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MAJOR PROBLEM! Wont start after bios update!!! Plz help!
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 7:30 am
by raptor
I made a bios update to 1.09, and after finishing the update, i browsed a couple of pages on the net and then rebooted the pc.
I rebooted and after a sec after the thinkpad screen, i pressed F12 to boot from the CD to reinstall windows. The thinkpad bios screen got stuck and i couldnt go any further. So i removed battery and power and now i cannot start the notebook. Ive tried with and without battery. The icon leds wont even turn on when i plug in AC.
Funny thing is, when i plug in AC or battery, i feel the hdd spin and i can eject the CD tray. What should i do??
Regards
Raptor
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:39 am
by egibbs
You say you did the BIOS update, then browsed the net and then rebooted. That doesn't make a lot of sense - something is missing.
Generally when you do a BIOS update, the Windows part of the installer just sets the machine to boot from a virtual floppy, then tells you to restart. When you reboot, the BIOS flash program loads instead of Windows, you go through the screens warning you to have a full battery, be on AC Power, not to interrupt the process, etc. Then it flashes the BIOS, which usually takes a minute or two, and the machine automatically reboots into Windows.
Did you go through all of that, or did you just do the Windows part of the flash?
If you went through the actual flash process, rebooted into windows, and browsed the web then the BIOS update worked and is not your problem. The machine would never have gotten back into Windows if the flash went badly. The problem must be related to something that happened when you tried to boot from CD, not the BIOS update.
OTOH, if you just did the Windows part of the BIOS update, then rebooted and interrupted the machine while it was trying to load the flash program that's a different story. The machine is probably still set to boot from the virtual floppy, but you may have hosed the burn program so it can't load. I'm not sure how you set it back to boot from Windows - you could try running fixmbr if you can get it to boot to a CD or floppy, but it sounds like you can't even do that.
Generally no LEDs when you plug in AC is a very bad thing - a sign of a toasted Motherboard. It is probably time to call tech support and schedule an EZ-Serv.
Sorry I couldn't offer better news.
Ed Gibbs
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:41 am
by GomJabbar
I believe you toasted your motherboard - or more specifically the BIOS on it. You will probably need to get a new motherboard (system board). Hopefully you have a warranty that will cover it.
If I am not mistaken, when you tried to update the BIOS, the update does not actually occur until reboot. You interupted that process. It is important not to do this, as you discovered.
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:18 pm
by frankausmtank
egibbs wrote:Generally when you do a BIOS update, the Windows part of the installer just sets the machine to..
Sorry to be offtopic, but this is interesting. On my T60, it seems to me that the whole flash process is done from within windows.
iirc, it was just like:
Warning message -> "Writing Block xxx of 29" Status messages -> "Click here to reboot" message. Upon reboot, it's done.
So it may very well be that he surfed the net after flashing his bios (although I'd never recommend it).
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:49 pm
by GomJabbar
frankausmtank wrote:Sorry to be offtopic, but this is interesting. On my T60, it seems to me that the whole flash process is done from within windows.
Interestingly, I just happened to flash the BIOS on my wife's T42 today and the process was a little different. Note the following from the readme file for the T60 flash program, version 1.09.
ThinkPad BIOS Update Utility wrote:10. Specify a WINTPUP.EXE with the full path name where you extracted
the package.
(e.g. C:\DRIVERS\FLASH\1YUJ01US\WINYPUP.EXE) and then click OK.
Note:
For unattended update, specify the file name with options
"-s". (e.g. C:\DRIVERS\FLASH\79UJ10US\WINUPTP.EXE -s)
The BIOS is updated without any user interaction.
11. Follow the instructions on the screen.
12. Select 'Update ThinkPad BIOS' and follow the instructions on the
screen.
Attention:
Do not turn off or suspend the computer until the update has
been completed.
IF YOU TURN OFF OR SUSPEND THE COMPUTER WHILE THE
UPDATE IS STILL IN PROGRESS, THE SYSTEM BOARD MAY
HAVE TO BE REPLACED.
After the update has been completed, the program shows a message
'Flash Update has been successfully completed...'
Press 'Yes' to restart the system.
Do the following to make sure the BIOS is updated correctly.
13. Turn off the computer.
14. Turn on the computer.
15. While the "To interrupt normal startup, press the blue ThinkVantage
button" message is displayed at the lower-left area of the screen,
press the F1 key.
16. The BIOS Setup Utility menu will be displayed.
If a password prompt appears, type the correct password.
17. Verify the BIOS Version.
18. Turn off the computer.
Initializing BIOS
-----------------
BIOS Initialization is a suggested for some problems.
To initialize the BIOS setups:
1. Turn off the computer.
2. Turn on the computer.
3. While the "To interrupt normal startup, press the blue
ThinkVantage button" message is displayed at the lower-left area
of the screen, press the F1 key.
4. The BIOS Setup Utility menu will be displayed.
If you have set a supervisor password, the BIOS Setup
Utility menu appears after you enter the password.
5. Press the F9 key to load default configuration.
6. Select Yes.
7. Press the F10 key to save default configuration and exit.
8. Select Yes.
After the initialization has been completed, the system restarts
automatically.
Note:
After initialization you may need to re-apply some settings that you
had changed previously.
On the T42 BIOS update, the computer is turned off automatically at the end of the update. There is no display that the BIOS update has been applied successfully. So it appears the second half of my previous post does not apply to the T60 BIOS update.
I quoted the other information above for the OP's possible benefit.
Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:47 pm
by raptor
Ive done a bios update before without problems. This one went smooth within windows and after the flash it told me to reboot.
That is what i did, and actually while pressing F12.
Nothing said not to press F12 at bios prompt.
BTW, maybe it crashed before i pressed F12, but i will never find out. What does F12 do at bios prompt, choose boot device?
Regards
Raptor
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:06 pm
by raptor
IBM Singapore has replaced my motherboard under my warranty. The bios version is 1.07. I dont have the guts to install 1.09 because if it happens again, it would be embarrasing to return it to them.
Regards
Raptor
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 3:44 pm
by Kyocera
The T4x bios update IS different than the t60, so I guess if you have not actually done it you might want to think about what you are telling someone who actually has, as it is a different procedure entirely.
Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:22 pm
by GomJabbar
At least I can ADMIT my mistakes. And I did start my post with a qualifier - "If I am not mistaken........" Besides, the damage was already done before I stepped in.
If you have a better answer for the OP, then post it.