Thinkpads Forum

I've seen so many sad stories described in newsgroups and msg. boards, on their PCs being wiped out by attempting a flash BIOS update. And these are people using the CORRECT update file.

I have just acquired a refurbished T21, and am presently downloading the drivers from the IBM site. (Which downloading IBM causes EVERYTHING on my computer to slow down drastically. Therefore, I did not first search your board to see if this issue has already been discussed.)

Is IBM's BIOS update safe, does anyone know? TIA.

Yes it is.

Yes, flashing the BIOS is risky and dangerous. I once had an HP OmniBook 800CT that is no more because the disk I used for the BIOS had a bad sector. I decided that trying to recover or repair the machine would either cost too much and or take too much work, so I parted the machine out.

Yea I ALWAYS run thorough chkdsk on the floppy if I'm using it for that.

Not really risky but there are risks. Here's some of them in no particular order:

1> you download the wrong file
2> you don't read and follow or you misread and mis-follow the instructons.
3> the computer already has a hardware issue. In other words, if the computer is acting weird, you need to find out why first.
4> the cat decides to leap onto the power switch while you're flashing
5> it's Gods will that you should get a new mainboard

Numbers? I've flashed hundreds of BIOS's sucessfully, wound up flashing back to old 4 or 5 times and disaster has struck once (though I fixed it by hot-swapping the BIOS into another mainboard and re-flashing.) But I don't think your BIOS chip is in a socket.

Is there a specific reason you think the flash is needed or a documented issue or errata you need to fix?

If the answer is no, why risk it?

BTW for compatibility with Windows XP would be one reason to flash the BIOS on a T21. Verify it's not already been done first though.

Luckily, for me, the OmniBook incident has been the onl;y BIOS out of the many that I have flashed that failed.

I have had trouble with clones, but never with IBM boxes going back as far as I can remember. I give the correct model and type to the support site and it feeds me the correct BIOS which always installs safely. I have had to back level because of problems with a new version, but that is different. I follow the instructions and don't see it as a risky operation.
... JD Hurst

Thanks for everyone's thoughtful input. Both sides made a good case. As a result, I've decided NOT to flash my BIOS, unless I really have a need to, and unless I download directly from IBM's site.

slagmi wrote:BTW for compatibility with Windows XP would be one reason to flash the BIOS on a T21. Verify it's not already been done first though.

How on earth can I find out if my BIOS has been flashed? Would it show up in the BIOS setup...maybe a more recent date for the BIOS version? My T21 give the date 2001-01-19.

Or mayber the version #? Which is "1.04a (KZET22W)".

If there is some tool provided on the T21 CD, I'm out of luck. I purchased the CD online via eBay, and so far it has failed to arrive. Downloading drives, etc. from IBM's site leaves much to be desired, to put it mildly. So it'll be some considerable time before I track down all the files and drivers I need. And my client needs his laptop in a few days...he's been waiting over a week for me to finish setting it up. I told him it may take longer, and he can take the notebook now if he wants, and solve any remaining problems himself. If I'm to do all this right, I can't work under pressure...and sometimes when you get a refurbished system, it takes a lot of hard work to finallly have it running.

Yes- you've found it.

Download the readme for the BIOS and have a look at it for more info.

The most recent BIOS for your T21 is KZET34WW (1.16) dated 2003/4/9. I used the site that I posted in another thread in response to your queries. You can find the BIOS using the ThinkPad configuration utilities as well as in setup (that you already noted). ... JD Hurst

Never had a problem on my X20

I've probably done 100 flashes, both from the OS and from disk and never had a single problem. If you can do the flash from OS I'd stick to that.

About flushing BIOS. My approach is "If ain't broken don't fix it". Especially for something like the BIOS where if you mess up it can cause major damage to your system.

Also people having problems with fan speed after BIOS upgrade ad such.

So if ain't broken don't fix it

Me beginner at TP, but flashed my T22 to latest BIOS NP. Easy. Just make sure the floppy IS a good one and trust in the big guy upstairs as others have said. Just adding weight to the argument.

My upgrade gave me a big improvement in power control when on battery. Worth doing ? Yep...

Avoiding upgrades will also lead to problems.

[quote="daeojkim"]About flushing BIOS. My approach is "If ain't broken don't fix it". Especially for something like the BIOS where if you mess up it can cause major damage to your system.

Also people having problems with fan speed after BIOS upgrade ad such.
[/quote]


Wait...so a BIOS update can cause fan faults?
Have you had fan problems after BIOS upgrades?

I ask because (though obviously not everyone reads the 600 forum) recently I posted there about a fan on my 600E that never turns off after it is once it activates, no matter how cold the system is. It is always at the loudest, fastest speed possible--and I have indeed updated the BIOS a while back. I don't recall if the fan was malfunctioning before or not.

What might cause physical part malfunctions, such as with a fan, after updating the BIOS? Is not the hardware (fan) physically controlled by a temperature sensor? I could not alter the fan speed through software, so that's what I'd presume...

EDIT: Oh shoot, sorry, this got way off topic. I did not want to hijack your thread. People can reply in the 600E forum, in that fan thread, if they so desire. As a note to actually contribute to the thread:), I go by the same philosophy: unless it is a fix that I care about, it is not worth the risk of updating...though personally I've not had troubles before.

daeojkim wrote:About flushing BIOS. My approach is "If ain't broken don't fix it". Especially for something like the BIOS where if you mess up it can cause major damage to your system.

Also people having problems with fan speed after BIOS upgrade ad such.

So if ain't broken don't fix it

I 100% agree, works ok = DON'T fix