Troubles in dual boot system after BIOS update

Hello:
PC: Thinkpad T500
1. I had for one year Linux Fedora 10 and Vista Ultimate working in dual boot with Grub, no problems at all.
Three days ago Lenovo support recommended I update my BIOS from 2.07 to 3.12, as I had some intermitent Sleep problems in Vista. Then my problems started.
2. First, after updating the BIOS from Vista (dowloaded the exe, double clicked it, gone through the whole sequence with no errors), upon the first restart, the screen was black and I couldn't get in BIOS with F1 and the same happened during other power-off/power on sequences.
3. Now, I've discovered that the best I can do is wait for 10 min after restart in order to get a prompt from ThinkVantage, then Grub boots only the Linux system which works OK.
4. I can't get the dual boot message from Grub, and I can't get any Windows DVD to be taken at boot (I've got full backups from both Control Panel and from ThinkAdvantage backup facility) in order to ru Windows repair.
5. I can go during the ThinkAdvantage to BIOS, the new version seems there (not sure if completely operational), but whey can't I see it with F1?
Is the presence of ThinkAdvantage something special in dual-boot systems or wrt to the BIOS install? Should I do something special about it? I just don't know.
Any ideas?

Strange. I don't have a clue, but I have seen posts here that recoverd from strangeness after a BIOS update by unplugging from the AC mains, removing the battery, and then pressing the power button several times. The last time, hold the button for 10 seconds or so.
That is really a total WAG, but maybe worth a try.
Out of curiousity, what do you see when grub finally loads. I take it that it isn't your original boot menu. Do you have grub installed in the MBR, the boot sector of the Linux partition, or both? Is the Linux partition (or Linux boot partition if you have boot + root) the 1st one on the drive, or _after_ the vista partition.
[edit] You didn't ask, but IMNSHO multibooting a modern laptop isn't really the easiest way to run multiple OSs. I run Linux, Solaris, and OS X in VMs under Win 7 on my T400. They run well, and that approach avoids issues like you are having. The Lenovo ThinkVantage boot-time stuff and R&R are rather fragile. Changes in partitioning and MBR configuration can break them. BIOS and other updates, and Windows repairs can break the multi-boot setup.
There are several ways to set up VMs, but VMWare Player is what I use. The latest version is free and quite usable.
Z.
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Downside will be Deletion of current files and documents and back up will be required.
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Hi paulabi,
Welcome to the HP Support Forums, I hope you enjoy your experience! To help you get the most out of the HP Forums I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide First Time Here? Learn How to Post and More.
I saw your post regarding the problems with the BIOS. I would start by doing a Hard Reset to see if a clean restart helps get you going. The only other thing that you can try is Restoring the BIOS to go back to the previous version. What program was prompting you to update the BIOS?
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Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue.
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