New BIOS and Embedded Controller Program update

Message

G-Man · #1 Post by **G-Man** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 6:34 pm

Embedded Controller Program for ThinkPad R50/p, R51 (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), T40/p, T41/p, T42, T42p

(New) Support for Battery data logging and cell voltage check.

BIOS Update for ThinkPad R50/p, R51 (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), T40/p, T41/p, T42/p

(New) Support for ThinkPad R51 new models.
(New) Added new menus in IBM BIOS Setup Utility

Regards,
G-Man

Leon · #2 Post by **Leon** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 9:27 pm

What is battery data logging? Cell Voltage Check? Which Menus?

#3 Post by **jdhurst** » Tue Jul 13, 2004 10:17 pm

I have it running. It doesn't change the behaviour of the machine in any way that I can see. No harm in applying it, but no need either.

Porsche · #4 Post by **Porsche** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:11 pm

After installing the new bios and embedded controller, my T40p is having docking problems. For instance, my computer hangs (it will not do anything at all short of taking it out of the dock) when I tried to start it up from hiberation or from a cold boot when it is docked. The only I can get it to boot when docked is if I start it up from standby. Is someone else having a similar problem? Does anyone have a solution? Thanks.

G-Man · #5 Post by **G-Man** » Wed Jul 14, 2004 10:19 pm

Porsche,

Just roll back to the previous (working) BIOS and ECP.

Regards,
G-Man

#6 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 8:16 am

porsche: You might consider calling the IBM Help line, reporting this and asking for assistance. They need some way to be advised of problems. In the near term, G-Man's answer is, of course, correct. But presumably if IBM finds out their BIOS is causing issues, they might put out yet another revision. ... JDHurst

Conmee · #7 Post by **Conmee** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 9:14 am

Porsche,

If you are using the Dock II (not the mini-dock or port replicator) and the T40p, there is a bug in ALL BIOS/Embedded Controller combinations, versions 3.0x and higher, recently corrected in the latest BIOS/Embedded controller updates.

I noticed on my T40p/T41 that when I updated the BIOS/EBD controller to versions 3.0x or higher, that I would encounter ATAPI and Disk Controller errors in the System Event Log when I was docked and had a hard drive in the Ultrabay 2000 slot of the Dock II. So I rolled back to BIOS 2.11 and Embedded Controller 2.04. When I did this, the ATAPI and Disk Controller errors disappeared.

If you take a look at the Config|Networking section of the BIOS, you'll notice that in versions 3.0x and higher, there is an "Enable DMA Hard Disk Drive Access" option. I believe this functionality is what caused my Dock II problems with my T40p. Both my T41 and T42p also encountered the above errors and would list them in the System Event log. But after the latest update, my T42p uses the Dock II fine with no more errors. So I believe the DMA Access option they added to the BIOS was causing problems with the Dock II IDE controller, since the Dock II is only ATA/66 not ATA/100 like the Thinkpads. Even turning off that option in the BIOS didn't fix the errors.

So I'm not sure why the new BIOS doesn't work for your T40p. I don't have my T40p anymore so I can't test it out. But I do know that the T42p now works with the Dock II without problems.

I'd go back to BIOS 2.11 and Embedded Controller 2.04 The only useful functionality you'll be missing is the ability to boot into the latest IBM Rescue and Recovery with Rapid Restore preboot area, if you choose to use Rapid Restore Ultra (requires BIOS 3.0x or higher), and the ability to boot from a bootable USB memory key (very handy). Other than that, the 2.11 BIOS and 2.04 Embedded Controller work just fine.

Daniel.

Porsche · #8 Post by **Porsche** » Thu Jul 15, 2004 7:45 pm

For anyone who is docking a Thinkpad t40/41/42 to a Thinkpad mini-dock, I would like to know if your Docked Profile under "Hardward Profile" shows a Dock ID, Serial Number, and that the computer is docked. I could never get my T40p to recognize the mini-dock even though the dock works. I would appreciate the info so that I will know if I have a defective dock or a software problem.

Thanks.

qyetyme · #9 Post by **qyetyme** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:15 pm

I have a mini-dock and have yet to get my T40 to recognize it in the hardware profiles either. I would like to know the same thing.

IBM support is utterly useless

-eric

geobel · #10 Post by **geobel** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 2:08 pm

To my understanding mini-dock is nothing but transparent port replicator with 4 port usb hub. It cannot be recognized in the hardware profile.

Gosha

jamesmccain · #11 Post by **jamesmccain** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 4:49 pm

thanks for the info, I don't keep on top of ibm stuff, I'm glad they always have updates tho... never leaves us in the dust

New BIOS and Embedded Controller Program update

New BIOS and Embedded Controller Program update

Docking Problem

Re: Docking Problem

Who is online