BIOS no longer available on diskette

Message

#1 Post by **jdhurst** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:16 pm

SI says there is new BIOS out for some T4x's. But there is no longer a diskette version. The Lenovo turkeys just fail to understand. They are a bunch of computer geeks and rational customers are foreign to their thinking. Every day goes by, and I rue this Lenovo purchase - for the single reason that "business customer" has permanently left their lexicon, and soon will be the day when a ThinkPad will be a shiny useless piece of consumer garbage. ... JD Hurst

#2 Post by **bill bolton** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:42 pm

jdhurst wrote:But there is no longer a diskette version.

Um, er, why is that a particular problem?

I think I'm the only consultant out of our whole business group who has a diskette drive now a days, and I've only kept that for the rare occasions I use the ThinkPad Hardware Maintenance Disk.

Cheers,

Bill

JHEM · #3 Post by **JHEM** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:00 pm

bill bolton wrote:I think I'm the only consultant out of our whole business group who has a diskette drive now a days, and I've only kept that for the rare occasions I use the ThinkPad Hardware Maintenance Disk.

Even that can be put on a bootable CD.

Regards,

James

#4 Post by **bill bolton** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:19 am

jdhurst wrote:SI says there is new BIOS out for some T4x's. But there is no longer a diskette version.

Well, a new BIOS (vers 1.24) for T43 18xx models was released on March 22, and it is available on diskette.

Also an updated Embedded Controller Program (vers 1.04) that requires BIOS vers 1.24 or later, which is also available on diskette!

Cheers,

Bill

#5 Post by **bill bolton** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 1:19 am

By the way, the new update mentioned above show an incorrect version number for the code to be installed on at least one screen during the installation process, but do in fact install the expected versions.

Cheers,

Bill

#6 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:45 am

bill bolton wrote:
jdhurst wrote:But there is no longer a diskette version.
Um, er, why is that a particular problem?

I think I'm the only consultant out of our whole business group who has a diskette drive now a days, and I've only kept that for the rare occasions I use the ThinkPad Hardware Maintenance Disk.

Cheers,

Bill

I keep a diskette drive available as well. If I am upgrading BIOS and/or Embedded Controller on multiple machines, then a diskette is easier and faster than the program method. I might try putting it on a CD, but I just prefer the diskette method. I just went back to the site to check and it continues to say "No available downloads"

... JD Hurst

#7 Post by **GomJabbar** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:44 am

Maybe I am missing something here, but I can see a potential problem. If they do not offer a bootable floppy or bootable CD BIOS upgrade option, but only offer the Windows BIOS upgrade option, then ThinkPad owners using non-Windows OS's will be out of luck.

[Note that I have not seen the BIOS upgrade offered in a CD bootable version, and neither have I not seen the floppy version not available.]

#8 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:49 am

The real point of my rant (my apologies if I bothered anyone) is that Lenovo is quickly moving to become the same as everyone else. It was the business angle, the tools available, the support as well as the quality and design that kept me in ThinkPads and my clients happy. ... JD Hurst

simms · #9 Post by **simms** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:15 am

I don't get it: is this what you're looking for?

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-50275

#10 Post by **bill bolton** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:16 am

jdhurst wrote:SI says there is new BIOS out for some T4x's.

What is "SI"?

Cheers,

Bill

#11 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:18 am

bill bolton wrote:
jdhurst wrote:SI says there is new BIOS out for some T4x's.
What is "SI"?
Bill

"Software Installer". My apologies. JD Hurst

rssb · #12 Post by **rssb** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:45 pm

The executable which they have for bios upgrade when run under SI unpacks the files in the exe to typically c:\IBMtools etc..

Or you are use winzip, winrar etc.. to extract the files from the executable.

Once extracted you should have a IMG file, 1RUJ34US.IMG for the latest T40 bios. This is a 1.44 bootable floppy image. Write this to a floppy and you should be good to go.

Coming to other operating systems, the flashign method used on thinkpads is still dos flashing only. The Bios update executable, has virutal floppy capabilites ( DOBOOT.exe, DOSBOOT.COM,DOSBOOT.VXD,DOSBOOT.SYS ) load the floppy image into the memory. Once windows is shutdown, it boots up from this virtual floppy loading the bios update program.

If they decide to make self contained exe's like DELL, then extracting floppy images by the above method may not be possible. But then again dell programs which run under windows run under dos also, there by allowing to be put on a floppy.

HTH

#13 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 4:44 pm

rssb wrote:<snip>
If they decide to make self contained exe's like DELL, then extracting floppy images by the above method may not be possible. But then again dell programs which run under windows run under dos also, there by allowing to be put on a floppy.

HTH

Thank you. I think you hit the nail on the head. Instead of trying to be like IBM (read Business), Lenovo is trying to be like DELL (and the worse for us). So far as I can see, I cannot extract the .IMG file from the .EXE download, and also so far as I can see, running the download (which upgraded the BIOS properly) did not leave a .IMG file anywhere.
... JD Hurst

rssb · #14 Post by **rssb** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 8:13 pm

yeah forgot to mention , the biosupdate deletes after it loads into the memory. You need to look in that directory when you are on one of the 4 confirmation screens. Or manually extract from the exe using winrar.

#15 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 8:25 pm

So why is the link simms provided not solving the issue

#16 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 8:36 pm

GomJabbar wrote:So why is the link simms provided not solving the issue

Because it says "No available downloads" which is why I started this thread.

I don't have WinRar (I use WinZip 10), so I will look into that. Thanks.
... JD Hurst

#17 Post by **bill bolton** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:14 pm

jdhurst wrote: Because it says "No available downloads"

How do you get Software Installer to look particularly for diskette based downloads?

Cheers,

Bill

#18 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:24 pm

For this particular BIOS, I don't believe there is a diskette version. I have looked manually, and with Software Installer. I downloaded WinRar (eval) and it did unpack the non-diskette .EXE file. So that is something. Maybe I will buy WinRar. ... JD Hurst

#19 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:38 pm

jdhurst wrote:Because it says "No available downloads" which is why I started this thread.

"I see" said the blind man............

DIGITALgimpus · #20 Post by **DIGITALgimpus** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:06 pm

I wouldn't be suprised if it eventually appears as a disk image.

From what I've seen over the years, different delivery methods of the same download don't always appear at the same time. I kinda doubt they are just dropping disks like that.

#21 Post by **bill bolton** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:31 pm

jdhurst wrote:For this particular BIOS.....

So, which particular BIOS is it?

Cheers,

Bill

#22 Post by **jdhurst** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:48 pm

bill bolton wrote:
jdhurst wrote:For this particular BIOS.....
So, which particular BIOS is it?

Cheers,

Bill

March 07, 2006
ThinkPad R50, R50p, R51 (M/T 1829, 1830, 1831 and 1836)
ThinkPad T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p
ThinkPad BIOS Update Utility

BIOS Version 1RETDOWW (3.20)
=====================

... JD Hurst

#23 Post by **bill bolton** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:57 pm

See below

#24 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:12 pm

bill bolton wrote:Well, I'm not sure where you were looking but a diskette version has been online for a couple of days! Look here....

Read the fine print. I made the same mistake. "No available downloads"

#25 Post by **bill bolton** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:50 am

GomJabbar wrote:Read the fine print. I made the same mistake. "No available downloads"

I have no idea what going on, but it is back online again today.... 1ruj34ud.exe

Cheers,

Bill

#26 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:19 am

bill bolton wrote:I have no idea what going on, but it is back online again today.... 1ruj34ud.exe

Cheers,

Bill

Lenovo giveth, Lenovo taketh away, Lenovo giveth, Lenovo ............

#27 Post by **jdhurst** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:32 am

Right now (and for the past hour), the links are there, but the files cannot be retrieved. The links for the non-diskette version continue to permit retrieval. ... JD Hurst

simms · #28 Post by **simms** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:44 am

jdhurst wrote:Right now (and for the past hour), the links are there, but the files cannot be retrieved. The links for the non-diskette version continue to permit retrieval. ... JD Hurst

I'm having the same problem.

snife · #29 Post by **snife** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:57 am

jdhurst wrote:SI says there is new BIOS out for some T4x's. But there is no longer a diskette version. The Lenovo turkeys just fail to understand. They are a bunch of computer geeks and rational customers are foreign to their thinking. Every day goes by, and I rue this Lenovo purchase - for the single reason that "business customer" has permanently left their lexicon, and soon will be the day when a ThinkPad will be a shiny useless piece of consumer garbage. ... JD Hurst

OK - i will pass on the issue that you seem to simply want the update as there is one available so why this causes such a major issue i'm not quite sure. The diskette versions will be put up on the web but are now always released slightly later than the utility versions, this is due to the fact that not many people use diskettes anymore so the utility version takes testing priority.

As for not being business orientated - I would think that more businesses would benefit from a diskless utility that could be distributed by a software delivery tool than having to send an engineer round to update the bios on every system with an external diskette drive. Further more, for the T60 (and future models) the update is going to be available as a cd ISO image rather than a diskette which shows progress and should be more suitable for everyone.

Yes I do agree that Lenovo are probably trying to be more like Dell but I don't think that this grumble is a reflection of that - its not about ThinkPads becoming like Dell systems - that is what Lenovo 3000 systems are for; but I do think that the whole computer industry (including Lenovo but to a lesser degree on ThinkPads) is on a quality and innovation downward trend - I don't think it can be underestimated the damage Dell has done to the computer industry IMHO.

Anyway, back to the matter, if you are in such a rush to update the BIOS with a diskette, it can be done. If you download and double-click the diskless version to the point where the installshield has extracted, navigate to c:\documents and settings\%currentuser%\local settings\temp you will find a folder with all the BIOS update files on it, simply replace the large image file on a previous version of the diskette with the image file from this directory and you will be able to update the BIOS to 3.20 but i'm always of the opinion that you should only update if you need a new feature or fix.

#30 Post by **carbon_unit** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 8:57 pm

Maybe they are doing the right thing after all.
I have noticed the quality of floppies today is pretty dismal. My experience with new floppies is that about 25% of them won't even format. I have begun collecting old unused floppy discs when I find them.
I don't think I would want to flash my BIOS with the floppies available today for fear of getting a bad floppy and then a dead computer. Bad BIOS flashes can be recovered but it would be better to avoid it if possible.
Maybe it is just me.

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