Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Tue, 23 Jun 2020 01:10:04 -0400 tomas.kuchta.li...@gmail.com dijo: >Can you find some error messages from previous boot by sudo journalctl? > >If not - try older distro - say 16.04 - if that is stable - perhaps it >is not related to your BIOS work. if that helps - would 18.4 run >without crashes? > >It kind of feels like graphics driver issue rather than SATA - it >would probably crash during boot. > >Try disabling GUI all effects, later HW acceleration. > >Can you re-flash Thinkpad BIOS to see if that resolves it? Thanks for the suggestions. I may have solved the problem, but it will take a long time working with it to see if it no longer hangs. My first suspect was the BIOS flash, but my second guess was video, and video struck me as easier to fix, so that's where I started. The macine has an Nvidia Quadro NVS 140M, which was using the nouveau driver. Online I found lots of complaints about this setup - not the full resolution and not using all the RAM on the chip. So I installed the Nvidia driver from the repos (not easy to figure out which one to install!), and after rebooting I saw the Nvidia logo flash by, and so far it is still running. Crossing fingers. Oh, and windows seem to be redrawing faster, although the resolution is still 1680x1050. W'll see. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On 2020-06-22 16:42:05, John Jason Jordan wrote: > On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 16:14:44 -0700 > Tomas Kuchta dijo: > > >32b/64b should matter when you are using existing windows installation. > >When you are booting the media it is all matching the booted OS or BIOS > >update application. > > I'm having problems, but I'm not sure if the BIOS is the culprit. > > To back up and clarify where I am: I had three ISO files in the > download, and two of them seemed to be (from the scant instructions) > for updating to the Middleton BIOS from within Windows, so I ignored > them and burned the third one to a DVD. I used the DVD to update the > BIOS, which finished without error. I had no working hard drive to test > with, so I used an Xubuntu 20.04 live USB drive, which booted and > performed well for the 5-10 minutes that I poked around in it. > > Amazingly, although I ordered the 1TB WD Blue SSD on Saturday, it > arrived a few hours ago. I didn't have the adapter for it yet, but I > discovered that the T61 has a caddy to hold the drive, so the adapter > was unnecessary. I inastalled the drive and booted to the 20.04 USB > drive, then used Gparted to create an 80GB partition for / and the > remainder for ~/, and completed the installation. When it finished > there were a few updates, so I installed them. > > Now the problems: It always boots finr, but within 5-15 minutes of > working it hangs. There is no recovery other than the power button; > everything is frozen, that is, I can still move the mouse around, but I > can't click on anything. > > I'm fiddling with settings, so just about everything involves a slight > disk activity. But maybe not everything - recently I minimized a window > to the tray, and then changed my mind and clicked to restore it, but > the desktop was frozen again. I don't know if minimizing a window > involves a disk activity, but this might be an example where it froze > without involving the disk. > > Of course, haviung just flashed the BIOS, disk activity is at the top > of my suspect list. But there is a pretty endless list of other > possibilities. > > I could use some suggestions for things to poke at. Any ideas? > Hello, My first thoughts are that there are a lot of variables here, so I would try to narrow them down one-by-one. Namely, - The BIOS - The new SSD - The operating system - The CPU/heat issues As suggested by another poster, the first thing I would try is a different OS. Either a version downgrade, or a different distro entirely. If it still hangs, then I would try putting the SSD into a known-working system to rule out any problems with the SSD itself. Many modern systems can boot an OS from a USB connection, so you may be able to boot from it by simply putting it in a USB caddy and plugging it in. Some fiddling in the BIOS boot-order may be necessary though. Failing that, reflashing the BIOS with the latest official Lenovo version is what I'd try. One other thing to consider is thermal issues. The T61 series is quite old, so I'm wondering if maybe the thermal paste on the CPU has dried up. There should be some utilities that can monitor the various thermal zones of the laptop via ACPI. If it looks like the temperature is high, it's possible the hangs may be due to the laptop overheating. Cleaning off and re-applying fresh thermal paste may fix this issue. One final thing, I'm not sure about the T61, but the T60 used thermal *pads* on the GPU and chipset, not thermal *paste*. Thermal *paste* was only used on the CPU. It might not be a bad idea to purchase new thermal pads (of the correct thickness, since they can be trimmed with scissors if they're too large in length or width) in advance if you're already going to be disassembling it to apply new thermal paste. If you decide to do this, the HMM (Hardware Maintenance Manual) is quite detailed and should provide enough instructions and figures to guide you through disassembling everything piece-by-piece. https://thinkpads.com/support/hmm/thinkpad-hmm.html https://thinkpads.com/support/hmm/hmm_pdf/42x3546_04.pdf I'd also make sure to blow out any dust that's accumulated in the fan and heatsink too. Please report back any success or failure! -- Bryan ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
Can you find some error messages from previous boot by sudo journalctl? If not - try older distro - say 16.04 - if that is stable - perhaps it is not related to your BIOS work. if that helps - would 18.4 run without crashes? It kind of feels like graphics driver issue rather than SATA - it would probably crash during boot. Try disabling GUI all effects, later HW acceleration. Can you re-flash Thinkpad BIOS to see if that resolves it? Just some ideas, Tomas On Mon, 2020-06-22 at 16:42 -0700, John Jason Jordan wrote: > On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 16:14:44 -0700 > Tomas Kuchta dijo: > > > 32b/64b should matter when you are using existing windows installation. > > When you are booting the media it is all matching the booted OS or BIOS > > update application. > > I'm having problems, but I'm not sure if the BIOS is the culprit. > > To back up and clarify where I am: I had three ISO files in the > download, and two of them seemed to be (from the scant instructions) > for updating to the Middleton BIOS from within Windows, so I ignored > them and burned the third one to a DVD. I used the DVD to update the > BIOS, which finished without error. I had no working hard drive to test > with, so I used an Xubuntu 20.04 live USB drive, which booted and > performed well for the 5-10 minutes that I poked around in it. > > Amazingly, although I ordered the 1TB WD Blue SSD on Saturday, it > arrived a few hours ago. I didn't have the adapter for it yet, but I > discovered that the T61 has a caddy to hold the drive, so the adapter > was unnecessary. I inastalled the drive and booted to the 20.04 USB > drive, then used Gparted to create an 80GB partition for / and the > remainder for ~/, and completed the installation. When it finished > there were a few updates, so I installed them. > > Now the problems: It always boots finr, but within 5-15 minutes of > working it hangs. There is no recovery other than the power button; > everything is frozen, that is, I can still move the mouse around, but I > can't click on anything. > > I'm fiddling with settings, so just about everything involves a slight > disk activity. But maybe not everything - recently I minimized a window > to the tray, and then changed my mind and clicked to restore it, but > the desktop was frozen again. I don't know if minimizing a window > involves a disk activity, but this might be an example where it froze > without involving the disk. > > Of course, haviung just flashed the BIOS, disk activity is at the top > of my suspect list. But there is a pretty endless list of other > possibilities. > > I could use some suggestions for things to poke at. Any ideas? > ___ > PLUG mailing list > PLUG@pdxlinux.org > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 16:14:44 -0700 Tomas Kuchta dijo: >32b/64b should matter when you are using existing windows installation. >When you are booting the media it is all matching the booted OS or BIOS >update application. I'm having problems, but I'm not sure if the BIOS is the culprit. To back up and clarify where I am: I had three ISO files in the download, and two of them seemed to be (from the scant instructions) for updating to the Middleton BIOS from within Windows, so I ignored them and burned the third one to a DVD. I used the DVD to update the BIOS, which finished without error. I had no working hard drive to test with, so I used an Xubuntu 20.04 live USB drive, which booted and performed well for the 5-10 minutes that I poked around in it. Amazingly, although I ordered the 1TB WD Blue SSD on Saturday, it arrived a few hours ago. I didn't have the adapter for it yet, but I discovered that the T61 has a caddy to hold the drive, so the adapter was unnecessary. I inastalled the drive and booted to the 20.04 USB drive, then used Gparted to create an 80GB partition for / and the remainder for ~/, and completed the installation. When it finished there were a few updates, so I installed them. Now the problems: It always boots finr, but within 5-15 minutes of working it hangs. There is no recovery other than the power button; everything is frozen, that is, I can still move the mouse around, but I can't click on anything. I'm fiddling with settings, so just about everything involves a slight disk activity. But maybe not everything - recently I minimized a window to the tray, and then changed my mind and clicked to restore it, but the desktop was frozen again. I don't know if minimizing a window involves a disk activity, but this might be an example where it froze without involving the disk. Of course, haviung just flashed the BIOS, disk activity is at the top of my suspect list. But there is a pretty endless list of other possibilities. I could use some suggestions for things to poke at. Any ideas? ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
I guess, after thinking more about this, hot to explain this. 32b/64b should matter when you are using existing windows installation. When you are booting the media it is all matching the booted OS or BIOS update application. On Sun, Jun 21, 2020, 15:05 John Jason Jordan wrote: > On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 12:06:16 -0700 > John Jason Jordan dijo: > > >I have several .iso files, and I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to > >use. The web page where I downloaded it had a button that said it was > >to downloiad the 2.29-1.08, which is for a t61. But my iso files are > >7luj27uc.iso, #1.iso, and #2.iso, plus several more in folders labeled > >'32-bit.' None are labeled 2.29-1.08. > > I finally decided that the 7luj27uc.iso was the one I should use. I > made that decision based on the fact that it was the only one that was > never mentioned in any of the instructions. If it was the one to use > for a 64-bit OS why didn't they label it > 'this_is_the_64-bit_middleton_bios_ > that_you've_been_looking_all_over_hell_for.iso? I mean, 7luj27uc? > Honestly. > > It seems to be working. That is, I have no working disk to check it > with, but a live Xubuntu 20.04 flash drive booted OK. We'll see after my > new SSD shows up. > ___ > PLUG mailing list > PLUG@pdxlinux.org > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 12:06:16 -0700 John Jason Jordan dijo: >I have several .iso files, and I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to >use. The web page where I downloaded it had a button that said it was >to downloiad the 2.29-1.08, which is for a t61. But my iso files are >7luj27uc.iso, #1.iso, and #2.iso, plus several more in folders labeled >'32-bit.' None are labeled 2.29-1.08. I finally decided that the 7luj27uc.iso was the one I should use. I made that decision based on the fact that it was the only one that was never mentioned in any of the instructions. If it was the one to use for a 64-bit OS why didn't they label it 'this_is_the_64-bit_middleton_bios_ that_you've_been_looking_all_over_hell_for.iso? I mean, 7luj27uc? Honestly. It seems to be working. That is, I have no working disk to check it with, but a live Xubuntu 20.04 flash drive booted OK. We'll see after my new SSD shows up. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, Jun 21, 2020, 12:06 John Jason Jordan wrote: > On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 11:47:57 -0700 > Tomas Kuchta dijo: > > >I assume that you have .iso on your hands. > > > >If that is the case: > >Please re-read the email chain - it contains clear direction about > >eltorito use. > > I have several .iso files, and I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to > use. The web page where I downloaded it had a button that said it was > to downloiad the 2.29-1.08, which is for a t61. But my iso files are > 7luj27uc.iso, #1.iso, and #2.iso, plus several more in folders labeled > '32-bit.' None are labeled 2.29-1.08. > > I don't know what an e-mail chain is. There is a readme.txt file, but > it just gives instructions for updating the BIOS from within Windows. > . > Email chain is this conversation. Just re-read it and use the eltorito application to put the iso on USB stick. The boot from it and. Flash the bios. As about which iso to put on the USB stick. Only you know what you have. You should be able to decide 32b/64b based on CPU in your laptop. You ashould be able to see it when you boot to your actual bios. Figure out 32/64b and just try it. -T > I remember reading somewhere that if you wanted 64-bit you'd have to do > it from a bootable CD. I assume that thatr's because the Windows that > this computer came with was 32-bit only. > > I know how to make a bootable optiucal disk or flash drive, but I dont > know what to put on it, or what to do with it when I boot to it. > > I'll go back to the download page and see if I can find something to > make this clearer. > ___ > PLUG mailing list > PLUG@pdxlinux.org > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 11:47:57 -0700 Tomas Kuchta dijo: >I assume that you have .iso on your hands. > >If that is the case: >Please re-read the email chain - it contains clear direction about >eltorito use. I have several .iso files, and I'm not sure which one I'm supposed to use. The web page where I downloaded it had a button that said it was to downloiad the 2.29-1.08, which is for a t61. But my iso files are 7luj27uc.iso, #1.iso, and #2.iso, plus several more in folders labeled '32-bit.' None are labeled 2.29-1.08. I don't know what an e-mail chain is. There is a readme.txt file, but it just gives instructions for updating the BIOS from within Windows. I remember reading somewhere that if you wanted 64-bit you'd have to do it from a bootable CD. I assume that thatr's because the Windows that this computer came with was 32-bit only. I know how to make a bootable optiucal disk or flash drive, but I dont know what to put on it, or what to do with it when I boot to it. I'll go back to the download page and see if I can find something to make this clearer. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
John, I assume that you have .iso on your hands. If that is the case: Please re-read the email chain - it contains clear direction about eltorito use. If you do not have .iso file, then you should share what you actually have. -T On Sun, Jun 21, 2020, 10:22 Rich Shepard wrote: > On Sun, 21 Jun 2020, John Jason Jordan wrote: > > > I uncompressed the tar file, but now I need to figure out how to put it > > on a bootable USB stick or DVD. > > man dd? > > Rich > ___ > PLUG mailing list > PLUG@pdxlinux.org > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020, John Jason Jordan wrote: I uncompressed the tar file, but now I need to figure out how to put it on a bootable USB stick or DVD. man dd? Rich ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 10:03:24 -0700 John Jason Jordan dijo: >>The Middleton BIOS comes with a somewhat strong disclaimer: > >I'm willing to take the risk. I just need to find a decent place to >download it. I finally got it downloaded, and without having to install their app, although I did have to give them my e-mail address. And I've already received two advertising e-mails from them. I uncompressed the tar file, but now I need to figure out how to put it on a bootable USB stick or DVD. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 14:23:28 +0900 Bryan Linton dijo: >One thing I forgot to mention, you may want to consider installing >a third-party modified BIOS. Indeed if SATA II is your goal, the >pages on ThinkWiki seem to imply that the official BIOS won't >enable SATA II speeds. > >https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Middleton%27s_BIOS > > "SATA II Mod: While the X61/T61/R61/X300 possess a SATA > II-interface (up to 3.0 GBit/s) they were limited to SATA > I (up to 1.5 GBit/s) in the BIOS to maintain compatibility > with older drives. Normal hard drives will rarely max out > SATA I speeds, but nowadays, SSDs can handle the full 3.0 > GBit/s (and more)." > >And indeed, on Lenovo's forums, I found this page: > >https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T61-and-prior-T-series-plus-Other-Legacy-ThinkPads/T61-Support-SATA-II/m-p/64464?page=6#97928 > > "For Santa Rosa-based systems, the Intel ICH8 supports a > SATA bus speed of up to 3.0 Gb/s. Lenovo made a design > decision to prioritize maintaining compatibility with > Ultrabay disk drives, which are connected via a > SATA-to-PATA conversion chip which could not handle a 3.0 > Gb/s SATA bus speed reliably. Therefore the system was > standardized to 1.5 Gb/s." > >So it would seem that if SATA II is your goal, the only option is >to use a third-party BIOS. Obviously, they aren't officially >supported by Lenovo and would void your warranty, though >considering the age of the T61 series, I'm sure any warranties on >them expired about a decade ago. Indeed, the only reason I want to flash the BIOS is to get 3.0GB/s with the new SSD that I have on order. And that means the Middleton BIOS. It is not supported by Lenovo, but I haven't read any disaster stories about it. Lots of posts say that if it fails you would have to replace the motherboard to recover. That doesn't make sense to me - why not just re-flash the BIOS with the latest official BIOS? Anyway, if I brick my T61 I'll just turn the new drive into a USB drive for backups. Thanks for including the link above, as I had been looking for a place to download the Middleton BIOS. Unfortunately, the site requires me to give them my e-mail, and then install their app (Java?) on my computer before I can download it. That's ridiculous. I'll have to find it someplace else, or just forget about it. >From reading the above, you may sacrifice compatibility with >using a hard disk in the Ultrabay were you to install the >third-party BIOS. I'm not sure if this would affect the CD-ROM >drive which is what is installed in the Ultrabay by default >though. I'll never use the Ultrabay for anything besides the DVD drive that came with the computer. Back in the day when this was my main computer I used the DVD drive constantly, but nowadays it's doubtful that I'll use it at all. >The Middleton BIOS comes with a somewhat strong disclaimer: I'm willing to take the risk. I just need to find a decent place to download it. ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On 2020-06-20 21:19:11, John Jason Jordan wrote: > On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:25:57 +0900 > Bryan Linton dijo: > > >On 2020-06-20 11:35:44, John Jason Jordan wrote: > >> I have placed the order for the replacement SSD drive, but some time > >> before it gets here I want to update the BIOS. My motivation is that > >> the T61 came with SATA at 1.5GB/s, and by updating to the 'Middleton' > >> BIOS I can get 3.0GB/s. However, I am pretty lost when it comes to > >> flashing a BIOS - I've only ever done it once, a long time ago. > >> Lenovo's website doesn't seem to list mt computer, but I'm probably > >> looking in the wrong place. The forums provide links for the new > >> BIOS, and all of them are dead. > >> > >> Here are the details from the bottom of the case: > >> > >>Type 6460-7EU > >>S/N L3-C3254 07/09 > >> > >> (I think the 07/09 means September, 2007.) > >> > >> If anyone has ever flashed the BIOS on a T61 I could use some advice. > >> > > > >Hello John, > > > >Updating the BIOS on a T61 should be fairly straightforward. > > > >I've updated the BIOS on a T60, X61t, T440p, and T460 and they're > >all pretty much the same. > > > >I found these two links from Lenovo's website titled, "BIOS Update > >Utility - ThinkPad R61 14.1inch widescreen with IEEE 1394, > >ThinkPad T61, T61p" > > > >Windows EXE: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/jp/en/downloads/DS013832 > >Bootable CD: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/jp/en/downloads/migr-67989 > > > >The text at the bottom lists a large number of supported models of > >the R61, which includes "7Ex" which I'm assuming matches the "7EU" > >of your model. > > > >For the T-series, it only lists "T61, T61p", which I'm assuming > >means it supports all models of the T61. IIRC, there was a 14.1" > >and 15" model of the T60 and/or T61, and they needed separate > >BIOSes. Perhaps my memory is mistaken, or perhaps Lenovo found a > >way to unify the BIOS updates somehow. > > > >The easiest way to update the BIOS would be to download the > >bootable CD, burn it, and boot from it, following the prompts. > > Thanks a million for your advice and suggestions. > Happy to help! > It's getting late, so I'll deal with this in more detail tomorrow. But > I should mention that mine is a 15.6" model. I think I'd like to use > the CD version. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow using your > suggestions. > I did some more research, and it appears that the T60 has two separate BIOSes for the widescreen and non-widescreen versions, but the T61 appears to be compatible with both. https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/BIOS_Upgrade_Downloads#T_Series > >Please let me know if you have any other questions! > > I will probably have some. Buthopefully in the morning I'll be able to > think better. :) > One thing I forgot to mention, you may want to consider installing a third-party modified BIOS. Indeed if SATA II is your goal, the pages on ThinkWiki seem to imply that the official BIOS won't enable SATA II speeds. https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Middleton%27s_BIOS "SATA II Mod: While the X61/T61/R61/X300 possess a SATA II-interface (up to 3.0 GBit/s) they were limited to SATA I (up to 1.5 GBit/s) in the BIOS to maintain compatibility with older drives. Normal hard drives will rarely max out SATA I speeds, but nowadays, SSDs can handle the full 3.0 GBit/s (and more)." And indeed, on Lenovo's forums, I found this page: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-T61-and-prior-T-series-plus-Other-Legacy-ThinkPads/T61-Support-SATA-II/m-p/64464?page=6#97928 "For Santa Rosa-based systems, the Intel ICH8 supports a SATA bus speed of up to 3.0 Gb/s. Lenovo made a design decision to prioritize maintaining compatibility with Ultrabay disk drives, which are connected via a SATA-to-PATA conversion chip which could not handle a 3.0 Gb/s SATA bus speed reliably. Therefore the system was standardized to 1.5 Gb/s." So it would seem that if SATA II is your goal, the only option is to use a third-party BIOS. Obviously, they aren't officially supported by Lenovo and would void your warranty, though considering the age of the T61 series, I'm sure any warranties on them expired about a decade ago. >From reading the above, you may sacrifice compatibility with using a hard disk in the Ultrabay were you to install the third-party BIOS. I'm not sure if this would affect the CD-ROM drive which is what is installed in the Ultrabay by default though. https://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Ultrabay The Middleton BIOS comes with a somewhat strong disclaimer: "DISCLAIMER: Use these modified bios at your own risk! These modified bios have been beta tested to confirm they do not brick the system after flash. However data integrity tests take time and it's up to the user to confirm there is no data loss due to the increased SATA-II interface speed. You will be solely responsible
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On Sun, 21 Jun 2020 09:25:57 +0900 Bryan Linton dijo: >On 2020-06-20 11:35:44, John Jason Jordan wrote: >> I have placed the order for the replacement SSD drive, but some time >> before it gets here I want to update the BIOS. My motivation is that >> the T61 came with SATA at 1.5GB/s, and by updating to the 'Middleton' >> BIOS I can get 3.0GB/s. However, I am pretty lost when it comes to >> flashing a BIOS - I've only ever done it once, a long time ago. >> Lenovo's website doesn't seem to list mt computer, but I'm probably >> looking in the wrong place. The forums provide links for the new >> BIOS, and all of them are dead. >> >> Here are the details from the bottom of the case: >> >> Type 6460-7EU >> S/N L3-C3254 07/09 >> >> (I think the 07/09 means September, 2007.) >> >> If anyone has ever flashed the BIOS on a T61 I could use some advice. >> > >Hello John, > >Updating the BIOS on a T61 should be fairly straightforward. > >I've updated the BIOS on a T60, X61t, T440p, and T460 and they're >all pretty much the same. > >I found these two links from Lenovo's website titled, "BIOS Update >Utility - ThinkPad R61 14.1inch widescreen with IEEE 1394, >ThinkPad T61, T61p" > >Windows EXE: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/jp/en/downloads/DS013832 >Bootable CD: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/jp/en/downloads/migr-67989 > >The text at the bottom lists a large number of supported models of >the R61, which includes "7Ex" which I'm assuming matches the "7EU" >of your model. > >For the T-series, it only lists "T61, T61p", which I'm assuming >means it supports all models of the T61. IIRC, there was a 14.1" >and 15" model of the T60 and/or T61, and they needed separate >BIOSes. Perhaps my memory is mistaken, or perhaps Lenovo found a >way to unify the BIOS updates somehow. > >The easiest way to update the BIOS would be to download the >bootable CD, burn it, and boot from it, following the prompts. Thanks a million for your advice and suggestions. It's getting late, so I'll deal with this in more detail tomorrow. But I should mention that mine is a 15.6" model. I think I'd like to use the CD version. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow using your suggestions. >Please let me know if you have any other questions! I will probably have some. Buthopefully in the morning I'll be able to think better. :) ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
Re: [PLUG] Ancient Thinkpad T61 BIOS
On 2020-06-20 11:35:44, John Jason Jordan wrote: > I have placed the order for the replacement SSD drive, but some time > before it gets here I want to update the BIOS. My motivation is that > the T61 came with SATA at 1.5GB/s, and by updating to the 'Middleton' > BIOS I can get 3.0GB/s. However, I am pretty lost when it comes to > flashing a BIOS - I've only ever done it once, a long time ago. > Lenovo's website doesn't seem to list mt computer, but I'm probably > looking in the wrong place. The forums provide links for the new BIOS, > and all of them are dead. > > Here are the details from the bottom of the case: > > Type 6460-7EU > S/N L3-C3254 07/09 > > (I think the 07/09 means September, 2007.) > > If anyone has ever flashed the BIOS on a T61 I could use some advice. > Hello John, Updating the BIOS on a T61 should be fairly straightforward. I've updated the BIOS on a T60, X61t, T440p, and T460 and they're all pretty much the same. I found these two links from Lenovo's website titled, "BIOS Update Utility - ThinkPad R61 14.1inch widescreen with IEEE 1394, ThinkPad T61, T61p" Windows EXE: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/jp/en/downloads/DS013832 Bootable CD: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/jp/en/downloads/migr-67989 The text at the bottom lists a large number of supported models of the R61, which includes "7Ex" which I'm assuming matches the "7EU" of your model. For the T-series, it only lists "T61, T61p", which I'm assuming means it supports all models of the T61. IIRC, there was a 14.1" and 15" model of the T60 and/or T61, and they needed separate BIOSes. Perhaps my memory is mistaken, or perhaps Lenovo found a way to unify the BIOS updates somehow. The easiest way to update the BIOS would be to download the bootable CD, burn it, and boot from it, following the prompts. If you want to save a CD, you can use the "geteltorito" program to extract an image you can write to a USB stick and boot from that: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/geteltorito/ (Packages are likely available in other distros, the above is simply the first link that came up in a search). One thing to mention, when I first updated my T60's BIOS to a newer version, I began to get worried because it appeared to have gotten stuck in a reboot loop right after POSTing. However, after rebooting itself about 4-5 times in a row (one of them getting stuck on the POST screen for a lot longer than the others) the system came up fine and has worked flawlessly for years afterwards. So don't panic if your system reboots several times after updating. Other than that, just be sure to follow the advice in the readme.txt. E.g. Make sure the battery is fully charged and the system is connected to AC power. Updating a BIOS can be a bit intimidating the first time one does it because of the risk of bricking the system if something goes wrong, but so long as you follow the instructions and read the readme files beforehand, they're actually pretty straightforward. Please let me know if you have any other questions! -- Bryan ___ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
