T61/X61 SATA II 1.5 Gb/s cap - willing to pay for a solution

Here's the detail and the assembler code fragment I modified on the HP BIOS to make the dualIDA mod. Should be very easy for someone whose worked with the Lenovo bios series. Full details of the dualIDA HP modded bios is in: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...0-6910-6710-6510-2710p-2510p.html#post6654683 .

 

Hey guys I tried searching this thread, but I couldn't find anything.

My windows 7 pro 64bit won't boot now. Is anyone else having this problem? If so, what did you do to resolve this?

I tried the repair windows with the disc, but that didn't work. I'm going to try again. Thanks!


** Fixed it with a restore, don't know why it didn't work the first time**

 

middleton, nando4 - thanks, I will look into it when I'll have some free time.

 

Turned out to be the AVG 2011 update....


Anyways, thanks guys for all your hard work. After I install my new processor this weekend, i will be throwing you a donation.

 

Hi,

I have an X61T sxga+ and no possibilty to flash my bios.

I followed these instructions: How to Upgrade the Thinkpad x61 BIOS - Ubuntu Forums

I took the files from the image provided by middleton.

When I enter the tool it says, that there is no need to update the bios.

Is it possible that the archive for the X61T is outdated?

Edit:

The best way would to provide an alternate USB Image that can be written via dd...

Edit:

Just that you know how I got it working...

I downgraded and then upgraded works like a charm thank you

 

could it be possible that this upgrade disables the internal microphone? Does anybody else have this Problem?

Its really anoying and I don't want to find it out the hard way...

 

Quick note: I noticed that I will now randomly lose my internet connection after installing this BIOS but ONLY in windows(7) My arch linux installation is fine and hasn't dropped the connection once. I just find this behavior odd as this has never happened before. I will keep an eye on it and report back if I figure anything out.

R61 7732-19U

 

does it work on a X61T SXGA+ ?

 

As far as I can confirm Yes.

 

[EDIT]

I've used the forum search and found no results, google show that this subject is already discussed since page 6 of this thread.
Sorry.

[/EDIT]

Hello All.

I've recently flashed a patched BIOS on my R61 - 7732NEG, didnt test the SATAII speed yet.

My doubt is about other subject related with SATAII on T/R/X 61 series after read this thread:

T61 Support SATA II ? - Lenovo Community

As far as i understand, after enabling the SATAII speeds, the use of an Ultrabay HDD Adapter will not be possible, or not reliable. I have bought a 40Y8725 adapter (have not tested it yet).

Can someone confirm me if the use of an SSD @SATAII and a Ultrabay HDD adapter with an SATAI HDD is possible?

Thanks,
Nuno Moreira.

 

Anyone with the hacked bios flashed on the T61p 15.4 inch have any feedback??

Thanks!
Carthik

 

t61p 15.4 wuxga, 8gb, 2.5ghz penryn. Been running it for many months. No crashes in windows 7 host machine, (virtual machines server 2k8, win7, ubuntu, vista) etc. Can't tell the speed difference as I have only tried a 7200rpm 16mb caches 320gb Hitachi, and hybrid 500gb seagate momentus.

 

i've read a few times, that some x61t sxga+ users has success with the bios mod.

I have also a x61t with the sxga+ display (Model 7763 CTO)

But my question is:

What Version of the modded bios should i use?
(Because of the SXGA+ Display)

*thx* a lot.

If it works i will donate a few dollars/Euros.^^

 

Ditto EthanHunt.

I have an X61 Tablet with SXGA+ screen. Do we need a separate BIOS for our tablets or should we use one of the existing ones? I'd be willing to donate money as well!

IBM Thinkpad X61 Tablet 7764-CTO

 

To all X61/X61s SXGA+ owners.

The patch for your machines is updated to version 2.21 (the latest official BIOS). The previous version of the patch was based on version 2.18.

EthanHunt
zackiv31

Lenovo doesn't provide a separate BIOS for X61 Tablet with SXGA+ display. There is only one version for all X61 Tablet machines.
So I think you should flash X61 Tablet BIOS (version 1.24-1.02).

 

@middleton

Thanks for the updated package (which now includes the iso!). I didn't want to have to install XP 32bit, but I was going to if I had to.

I read in another post you're not accepting donations, or else I would... let me know if you do. I'll be trying this BIOS when my new SSD arrives (hopefully this week).

 

So, i've updated my Bios Via USB Flash Drive.
So, here are the Results:
Thinkpad X61t SXGA+ Intel L7700 (7763 CTO) with Corsair Force F120 SSD Series:



The Perfomance is grown up extremely.

Thats GREAT, *thx*

 

Left=IDE mode+SATA-I (~130MB/s cap), right=AHCI mode+SATA-II(~260MB/s cap). The 4kb-64thrd number has increased substantially due to AHCI mode.

 

The updated package (version 2.21-1.03) you're talking about is for X61/X61s SXGA+ ONLY. This BIOS is not intended for X61 Tablet.

You wrote: "I have an X61 Tablet with SXGA+ screen (IBM Thinkpad X61 Tablet 7764-CTO)".
If it's true, then you should flash X61 Tablet BIOS (version 1.24-1.02). Please check everything carefully once again because X61/X61s SXGA+ ISO BIOS update doesn't check machine type. If you flash this BIOS into your X61 Tablet, you'll get a bricked laptop.

 

Ya that's the Bios I was referring to. It didn't have the iso in it a couple days ago.

I will be installing the X61 Tablet BIOS, it's the same version as my current bios, 1.24 (although modified )

 

R61 8919-40U T7300 flash the revised 2.29-1.08 ver attached.
Functio is OK,but i flash lenovo original ver, the Fn and Ctrl swap
How to flash to lenovo original bios with Fn ctrl normal ?

Tks

 

You want to flash the original lenovo BIOS in which FN key is leftmost?

1) Download the original BIOS.
2) Unpack it but don't flash.
3) Download "flash.bat" from here.
4) Flash the original BIOS with "flash.bat".

 

hello all
i have a t61 15.4" w/s ,board no is 6457-ad1 ,it has card reader and fire wire along the front ... which middleton bios should i use, not worried about the the key switch feature.

thanks ian

 

OK,perfect! test it OK!

Tks!

 

Before reading note: After typing this long post...I was logged out. I was greatful when I could hit the back button and retrive the post and repost it. It seemed like a cookie timeout...I do not have time to check. It would have been really dissapointing.

Here is the real post:

Wow. I just read all 43 pages. (BTW the links to the patch...are on page 8)

middleton great. It was surprising to see that the thread was almost deleted. I am sure it would have been posted elsewhere. I feel you should have kept the donate links open longer...why not?

On to the questions:

First: I have a T61 7658. It is not on the list of T61's that are flashable. Since alot of posters did not post the version of laptop that they where testing I am in the dark. It seems to match the specs of the other units. Will it work?

Second: It seems like this bios patch does something to the ultrabay? Or not (IBM and some stuff about PATA and stuff? I have a 320gb blue Western Digital SATA drive in the bay right now...what effects am I looking at?

Third: People seemed to have problems with the built in wifi adapters but most of the issues seemed like they where fixed by software reconfigurations and such. Is any know wifi issue known?


Last (For Now): I am appending information that I copied from some of the posts inside this thread. Just to summarize and save time for middleton, and other users time trying to apply the patch and support the product:

)

-------------------------------------------------------

You can upgrade the processor in your T61 but usually a thermal sensor error posts on bootup, though it still works. It is because the cpu's have different types of thermal sensors. The bios fix middleton created will remove the error:

Theoretically the highest processor you can put in your T61 is the Core 2 Extreme X9000 (2.8GHz, 6MB Cache, 800Mhz FSB) but they will command a hefty price premium due to the fact it has unlocked multipliers and will run very hot. The next one will be the T9500 but I would recommend the T9300, the T9500 is only 100MHz faster than the T9300 yet the price premium for that mere 100MHz is exorbitant.

-------------------------------------------------------

Users are reporting errors during the boot cd/usb flash. Many users said to change this setting in order to get it to work right:

You may need to turn on "Flash Over LAN" in the BIOS before you can get it to flash. Access the BIOS then go to Config -> Network section -> Enable Flash on LAN.

--------------------------------------------------------

It is not clear wether the dos based patch was ever really fixed all the way. I think, if I remember correctly, that it was at one point. Still many people seemed to get along great by flashing in 32bit windows:

It seems DOS update utility flashes the main BIOS but doesn't flash Embedded Controller's firmware. Yesterday noco tried to flash it using directly phlash16.exe but without success.
So at the moment if you want to get CTRL-FN swap, then you have to flash BIOS under Windows 32-bit.

(Along with other posts with various reasons to flash in windows)

BUT one user flashed in Windows with a bunch of software applications running and things plugged in. You should not do this with any type of hardware flash. Boot your system, unplug usb devices, etc, flash, and be happy. You want as little as possible running usually when a bios flash is occuring.

----------------------------------------------------------

Users reported that they needed to upgrade/fix/delete/then install the Intel drivers, as always:

You can use the SATA drivers from Intel. They should be much newer than the one Lenovo gives you (they offer you the Intel Matrix Storage Drivers which is obsolete and has been superseded by the Rapid Storage Drivers - note). I use the Intel Rapid Storage drivers on my T61 and works very well.

------------------------------------------------------------

I did not get this at first. It actually changes the buttons heh:

The CTRL-FN swap is optional. There are two folders in archive:

1. The patched BIOS.
2. The patched BIOS + CTRL-FN swap.

You can choose the folder that suits you.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Another error with flashing in DOS. Seems like 32 bit win is the way...try a boot disk or, if not, install windows on a temp HD and use it.

I get an error code 'Error during flash. Error code = 99 (179 )' when I try and update the BIOS on this T61. It's model number is 8892-02U .. T7500, 128MB nvidia 140m ..

Any hints?

I'm using the 'BIOS update' from CD, the one *without* the Ctrl-Fn switch. Embedded controller on the BIOS display says 1.06 .. not sure if that helps?

Unfortunately I don't know what this error code means.
Try Windows flashing instead. If you have Windows 64-bit installed, then either create BartPE bootable CD and use it to flash the BIOS or install Windows 32-bit on another partition and flash the BIOS under it.

That did the trick.

I happened to have the hard drive still around that was in the machine when I got it, and that was helpfully installed with Windows 7 32-bit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone always talks about having to use the ULTRABAY CD drive to flash the bios. It seems like if you use an external USB CD drive it will not work..

-------------------------------------------------------------------

WebDawg@Efnet&@thegooglestuff.what.ever.spam....com


PS. Sorry I could not put the quotes in...I do not have much time.

 

So can someone point me to the bios..too many pages to go through

 

Ultimate R61/T61/X61/X300 BIOS (inc SATA-II). It's linked from the second post on the first page too.

 

Hello,

New x61t (tablet) user and new user to these forums. I'm thinking about updating my BIOS but refuse to believe using the Ultrabay CD drive is the only way. Is this really true? Will I have to buy a dock just to update my BIOS?

Thanks,
Varkey

 

? I just posted where the bios was right above your post.

 

Will the BIOS work on an Zepto 6625WD with also PM965 chipset and Intel 82801HBM (ICH8-ME) controller i'd like to have Sata2 on my very old laptop haha. Let me know / will be appreciated.

 

Hi,

First of all, many thanks for the hard work invested to provide us with a solution for the Lenovo speed restrictions regarding Sata II. I have a T61p. I bought a SSD and had also the speed restrictions solved by the BIOS update provided here.

It worked with the BIOS update for quite some days, after opening it and replacing the keyboard it wasn´t starting anymore, no LED flashing when connected to the power, etc. it is simply dead.

Could it also be that it is regarding the BIOS update? I would like to know if I should use it again when my mainboard is replaced. If the BIOS would have been killed, it should at least do sth., show some LEDs flashing, whatever.

What do you think?

Greetings,
Ryan

 

Hi,

Sorry for being a bit thick ;-)
I have a T61
BIOS upadte provided by lenovo is :
Lenovo Support - BIOS Update Utility - ThinkPad R61 14.1inch widescreen with IEEE 1394, ThinkPad T61, T61p
version is : 2.27-1.08

The version you made by middleton (many thanks !) has the the same number. Does it mean that Lenovo is distributing the brand new version ? Or do i have to use one provide by middleton as it is a patched version with the same version number ?

Thanks a lot !
Rémi.

 

It's always funny to read something like this: "My notebook is dead after disassembling/assembling. Could it be BIOS-related failure?".
I suppose the following: you either forgot to insert some cable in a connector or just killed your motherboard by static electricity.

Use the patched version if you want to get full SATA-II speed and other features.

 

Hi all. What do you think about Middleton's bios mods? I have an R61i. I changed my T5450 to a T8300. I have the thermal sensing error message. After the bios update (modded) this message will no longer displayed, but only the message will be disabled. So, who uses this bios, can you tell me, what are your experiences about the cooling system? Will it work properly? Will the CPU send the correct temperature data? I'd like to know this, before I mod my BIOS. Another question is, that will I able to roll back the update, if something goes wrong?
Thanks in advance!
Jani

 

R61i with CPU switched to T8100 - no single problem with cooling, temps, sensors etc.

 

I switched from a T7100 to a T9300 on my T61 and have no problems with the temperature readings and the cooling system using Middleton's BIOS.

In an unlikely event that you want to rollback to the Lenovo official BIOS' then you can, I did it before as a test to check the SATA cap limitation and upgraded again later with no problems using the CD-ROM flash method.

 

Thank you very much. You are very kind. The CoreTemp program get the correct data from CPU? So, what is the function of the thermal sensor in CPU? It sholdn't work, because in T8300 there is a digital one, and our motherboard can handle only the analog one.
Jani

 

Let me show why T61/R61 ThinkPads display "Thermal Sensing Error" message.
When you power on your machine, BIOS checks processor's CPUID. If Merom is detected, then notebook keeps on booting as usual. But if your CPU is Penryn, then BIOS reads motherboard's ID and in case you have version which officially doesn't support Penryns, "Thermal Sensing Error" message is displayed.

There is an opinion that all T61/R61 motherboards support Penryn CPUs and "Thermal Sensing Error" limitation was made by Lenovo to force users to buy newer machines. It shouldn't surprise you because we've already seen it in cases with SATA-II full speed and CTRL-FN BIOS switch. These options are officially available in newer ThinkPads only.

Here is an interesting link: IBM Lenovo T61 T61P CPU Upgrade Thermal Sensing Error. Pay special attention: I saved $25 for you .

 

Thanks a lot. Especially for the 25$ Today I will get my new battery, and intall your BIOS update. One of my friends have a T61. He changed his CPU to a T9300. He bought a pdf, that instruct him, which resistors he should remove from motherboard to solve the thermal sensing error. It workes properly, but not the easyest way. All my respect is yours for your work!

Jani

 

Just one more question (maybe a stupid one). With the Penryn or with the Merom CPU should I do the Bios update? Thanks.
Jani

 

BIOS update doesn't depend on your CPU model. You can do it the way you want.

 

hey middleton, does this bios work for a X61 tablet with windows xp tablet edition on it?

 

Why not? If something goes wrong you'll always be able to flash the original BIOS back.

 

dualIDA bios mod documentation available

Anyone interested in a dualIDA modded bios can consider perusing kizwan's documentation on how to to it here. dualIDA would mean would get an extra multiplier to overclock the CPU using Throttlestop software, eg:

L7500-1.6 -> 1.8
L7700-1.8 -> 2.0
T7300-2.0 -> 2.2
T8100-2.1 -> 2.3
T7500-2.2 -> 2.4
T8300-2.4 -> 2.6
T9300-2.5 -> 2.7
T9500-2.6 -> 2.8

 

Done. My R61i works perfectly with the Penryn T8300. Thanks a lot Middleton, god bless you.

 

OK, I'm having a similar problem and have not been able to resolve it.
My BIOS is old, from 2008.
Just installed (although that is a different issue) a Seagate Monumentus XT 500 hybrid drive.
It is not in the TP at the moment, but it is what prompted me to start updating this machine.

Model is 6459-CTO, T7500, 4GB, 100GB 7200RPM, NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M (no issues with it, quite happy actually), Windows 7 64bit.

Can not run any BIOS upgrade tool from Windows.
Create bootable CD, get the above error AND the comment that I can not update the BIOS with BitLocker Drive Encryption ... the thing is though, I don't have that. Yes, it is installed (I'm assuming as part of Windows somewhere along the line), but it is not running and never has been.

I do not have another SATA drive that I can use to install 32bit Windows.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

I'm wondering ... would the boot disc work to update the BIOS without the hdd plugged in?

 

So the answer was no.

Having said that, I found the answer to the question above this.

The issues was the security chip being turned on in the BIOS.
I disabled that and the upgrade went smoothly from there.
It took longer than I expected and made a loud beep when done which caused some concern, but otherwise, all went well.

Another question came to mind ...
Other than the version code and date, are there any other visable changes that the user would see?

 

I got a OCZ Vertez II 60gb SSD drive. I'm contemplating putting it in the T61p. It's a 14 inch non widescreen model. Will this BIOS flash work?

Thank you

 

I just wanted to point out that ISO branded as CTRL-Fn switch for R61 8918 does not actually switch Fn with Ctrl.
SLIC 2.1 is there and whitelist I am unable to verify.