Thinkpads Forum

Hey all...
I know this type of question is covered n times, but still for piece of mind ...
I want to flash/update my bios ( current vrsion 1.14) and im using Mid..... bios.
Question: can i install winxp just basic install without any updates ect ect. open my usb stick with m/bios and execute WINUPTP.EXE as administrator.
why i want do that? i have broken battery which runs for a minute or so ... but i ned to put my T8300 in it .
in m/bios read me file nothing is mentioned about battery issue.
P.s anothr option:
i have arch linux maybe better to burn iso into cd/dvd and flash it trough this mode? ( im worried about this one ...i bricked one mb allready ) or first one is better ? or i cant flash bios with arch in my hdd and use dvd trough booting ? i found in lenovo update page one line which states: usb,sd card , hdd or anythinig should be in your computer ( well...somthing like this) .
Thanks.

It's better to flash any BIOS without using any OS. In the case of Middleton's BIOS, burn to CD, turn machine on and boot from CD. When machine reset enter BIOS, eject CD and you are done. Battery should be replaced before the flash...just in case.

After that worry about what you want to do with the OS and upgrade/change hardware as you want.

How about booting BIOS (or generally firmware) update CD images from a USB stick (for instance using tools such as YUMI or Sardu)? Should it work without problem, or is it too risky and one should get an external optical drive if the computer doesn't have one?

(A possible bad scenario could be a firmware update program loading fine from a CD image and proceeding to erase the EEPROM/flash, but then insisting to look for the new firmware file to flash only on an actual physical optical drive, and being unable to continue with none being there, thus leaving the mobo bricked as a result.)

denkpfad wrote:(A possible bad scenario could be a firmware update program loading fine from a CD image and proceeding to erase the EEPROM/flash, but then insisting to look for the new firmware file to flash only on an actual physical optical drive, and being unable to continue with none being there, thus leaving the mobo bricked as a result.)

There's a certain level of trust one gives to firmware update programs. In principle, someone could be so dumb as to write the program in the way you described, but someone can also be so dumb/malicious as to write a program that erases your flash and then does nothing at all, which will of course brick your board.

In any case to implement it in the way you described that only looks for the image on an actual physical optical drive is 100 times harder than implementing it properly, so I wouldn't worry about that particular aspect.

I had a problem when I flashed a bios with a W700ds where it bricked the HDD via Windows...

Do the CD if you could.

safest way then .
undrstood.
thanks !