Thinkpad 600 bios upgrade non-diskette?

Hello
trying to upgrade a friend's bios so he can install linux.
got a bit of a prob: no floppy drive.
it doesn't appear lenovo provide a non-diskette bios upgrade for the 600 (its not an E and its not an X).
i can see one of three options, in order of preference:
1. someone proves me wrong and points me in the direction of a 600 non-diskette bios upgrade download
2. someone tells me how i can create a 1.44mb diskette compatible directory in windows into which i can extract the floppy bios upgrade exe for the 600
3. we find a second-hand ibm 600 diskette drive in a skip somewhere (funnily enough i've got an old thinkpad floppy drive - god knows where i picked that up - but the connecter is about 3x too big)
please help
markling
there possibly another option - install another version of linux: we're sticking ubuntu on there because neither of us are techies and, well, ubuntu is supposed to be plain sailing isn't it? but perhaps someone can recomend another version of linux that will install on a 1999 bios on a thinkpad 600?

Welcome to the forum!
First, I was absolutely floored that IBM doesn't offer a non-diskette version of a BIOS update for base 600 model. So, no, I don't have a magic wand to show you that path.
My suggestion would be to try and find a FDD for 600 series, they're all the same, and should be dime a dozen on eBay.
However, even the "updated" BIOS dates from 2001, which would be my biggest concern when installing any reasonably new distro.
I hope that I get to be proven wrong by your experience, but I doubt that Ubuntu will work well on that machine. Puppy Linux or DSL would be my suggestions. The great thing about 600 series is that you can put a lot of (expensive) RAM in and somewhat offset the slow CPU...
Good luck and let us know.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

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Thinkpad 600, trackpoint malfunctioning

Hello,
my Thinkpad 600 never failed me
(except for having to replace the CMOS battery every 5 years, which seems to be normal for this model)
but now the Track Point is "stuck" somehow. I touch it once and then the mouse pointer arrow keeps running
to the left side of the screen.
The external USB Mouse works fine, but only when the Track Point is deactivated in Thinkpad configuration.
Before, I sometimes had the problem that the arrow kept moving after I had stopped touching the TrackPoint,
but it always "calmed down" after a second or so.
Does anybody has an idea how to fix this ? Or is it just broken?
Thank you
Nia
Update:
On the Lenovo troubleshooting pages I found the following explanation
"The TrackPoint does automatic compensations to adjust the pointer sensor. During this process, the pointer moves on the screen automatically for a short time. This self-acting pointer movement can occur when a slight, steady pressure is applied to the TrackPoint pointer while the computer is powered on or while the system is running, or when readjustment is required because the temperature has exceeded its normal temperature range.
This symptom does not indicate a hardware problem. No service actions are necessary if the pointer movement stops in a short period of time."
Well, I am a little confused by this. So the TrackPoint does some kind of self-calibration? And what do I do if the
movement doesn't stop? Maybe should I install a new TrackPoint driver version?
Please, can somebody help me a little...
Message Edited by nia600 on 06-26-2008 04:25 PM

Welcome to the forum!
Yes, TrackPoint is supposed to self-calibrate and move occasionally, but is also supposed to stop doing that after a few seconds.
Quite a few people have reported this issue with 600 series in the past, and there is no known cure (apart from using an external mouse) that I'm aware of. It' s supposedly a glitch that develops on the main board.
Try updating your BIOS and drivers from the "support and downloads" section of Lenovo's website.
Good luck.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

T42 BIOS Upgrade fails - laptop just restarts

I tried to upgrade the BIOS in a T42, without success (from 3.05 to 3.23).
The BIOS upgrade program asks four questions, then starts -- but the laptop does immediately reboot. No change is done to the BIOS.
What can be the cause, and what might be the remedy?

Welcome to the forum!
Two things to check:
a) Is the BIOS locked or you are able to make changes to the settings?
b) Is BIOS updating by users enabled?
Good luck.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

External USB keyboard does not work with T60 after BIOS upgrade

External USB keyboard does not work properly with T60 after 2.26-1.07 BIOS upgrade.
It does the same with or without the docking station.
Anyone else bumped into this problem yet?
Has someone found any fixes for this?
t

Hi and welcome the forum!
Try uninstalling all USB hub devices from the device manager and reinstalling them again, particularly the keyboard's.
v2.26 is supposed to fix the issue according to lenovo:- http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-63024
Hope it helps.
Maliha (I don't work for lenovo)
ThinkPads:- T400[Win 7], T60[Win 7], IBM 240[Win XP]
IdeaPad: U350
Apple:- Macbook Air [Snow Leopard]
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Help Please - X200 will not boot after Bios Upgrade - keeps asking for power on password

Hi there,
I am new to this forum and please let me say a big Thank You for your help in advance.
I am using a lenovo thinkpad x200 running windows vista with service pack 1.
The laptop has always been running fine and has never given me any issues. Unfortunately, all this came to an end yesterday when I ran the system assistant which did a round of updates and it prompted me to reflash my bios.
I did what was instructed and closed all open applications and after the laptop restarted, there was a noise from the harddisk (the sound was basically like what happens if the harddisk suddenly loses power). Then, all i got was a black screen, no harddisk acitvity with only the power cable LED and another LED (with the shape of a N tiled at 20 degrees) on.
I searched the forum and did what was suggested in this entry: http://forum.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/Blank-screen-after-Bios-Upgrade-on-X200/ta-p/29...
This is what I did so far"
I turned off the power, took out the backup battery and waited for about 30 minutes (repeated this step several times, also removing the harddisk) but to no avail.
I removed the RAM and tried booting and there was that characteristic beeping sound.
I replaced the RAM, redid the CMOS clearing, and now there is the Lenovo startup screen. However, there would be an error code 0271 (no date time) and 0251 (something about default configuration). Then, these disappear and all I am left with is the Bios Power On password prompt. Somehow no matter what I type nothing can be input into the field (and I did not create any password as far as I can remember).
I redid the clearing for the power on password by removing the backup battery as suggested at the bottom of this page http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=migr-59377 but it is no use. Each time I restart, even if I press the blue Think Vantage button or F1 or F11, I still get the same 0271 and 0251 error messages and am left with the power on password prompt.
I am really desperate as I really like my lenovo x200 and there is important data on the laptop. I would appreciate any suggestions on how I can solve this. Its amazing how a simple update can turn into such a disaster. Now i know i should never upgrade or update my Bios (or at least proceed with extreme caution).
Anyone can provide some help to get my laptop workin again?
Thank you very much,
Mark

try reflashing your bios?
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-70348
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

Can a BIOS upgrade allow NCQ to be enabled on K8N Neo 2P?

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Is it possible that a future BIOS upgrade would allow nForce 3 mb's to take advantage of NCQ?
I suspect the answer is no, but would just like to hear from someone who knows for sure.

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Bios Upgrade 3.2

I finally got the nerve and updated my default bios after noting that the video would bet better?
Well using a win 98 boot disk I did it with no problems as described in the" non FAT system install" instructions.
Curious I imediately ran mark 2001 se and improved my 3D points by 200!
Smooth Bios install, the best install procedure yet.
I was afraid of getting a no boot show but to my surprise SMOOTH.

stilup,
Glad to here about your gains in 3Dmark and smooth bios upgrade.

BIOS upgrade for S3000-X4 (V1.6)

I am having problems upgrading BIOS by Windows.
The graphics have to be upgraded at same time but which one do you do first?
I have tried upgrading the BIOS first but get an error message
"Phoenix Phlash Error
File Open failed on Platform.bin
Press any key to exit".
Any help would be appreciated.
Robert

Hi
If you would like to update the BIOS please ensure the following:
-Notebook is undocked.
-Notebook is connected to the mains.
-Notebook must be in boot mode and not resume mode.
-Remove any PC Cards.
Follow these steps to upgrading the BIOS:
1. Extract the zip file containing the BIOS upgrade to a temporary folder.
2. Insert a formatted 1.44MB diskette in the floppy disk drive.
3. Execute the extracted *.exe file in the temporary folder. Follow the instructions on the screen.
A BIOS update diskette will be generated
4. Ensure the Notebook is connected to the mains.
5. Turn the Notebook off.
6. Insert the floppy disk containing the BIOS upgrade into drive A: and turn the Notebook on.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions.
8. When the procedure is complete, remove the floppy disk and restart the Notebook.
After successful upgrading of BIOS you can update install the newest graphic driver.
Bye

BIOS upgrade? Or don't bother? Or Microcode ?

Hi all, I have a Thinkpad X220 with the original "stone age" (2011) BIOS. I don't have problems with the laptop, but I don't want to miss possible later optimalisations. (The only problem I have is the fan going wild from time to time, I'm looking into "thinkfan" solutions, so I consider that solved)
What do you guys advise regarding the BIOS? I am torn:
a) Upgrade it to the latest Lenovo bios
b) Leave it alone: "don't fix it if it ain't broken"
c) Microcode. Per the Arch Wiki: " .... . Intel releases microcode updates to correct processor behavior .....While the regular approach to getting this microcode update is via a BIOS upgrade, Intel realizes that this can be an administrative hassle. The Linux operating system and VMware ESX products have a mechanism to update the microcode after booting....."
[ d) coreboot. Unfortunately, flashing it is hard and it misses lot of functions.... This would have been the best solution, maybe later, when (if) the image is improved.... http://www.coreboot.org/Board:lenovo/x230 So I dismiss this solution for now ]
My idea is a): just upgrade to a newer BIOS. What would you advise me?

PieterGen wrote:
Hi all, I have a Thinkpad X220 with the original "stone age" (2011) BIOS. I don't have problems with the laptop, but I don't want to miss possible later optimalisations. (The only problem I have is the fan going wild from time to time, I'm looking into "thinkfan" solutions, so I consider that solved)
What do you guys advise regarding the BIOS? I am torn:
a) Upgrade it to the latest Lenovo bios
I recently upgraded the Intel bios on a Sandy Bridge board (an Intel board with sandy bridge i5, somewhat like yours). It bricked the board. Opinion in the Intel support forums was that the latest firmware would detect some sandy bridge boards as if they were Ivy Bridge and that _maybe_ my board would be able to boot if I upgraded the processor. It's cheaper to upgrade the board so I ended up tossing a perfectly good but unbootable motherboard into the trash. (and for the record, I am VERY happy with my new Gigabyte Z77 board -- GA-Z77X-UD3H). You have been warned.

MSI P7N SLI Platinum - no POST, how to use Floppy BIOS upgrade

Component Summary:
MOBO: MSI P7N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX, BIOS ver 1.1 (A7380NMS V1.1 022508)
MEM: CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W, S-spec: SLB9J (E0)
VGA: EVGA 512-P3-N878-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ SSC Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
PSU: Thermaltake Purepower W0129RU 600 W ATX12V SLI Ready
Same problem is occurring as outlined in the following threads:
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=119615.0
https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=120513.0
I've carried out the same out-of-box tests indicated in 119615.0 without success.
Question:
Is it possible to force the existing system to boot to the FDD where the BIOS upgrade (v 1.2) would be stored ready for use? If yes, kindly outline the necessary steps to be carried out and please point me to the correct BIOS upgrade link for this configuration. If all else fails, MOBO can be exchanged but if BIOS can be upgraded via this method, I prefer this approach. I don't have access to an alternative CPU, so that approach is far less than ideal. Thanks for your assistance.

Is it possible to force the existing system to boot to the FDD where the BIOS upgrade (v 1.2) would be stored ready for use?
Yes, in theory it is possible to try an AMI BIOS Recovery Flash. However, in case their are other problems that are not visible because of the current problem, it is rather risky. If there is a memory problem or something similar that is currently undetected, the system may crash during flashing and your board will be rendered useless.
Quote
f yes, kindly outline the necessary steps
What you need:
- you need an internal floppy drive (properly connected to the board and 100% intact)
- you need an empty & formated floppy disk (make sure you check it for errors before you use it)
- you need a PS/2 Keyboard
What you have to do:
- download the latest BIOS-Archive file from here:
http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=downloaddetail&type=bios&maincat_no=1&prod_no=1373
- extract the BIOS File (e.g. A7380NMS.120), rename it to AMIBOOT.ROM [not AMIBOOT.120.ROM] and copy it to the floppy disk
- insert the prepared floppy disk into the floppy drive attached to the P7N SLI Platinum and Clear CMOS with main A/C power cable removed from PSU
- start the system and hit CTRL + HOME to force the system into recovery mode
If that does not work, try a different floppy drive & disk. Don't complain is the system crashes during flashing if the recovery flash starts (system stability is your responsibility).
If you can't get the recovery routine to start and read the AMIBOOT.ROM file from the floppy disk, you need to install a supported processor.

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It worked just fine with 1.08, and nothing has changed in the OS that could break it.

The problem persists after downleveling the BIOS to 1.11. Older versions do not seem to be available for download.
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Not booting after BIOS upgrade in T500

I upgraded my T500 from BIOS 3.09 to 3.18 using the windows upgrade utility (6fuj42us.exe?). The upgrade went fine. I rebooted the machine and got the login windows screen (I have windows XP professional). However, the instructions of the BIOS upgrade called to enter into the BIOS and press the F9 key in order to set all the system defaults. After that the machine did not boot. It gives me the initial windows booting screen (windows flags) and then a blue screeen. I downgraded the BIOS to 3.15 using the bootable CD utility (6fuj39uc.iso?). The downgrade went fine. I can get into the BIOS but have exactly the same problem when loading windows. Unfortunately I could not find a similar bootable program for BIOS 3.09 only the windows executable program (6fuj34us.exe?). Is there any fix other than reinstalling windows? Thanks.

Hi malope,
please enter the Bios and check the HDD is switched to compatible mode instead of AHCI Mode.
Maybe than you can start Windows.
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TIP: If your computer runs satisfactorily now, it may not be necessary to update the system.
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I have a Satellite laptop 1900-303.
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But the text files in the upgrade include 1900-303.
Is there a different Satellite model to the Satellite 1900-303 called simply 1900-303 or is this the correct Bios, please help.

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Hi, everybody.
ProBook 4420s is not recognizing DVD media. Drive is HP CDDVDW TS-L633N.
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It's not an operating system issue, for it no longer boots from bootable DVDs either.
Audio CDs are propperly recognized.
Running Windows 7 x64 w/SP1 + latest updates.
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After installing Windows 7 I decided to upgrade BIOS and picked the proposed update for Windows 7 64bit (http://support.lenovo.com/uu/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/lenovo-g-series-laptops/g50-30-notebook-lenovo).
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Well, OS boots. But now I can draw violet lines on a viewport by pressing two mouse buttons simultaneously. WLAN breaks periodically, gets fixed by a reconnection. CPU consumption increases without any resorce-intensive task being launched. It iss understood that latter two issues might not be related to a BIOS upgrade. But they all appeared shortly after the upgrade.
Also it is not clear if I'm able to use USB 3.0?
The current BIOS version is A7CN47WW. Is it possible to rollback? Can you provide the original / any stable BIOS version (for Lenovo G50-30 Windows 7 x64) which is prior to the one available at the drivers download page? Thank you!

hi a_demenkov,
Just to check, have you considered reinstalling Win7 after you got the issues that you described after flashing the BIOs to v47?
If you're leaning towards downgrading to the BIOS to v45, try the following:
1. Boot into the BIOs and enable BIOS Back Flash.
- Sample image
2. The BIOS v45 download link is not listed but if you look at the the BIOS v47 file below, you should be able to get v45 by renaming:
BIOS v47
https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles/a7cn47ww_64.exe
to
BIOS v45
https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles/a7cn45ww_64.exe
If you're not able to flash the BIOS inside Windows then you may need to do it under DOS.
How to flash InsydeH2O EFI under DOS enviroment
Goodluck!

Thinkpad 600 bios upgrade non-diskette?

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