly did you do this? It failed for me. Does it work only with .IMG files that are converted to .ISO files, or can .ISO files provided by Lenovo also work (how?)}}

=== Booting from a Network Boot Image ===
BIOS, ECP, CD/DVD and Harddisk firmware disks can be booted over the network with [http://syslinux.zytor.com/pxe.php PXELINX] as part of the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] package. This requires that you have a DHCP and tftp server configured and setup properly on your network, and is probably not for the faint of heart.

Make sure the firmware bootdisk is in linux 'dd' format, as the self-extracting .exe disks from the IBM website cannot be booted directly as such.

This worked on the {{R31}}, {{X22}}, {{T21}}, {{T30}} and {{T41p}} with various firmware updates. On the {{X22}}, it worked with ECP 1.30 but '''not''' with BIOS 1.32

= Updating without battery or with dead battery =

This is a last-resort approach. Use this only if everything else fails.

The BIOS updater may refuse to update a BIOS without a battery, or if the battery charge is too low. In that case, extract the disk image with cabextract as per instructions above and dd it to an usb stick. (This will destroy the data on it, of course.) Acquire a pure DOS boot cd such as Windows 98 recovery CD and boot that.

Use F8 to abort the boot sequence of a windows 98 boot CD. If you need CD-ROM support, load CD-related things but say no to everything else. In particular, avoid loading himem.sys and doskey, as the presence of either program causes Phoenix bios flash tool phlash16.exe to abort.

Change to the volume where flash2.exe and other tools are installed, and execute "flash2.exe /u". This should bypass the battery check and perform the flashing. If that doesn't work, check if the update disk contains a tool called "phlash16.exe". This can be used directly to flash the image, and the invocation is typically "phlash16 /exit $01c80000.fl1".

This method won't work for the Thinkpad {{560X}} (and likely other older models). Since the 560X is a bit older, it won't be a big surprise if the battery is dead as a dodo. Here's how to update the bios in this case: download the spsdi833 bios update and create the update floppy. If you have trouble creating this disk, [http://rapidshare.com/files/413598837/spsdi833-bios-560X.zip.html download an archive with the files] and put them on a floppy. Don't worry about making it bootable. Also, you will need a DOS bootdisk. A Windows 98 bootdisk will be fine. Boot the system with the W98 bootdisk, do not load CD-rom support. Remove the W98 bootdisk and put the disk with the BIOS update in the drive. If you would now run UPDTFLSH you would get the battery message, so don't do that. If you open UPDTFLSH.exe with a text editor, you would find some lines about UPDTROM. UPDTROM is the actual flash tool, but you can't simply run it just like that. Run the following:

*updtrom /np /prep1
*updtrom /np /prep2
*updtrom /np /prep3
*updtrom /np /romcmp /romflsh /prep4
*updtrom /np /h8flsh /h8img /model

Yes, you need to run updtrom five times. Hold your breath and reboot the machine. It's done.

Perhaps not all these lines are necessary, but to be sure I ran them all, and this worked for me. So I suggest you do the same. This could probably be done from the harddisk as well, but I did not test that.

=After updating=
Lenovo recommends reseting your BIOS settings to their factory defaults after a firmware update.

==DMI IDs==
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] after updating your BIOS.

= Special Cases =
* In one case, see ([[APM setup on a type 2379 ThinkPad T40]]), it was not possible to upgrade the BIOS from Windows XP; a downgrade to Windows 98 was required to successfully run the BIOS upgrade app. The symptoms in this case were that, once the files had been extracted to the hard disk, and the machine was to reboot into the upgrade app, it would beep and hang just before reboot, requiring a power cycle. Once the power was cycled, it would simply reboot back into XP without performing any BIOS upgrade actions. So even if you have Windows, you may still need to use the info on this page.

== Updating Thinkpad X Series ==
The special update instructions for {{X_Series}} Thinkpads are quite long. You can find them at the page [[BIOS_Upgrade/X_Series]].

----

{{footnotes|
# For lots of detail on making and burning .iso files, see The Linux Documentation Project (tldp.org): [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO-3.html#ss3.1 3.1 Writing CD-ROMs (pure data)].
}}

BIOS Upgrade

2011-01-23T08:57:05Z

Demonoid724: /* Booting from a USB Flash drive */

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top;padding-right:20px;width:10px;white-space:nowrap;" | __TOC__
|style="vertical-align:top" |
This page is meant to describe ways to update the BIOS on a ThinkPad that only runs Linux for users that don't have ready access to Windows. If you have Windows on your ThinkPad you can just boot into it and follow instructions on the Lenovo website.

Updating the BIOS in Linux (with few exceptions) '''is not officially supported''' by Lenovo. However there are work arounds.

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems.

'''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}
|}

= Downloading New Firmware =
{{WARN|Flashing the wrong firmware for your hardware may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad. It is up to you to confirm that the firmware you are using is correct.}}

A list of links to firmware downloads can be found at [[BIOS Upgrade Downloads]] for most Thinkpad models. You can also check the Lenovo Support website's [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=TPAD-MATRIX|ThinkPad driver matrix].

Lenovo provides firmware upgrades in a variety of packages:
* Diskette
* Non-diskette
* Linux diskette
* BIOS Utility
* Bootable CD

Not every type of package is available for every model.

The ''BIOS Utility'' and ''Bootable CD'' packages combine the BIOS and ECP firmwares. For the other packages, there is one for each firmware.
{| align="right" style="width:20em;"
| {{HELP|Can an image be extracted from a "Linux diskette" .exe file?}}
|}

The ''Linux diskette'' is just the ''Diskette'' package that runs on Linux instead of Windows/DOS. It's unknown if a boot image can be extracted from it.

You may need to try different packages to find the one from which you can extract a boot image.

== Two Firmwares: BIOS and ECP ==
{{WARN|Flashing incompatible firmwares, or flashing them in the wrong order, may cause permanent damage to your ThinkPad.}}

It is important to understand that Thinkpads from IBM have two separate firmwares: the BIOS, and the Embedded Controller Program (ECP).

A given BIOS version will require a certain version of the ECP. You must read the Lenovo website and/or .txt files to confirm which BIOS is compatible with which ECP, and '''the order in which to update them'''.

=== Update Order ===

The IBM documentation is sometimes unclear about the order in which these two firmwares should be updated. When in doubt (i.e. IBM didn't provide specific instructions for your model or a particular firmware update), '''update the ECP first, and then the BIOS'''. Also, make sure to do the two updates '''immediately one after the other'''.

The EC firmware is usually much better at backwards compatibility than the BIOS.

(Updaters for newer models take care of both BIOS and EC, and use automatically whatever sequence is needed, so you don't have to worry about it.)

== Installed Firmware ==
You can check the current BIOS and ECP versions on your ThinkPad by using '''dmidecode'''. For example:

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -s bios-version}}

1RETDRWW (3.23 )

{{cmdroot|dmidecode -t 11}}

# dmidecode 2.9
SMBIOS 2.33 present.
Handle 0x0029, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
String 1: IBM ThinkPad Embedded Controller -[1RHT71WW-3.04 ]-

Showing BIOS version 3.23 (1RETDRWW) and ECP version 3.04 (1RHT71WW).

===DMI IDs===
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] before (and after) updating your BIOS.

= Updating Firmware =

There are two basic steps to updating the firmware (either the BIOS or the ECP) on a ThinkPad not running Windows:
# Extract a bootable update image
# Boot from that image

== Extracting an update image ==
{{WARN|Though this process has been successfully tested on many versions of .exe files found on IBMs website, that doesn't mean it will work for all of them. '''Proceed at your own risk'''. Consult the testing tables farther down of this page to see other users' experience with your model Thinkpad.}}
{{NOTE|These EXE unpack procedures no longer work on more recent downloads, as Lenovo has changed the packaging format. You may still be able to unpack them using wine, or alternatively an actual (virtual) Windows machine.}}
Older .exe installers from Lenovo mostly appear to be just a wrapper license program around Windows .cab files (see [[How_to_change_the_BIOS_bootsplash_screen|BIOS-Bootsplash]]). If you install the Linux program [http://freshmeat.net/projects/cabextract/ '''cabextract'''] you can expand these .cab files directly. For example, if you downloaded {{path|1iuj13us.exe}} from Lenovo:

:{{cmduser|cabextract 1iuj13us.exe}}

Extracting cabinet: 1iuj13us.exe
extracting 1IUJ13US.IMG
extracting BIOSUPTP.EXE
extracting DOBOOT.EXE
extracting DOSBOOT.COM
extracting DOSBOOT.SYS
extracting DOSBOOT.VXD
extracting DOSBOOT2.COM
extracting ECTLUPTP.EXE
extracting EFLASHAS.SYS
extracting HDFWUPTP.EXE
extracting IBMTPI.XML
All done, no errors.

The file we want is '''FILENAME.IMG''', with "FILENAME" being the .exe. you downloaded. E.g., {{path|1IUJ13US.IMG}}.

(If this does not work for the Non-diskette .exe, try it on the Diskette .exe. It's reported, for example, that the Non-diskette .exe for BIOS version 3.23 for the T41p was not extractable, but the Diskette .exe worked perfectly, with {{cmduser|cabextract}} delivering a .IMG file.)

==== Testing the Image ====

You can test that FILENAME.IMG is really a floppy image by running:

{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/mntfloppy}}

{{cmdroot|mount -o loop FILENAME.IMG /tmp/mntfloppy}}

If a '''ls''' command on the image returns what looks like a DOS floppy, and no read errors were displayed, you have a pretty good chance that the image is usable. For example:

{{cmdroot|ls /tmp/mntfloppy}}
$0195000.FL1 069580.PAT 06d2.HSH IBMDOS.COM TPCHKS.EXE
0691.HSH 06D0.PAT 06d6.HSH LOGO.BAT UPDTFLSH.EXE
0691.PAT 06D1.PAT 06d8.HSH LOGO.SCR UPDTMN.EXE
0694.HSH 06D2.PAT CHKBMP.EXE PHLASH16.EXE USERINT.EXE
0694.PAT 06D6.PAT COMMAND.COM PREPARE.EXE UTILINFO.EXE
0695.HSH 06D8.PAT CONFIG.SYS PROD.dat lcreflsh.bat
0695.PAT 06d0.HSH FLASH2.EXE QKFLASH.EXE
069580.HSH 06d1.HSH IBMBIO.COM README.TXT

Unmount the image after you are done testing:

{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/mntfloppy}}

== Booting from update image ==
Now that you have a bootable image for the correct update for you hardware, you need to do is boot from that image to install the update.

There are different ways to do that:
* [[#Booting from a CD|Boot from a CD]]
* [[#Booting_using_GRUB|Boot from the image, using GRUB]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_floppy|Boot from a floppy]]
* [[#Booting_from_a_USB_Flash_drive|Boot from a USB Flash drive]]

=== Booting from a CD ===
{| align="right" style="width:40em;"
|{{HINT|If there is a ''Bootable CD'' image available, e.g., FILENAME.iso, just download that, instead of mucking around with image files.}}
|}
If you are going to update the firmware by booting from a CD, you need to turn FILENAME.IMG that you extracted above into an .iso file.

The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Torito_%28CD-ROM_standard%29 El Torito Bootable CD Specification] is a wonderful thing. Thanks to it, a bootable CD can be made with a bootable floppy image in such as way that the CD believes that it is a 2.88 MB floppy drive. This allows you to replace a boot floppy by a boot CD in nearly all situations.

It is very easy to create such a bootable CD ISO image in Linux using the '''mkisofs''' tool{{footnote|1}}. Run a command as follows:

{{cmdroot|genisoimage -b 1WUJ25US.IMG -c boot.catalog -o bootcd.iso 1WUJ25US.IMG}} #or older mkisofs

Where *.IMG is the name of the image file extracted above. This creates a CD with one file on it and marks that file as the boot image.

You can now burn the {{path|bootcd.iso}} to a CD in your favorite CD-burning program.
{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Boot from the CD to update your firmware. Remember to have [[BIOS_Upgrade#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|both BIOS and ECP firmware boot-CDs]] ready, as needed, and use them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].

==== Successful tests ====

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-4AU ||
* George Tellalov <gtellalov_dontspamme@bigfoot.com>. BIOS 1.16 from spsdin36.exe worked perfectly with the method bootable cd from floppy image. I highly recommend this upgrade because it made my ibm-acpi module load (it wouldn't load before) and fixed some suspend to ram problems. Here's the [http://george.tellalov.info/bios_upgrade_600e_spsdin36.iso cd image] I used. Use at your own risk. You can send me a chocolate if it works for you ;)
|-
| {{600E}} 2645-5bU ||
* Mike Vincent<matchstc-putobvioushere.com>. Bios 1.16 from spsdin36.exe and then to the boot cd worked great for me. Thought I had bricked it three separate times using a "real" floppy! Each from different diskettes .The updater would start, give me the "going to take30 seconds" speech...and then access the HD for 10 minutes. Each time it would reboot fine. Did the cd as described above...worked great first time. Perhaps 10 year old seldom used floppy disc drives have some challenges?
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Jonathan Byrne <jonathan@RemoveThisToMailMe.yamame.org>. BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe worked perfectly using cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{600X}} 2645 ||
* Andy Barnes <andy@RemoveThisToMailMe.itchypaws.co.uk>. As per Jonathan above, extracted BIOS 1.11 from spsuit55.exe using cabextract, created a CD boot image and burnt to CD. Worked flawlessly - thanks to everyone who contributed to this article!
|-
| {{A20p}} 2629-6VU ||
* Chris Pickett http://www.sable.mcgill.ca/~cpicke/. BIOS 1.11 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A21e}} 2628-JXU ||
* Amit Gurdasani <gurdasani at yahoo dot com>. BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. Alarmingly, after the BIOS update, the laptop beeped but did not shut down as was indicated onscreen -- that was frozen on the "do not shut down the laptop" screen. On power down and up again, the BIOS setup showed the newer BIOS image running, and Linux booted up fine. Linux ACPI didn't complain about the BIOS being too old either.
|-
| {{A31p}} 2653 ||
* Matthias Meinke largeeddy@gmx.at, BIOS 1.09 1NET15WW flashed fine with cabextract/CD method.
|-
| {{A31}} 2652 ||
* [[User:Wnoise|Aaron Denney]], BIOS 1.13 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method. The cabextract/CD method also worked for BIOS 1.10.
|-
| {{R30}} ||
* Jarrod, 30 August 2007, Thinkpad R30 Type 2656-E0M. BIOS updated to 1.40 (1CETF0WW) using floppy disk/mkisofs/cdrecord. Worked fine, no problems.
|-
| {{R31}} ||
* [http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/pipermail/linux-thinkpad/1998-January/009743.html Mathias Dalheimer]
* Sebastian Sauer (with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{R40}} ||
* Matthew Lambie, http://lambie.org
* Antti S. Lankila, update to 1.27 via direct use of phlash16.exe against a BIOS image. Normal method did not work because the battery is dead.
|-
| {{R50}} 1836-3SU ||
* jlbartos <jlbartos at hotmail dot com>
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834-PTG ||
* item <item at freemail dot hu> : successfully finished with cabextract/CD method for "1wuj25us.exe" (BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10), Release Date: 2006/12/22)
* Christos Nouskas <nouskas at gmail dot com>: upgraded to BIOS version 1WET90WW (2.10) and EC version 1VHT28WW (1.04) using GRUB (BIOS first / EC second)
|-
| {{R51}} 1829 ||
* Robert Uhl <rob dot uhl at gmx dot de>, Jellby <jellby at yahoo dot com>
|-
| {{R51}} 1830-RM7 ||
* Will Parker <stardotstar at sourcepoint dot com dot au> successfully flashed 3.20 using existing 3.04 ECP and retained custom boot splash.
|-
| {{R51}} 2887 ||
* Ingo van Lil <inguin at gmx dot de>
|-
| {{R52}} 1858 ||
* Stuart McCord <stuart dot mccord at gmail dot com> flashed both BIOS and ECP using cabextract, BIOS flashed first as on IBM website
|-
| {{T20}} ||
* Franz Hassels <fhassel at suse dot com>
|-
| {{T22}} ||
* Daniel Maier <nusse teamidiot de>
* Mathias Behrle (with cabextract/CD method, Version 1.07 => 1.12) --[[User:Mathiasb|Mathiasb]] 11:58, 14 December 2006 (CET)
* Bob Skaroff (cabextract/CD), 1.06 => 1.12
* Leo Butler (cabextract/CD), 1.11 => 1.12
|-
| {{T23}} ||
* Bart Snapp <snapp at uiuc dot edu> Note: I followed IBM's instructions to flash the BIOS '''first''' and the Embedded Controller '''second'''.
* Moy Easwaran: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a via cabextract and CD-boot. The BIOS-update exe generated errors in Windows 2000.
* Joe Renes: BIOS 1.18 / EC 1.06a on 2006-03-20 via cabextract and CD-boot. Piece of cake.
* Raphael Errani: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 2006-11-06 via cabextract and CD-boot (using mkisofs). Worked without errors. 1st Bios, 2nd EC
* Myron Getman: BIOS 1.20 / EC 1.06a on 9/10/08 via cabextract --> k3b --> CD-boot. Worked like a charm. First BIOS update with Linux!
* Leo Butler: BIOS 1.13 / EC 1.04 to 1.20/1.06a via cabextract and syslinux/memdisk boot through grub. Worked like a charm and no wasted CD.
|-
| {{T30}} ||
* Martin GÃ¼hring <guehring at gmail.com> BIOS 2.10 via cabextract the Non-Diskette BIOS -> mkisofs '''in the directory the exe was extracted''' to generate the iso -> burn the iso -> boot the CD
|-
| {{T40}} ||
* Sean Dague, http://dague.net
* Justin Mason, http://jmason.org
* Ivanhoe (Bios 3.19)
* Alessandro Raulino (roger_2) EC 3.04 & BIOS 3.23 flashed with cabextract/CD method
* Nick Jenkins, using BIOS 3.23 with the '''Non-diskette updater + cabextract method''', then [[#Creating_a_Bootable_CD_from_a_Floppy_Image|created a bootable CD from the cabextracted .IMG file]], then boot that ISO, and it worked great!
* xyz: BIOS 3.23 & EC 3.04 flashed with cabextract/CD method. No problem.
|-
| {{T40p}} ||
* Lukas KrÃ¤henbÃ¼hl, ismo at pop dot agri dot ch
* Thomas Achtemichuk, tom at tomchuk dot com. BIOS 3.15 flashed fine with cabextract/CD method
* paper, BIOS 3.23 (1RETDRWW) flashed fine with cabextract/genisoimage method.
|-
| {{T41}} ||
* Lev Givon (Bios 3.15 / EC 3.04) <lev at columbia dot edu>
* Ernesto HernÃ¡ndez-Novich (Bios 3.19 / CP 3.04) < emhn at usb dot ve >
* [http://maebmij.org James Ballantine] (Bios 3.21 / CP 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW
* Vladimir Pycha (to Bios 3.23 / EC 3.04, from Bios 3.20 / EC 3.04) using nondisk/cabextract/CDRW. Booted with external USB optical drive (I have internal drive broken) - at the beginning of the boot sequence press PAUSE, then wait several seconds, then ENTER, then F12 and select the drive. Without pressing PAUSE I am not able to boot from USB optical/hard drive as the drive does not show in the F12 boot list menu.
|-
| {{T41p}} ||
* Nils Newman, work great. (Version: Bios 3.14 / Embedded Controller 3.04)
|-
| {{T42}} 2373-JXG ||
* magarzo <mdr.magarzo at gmail.com> (BIOS v.3.23 / Embedded Controller v.3.04 / both with cabextract to non-diskette v. plus Bootable CD)
|-
| {{T42}} ||
* Dan (BIOS 3.20 / EC 3.04, cabextract/CD method) <tronic171 at evilphb.org>
* Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T42p}} ||
* Robert Schiele <rschiele@uni-mannheim.de>, Joern Heissler <joern@heissler.de>, Hirosh Dabui <hirosh@dabui.de>
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-W34 ||
* Florian Boucault <florian at boucault dot ath dot cx> (Version: Bios 1.23 / Embedded Controller 1.03)
|-
| {{T43}} 1871-4AG ||
* [http://blog.martinmcdowell.com/about/contact Martin McDowell] 28-Feb-2010
* BIOS 70ET62WW (1.22) to 70ET69WW (1.29),
* ECP 70HT26WW (1.03) to 70HT28WW (1.05)
Both successfully upgraded from CD Image made from the instructions on this website.
|-
| {{T43}} 2886 ||
* Till Heikamp <t dot heikamp at geniusbytes dot com> (Bios 1.22 to 1.29, Embedded Controller 1.03 to 1.06)
|-
| {{T43}} ||
* Conrad Rentsch <Conrad dot Rentsch at t-online dot de> (Version: Bios 1.29 / Embedded Controller 1.06)
* Tom Heady <tom-thinkwiki.org@punch.net>
|-
| {{T60}} ||
* 1951 Roman Komkov <roman at komkov dot org dot ru> (Bios 1.07 to 2.13) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
* 8744-HCG Konstantin Khorenko <horenko at mail dot ru> (Bios 1.06 to 1.18) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{T61}} ||
* Kai Weber <kai.weber at glorybox dot org> (Bios 1.06 to 1.26) Successfully upgraded from CD Image
|-
| {{X20}} ||
* Neil Caunt <retardis at gmail dot com>
|-
| {{X21}} ||
* Patrick Leickner <ranma at web dot de>, (BIOS 2.21->2.25 / EC 1.31->1.36) via non-disk/cabextract/mkisofs/cdrecord
|-
| {{X22}} ||
* David Emery <dave at skiddlydee dot com>, (EC 1.30, BIOS 1.32 using non-disk/cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X23}} ||
* Nils Faerber <nils dot faerber at kernelconcepts dot de> (Embedded Controller 1.30, BIOS 1.32 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X30}} ||
* Hella Breitkopf, [http://www.unixwitch.de/ www] (Embedded Controller 1.04, BIOS 1.07 with cabextract/CD method)
* William Roe <willroe at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.06, BIOS 1.09 - cabextract/mkisofs/wodim)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Grzegorz KuÅ›nierz <koniu at sheket dot org> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.01 with cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{X31}} ||
* Paul Litwack <paullitwack at gmail dot com> (Embedded Controller 1.08, BIOS 3.02 with cabextract/unetbootin method)
cabextract & unetbootin are staight foward(toggle floppy image instead of iso image in unetbootin dialog)
No problems with update software.
x31 has to be cajoled into booting from usb. Boot hangs when pendrive is present. Hit the key to bring up the boot menu.
Unplug the pendrive. Let the boot menu come up. Plug in the pendrive. Select the pendrive in the boot menu and it boots.
|-
| {{X40}} ||
* Robbie Stone <robbie@serendipity.cx>
* Andy Shevchenko <andy.shevchenko@gmail.com> (Fine by cabextract/CD method)
|-
| {{Z60m}} ||
* [[User:Morle|Morle]] 01:09, 17 Nov 2007 (CEST), (Embedded Controller 1.18 and Bios 1.24 with cabextract/CD method)
|}

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size:80%; vertical-align:top;"
! Model
! Tested by, and comments
|-
|<pre> </pre> 
|
|}

=== Booting using GRUB ===
{|
| style="width:75%" | {{WARN|Many have warned '''not''' to use the SYSLINUX image-loader '''memdisk''' to boot firmware update images.}}
| style="font-size:80%" | {{HELP|Who are these "many"? Link to a discussion?}}
|}
Once the bootable image, FILENAME.IMG, is extracted from the .exe, it can be booted directly through GRUB without the need of burning a CD, using the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] image-loader '''[http://syslinux.zytor.com/memdisk.php memdisk]'''.

Locate the '''memdisk''' file from the syslinux package. You can search for it with '''find''':

{{cmdroot|find /usr -name memdisk}} #or just use "dlocate memdisk" or "locate memdisk" if these programs are installed

If {{path|/usr/.../memdisk}} is not present, syslinux is not installed. You will need to install it to boot a .IMG from GRUB.

Copy both the '''FILENAME.IMG''' and '''memdisk''' files into {{path|/boot}} directory. For example:

{{cmdroot|cp ./FILENAME.IMG /usr/share/syslinux/memdisk /boot/}}

Open {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}} in your favourite editor. '''Copy''' the active section into a '''new section''', and edit the new section:
{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
! Parameter
! Instructions
! Example
|-
| ''title'' || Pick a name for the new section. This will show up in the GRUB boot menu. || <tt>title IBM ECP Update</tt>
|-
| ''root'' || Do not change. This is the partition containing the {{path|/boot}} directory || <tt>root (hd0,0)</tt>
|-
| ''kernel'' || '''/boot/memdisk''' will allow you to boot an image file. || <tt>kernel /boot/memdisk</tt>
|-
| ''initrd'' || This is the name of the firmware-updater image file, e.g., 1IUJ13US.IMG || <tt>initrd /boot/1IUJ13US.IMG</tt>
|}

Do '''not''' modify the original section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}, or you might not be able to boot back to the operating system.

If you have [[#Two_Firmwares:_BIOS_and_ECP|two firmware updates to do]], you will need a section for each firmware's FILENAME.IMG in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

{{NOTE|If both BIOS and ECP are to be updated, be sure to update them in the [[#Proper_Order|proper order]].}}

{{WARN|By following any of the instructions here you are accepting the '''very real risk''' of turning your ThinkPad into a big expensive paper weight, as a firmware update gone wrong can create unfix-able problems. '''Proceed at your own risk!'''}}

Reboot your computer, entering the GRUB menu and selecting ''IBM BIOS Update'', or whatever you named the new section in {{path|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}.

==== GRUB2 ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.IMG #or whatever yours is
}

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R30}} 2656-64G || v.1.40 || || [[User:english.voodoo|Yuri Spirin]] ||
|-
| {{R40}} 2723 || 1OHJ11WW.IMG || 1PUJ25US.IMG || [[User:qunying|Qunying]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.70 (slackware 12.1)
|-
| {{R50e}} 1834NV1 || 1WUJ25US.IMG || || [[User:Jidanni|Jidanni]] || memdisk from syslinux-common 2:3.84+dfsg-1 (Debian), grub2 (1.96+20080724-16)
|-
| {{R51}} 2888 || || || ||
|-
| {{T23}} 2647 || 1AUJ20US.IMG || 1AHJ06US.IMG || [[User:cthon|cthon]] || memdisk from syslinux 4.02-1 (arch linux)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:Euphoria|Euphoria]] || memdisk from syslinux 1:3.31-4 (Debian package version)
|-
| {{T40}} 2373 || 1RHJ10U2.IMG (3.04, 2004-11-15) || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || [[User:Morphics|Morphics]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3:1.36-4ubuntu5
|-
| {{T41}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Tonko|Tonko]] || Fedora 12
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG (3.23, 2007-07-03) || || [[User:Deggel|Deggel]] || cabextract and memdisk from syslinux 3.71 on gentoo
|-
| {{T41p}} 2373 || || || [[User:MrStaticVoid|James Lee]] ||
|-
| {{T42}} 2373 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || || [[User:Secsaba|Simon Csaba Endre]] || Ubuntu 10.04 Pre-update versions: BIOS v3.21 / ECP v3.04 After-update versions: BIOS v3.23 / ECP v3.04
|-
| {{T42p}} 2374 || 1RUJ37US.IMG || 1RHJ10U2.IMG || [[User:aderigs|Achim Derigs]] || Debian GNU/Linux sid, works with `linux16 ...' and `initrd16 ...' only
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-CBU || || || [[User:JanTopinski|Jan Topinski]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-CXU || || || [[User:TheAnarcat|TheAnarcat]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-JBU || 3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || 1.08 1QUJ08US.IMG || [[User:twbxf4|twbxf4]] || worked flawlessly
|-
| {{X31}} 2673-58G || || || [[User:FaUl|FaUl]] ||
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || || || [[User:Starox|Starox]] || a big moment between starting update and the updating window
|-
| {{X31}} 2672-PG9 || v3.02 1QUJ19US.IMG || v1.08 1QHJ08US.IMG || [[User:TeeLittle|TeeLittle]] || Apr 10, 2010: Using Debian 5.0 "Lenny" + package syslinux-common (Version: 2:3.71+dfsg-5). Pre-update versions: BIOS v2.11 / ECP v1.03
|-
| {{X40}} 2371 || 2.07 1uuj21us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Jakob Truelsen]] || Worked on two X40-2371
|-
| {{X40}} 2386 || 2.08 1uuj22us.exe || 1.62 1uhj10us.exe || [[User:Antialize|Galen Seitz]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.61
|}
(More successful grub tests are scattered in the previous table too.)

==== Unsuccessful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! style="width:10em;" | BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{R32}} 2658-NWU || 2.16 1MUD23US.IMG || n/a || [[User:Millman12345|Mike Millman]] || Boots into the BIOS flashing program just fine, but when it comes time to start the update process, the system hangs completely. Luckily, it hangs before it actually modifies anything... A hard reboot got me back into a working system. I would not recommend this route!
|-
| {{R52e}} 1846-CGL || 1.29 76UJ28UD.IMG || 1.01 || [[User:Lacyc3|Laszlo Takacs]] || Boots into BIOS flashing program but it hangs up before the upgrade process. I used memdisk from syslinux-4.01.
|-
| {{T43}} 2668-F7G || 1.29 1YUJ18US.IMG || || [[User:Maus3273|Maus3273]] || I got into the bios program, but the machine never restarts after initiating the upgrade.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-FAG || 2.09 74UJ15US || || [[User:Ukleinek|Uwe Kleine-König]] || booted fine (Debian syslinux 2:3.71+dfsg-5), but didn't succeed to write, just hang at "Don't restart or remove diskette etc. pp" (not bricked). Worked fine via CD method.
|-
| {{X41}} 2525-F8G || 2.06 74UJ12US.IMG 2.07 74UJ13US.IMG 2.09 74UJ15US.IMG || || [[User:ladoga|Lauri Koponen]] || hangs while initializing the actual BIOS flashing process ECP: 1.02 74HJ03US.IMG works
|-
|}

==== GRUB2 boot cd image ====
With grub2, one would ''append'' the following to ''/boot/grub/grub.cfg'' :
menuentry
menuentry "My BIOS Upgrade" {
set root=(hd0,0) #should match the others in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk iso raw
initrd16 /boot/1WUJ25US.iso #or whatever yours is
}

This works for official iso images from ibm website.

On newer versions of Ubuntu grub.cfg is generated - add the entry to ''/etc/grub.d/40_custom'' then run <code>sudo update-grub</code>.

==== Successful tests ====
{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="font-size: 80%"
|-
! Model
! BIOS
! ECP
! Tested by
! Notes
|-
| {{X100e}} 2876-55G || 6xuj05uc.iso || || [[User:nikel]] ||
|-
| {{Edge}} || 1.17 6yuj04uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 1.13 6duj40uc.iso || || [[User:theBro]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.14 6duj41uc.iso || 1.06 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.01
|-
| {{X201}} 3626-A14 || 1.15 6quj05uc.iso || 1.09 6quj05uc.iso || [[User:Alexander List|Alexander List]] || memdisk from syslinux 3.86
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-6GG || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:fethio]] || Current memdisk from syslinux worked (5/2010), the one provided by Ubuntu 9.10 did not.
|-
| {{Edge 13"}} 0197-34Q || 1.18 6yuj05uc.iso || || [[User:Kapil]] || Current memdisk from syslinux debian version 2:4.01+dfsg-1
|-
| {{X200s}} || 3.15 6duj42uc.iso || || [[User:lawnjam]] || Memdisk 4.02 worked, the one provided by Ubuntu 10.04 did not.
|-
| {{X201}} || 1.22 6quj08uc.iso || 1.11 || [[User:dag-|Dag Wieers]] || Using memdisk from syslinux 4.03
|-
|}

=== Booting from a Floppy ===
{{WARN|Using a floppy disk '''is NOT recommended'''.}}

This is how IBM/Lenovo intended it. Use their .exe files to create a bootable floppy with the flash update on it. Boot from the floppy and there you go.

So, why is it not recommended?
# If something goes wrong, your ThinkPad may be permanently damaged
# Floppy disk drives are not reliable
# Floppy disks are not reliable
# It only works with /dev/fd0, meaning it won't work with a USB floppy

So, even though Lenovo is now offering "Linux diskette" updaters, that will create a bootable floppy under Linux, using a floppy is still not recommended. Besides, many people don't even ''have'' a floppy drive on their ThinkPad.

If you really want to do it with a floppy, some tips:
* Use a clean (in the physical sense) floppy drive
* Use new floppies
* Test floppies for errors before starting update process
* Have multiple copies of the update disks ready--if one should fail, replace it with a copy
* Should DOS complain of a read error, '''only''' respond wth "Retry"

{{NOTE|Should the system encounter a disk read error during the flash process, and you select "Abort", your system could be permanently damaged.}}

=== Booting from a USB Flash drive ===

= Updating the BIOS in DOS mode =
(This process works for most X-series that has Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS)

1. There is an HP utility tool floating around the net called HP USB Boot Utility. This [http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2004/10/utility-to-make-usb-flash-driv.html can create a bootable USB flash drive using the boot/system files you have].

2. Get some [http://www.bay-wolf.com/utility/usbkey/win98boot.zip DOS (or similar) boot files] - I found something called "win98boot.zip" e.g.

3. Extract the (*.ima) from the ISO BIOS image (e.g. [http://www.rarsoft.com WinRAR] will do this).

4. Using a tool that can open .IMA files (such as [http://www.winimage.com/ WinImage]), extract all files to a temporary folder.

4. Run the HP tool, select the USB device, I used FAT32, create a DOS bootable disk and point at the win98boot folder - then "Start". Warning: this '''formats''' the USB flash drive and all data will be erased!

5. Once complete (you could test if it boots at this point), copy the extracted BIOS files from the temporary folder you created to the USB flash drive.

6. Boot from USB flash drive by pressing F11 within the BIOS boot logo. At the DOS command prompt, type "updflsh" and then follow the prompts by pressing "Y" or Enter. Make sure that you have a fully charged battery pack and the AC Adapter is firmly plugged before proceeding with the BIOS update.
'''DO NOT Power off the laptop or unplug the USB flash drive while the update is in progress or else update will fail and your computer will be unable to boot and system board may need to be serviced.'''

This process takes around 1-2 minutes. A long beep followed by a short beep will notify you that the update is complete and the system will automatically power off.

7. Power on the laptop then enter the BIOS setup by pressing F1 and Load BIOS defaults.

==== Using grub4dos (also for Linux) ====

[http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/wiki/ grub4dos] is a GNU GRUB fork with interesting features. One of them is the ability to boot ISO images directly off USB flash drives. Contrary to the name, GRUB for DOS works fine on Linux. Follow these steps:
* Download the latest grub4dos package at http://download.gna.org/grub4dos/ (I needed 0.4.4 for my USB2 drive - 0.4.3 did not work.)
* Unpack
* Insert your FAT-32 formatted pendrive
* Run <code>sudo ./bootlace.com /dev/sdX</code>, where /dev/sdX is the device name assigned to your pendrive (use <code>sudo fdisk -l</code> to figure this out). Be very careful to get the device correct or else you could overwrite your hard drive! This creates grub4dos boot sector in MBR of the flash drive.
* Copy the files <code>grldr</code> and <code>menu.lst</code> to the root directory of your pendrive.
* Convert the ThinkPad .IMG file to a .ISO file using <code>genisoimage -b 1yuj18us.img -c boot.catalog -o 1yuj18us.iso 1yuj18us.img</code>
* Copy the ISO image to the root directory of your pendrive (e.g. <code>1yuj18us.iso</code>).
* Edit <code>menu.lst</code> on the pendrive and include the following section (of course putting the appropriate ISO image name):
<pre>
title thinkpad-bios
map (hd0,0)/1yuj18us.iso (hd32)
map --hook
chainloader (hd32)
boot
</pre>
* Reboot and press F12 to select booting from USB.
* If all went well, you should be able to boot the Thinkpad's ISO image and flash the BIOS. I tested it successfully on T400. [[User:Wanted|Wanted]] 20:23, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

==== Using UNetbootin ====

Unetbootin 422 worked with the image files unpacked with cabextract on my x31.

{{HELP|How exactly did you do this? It failed for me. Does it work only with .IMG files that are converted to .ISO files, or can .ISO files provided by Lenovo also work (how?)}}

=== Booting from a Network Boot Image ===
BIOS, ECP, CD/DVD and Harddisk firmware disks can be booted over the network with [http://syslinux.zytor.com/pxe.php PXELINX] as part of the [http://syslinux.zytor.com/ SYSLINUX] package. This requires that you have a DHCP and tftp server configured and setup properly on your network, and is probably not for the faint of heart.

Make sure the firmware bootdisk is in linux 'dd' format, as the self-extracting .exe disks from the IBM website cannot be booted directly as such.

This worked on the {{R31}}, {{X22}}, {{T21}}, {{T30}} and {{T41p}} with various firmware updates. On the {{X22}}, it worked with ECP 1.30 but '''not''' with BIOS 1.32

= Updating without battery or with dead battery =

This is a last-resort approach. Use this only if everything else fails.

The BIOS updater may refuse to update a BIOS without a battery, or if the battery charge is too low. In that case, extract the disk image with cabextract as per instructions above and dd it to an usb stick. (This will destroy the data on it, of course.) Acquire a pure DOS boot cd such as Windows 98 recovery CD and boot that.

Use F8 to abort the boot sequence of a windows 98 boot CD. If you need CD-ROM support, load CD-related things but say no to everything else. In particular, avoid loading himem.sys and doskey, as the presence of either program causes Phoenix bios flash tool phlash16.exe to abort.

Change to the volume where flash2.exe and other tools are installed, and execute "flash2.exe /u". This should bypass the battery check and perform the flashing. If that doesn't work, check if the update disk contains a tool called "phlash16.exe". This can be used directly to flash the image, and the invocation is typically "phlash16 /exit $01c80000.fl1".

This method won't work for the Thinkpad {{560X}} (and likely other older models). Since the 560X is a bit older, it won't be a big surprise if the battery is dead as a dodo. Here's how to update the bios in this case: download the spsdi833 bios update and create the update floppy. If you have trouble creating this disk, [http://rapidshare.com/files/413598837/spsdi833-bios-560X.zip.html download an archive with the files] and put them on a floppy. Don't worry about making it bootable. Also, you will need a DOS bootdisk. A Windows 98 bootdisk will be fine. Boot the system with the W98 bootdisk, do not load CD-rom support. Remove the W98 bootdisk and put the disk with the BIOS update in the drive. If you would now run UPDTFLSH you would get the battery message, so don't do that. If you open UPDTFLSH.exe with a text editor, you would find some lines about UPDTROM. UPDTROM is the actual flash tool, but you can't simply run it just like that. Run the following:

*updtrom /np /prep1
*updtrom /np /prep2
*updtrom /np /prep3
*updtrom /np /romcmp /romflsh /prep4
*updtrom /np /h8flsh /h8img /model

Yes, you need to run updtrom five times. Hold your breath and reboot the machine. It's done.

Perhaps not all these lines are necessary, but to be sure I ran them all, and this worked for me. So I suggest you do the same. This could probably be done from the harddisk as well, but I did not test that.

=After updating=
Lenovo recommends reseting your BIOS settings to their factory defaults after a firmware update.

==DMI IDs==
Please consider updating the [[List of DMI IDs]] after updating your BIOS.

= Special Cases =
* In one case, see ([[APM setup on a type 2379 ThinkPad T40]]), it was not possible to upgrade the BIOS from Windows XP; a downgrade to Windows 98 was required to successfully run the BIOS upgrade app. The symptoms in this case were that, once the files had been extracted to the hard disk, and the machine was to reboot into the upgrade app, it would beep and hang just before reboot, requiring a power cycle. Once the power was cycled, it would simply reboot back into XP without performing any BIOS upgrade actions. So even if you have Windows, you may still need to use the info on this page.

== Updating Thinkpad X Series ==
The special update instructions for {{X_Series}} Thinkpads are quite long. You can find them at the page [[BIOS_Upgrade/X_Series]].

----

{{footnotes|
# For lots of detail on making and burning .iso files, see The Linux Documentation Project (tldp.org): [http://tldp.org/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO-3.html#ss3.1 3.1 Writing CD-ROMs (pure data)].
}}

BIOS Upgrade/X Series

2011-01-21T23:27:58Z

Demonoid724: /* Approach 8 : Use HP USB Format Utility and Win98Boot files to Create Bootable USB Stick */ expanded and edited flow of the contents

__TOC__

X Series Thinkpads do not have internal optical or floppy drives. If there is no Windows installed, the BIOS must be updated by booting from an USB drive or a drive that is integrated in the docking station. In recent times Lenovo provides BIOS updates in form of bootable CD images. Unfortunately, in most cases these images are intended to be used with the docking station's CD drive. If you do not own such a drive, things get complicated.

The problem is that current BIOS updates are quite large, about 3 MB in size. Booting from CDs typically works like booting from a 1.44 MB or 2.88 MB floppy disk. The floppy image is stored on the CD and is referenced in the CD's boot record. Because the BIOS update files are that large, they do not fit on such a floppy image. To resolve it, you have to either use a large harddisk image for your bootimage (e.g. in [[:Category:X200|X200]], [[:Category:X200_Tablet|X200 Tablet]] and [[:Category:X301|X301]]), or store these update files on the CD outside the virtual floppy image. For the former case, see [[BIOS update without optical disk]]. This page concerns with the later case.

To access the BIOS update files on the CD outside the bootimage, a driver for the CD drive has to be loaded. Since Lenovo's CD images are intended to be used with a docking station's CD drive, it is not possible to use them for BIOS updates by booting from an USB CD drive.

Another problem is that older X Series (like the {{X32}}) don't have bootable iso images at all. They have only two options: 1. update from Windows, 2. update using a diskette updater, which requires you to have a real floppy disk drive.

But there is hope. This page describes some approaches to solve the problems above.

Here is a brief overview of each approach:
* [[#Approach 1: Use larger boot image and create virtual CD drive]] Requires a USB CD drive. Reported to work on {{X60s}}.

* [[#Approach 2: Load an USB driver, create RAM disk and copy the files to the RAM disk]] Requires a USB CD drive. People have reported mixed results, with the flash update software freezing, depending on things like CD drive letter and type. Reported to work on {{X60s}}.

* [[#Approach 3: Alternative method using a USB stick]] Requires a USB flash drive, Microsoft Windows, and some HP software tool. Reported to work on {{X60s}}, {{X61}}.

* [[#Approach 4: Alternative method to the above "alternative method"]] Requires a USB flash drive, Microsoft Windows, and some HP software tool. Seems functionally similar to Approach 3.

* [[#Approach 5: Free Alternative method to the above "alternative method"]] Requires a USB flash drive, does not require MS Windows or any proprietary software.

* [[#Approach 6: Using a USB stick to upgrade BIOS on older X Series Thinkpads]] Requires a USB flash drive. Reported to work on {{X32}}.

* [[#Approach 7: Use syslinux to boot floppy images which are part of the IBM/ Lenovo BIOS update CD ISO files.]] Done with a {{X31}} to upgrade the EC to version 1.08 and the BIOS to 3.02.

= Approach 1: Use larger boot image and create virtual CD drive =

The CD images provided by Lenovo can be modified such that a BIOS update is possible -- without loading any drivers. I ([[User:Joachim_Selke|Joachim Selke]]) successfully updated my Thinkpad {{X60s}} using the following method.

My first idea was to take Lenovo's ISO CD image and modify it such that a USB CD drive can be used instead the CD drive in the docking station. Unfortunately, simply replacing the drivers is not enough. While doing the BIOS update, the USB ports seem to get disabled or something like that. To circumvent this problem I tried to create a RAM disk, copy the needed files to this RAM disk, and then use this RAM disk as some kind of virtual CD drive. However, there were some problems with this approach as reported below. For a description of this old approach see the section "Approach 2: Load an USB driver, create RAM disk and copy the files to the RAM disk" below. I developed a new approach to solve this problem and will describe it here.

The idea is to create a new bootable ISO image that is large enough to hold the original ISO file. This can be done by switching from the virtual floppy drive used by Lenovo's update disk to a virtual hard disk drive (for details, see the El Torito standard). Instead of loading the CD drive driver provided by Lenovo we load the [[http://www.oocities.com/jadoxa/shsucdx/index.html SHSUCD drivers]]. This driver enables us to create a virtual CD drive from Lenovo's original ISO file.

I wrote a script to automate this steps and create a new ISO file from Lenovo's ISO file. This new ISO file can directly be used to update the BIOS. My script takes four arguments:
<ol>
<li>the filename of Lenovo's original ISO file (e.g. <tt>/home/selke/Desktop/7buj23uc.iso</tt>)</li>
<li>the filename of the new ISO file to be created (e.g. <tt>/home/selke/Desktop/out.iso</tt>)</li>
<li>the location of shsucdrd.exe (e.g. <tt>/home/selke/Desktop/shsucdrd.exe</tt></li>
<li>the location of shsucdx.com (e.g. <tt>/home/selke/Desktop/shsucdx.com</tt></li>
</ol>

Both shsucdrd.exe and shsucdx.com can be downloaded from [http://www.oocities.com/jadoxa/shsucdx/index.html].

To sum up, an example call of the script would be <tt>convertlenovo.sh /home/selke/Desktop/7buj23uc.iso /home/selke/Desktop/out.iso /home/selke/Desktop/shsucdrd.exe /home/selke/Desktop/shsucdx.com</tt>

Note that you need recent versions of the following tools:
<ul>
<li>mkdosfs (for Fedora users: contained in the package dosfstools)</li>
<li>mkisofs</li>
</ul>

The script runs perfectly on my Fedora 11 system (it should also run without problems on Fedora 7, 8, 9, 10 and other popular distributions). If there are problems, please tell me ([[User:Joachim_Selke|Joachim Selke]]).

Further note that the script at some point requires you to enter the root password since it must mount a disk image. As far as I know, this cannot be done without root privileges.

What does the script do? I will give a short overview:
<ol>
<li>Extract the boot floppy image from Lenovo's bootable ISO file.</li>
<li>Create a new boot hard disk image and copy both the boot sector and the files from Lenovo's boot floppy image to the new image.</li>
<li>Copy Lenovo's ISO image to the new hard disk image.</li>
<li>Also copy the SHSUCD drivers to the hard disk and change autoexec.bat and config.sys accordingly. When booting this hard disk image a new virtual CD drive will be created by SHSUCD. This virtual CD drive will have Lenovo's original ISO disc "inserted."</li>
<li>Create a new ISO file that only consists of the boot image given by the bootable hard disk image just created.</li>
</ol>

Some additional notes:
<ul>
<li>Currently, the script is not able to handle spaces in file names properly. Thus, the file names and directory path names used when calling the script should not contain spaces.</li>
<li>The file name of the original ISO file (7buj23uc.iso in the example above) must follow the DOS 8.3 file name conventions; otherwise SHSUCD will not be able to load the ISO image.</li>
</ul>

Here is the complete script (save it as <tt>convertlenovo.sh</tt>):

<pre>
#!/bin/bash

# Written by Joachim Selke (mail@joachim-selke.de), 2007-12-28

# Known bugs:
# - spaces in file names make trouble at the moment (so try to avoid spaces),
# I will fix that later
# - some users seem to have problems with some of the sed statements,
# I currently have no idea what is wrong there ... (please report those bugs)

CDIMAGE=$1 # location of Lenovo's CD image
NEWCDIMAGE=$2 # filename of ISO file to create
SHSUCDRD_EXE=$3 # location of shsucdrd.exe
SHSUCDX_COM=$4 # location of shsucdx.com

MB_HDD=50 # HDD image size in megabyte (base 1000)

TMPDIR=`mktemp -d`
ISODIR=`mktemp -d`

HDDIMG=$ISODIR/hdd.img # filename of HDD image to create
FLOPPYIMG=$TMPDIR/floppy.img # filename of floppy image to create

##############################################################################

# This script extracts the floopy boot image from bootable ISO images
#
# Written by Joachim Selke (mail@joachim-selke.de), 2007-04-07

ISOFILE=$CDIMAGE
IMAGEFILE=$FLOPPYIMG

if [ ! -r $ISOFILE ]; then
echo $ISOFILE: file does not exist or is not readable
exit 1
fi

if [ -z $IMAGEFILE ]; then
echo Error: no image file specified
exit 1
fi

ISOFILESIZE=`stat -c %s $ISOFILE`

# collect El Torito data
# see http://www.phoenix.com/NR/rdonlyres/98D3219C-9CC9-4DF5-B496-A286D893E36A/0/specscdrom.pdf for reference

BOOTCATALOGPOINTERBYTE=$((17 * 0x800 + 0x47))

if [ $ISOFILESIZE -lt $(($BOOTCATALOGPOINTERBYTE + 4)) ]; then
echo ISO file is too short, possibly damaged
exit 1
fi

# absolute pointer to first sector of boot catalog:
BOOTCATALOG=`od -A n -t x4 -N 4 -j $BOOTCATALOGPOINTERBYTE $ISOFILE | tr -d [:blank:]`

BOOTCATALOGBYTE=$((0x$BOOTCATALOG * 0x800))

echo Boot catalog starts at byte $BOOTCATALOGBYTE

if [ $ISOFILESIZE -lt $(($BOOTCATALOGBYTE + 32 + 2)) ]; then
echo ISO file is too short, possibly damaged
exit 1
fi

# media type of boot image
# only floppy disk images are supported by this script
BOOTMEDIATYPE=`od -A n -t x1 -N 1 -j $(($BOOTCATALOGBYTE + 32 + 1)) $ISOFILE | tr -d [:blank:]`

if [ $BOOTMEDIATYPE -eq 1 ]; then
echo Boot media type is 1.2M floppy disk
IMAGEBLOCKS=$((1200 / 2))
elif [ $BOOTMEDIATYPE -eq 2 ]; then
echo Boot media type is 1.44M floppy disk
IMAGEBLOCKS=$((1440 / 2))
elif [ $BOOTMEDIATYPE -eq 3 ]; then
echo Boot media type is 2.88M floppy disk
IMAGEBLOCKS=$((2880 / 2))
else
echo Boot media type is $((0x$BOOTMEDIATYPE)). This type is not supported yet.
exit 1
fi

# absolute pointer to start of boot image
BOOTIMAGE=`od -A n -t x4 -N 4 -j $(($BOOTCATALOGBYTE + 32 + 8)) $ISOFILE | tr -d [:blank:]`

BOOTIMAGEBYTE=$((0x$BOOTIMAGE * 0x800))

echo Boot image starts at byte $BOOTIMAGEBYTE

if [ $ISOFILESIZE -lt $((0x$BOOTIMAGE * 0x800 + $IMAGEBLOCKS * 0x800)) ]; then
echo ISO file is too short, possibly damaged
exit 1
fi

echo Extracting boot image ...

dd if=$ISOFILE of=$IMAGEFILE bs=2K count=$IMAGEBLOCKS skip=$((0x$BOOTIMAGE))

echo Finished

##############################################################################

NO_HEA=16 # heads
NO_SECT=63 # sectors per cylinder/track
B_SECT=512 # bytes per sector

B_CYL=$(($NO_HEA * $NO_SECT * $B_SECT)) # bytes per cylinder/track

NO_CYL=$(($MB_HDD * 1000 * 1000 / $B_CYL)) # cylinders/tracks per head

echo -n -e "Cylinders: $NO_CYL\nHeads: $NO_HEA\nSectors per track: $NO_SECT\nBytes per sector: $B_SECT\n"

echo Creating empty image ...
dd if=/dev/zero of=$HDDIMG bs=$B_CYL count=$NO_CYL >/dev/null 2>&1

echo Creating partition structure ...
echo -n -e "o\n n\n p\n 1\n \n \n t\n 6\n a\n 1\n w\n" | /sbin/fdisk -b $B_SECT -C $NO_CYL -H $NO_HEA -S $NO_SECT $HDDIMG >/dev/null 2>&1

echo Writing master boot record ...
echo -n -e "\
\xFA\xB8\x00\x10\x8E\xD0\xBC\x00\xB0\xB8\x00\x00\x8E\xD8\x8E\xC0\
\xFB\xBE\x00\x7C\xBF\x00\x06\xB9\x00\x02\xF3\xA4\xEA\x21\x06\x00\
\x00\xBE\xBE\x07\x38\x04\x75\x0B\x83\xC6\x10\x81\xFE\xFE\x07\x75\
\xF3\xEB\x16\xB4\x02\xB0\x01\xBB\x00\x7C\xB2\x80\x8A\x74\x01\x8B\
\x4C\x02\xCD\x13\xEA\x00\x7C\x00\x00\xEB\xFE\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\
\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x52\xF9\x06\x00\x00\x00\
" | dd of=$HDDIMG bs=1 conv=notrunc >/dev/null 2>&1

echo Creating primary partition ...
# extract partition, create FAT16 filesystem and copy back
PARTFILE=${HDDIMG}-PARTITION
SECT_PARTTABLE=$NO_SECT
B_PARTTABLE=$(($SECT_PARTTABLE * $B_SECT))
dd if=$HDDIMG of=$PARTFILE bs=$B_SECT skip=$SECT_PARTTABLE >/dev/null 2>&1
/sbin/mkdosfs -F 16 -h $NO_SECT $PARTFILE
# Correct physical drive number (set to 0x00, should be 0x80)
echo -n -e "\x80" | dd of=$PARTFILE bs=1 seek=36 conv=notrunc >/dev/null 2>&1
# Correct sectors per track (set to 0x0020, should be $NO_SECT)
NO_SECT_HEX1=$(echo "ibase=10; obase=16; $(($NO_SECT / 256))" | bc)
NO_SECT_HEX2=$(echo "ibase=10; obase=16; $(($NO_SECT % 256))" | bc)
NO_SECT_HEX=$(echo -n -e "\\x$NO_SECT_HEX2\\x$NO_SECT_HEX1")
echo -n -e $NO_SECT_HEX | dd of=$PARTFILE bs=1 seek=24 conv=notrunc >/dev/null 2>&1
dd if=$PARTFILE of=$HDDIMG bs=$B_SECT seek=$SECT_PARTTABLE >/dev/null 2>&1
rm -f $PARTFILE

# transfer floppy boot sector code
B_BOOTSECPARAM=62 # length of parameter block in boot sector
B_BOOTSECCODE=$(($B_SECT - B_BOOTSECPARAM)) # length of code block in boot sector
echo Copying boot sector ...
dd if=$FLOPPYIMG of=$HDDIMG bs=1 count=$B_BOOTSECCODE skip=$B_BOOTSECPARAM seek=$(($B_PARTTABLE + $B_BOOTSECPARAM)) conv=notrunc >/dev/null 2>&1

echo Copying DOS files ...
CDIMAGE_BASENAME=$(basename $CDIMAGE)
HDDDIR=$TMPDIR/hdd
FLOPPYDIR=$TMPDIR/floppy
su --command="\
mkdir $HDDDIR;\
mkdir $FLOPPYDIR;\
mount -oloop $FLOPPYIMG $FLOPPYDIR;\
mount -t msdos -oloop,offset=$(($SECT_PARTTABLE * $B_SECT)) $HDDIMG $HDDDIR;\
cp --preserve $FLOPPYDIR/ibmbio.com $HDDDIR;\
cp --preserve $FLOPPYDIR/ibmdos.com $HDDDIR;\
cp --preserve -u $FLOPPYDIR/* $HDDDIR;\
cp --preserve=timestamps $CDIMAGE $HDDDIR;\
cp --preserve=timestamps $SHSUCDRD_EXE $HDDDIR;\
cp --preserve=timestamps $SHSUCDX_COM $HDDDIR;\
cat $FLOPPYDIR/config.sys | \
sed -e 's/A:\\\/C:\\\/' | \
grep -v IBMTPCD.SYS >$HDDDIR/config.sys;\
cat $FLOPPYDIR/autoexec.bat | \
sed -e 's/LOADHIGH MSCDEX.EXE \/D:TPCD001/shsucdrd.exe \/f:$CDIMAGE_BASENAME\r\nshsucdx.com \/d:SHSU-CDR,R/' >$HDDDIR/autoexec.bat;\
umount $FLOPPYDIR;\
umount $HDDDIR;\
rm -rf $FLOPPYDIR;\
rm -rf $HDDDIR"

echo Creating ISO image ...
mkisofs -input-charset default -hard-disk-boot -b $(basename $HDDIMG) -hide boot.cat -hide $(basename $HDDIMG) -o $NEWCDIMAGE $ISODIR

rm -rf $TMPDIR
rm -rf $ISODIR

echo Completed!
</pre>

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. :-)

BTW: It would be much simpler if I simply could put the new ISO images for download somewhere. But I guess for legal reasons this will not be possible.

== Comments on Approach 1 ==

<ul>

<li>
Reported to work on:
<ul>
<li>ThinkPad X60s (1702-55G) with Plextor PX-608CU USB DVD recorder</li>
<li>ThinkPad X60 (1702-55G) with Plextor PX-608CU USB DVD recorder, upgraded BIOS from version 2.14 to 2.16</li>
<li>ThinkPad X60 (1706-GMG) with Plextor PX-608CU USB DVD recorder, upgraded BIOS from version 2.03 to 2.14</li>
<li>ThinkPad X61s (7666-36G) with Freecom FS-50 USB DVD recorder, upgraded BIOS from version 1.10 to 2.07</li>
<li>ThinkPad X300 (6476-CTO) with Nu SBW-242US USB DVD recorder, upgraded BIOS from 1.05 to 1.08</li>
<li>Thinkpad X60s (1704-44U) with Lite-On DX-20A3H, upgraded BIOS from 2.17 to 2.18</li>
<li>ThinkPad X61s (7666-36G) with Samsung SE-S224 USB DVD recorder, upgraded BIOS from version 2.07 to 2.20</li>
</ul>
</li>

</ul>

= Approach 2: Load an USB driver, create RAM disk and copy the files to the RAM disk =

I ([[User:Joachim_Selke | Joachim Selke]]) successfully updated my Thinkpad {{X60s}} using the following method.

My first idea was to take Lenovo's ISO CD image and modify it such that a USB CD drive can be used instead the CD drive in the docking station. Unfortunately, simply replacing the drivers is not enough. While doing the BIOS update, the USB ports seem to get disabled or something like that. To circumvent this problem I tried to create a RAM disk, copy the needed files to this RAM disk, and then use this RAM disk as some kind of virtual CD drive. However, there were some problems with this approach as reported below.

<ol>
<li>
Download the ISO image style BIOS update from Lenovo's website. This file will be refered to as <tt>/tmp/bios-lenovo.iso</tt>.
</li>

<li>
Extract the floppy image from this ISO image. You can use the following shell script for this task (or an alternative one from [http://userpages.uni-koblenz.de/~krienke/ftp/noarch/geteltorito/]). Simply save this code into the file <tt>/tmp/extractbootimage.sh</tt>, set the x-flag (<tt>chmod +x /tmp/extractbootimage.sh</tt>) and call it using the command <tt>/tmp/extractbootimage.sh /tmp/bios-lenovo.iso /tmp/bios-lenovo.img</tt>. The floppy image contained in the ISO image will then be saved to <tt>/tmp/bios-lenovo.img</tt>. Here is the code of the shell script:
<pre>
#!/bin/bash

# This script extracts the floopy boot image from bootable ISO images
#
# Written by Joachim Selke (mail@joachim-selke.de), 2007-04-07

ISOFILE=$1
IMAGEFILE=$2

if [ ! -r $ISOFILE ]; then
echo $ISOFILE: file does not exist or is not readable
exit 1
fi

if [ -z $IMAGEFILE ]; then
echo Error: no image file specified
exit 1
fi

ISOFILESIZE=`stat -c %s $ISOFILE`

# collect El Torito data
# see http://www.phoenix.com/NR/rdonlyres/98D3219C-9CC9-4DF5-B496-A286D893E36A/0/specscdrom.pdf for reference

BOOTCATALOGPOINTERBYTE=$((17 * 0x800 + 0x47))

if [ $ISOFILESIZE -lt $(($BOOTCATALOGPOINTERBYTE + 4)) ]; then
echo ISO file is too short, possibly damaged
exit 1
fi

# absolute pointer to first sector of boot catalog:
BOOTCATALOG=`od -A n -t x4 -N 4 -j $BOOTCATALOGPOINTERBYTE $ISOFILE | tr -d [:blank:]`

BOOTCATALOGBYTE=$((0x$BOOTCATALOG * 0x800))

echo Boot catalog starts at byte $BOOTCATALOGBYTE

if [ $ISOFILESIZE -lt $(($BOOTCATALOGBYTE + 32 + 2)) ]; then
echo ISO file is too short, possibly damaged
exit 1
fi

# media type of boot image
# only floppy disk images are supported by this script
BOOTMEDIATYPE=`od -A n -t x1 -N 1 -j $(($BOOTCATALOGBYTE + 32 + 1)) $ISOFILE | tr -d [:blank:]`

if [ $BOOTMEDIATYPE -eq 1 ]; then
echo Boot media type is 1.2M floppy disk
IMAGEBLOCKS=$((1200 / 2))
elif [ $BOOTMEDIATYPE -eq 2 ]; then
echo Boot media type is 1.44M floppy disk
IMAGEBLOCKS=$((1440 / 2))
elif [ $BOOTMEDIATYPE -eq 3 ]; then
echo Boot media type is 2.88M floppy disk
IMAGEBLOCKS=$((2880 / 2))
else
echo Boot media type is $((0x$BOOTMEDIATYPE)). This type is not supported yet.
exit 1
fi

# absolute pointer to start of boot image
BOOTIMAGE=`od -A n -t x4 -N 4 -j $(($BOOTCATALOGBYTE + 32 + 8)) $ISOFILE | tr -d [:blank:]`

BOOTIMAGEBYTE=$((0x$BOOTIMAGE * 0x800))

echo Boot image starts at byte $BOOTIMAGEBYTE

if [ $ISOFILESIZE -lt $((0x$BOOTIMAGE * 0x800 + $IMAGEBLOCKS * 0x800)) ]; then
echo ISO file is too short, possibly damaged
exit 1
fi

echo Extracting boot image ...

dd if=$ISOFILE of=$IMAGEFILE bs=2K count=$IMAGEBLOCKS skip=$((0x$BOOTIMAGE))

echo Finished
</pre>
</li>

<li>
Mount the floppy image '''as root''' using the loop device:
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|mount -o loop /tmp/bios-lenovo.img /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt}}
The image is now mounted as <tt>/tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt</tt>.
</li>

<li>
Download needed drivers. First download some [http://panasonic.co.jp/pcc/products/drive/other/driver/f2h_usb.exe USB drivers] from Panasonic Japan. Save the file to <tt>/tmp/f2h_usb.exe</tt> This file is a self-extracting EXE file, that can be executed under Linux using [http://www.winehq.com/ Wine]:
:{{cmduser|wine /tmp/f2h_usb.exe}}
You will be asked where to save the extracted files. Choose <tt>/tmp</tt>. A new directory <tt>/tmp/F2h</tt> containing the needed drivers will be created.

Additionally, you will need drivers for the RAM disk mentioned. Download them from the [http://sourceforge.net/projects/srdisk ReSizeable RAMDisk project]. Unzip them to <tt>/tmp/srdisk</tt>.
</li>

<li>
Let's modify the floppy image:
:{{cmduser|cp /tmp/F2h/Usbaspi.sys /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt/}}
:{{cmduser|cp /tmp/F2h/USBCD.SYS /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt/}}
:{{cmduser|cp /tmp/F2h/RAMFD.SYS /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt/}}
:{{cmduser|cp /tmp/srdisk/srdxms.sys /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt/}}
:{{cmduser|cp /tmp/srdisk/srdisk.exe /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt/}}
Now add the following lines to <tt>/tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt/config.sys</tt> replacing the line <tt>DEVICE = A:\IBMTPCD.SYS /R /C</tt>:
<pre>
DEVICE = A:\SRDXMS.SYS
DEVICE = A:\RAMFD.SYS
DEVICE = A:\USBASPI.SYS /V
DEVICE = A:\USBCD.SYS /D:TPCD001
</pre>
Finally, edit the file <tt>/tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt/autoexec.bat</tt> replacing the last line (saying <tt>COMMAND.COM</tt>) by the following:
<pre>
A:\SRDISK 10000
COPY *.* D:
D:
COMMAND.COM
</pre>

Maybe the RAM disk gets a drive letter different from D: on your system. In this case, you have to change the above lines accordingly.
</li>

<li>
Unmount the floppy image (as root):
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/bios-lenovo.img-mnt}}
</li>

<li>
Copy the content of the original CD image to a new directory and create a new ISO file:
:{{cmdroot|mkdir /tmp/bios-lenovo.iso-mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|mount -o loop /tmp/bios-lenovo.iso /tmp/bios-lenovo.iso-mnt}}
:{{cmduser|mkdir /tmp/bios-new.iso-mnt}}
:{{cmduser|cp /tmp/bios-lenovo.iso-mnt/* /tmp/bios-new.iso-mnt}}
:{{cmduser|cp /tmp/bios-lenovo.img /tmp/bios-new.iso-mnt/boot.img}}
:{{cmdroot|umount /tmp/bios-lenovo.iso-mnt}}
:{{cmduser|mkisofs -relaxed-filenames -b boot.img -o /tmp/bios-new.iso /tmp/bios-new.iso-mnt/}}
</li>

<li>
The file <tt>/tmp/bios-new.iso</tt> is the modified ISO file. Just burn it to CD and use this CD for updating your BIOS (boot from it using your USB drive). Please give some comments here if it worked for you.
</li>

</ol>

== Comments on Approach 2 ==

<ul>

<li>
I have followed your excellent instructions. The CD booted, the update program ran but stopped working and responding while updating. Luckily the BIOS was not destroyed. Since destroying the BIOS is a very high risk, I am going to recover the original Windows on an old HD and will run the update exe update program from there.
</li>

<li>
I followed these clear instructions, and like the comment above I ended up with a CD that booted but the update program stopped working and responding. An ALT-CTRL-DELETE rebooted my x60s, and it works so the BIOS must not have been damaged. I was trying to upgrade from version 2.08 to 2.11, I wonder if these instructions are somehow particular to certain versions?
[[User:Latch|Latch]] 01:22, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
</li>

<li>
After following the above instructions, the program also stopped working while updating the BIOS. But after changing the drive letter from D: to C: (see code below), it everything worked fine. However, I had some trouble figuring out, which letter to choose over D: at first, as the BIOS Upgrade program started right away.

<pre>
A:\SRDISK 10000
COPY *.* C:
C:
COMMAND.COM
</pre>
[[User:Mtx|Mtx]], 1 August 2007, Thinkpad X61s
</li>

<li>
Flashing the bios (2.12) works for me on a X60s (using drive c). Using the DVD-R on an USB-Hub did not work. [[User:Ra|Ra]] 00:15, 21 August 2007 (UTC)
</li>

<li>
Flashing BIOS 2.14 works for me on a X60s (using drive c). 25-02-2008
</li>

</ul>

= Approach 3: Alternative method using a USB stick =

''Note: none of the above methods worked on my X60s. This method worked for me, however.'' [[User:PhilipPaeps|PhilipPaeps]] 16:41, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

This method was surprisingly painless once I convinced my ThinkPad X60s to boot DOS from a USB stick. I used VMWare and some mystical tool to get DOS on the stick. If you can find another way to get a bootable DOS stick, please update this section!

* Tell VMWare to create a virtual floppy image for you and format it under Microsoft Windows and tell it to create a system disk. You can do this by clicking into "My Computer", then right-clicking on the "Floppy" icon and selecting "Format". In the box that pops up, you need to check the box that says "Create an MS-DOS startup disk" and then click "Start".

* When you've done that, get this tool: http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/330/mirrors.php and install it. The tool is apparantly something HP once wrote, but I have been unable to find a link to it anywhere on the HP website.

* In a command prompt again: <code>C:\DriveKey\HPUSBF.EXE E: -Q -B:A:\</code>, replacing the <code>E:</code> with the "drive letter" associated with your USB stick (you can find this letter in "My Computer" under "Removable Storage"). '''WARNING:''' this wipes anything on the USB stick. You will end up with a USB stick which appears empty at this point, but there is DOS on it somewhere.

* Now mount the BIOS update ISO image from Lenovo as a virtual CDROM using VMWare again and copy the files from it to the USB stick: <code>copy D:\*.* E:\</code>.

At this point, you may want to fiddle with the splash image, as described elsewhere on ThinkWiki.

* Reboot and press F12, tell the BIOS to boot from your USB stick.

* <code>cd flash</code> ; <code>updtflsh.exe</code>

Think happy thoughts. The ThinkPad will beep quite ominously (and loudly!) a couple of times. Do not let this worry you too much. After about three minutes, the program will ask you to press enter to restart and hopefully all will be well.

= Approach 4: Alternative method to the above "alternative method" =

This is based on the above "Alternative Method" and works on my {{X60}}.

1. Download the [[BIOS_Upgrade_Downloads|BIOS Update]] iso image and the [http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/330/mirrors.php|HP USB Stick Formatter].

2. Now get access to Windows -- be it in an emulator, or a colleague's PC. Steps 3, 4, 5 needs Windows to complete.

3. Install the HP USB Stick Formatter.

4. Go to the directory where you installed the tool: e.g. C:\DriveKey and extract HPUSBF.EXE to a new directory HPUSBF\ (using WinRAR, 7zip or similar).

5. Run the HPUSBFW.EXE utility, selecting the location of system files as C:\DriveKey\HPUSBF, and let it format the USB stick.

6. Extract the iso image to the USB stick, for example to K:\7buj22us (K: being the USB stick).

7. On the target computer, boot with the USB stick and issue the commands "cd 7buj22us" then "command.com"

This brings up the BIOS flash interface and you can update your BIOS from here.

== Comments on Approach 4 ==

<ul>
<li>
I (Martin Aulbach) followed these clear instructions and updated my X61t (from BIOS v1.08 to v1.10) without any problems and with a nice graphic splash screen. It is not necessary to let Windows format the USB stick as a MS-DOS startup disk, as outlined in Approach 3. The HP format tool will take care of this (in Step 5) and the USB stick will boot sucessfully at startup (correct boot order provided).
</li>
<li> This update to BIOS 2.14 worked on a brand-new X61s, 2008-06-27. (adsmith)
</li>
<li> This update to BIOS 2.19 worked on a X61 (76754KU), 2009-01-21. (leonardokroeger)
</ul>

= Approach 5: Free Alternative method to the above "alternative method" =

This is functionally equivalent to the above two "alternative methods", yet does not depend on MS Windows or any other proprietary software. It updates the BIOS through a bootable USB stick, and depends upon the FreeDOS, SYSLINUX, and AdvanceMAME projects. A detailed description is provided at [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=5459421#post5459421].
''This method currently isn't redommended by the author "due to troubles reported by users (August 9th, 2008)".''

= Approach 6: Using a USB stick to upgrade BIOS on older X Series Thinkpads =

This method has been successfully applied for upgrading an {{X32}} Thinkpad. The previous BIOS version was 3.00d, and it was upgraded to 3.02 . Below are the steps:

1. Download the new BIOS and EC Diskette-type upgrades.

2. Make a DOS-bootable USB stick. See the section above for instructions on how to do this.

3. Copy the upgrade programs to the USB stick.

4. Make two zero-files (using dd), each with the size of a floppy disk.

5. Boot up the USB stick using QEMU, with the USB stick as hda, and the two floppy disk images as A: and B: .

6. Run the BIOS upgrade program, and select the first diskette as its destination. This will not actually upgrade the BIOS; it will only fill up the disk image.

7. Run the EC upgrade program, with the second diskette as target. Again, this will only fill up the disk image, not upgrade the EC.

8. Make two directories, C:\1 and C:\2 .

9. Copy the contents of the first diskette to C:\1 and the second diskette to C:\2 .

10. Exit QEMU, use the USB stick to boot the Thinkpad which BIOS we are going to upgrade.

11. cd into C:\1 and run command.com inside it. This will bring up the BIOS update interface, so update the BIOS.

12. After updating the BIOS, the machine will turn off by itself. Now boot again, with the same USB stick.

13. cd into C:\2 and run command.com inside it. This will bring up the EC update interface. Update the EC and wait for the machine to shut down completely.

14. Remove the USB stick. Now boot into the machine and go into BIOS setup. Right now you should see the new BIOS and EC version. If not, then something is wrong; make sure you have followed the above steps properly. Please also discuss this.

= Approach 7: Use syslinux to boot floppy images which are part of the CD ISO files. Done with a {{X31}} to upgrade the EC to version 1.08 and the BIOS to 3.02. =

1. Download the CD ISO files of the embedded controller and the BIOS.

2. loop mount these files, check for files like 1quj08us.img (EC) and 1quj19us.img (BIOS) and copy them to /boot/

3. Install the syslinux package and boot the two images with the help of the memdisk feature ( grub: kernel /boot/memdisk initrd /boot/{ec|bios}.img)

= Approach 8 : Use HP USB Format Utility and Win98Boot files to Create Bootable USB Stick =
(This process works for most X-series that has Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 OS)

1. There is an HP utility tool floating around the net called HP USB Boot Utility. This [http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2004/10/utility-to-make-usb-flash-driv.html can create a bootable USB flash drive using the boot/system files you have].

2. Get some [http://www.bay-wolf.com/utility/usbkey/win98boot.zip DOS (or similar) boot files] - I found something called "win98boot.zip" e.g.

3. Extract the (*.ima) from the ISO BIOS image (e.g. [http://www.rarsoft.com WinRAR] will do this).

4. Using a tool that can open .IMA files (such as [http://www.winimage.com/ WinImage]), extract all files to a temporary folder.

4. Run the HP tool, select the USB device, I used FAT32, create a DOS bootable disk and point at the win98boot folder - then "Start". Warning: this '''formats''' the USB flash drive and all data will be erased!

5. Once complete (you could test if it boots at this point), copy the extracted BIOS files from the temporary folder you created to the USB flash drive.

6. Boot from USB flash drive by pressing F11 within the BIOS boot logo. At the DOS command prompt, type "updflsh" and then follow the prompts by pressing "Y" or Enter. Make sure that you have a fully charged battery pack and the AC Adapter is firmly plugged before proceeding with the BIOS update.
'''DO NOT Power off the laptop or unplug the USB flash drive while the update is in progress or else update will fail and your computer will be unable to boot and system board may need to be serviced.'''

This process takes around 1-2 minutes. A long beep followed by a short beep will notify you that the update is complete and the system will automatically power off.

7. Power on the laptop then enter the BIOS setup by pressing F1 and Load BIOS defaults.

= Approach 8: Updating via "IBM Predesktop area", suitable for model X (not have CDROM and floppy) =
It's so difficult to update BIOS and ECP without cdrom, floppy disk.
Don't know the reason why I couldn't update BIOS and ECP(1QHJ08US and 1QUJ19US) for my IBM Thinkpad X31.Hmm, may be cause of the dividing partition on my hard disk, that is:
<blockquote style="background: white; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em;">
<pre><nowiki>
Primary: ext3, ext3, ntfs
Extended: Ntsf, fat32
Bootloader: GRUB
</nowiki></pre></blockquote>

No problem, you can use this way to do it:
* First, config in BIOS
In Security part:
# Remove all password of Supervisor and Power on password
# Set Access IBM Predesktop Area to Normal
# Choose Enable "Flash BIOS updating by End User" in BIOS update Option.

In Config part:
# Choose Enable for Network flash over Lan

* Second, download the newest version of BIOS update and ECP update
Running: The program extract all files to the folder. There is a .img file (1QUJ19US.IMG, 1QUJ08US.IMG) in each folder.
Copy the imformation content in that img file and paste it to one FAT partition(using winimage or TotalCmd to extract)

as seen All files in 1QUJ19US.IMG is extracted to D:\BIOS
<blockquote style="background: white; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em;">
<pre><nowiki>
695,764 $018E000.FL1
163 0691.HSH
2,049 0691.PAT
163 0694.HSH
2,049 0694.PAT
163 0695.HSH
2,049 0695.PAT
2,049 06D0.PAT
163 06D1.HSH
2,049 06D1.PAT
163 06D2.HSH
2,049 06D2.PAT
163 06D6.HSH
2,049 06D6.PAT
2,049 06D8.PAT
697 CHKBMP.EXE
8,128 COMMAND.COM
26 CONFIG.SYS
24,860 FLASH2.EXE
26 LCREFLSH.BAT
170 LOGO.BAT
330 LOGO.SCR
111,925 PHLASH16.EXE
91,648 PREPARE.EXE
45 PROD.DAT
22,252 QKFLASH.EXE
9,923 README.TXT
4,260 TPCHKS.EXE
39,666 UPDTFLSH.EXE
6,958 UPDTMN.EXE
12,501 USERINT.EXE
15,254 UTILINFO.EXE
</nowiki></pre></blockquote>

And all files in 1QUJ08US.IMG are: D:\ECP
<blockquote style="background: white; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em;">
<pre><nowiki>
315,404 $018E000.FL2
8,000 COMMAND.COM
36 CONFIG.SYS
16,910 ECFLASH2.EXE
45 PROD.DAT
17,812 QKFLASH.EXE
990 README.TXT
4,260 TPCHKS.EXE
89,738 UPDTEC.EXE
31,134 UPDTFLSH.EXE
12,501 USERINT.EXE
15,226 UTILINFO.EXE
</nowiki></pre></blockquote>

* Okie, now plug AC Adapter, charge full battery to your laptop and continue third step:

** '''Flash BIOS first,'''
1. Power On, press blue button on keyboard: '''Access IBM'''

2. On "Utilities", double click " Diagnostic disk"

3. Your laptop will start PC-DOS, wait when this message appear:
<blockquote style="background: white; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em;">
<pre><nowiki>
Please insert the first floppy diskette and
Press any key to continue
</nowiki></pre></blockquote>

4. Press Ctrl + Break, you will see :
<blockquote style="background: white; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em;"><pre><nowiki>Terminate batch job (Y/N) ?</nowiki></pre></blockquote>

5. Okie, press Y, you will get DOS prompt like D:\
{{NOTE|D:\ is my RAMDISK, C:\ is my disk format as FAT.!}}

6. Enter to c:\BIOS
<blockquote style="background: white; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em;">
<pre><nowiki>
c:
cd c:\BIOS
</nowiki></pre></blockquote>

7. Run FLASH2.EXE /u $018E000.FL1

8. Wait flash progress compelete and reboot.
** '''Flash ECP'''
Follow above instruction from step 1 to 5

6. Enter to c:\ECP
<blockquote style="background: white; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em;">
<pre><nowiki>
c:
cd c:\ECP
</nowiki></pre></blockquote>

7. run UPDTFLSH.EXE $018E000.FL2

8. Follow UPDTFLSH's instructions

9. Wait flash complete and auto turn off computer.

I done it on my IBM Thinkpad X31.

Enjoy,

Tested by nm.

= Approach 10: Booting the Lenovo ISO image using Grub and SysLinux =

I ran this on my [[:Category:X100e|X100e]] L625 (Dual-Core) 3508-5EG.

Also worked on my [[:Category:X301|X301]] with the default ubuntu 10.10 memdisk (/usr/lib/syslinux/memdisk). My menu entry structure however looked like this (ext4 root/boot partition): --[[User:Blk|Blk]] 17:54, 25 November 2010 (UTC)
menuentry 'BIOS Upgrade' {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,msdos1)'
linux16 /boot/memdisk iso
initrd16 /boot/bios.iso
}
small note: the upgrade itself took about 2minutes (it beeped in the middle) and after rebooting i was probably in a reboot-loop. The system rebooted twice in a row after showing the "Press the ThinkVantage button..." blabla, so the third time i went into the bios, reset the default options (F9) and reconfigured it the way i had it before. Then it all worked.
Now to the original instructions (thanks mate!)

Basically, you download the iso of the cd for bios upgrade from Lenovo and let grub + syslinux emulate a cd-rom drive for you, running the software on the iso.

It's nice and feels safe, since either the iso boots from grub or it doesn't, but if it does, you are running the full OS and update software stack as provided and tested by Lenovo. If it doesn't your bios will not be affected and you will not have bricked your laptop.

* Download the latest bios upgrade from Lenovo website. I used version 1.25 ({{path|6xuj08uc.iso}})
* Get your hands on memdisk of syslinux. I had to compile a recent version, because my memdisk version that came with Ubuntu did not work correctly.
* To compile a recent version of syslinux (I used 3.86):
** Download the sources from http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/ISOLINUX (Download link in my case: http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/boot/syslinux/syslinux-3.86.tar.bz2),
** Extract the sources and issue {{cmduser|make}} in the root directory of the source.
** Once compiled, the memdisk file you need will be in {{path|syslinux-3.86/memdisk/memdisk}}
* Copy the memdisk file of syslinux to {{path|/boot/memdisk}}
* Update the grub config file: add the code snippet below to the end of the file {{path|/boot/grub/grub.cfg}}. (on Ubuntu, add it to the file {{path|/etc/grub.d/40_custom}} instead, and do a {{cmduser|sudo update-grub}} afterwards).
menuentry "Thinkpad x100e BIOS Upgrade to 1.25" {
set root='(hd0,1)' # This line should match the other menuentries in your grub.cfg
linux16 /boot/memdisk iso
initrd16 /boot/6xuj08uc.iso # Make sure this is the correct filename (a different version will have a different filename)
}
* Now reboot, press and hold shift right after the Thinkpad logo disappears and you should see an option in the grub boot menu to boot the bios upgrade cd.
* Select that option and press enter, the Lenovo bios update software should boot, and you'll get a text-menu interface.
** If you just see text on a black background and your Thinkpad no longer responds, your booting failed. At this point you are not updating the bios, so you can safely reboot using the power on/off button, recheck your config and find out what you did wrong.
* If it does boot, follow the directions carefully:
** Make absolutely sure you have power attached and a well loaded battery just in case
** The process takes around a minute
** When it asks to remove the cd and press enter to reboot, just press enter.
** You should then reboot having and updated bios.

Problem with system turning itself on

2011-01-21T23:00:02Z

Demonoid724: added content

It seems that there is some hardware flaw that affects a small number of users, where the power controller wakes the system from deep power off states including suspend, hibernate, and halt. The people affected by this seem to have had recent Windows XP "downgrades" installed, but this may be coincidental. This problem persists even after verifying all normal situations such as Wake-on-LAN settings being misconfigured.

Symptoms and troubleshooting steps to try:
* Halt from the GRUB boot menu: should power off, but this problem leads it to power off and then restart
* Press power button on BIOS screen: should power off, but this problem leads it to power off and then restart
* Lenovo Windows Vista install may mask this problem somehow
* Try replacing the keyboard to check for possible defect with the power-button (though it appears not stuck, the defective circuitry can trigger the system to randomly turn on by itself).

Getting tech support from Lenovo has been difficult because they'll install Vista and say it is non-reproducible. Insist that they try the BIOS test described above, to rule out operating system interference. Another test is to remove all power sources, press power button repeatedly, and then reapply power. A proper machine remains powered off, whereas ones with this problem power up on their own once power is applied. However, some repair technicians do not seem to recognize this as a problem.

The repair performed under warranty service has been to replace the main system board. This has been verified to solve the problem with the same Fedora install on an X200, i.e. the hard drive was removed before service and reinstalled. The problem went away with no modification to the disk image. Judging from Lenovo user forums, this problem also can affect older laptops such as T61. One speculation is that it is somehow related to the Intel AMT controller, but this is not confirmed by Lenovo.

How to change the BIOS bootsplash screen

2011-01-21T17:39:15Z

Demonoid724: /* Share your custom bootsplash 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:
* [http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj28us.exe 1ruj28us.exe]
* [http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj29us.exe 1ruj29us.exe]
* [http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj30us.exe 1ruj30us.exe]
* [http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj33us.exe 1ruj33us.exe]
There may be a more recent file on the IBM website.
* [http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/1ruj35us.exe 1ruj35us.exe]

For Thinkpads {{T61}}, {{R61}} 14.1 inch screen
* [http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/7luj05us.exe 7luj05us.exe]

or

* [[http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/7luj09uc.iso 7luj09uc.iso]]

For Thinkpad {{R60e}} the bios is available as an iso which can be edited before burning
See the readme file in the ISO for details of how to change the bootsplash.
* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-64394 7euj18us.iso]

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/1ruj35us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|cabextract -F "*.IMG" 1ruj35us.exe}}
:{{cmdroot|mv 1RUJ35US.IMG floppy.bin}}

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

For Thinkpads {{T61}}, {{R61}} 14.1 inch screens
* [http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/7luj05us.exe 7luj05ud.exe] Released 2007-07-16 '''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. 
:{{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}}

For 2.6.12+ if you have dosemu error:
:{{cmdroot|echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/randomize_va_space}}

=== Method 3: Using harddisk image from a boot iso ===
For ThinkPads x200 tablet
* [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/license.do?filename=mobiles/7wuj32uc.iso 7wuj32uc.iso]

find the master boot record of the harddisk image

the master boot record is a 512 byte block ending on 55 aa.
:{{cmdroot|1=hexdump -v -C 7wuj32uc.iso }} <code style="white-space:nowrap;color:#495988;background-color:white;"> | grep "55 aa" | more</code> 
0000a010 20 52 4f 4d 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 8a fc 55 aa | ROM..........U.|
0000d9f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa |..............U.|
000119f0 4d 49 42 4d 44 4f 53 20 20 43 4f 4d 00 00 55 aa |MIBMDOS COM..U.|
0001ade0 00 cd 13 72 09 26 81 3e fe 03 55 aa 74 01 f9 c3 |...r.&.>..U.t...|
...

now to find the start of the block you have to calculate the block address (get out a calculater that can do hex calculations)

0000a010 + 10 - 200 = 9e20
0000d9f0 + 10 - 200 = d800
000119f0 + 10 - 200 = 11800
...

with hexdump analyse the block. 
as you can see, the second one is a master boot record. ;-) 
just look for someting like "Error loading operating system. Missing operationg system" or similar.
:{{cmdroot|1=hexdump -v -C 7wuj32uc.iso -s 0xd800 }} <code style="white-space:nowrap;color:#495988;background-color:white;"> | more</code> 
0000d800 fa bc 00 7c 29 c0 8e d0 fb be 20 7c 50 1f bf 20 |...|)..... |P.. |
0000d810 06 50 07 b9 f0 00 fc f3 a5 ea 20 06 00 00 90 90 |.P........ .....|
0000d820 be be 07 80 3c 80 74 54 cd 18 be 40 06 ac 08 c0 |....<.tT...@....|
0000d830 75 02 eb fe 56 bb 07 00 b4 0e cd 10 5e eb ee 90 |u...V.......^...|
0000d840 45 72 72 6f 72 20 6c 6f 61 64 69 6e 67 20 6f 70 |Error loading op|
0000d850 65 72 61 74 69 6e 67 20 73 79 73 74 65 6d 00 4d |erating system.M|
0000d860 69 73 73 69 6e 67 20 6f 70 65 72 61 74 69 6e 67 |issing operating|
0000d870 20 73 79 73 74 65 6d 00 90 90 90 90 ad 89 c2 ad | system.........|
0000d880 89 c1 bd 06 00 55 b8 01 02 bb 00 7c cd 13 5d 73 |.....U.....|..]s|
0000d890 0f 29 c0 52 55 28 d2 cd 13 5d 5a 4d 75 e7 eb 8a |.).RU(...]ZMu...|
0000d8a0 be 5f 06 81 3e fe 7d 55 aa 75 82 be e6 06 29 c0 |._..>.}U.u....).|
0000d8b0 29 ed b9 10 00 ad 01 c5 49 75 fa be 5f 06 81 fd |).......Iu.._...|
0000d8c0 2b c0 75 e5 be e8 06 80 7c 1f aa 74 03 be 08 07 |+.u.....|..t....|
0000d8d0 ac 08 c0 74 0b 56 bb 07 00 b4 0e cd 10 5e eb f0 |...t.V.......^..|
0000d8e0 be be 07 ea 00 7c 00 00 4e 65 72 6f 20 42 6f 6f |.....|..Nero Boo|
0000d8f0 74 2d 4c 6f 61 64 65 72 20 56 33 2e 30 0d 0a 0a |t-Loader V3.0...|
0000d900 00 61 68 65 61 64 21 55 4c 65 6e 6f 76 6f 20 47 |.ahead!ULenovo G|
0000d910 72 6f 75 70 20 4c 69 6d 69 74 65 64 0d 0a 0a 00 |roup Limited....|
0000d920 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d930 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d940 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d950 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d960 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d970 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d980 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d990 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d9a0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d9b0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 80 01 |................|
0000d9c0 01 00 01 3f 20 0e 20 00 00 00 e0 77 00 00 00 00 |...? . ....w....|
0000d9d0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d9e0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................|
0000d9f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa |..............U.|

with dd we can extract the image. but first we need to know how many blocks to skip.
d800 / 200 = 6C --> 16 * 6 + 12 = 108

first see if we calculated correctly
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=7wuj32uc.iso bs=512 skip=108 count=1}} <code style="white-space:nowrap;color:#495988;background-color:white;"> | hexdump -v -C</code> 
should show you the previously found boot sector.

extract the image.

:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=7wuj32uc.iso bs=512 skip=108 of=disk.img}}

see if we got a partition table.
# fdisk -l disk.img
You must set cylinders.
You can do this from the extra functions menu.

Disk disk.img: 0 MB, 0 bytes
64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 0 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
disk.img1 * 1 15 15344 1 FAT12

if it does not show a partition table check your calculation. if the calculation is correct look for an other MBR.

== 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 VGA palette) (for example with Gimp) and save it to {{path|/tmp/mnt/logo.bmp}}.

When creating your image, keep in mind that on the T43p (and others??), regardless of your custom bootsplash screen there will be a superimposed black "Centrino" logo (~100x100 pixels) on the upper right of your display, so you might want to keep that area clear. You might also want to reserve the bottom 150 pixels for the "boot options" / "Entering BIOS setup" message(s) too, which will also be displayed.

The Thinkpad T61 (and likely others) superimposes several messages/logos, including the "Press the ThinkVantage Button" message in the lower-left corner, an "Intel" logo in the upper-right, and a "Lenovo" message on the right side.

Now prepare the image with <tt>prepare.exe</tt> using wine: (This does not work with dosemu!)
:{{cmdroot|wine prepare.exe logo.scr}}

The image must compress to <10k. If you receive an error, you can try reducing the number of colors in your image palette (step down to an 12 or 8 color palette for a very significant reduction in image size.) When successful, 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)

== Add an image to an iso ==

At first download the BIOS ISO from the IBM support site. I used following one for my {{R60}}: [http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-64578.html 7cuj24uc.iso]

Extract the ISO, rename your logo Bitmap to LOGO.BMP and copy it to the extracted folder.

Then run LOGO.BAT in a command shell ( windows-key+r -> cmd ).

Get some ISO editing tool (e. g. [http://www.littlesvr.ca/isomaster/ IsoMaster], free software and available for both Windows and Linux) and add following files to the downloaded image: LOGO.MOD, LOGO.SCR ( i've added also LOGO.BMP and LOGO.LOG but i don't think that they are needed ).

Save it, burn it, boot it and enjoy it.

== Add an image to an harddisk image ==
two ways to proceed - (continuing from 1.3 Method 3: Using harddisk image from a boot iso) 
1. calculate the offset for the first partition blocksize times sectors ( 512 * 32 see above fdisk -l ) 
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -t vfat -oloop,offset=16384 disk.img /tmp/mnt}}
2. just write it directly to an usb-stick and use that later to boot.
(my favored one is this solution.) 
unmount it before you write to the stick if it its mounted automatically. 
:{{cmdroot|1=dd if=disk.img bs=512 of=/dev/<drive letter>}}
:{{cmdroot|1=sync}}
:{{cmdroot|1=mount -t vfat /dev/<drive letter>1 /tmp/mnt}}

copy your bmp file to /tmp/mnt/flash and compress it
:{{cmdroot|1=cd /tmp/mnt/flash}}
:{{cmdroot|1=wine cmd}}
:{{cmdroot|1=logo.bat}}

make sure the Total File Size shows less then 10k. Otherwise the custom logo won't be accepted during bios upgrade.

unmount it
:{{cmdroot|1=umount /tmp/mnt}}
:{{cmdroot|1=sync}}

if you choose the 2. option just boot your computer from the usb-stick.
if you choose the 1. option you have tu burn a boot cd from this image.

== 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!

BTW next time you have to flash the BIOS the IBM BIOS updater will detect a custom boot splash and ask you if you want to preserve it or restore the original.

A note for widescreen Z60m:
This may be the case for all widescreen thinkpads using this method. The image you supply, 640x480, gets scaled but maintains its aspect ratio. As in, it stays 4:3, with the vertical component being the full vertical resolution, and it sits in the middle of the screen. This means that there are thick black bars to the left and right of my image (On my 1280x800 screen, I estimate each bar to be 110 pixels or so). The Centrino/Celeron/PentiumM and Lenovo branding mostly fits in the right bar, but the left bar is black. Take this into account when creating your image - it should look suitable in these conditions. I was also wondering if anyone knew a way around this - as the default Lenovo "THiNK" bootsplash does indeed occupy space in the left-most portion of the screen.

== Share your custom bootsplash image ==
If you've created your own bootsplash image and want to share it with other you can post it here.

* [http://dc221.4shared.com/img/SxpVT-kK/s7/0.09317854301886774/logo.bmp Current Thinkpad logo for models released after 2005.] (for X3x, T4x, R5x only) Already in BMP format, ready to use. Use this BMP image to upgrade your older "IBM Thinkpad" logo to current Lenovo Thinkpad logo with the new Intel badge.
* Schnappi bootsplash: Bow to the power of [http://folk.uio.no/igorr/t43/final.bmp Schnappi]. The BMP image compressed to about 6KB. Schni, schna, schnappi!
* IBM Tux: An image of [http://users.tkk.fi/~jpaalija/stuff/filestorage/ibm-tux.bmp Tux with the IBM logo] written on its tummy.
* [[Media:Eris.png|Eris]], the goddess of discordia. To use it as bios bootsplash convert it to bmp with just a few (<8) colors (thinkwiki does not allow bmp uploads).
* [[Media:simple_tux.png|Simple Tux]] - Just convert it to bmp.
* [http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Image:ThinkTuxBootsplash.png ThinkTux], my Linux-friendly version of the Thinkpad logo. Features Tux in all his glory and the motto, "ThinkTux," based on the Thinkpad logo. Just convert it to a .bmp with the GIMP (already is 640x480 and 16 colors).
* [[Media:Thinkpadlinux.png|ThinkPadLinux]]: A simple modification of Simple Tux adding "ThinkPad" and "Linux". Just convert it to .bmp using GIMP.
* [http://omploader.org/vMzNhbw/LOGO.BMP GNU ThinkPad BIOS Splash] Already in BMP format ready for use.
* [http://lair.fifthhorseman.net/~dkg/personal/bioslogo/LOGO.BMP apt-get install anarchism], [http://lair.fifthhorseman.net/~dkg/personal/bioslogo/logo.svg full SVG]

Buyers Guide

2009-09-09T15:57:21Z

Demonoid724: /* Common Long-time Weaknesses of Some Thinkpad Models */

{| 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==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 can't do this these days. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you can't 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.

==Various deals==

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]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== 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://campuspoint.de campuspoint] (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
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== 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 Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to buy Linux preinstalled thinkpad==

* Lenovo now preloads SuSE Linux on some reasonably current models! They don't really talk about it, but search their site for Linux and it is currently (2008-04-21) their first hit. Not sure if the link is generally useful nor permanent, but see [http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Landing_pages/Info/08/Linux Lenovo Preloaded Linux Models]

* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007
[http://www.example.com link title]

== 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==Common Long-time Weaknesses of Some Thinkpad 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}}, {{R50}}, {{R50e}}, {{R40}}, {{R40e}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover and its corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges that tend to weaken those area over time.
|-
||{{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}}, {{T21}}, {{T22}} || 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. This problem is also known as Blink-Of-Death caused by failing ATMEL power regulator chip.
|-
| {{X40}}, {{X41}} || Your 1.8" hard drive will die after about a year. [[Talk:Harddisk_Drives]]
|-
| {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}, || GPU failure on some models that have ATI Graphic Controller due to board flexing.
|-
| {{X61_Tablet}}|| The screen bezel unglues away the LCD screen, leaving an ugly gap. See the [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=47509 forum discussion].
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T40}}?), which was to some degree possible by using the newer [[UltraBay|UltraBay Slim]], which is used in almost all Thinkpads now, instead of the old [[UltraBay|UltraBay Plus]]. This limits the available alternatives for optical drives, as they are not compatible with the industrial standard slimline drives, which are to thick. Some {{T43}}s have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region, unless you can buy a compatible replacement DVD drive. The {{T43}} family is also notorious for its [[problem with fan noise]] and has a [[problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]]; its predecessor, the {{T42}} family, had none of these problems and offered better battery life.
|}

Buyers Guide

2009-09-09T15:53:45Z

Demonoid724: /* Common Long-time Weaknesses of Ccertain Thinkpad Models */

{| 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==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 can't do this these days. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you can't 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.

==Various deals==

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]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== 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://campuspoint.de campuspoint] (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
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== 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 Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to buy Linux preinstalled thinkpad==

* Lenovo now preloads SuSE Linux on some reasonably current models! They don't really talk about it, but search their site for Linux and it is currently (2008-04-21) their first hit. Not sure if the link is generally useful nor permanent, but see [http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Landing_pages/Info/08/Linux Lenovo Preloaded Linux Models]

* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007
[http://www.example.com link title]

== 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==Common Long-time Weaknesses of Some Thinkpad 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}}, {{R50}}, {{R50e}}, {{R40}}, {{R40e}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover and its corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges that tend to weaken those area over time.
|-
||{{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}}, {{T21}}, {{T22}} || 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. This problem is also known as Blink-Of-Death caused by failing ATMEL power regulator chip.
|-
| {{X40}}, {{X41}} || Your 1.8" hard drive will die after about a year. [[Talk:Harddisk_Drives]]
|-
| {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}, || Video problems caused by ATI Graphic Chipset failure due to board flexing.
|-
| {{X61_Tablet}}|| The screen bezel unglues away the LCD screen, leaving an ugly gap. See the [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=47509 forum discussion].
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T40}}?), which was to some degree possible by using the newer [[UltraBay|UltraBay Slim]], which is used in almost all Thinkpads now, instead of the old [[UltraBay|UltraBay Plus]]. This limits the available alternatives for optical drives, as they are not compatible with the industrial standard slimline drives, which are to thick. Some {{T43}}s have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region, unless you can buy a compatible replacement DVD drive. The {{T43}} family is also notorious for its [[problem with fan noise]] and has a [[problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]]; its predecessor, the {{T42}} family, had none of these problems and offered better battery life.
|}

Buyers Guide

2009-09-09T15:53:21Z

Demonoid724: /* Long-time Weaknesses of certain models */

{| 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==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 can't do this these days. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you can't 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.

==Various deals==

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]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== 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://campuspoint.de campuspoint] (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
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== 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 Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to buy Linux preinstalled thinkpad==

* Lenovo now preloads SuSE Linux on some reasonably current models! They don't really talk about it, but search their site for Linux and it is currently (2008-04-21) their first hit. Not sure if the link is generally useful nor permanent, but see [http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Landing_pages/Info/08/Linux Lenovo Preloaded Linux Models]

* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007
[http://www.example.com link title]

== 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==Common Long-time Weaknesses of Ccertain Thinkpad 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}}, {{R50}}, {{R50e}}, {{R40}}, {{R40e}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover and its corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges that tend to weaken those area over time.
|-
||{{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}}, {{T21}}, {{T22}} || 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. This problem is also known as Blink-Of-Death caused by failing ATMEL power regulator chip.
|-
| {{X40}}, {{X41}} || Your 1.8" hard drive will die after about a year. [[Talk:Harddisk_Drives]]
|-
| {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}, || Video problems caused by ATI Graphic Chipset failure due to board flexing.
|-
| {{X61_Tablet}}|| The screen bezel unglues away the LCD screen, leaving an ugly gap. See the [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=47509 forum discussion].
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T40}}?), which was to some degree possible by using the newer [[UltraBay|UltraBay Slim]], which is used in almost all Thinkpads now, instead of the old [[UltraBay|UltraBay Plus]]. This limits the available alternatives for optical drives, as they are not compatible with the industrial standard slimline drives, which are to thick. Some {{T43}}s have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region, unless you can buy a compatible replacement DVD drive. The {{T43}} family is also notorious for its [[problem with fan noise]] and has a [[problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]]; its predecessor, the {{T42}} family, had none of these problems and offered better battery life.
|}

Buyers Guide

2009-09-09T15:45:53Z

Demonoid724:

{| 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==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 can't do this these days. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you can't 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.

==Various deals==

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]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== 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://campuspoint.de campuspoint] (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
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== 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 Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to buy Linux preinstalled thinkpad==

* Lenovo now preloads SuSE Linux on some reasonably current models! They don't really talk about it, but search their site for Linux and it is currently (2008-04-21) their first hit. Not sure if the link is generally useful nor permanent, but see [http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Landing_pages/Info/08/Linux Lenovo Preloaded Linux Models]

* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007
[http://www.example.com link title]

== 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==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}}, {{R50}}, {{R50e}}, {{R40}}, {{R40e}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover and its corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges that tend to weaken those area over time.
|-
||{{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}}, {{T21}}, {{T22}} || 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. This problem is also known as Blink-Of-Death caused by failing ATMEL power regulator chip.
|-
| {{X40}}, {{X41}} || Your 1.8" hard drive will die after about a year. [[Talk:Harddisk_Drives]]
|-
| {{T40}}, {{T41}}, {{T42}}, || Video problems caused by ATI Graphic Chipset failure due to board flexing.
|-
| {{X61_Tablet}}|| The screen bezel unglues away the LCD screen, leaving an ugly gap. See the [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=47509 forum discussion].
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T40}}?), which was to some degree possible by using the newer [[UltraBay|UltraBay Slim]], which is used in almost all Thinkpads now, instead of the old [[UltraBay|UltraBay Plus]]. This limits the available alternatives for optical drives, as they are not compatible with the industrial standard slimline drives, which are to thick. Some {{T43}}s have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region, unless you can buy a compatible replacement DVD drive. The {{T43}} family is also notorious for its [[problem with fan noise]] and has a [[problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]]; its predecessor, the {{T42}} family, had none of these problems and offered better battery life.
|}

Buyers Guide

2009-09-09T15:40:37Z

Demonoid724:

{| 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==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 can't do this these days. They will not sell you a CTO barebone. At least you can't 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.

==Various deals==

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]

The [https://www.directlenovo.com/public/ Lenovo USA sales web site] offers some attractive deals in its [http://www.directlenovo.com/public/public/search/dsp_product_features.cfm?category=9953&featured_display=Template surplus outlet].

IBM sells [http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396 refurbished ThinkPads].

== 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://campuspoint.de campuspoint] (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
* IBM Employee Purchase Program (EPP) for IBM employees and their family and friends: [http://www.ibm.com/shop/us/epp/ IBM store] / [http://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibrary/controller/Lenovo:EnterStdAffinity?affinity=eppibm Lenovo store]
* Corporate Perks program for corporate employees (e.g., accessible through the Microsoft Alumni Network)
|}

== 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 Linux certifications on [http://www.lenovo.com lenovo web site]

==Where to buy Linux preinstalled thinkpad==

* Lenovo now preloads SuSE Linux on some reasonably current models! They don't really talk about it, but search their site for Linux and it is currently (2008-04-21) their first hit. Not sure if the link is generally useful nor permanent, but see [http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:ShowPromo?LandingPage=/All/US/Landing_pages/Info/08/Linux Lenovo Preloaded Linux Models]

* [http://laclinux.com/en/Laptop Los Alamos Computers] Custom Linux Thinkpads - T Series, Z Series, X Series 23 Apr 2007
[http://www.example.com link title]

== 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.
||
<thinkwiki>5</thinkwiki>
|}
==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}}, {{R50}}, {{R50e}}, {{R40}}, {{R40e}}, {{390}}, {{390E}}, {{390X}} || *Base cover and its corners are prone to crack, root cause stiff display hinges that tend to weaken those area over time.
|-
||{{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}}, {{T21}}, {{T22}} || 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. This problem is also known as Blink-Of-Death caused by faulty ATMEL power regulator chip.
|-
| {{X40}} || Your 1.8" hard drive will die after about a year. [[Talk:Harddisk_Drives]]
|-
| {{X61_Tablet}}|| The screen bezel unglues away the LCD screen, leaving an ugly gap. See the [http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=47509 forum discussion].
|-
| {{T43}} || A number of laptops from the T-line are very thin (everything since {{T40}}?), which was to some degree possible by using the newer [[UltraBay|UltraBay Slim]], which is used in almost all Thinkpads now, instead of the old [[UltraBay|UltraBay Plus]]. This limits the available alternatives for optical drives, as they are not compatible with the industrial standard slimline drives, which are to thick. Some {{T43}}s have Matshita UJ-822S drives, and Matshita is infamous for striving extra to enforce the DVD regional codes. Purchasing such a laptop would effectively mean being locked to one DVD region, unless you can buy a compatible replacement DVD drive. The {{T43}} family is also notorious for its [[problem with fan noise]] and has a [[problem with non-ThinkPad hard disks]]; its predecessor, the {{T42}} family, had none of these problems and offered better battery life.
|}