Service Forum

TP-Guy · Nou Venit Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 7 Location: USA

Not really. Working on a lot of projects and hope to get back on the TCPA issue soon.

steve5214 · Membru Activ Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 61

Victor,
It seems that this aproach only works with systems with a removable chip.
Im currently wondering if I could edit the bios to remove the checks and avoid the 192 error. For some reason if you dont update the bios from original version then the checks dont cause a fault, but whether reinstalling the original (which IBM never released to the public) would solve it Im not sure. If anyone has a T40 series with an un-updated bios then id love to hear from them.
Cheers
Steve.

TP-Guy · Nou Venit Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 7 Location: USA

Steve: Still confused as to what your goal is. Are you really working on an A31p or a T40?

For the A31p, the non-TCPA BIOS is available because the other models (without TCPA) require it.

IBM uses Phoenix BIOS and it only updates necessary areas so if you try to flash to the old BIOS, it will NOT overwrite the TCPA code if it is already on your Bios Chip. You will need a complete dump of the BIOS from a non-TCPA unit to start over. The T43 has the same issue awith the Lo-Jack for laptops which gets installed into a special section of the BIOS and doesn't go away unless you program the BIOS off the board with an image from a non-Lo-Jack BIOS.

The T40s ALL have a removeable TCPA and you can correct one that has gone missing by using the BIOS chip and TCPA chip from a scrap T40 as they are the core of the marriage. Occasionally, the NIC isn't happy but you can change the NIC from the donor board too.

There ARE T40 system boards that NEVER had a TCPA and that BIOS (any version) would work if you had a complete image and a chip burner as the TCPA code is not disturbed when flashing the BIOS.

steve5214 · Membru Activ Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 61

TP,
At present Im working on T4x I have a friends T42 which has the embedded chip. Which for some reason gives the 192 error. All the components are the originals.
Cheers
Steve.

steve5214 · Membru Activ Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 61

TP,
There only seems to be one bios available for T40,41 and 42. So I guess the TCPA data will be there in all of them just not used if not needed ?
Burning the chip off board isnt a problem. The problem is finding a T4x bios without the TCPA data, which is what I thought the original version of bios was.
If there are versions of T40 bios without the TCPA why is there just one version of the bios update available ?
I thought about just trying to remove the routine or data from the bios but looks a little more complicated than I thought.
Cheers
Steve.

TP-Guy · Nou Venit Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 7 Location: USA

There are TWO core BIOSes: One with the TCPA Code and One without. Since IBM ONLY updates the BIOS CHANGES, they DON'T overwrite the entire 1mb area, those with TCPA remain TCPA and those without TCPA never get the piece of code.

A T42 that has 192 errors has a potential for several problems: With the Atmel Security Chip (possibly one trace burned away when the chip was being replaced?); With the TCPA chip - there is no reason to screw with the soldered chip version; with the Southbridge which isn't "seeing" either the TCPA or Atmel Security Chip or most likely, the video chip has come loose and is sending false errors thru the I2C bus. A huge number of boards I see every week have many errors - memory beeps, Bios beep, 192 and of course the standard Power lights, no diaplay. All of these errors are usually caused by a bad video chip and proper reflow of the BGA connection solves the issues. IBM uses ultra-thin traces at the Atmel Security Chip and the TCPA so it is very common for a board to arrive that has had an attempt at replacing the password chip and the traces are damaged which renders the board a piece of modern art.

If you can find a 91P7701 or a 26P8484 T40 System board, you will have one that has the non-TCPA BIOS. Not a very common board, but still out there.

Without the proper compiler, patching the BIOS is dicey at best. I know people try to get past the 1802 error but you need to go into it in debug and change it IN the chip.

Good Luck

steve5214 · Membru Activ Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 61

TP,
I dont imagine that the bios updates alone would contain all the information needed to run the system ?
Maybe wipe the chip apart from the boot block then install the bios update(s).
Steve.

TP-Guy · Nou Venit Joined: 15 Jan 2006 Posts: 7 Location: USA

Sorry, I don't know. BIOS is an area I try to avoid.

steve5214 · Membru Activ Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 61

TP,
No problem, Its a bit busy here just now, family staying for christmas and so on but Ill maybe try it when I get the chance.
Cheers
Steve.

ianf · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 6 Location: surrey.uk

hello steve
replied to your query..

i would be happy to try resistor mod is it reliable.
did you carry it any further

ianf

zomi · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 9

So to conclude if you take a tcpa chip and the bios chip from a donor board u can ressurect any other board which is lacking a tcpa chip, on the t40 series.

Or the other option is to get a bios dump of a non tcpa board.

ianf · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 6 Location: surrey.uk

well zomi that sounds better thanks, i have 2 t30's both with no security chips on daughter card and fully working, so ?

A. how to get a bios dump. ( have flashed various bios before).

B. once having the bios dump how to get in.

i can get into bios on both machines just unable to get to boot after f12 boot options ,after ibm splash

thanks ianf

ianf · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 6 Location: surrey.uk

i should say i have 4 t30 , 2 fully working and 2 with 0192 error.

ianf

steve5214 · Membru Activ Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 61

TP,
Tried bios from a 2378-D1U, its non TCPA but also no dice, maybe just that it wasnt the exact board 91P7701 cant recall the number off hand but thought id try it anyway. So taking a new approach by looking at the bios itself. The T40 wont even post with the 2378 bios, so I guess just boot block install and update from there is out of the question as the boot block in both original and the 2378 is in the same address but it doesnt want to update from IBM disk or any other.
Installed a socket so I can play with things without burning up the board.
Steve.

zomi · Nou Venit Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 9

I'm looking at a t40p board myself.

We need to dump the bios of the working laptop.. and if possible get a bios dump off a laptop with the chip and compare the 2.

Or the other method to dump the bios are to remove the chip from the board and read it with a programmer.

steve do you have a bios dump of the non tcpa board would be good to compare it against the tcpa bios.

------------------

from another board some info regaridng dumping the bios
IBm use phoenix bios.

Flashing And Bios Utilities Info

-Abit Flash Menu 1.36 is a really great BIOS flashing tool. It detects and displays the used FLASHROM/EEPROM Chip type and it is more than user friendly. It works on/with many 'non-Abit' boards too.

-The latest AMI/Award WinFlash Utilities can be found in the MSI update utility 'MSI Live Update'. (http://www.msi.com.tw/index.htm)
After you've installed 'MSI Live Update' go to its installation directory. There, you can also find the latest/updated Flash Utilities for more than just motherboards.

-It's typically best to flash BIOS files in DOS. (FreeDOS, Win9X-BootDisk, ...)

-To just build a BIOS update from a (plain) Phoenix BIOS (in notebooks/servers) you cannot use the FLASH utilities for/from AMI/Award/Phoenix-Award BIOS in most cases. So you need 'Phoenix WinPhlash'. Though it is not that easy to just build a backup from a Phoenix BIOS with WinPhlash, as it seems to be a kind of hidden feature.

Follow the steps below:

1. Download Phoenix WinPhlash

2. If the notebook/mainboard manufacturer does not have any BIOS update you can download an alternate BIOS file (with the same size; 256 KB / 512KB / 1MB) for example visit: "www.acer.com" and download a BIOS file/update for their notebooks.

3. Load the BIOS file (*.wph, *.rom) in Phoenix WinPhlash and choose Backup BIOS only.

4. Select: Advanced settings. Then deselect all check boxes and press OK.

5. Now press: the Backup BIOS button.

-Generally, Phoenix BIOS's can't be backed up with Phoenix 'WinPhlash'. In 'WinPhlash' an original/alternate BIOS file is necessary to backup the BIOS. It is important to select "Backup BIOS Only"

-EPROMS (erasable programmable read-only memory) was used on "old" mainboards. They just could/can be erased by exposing them to strong UV light. After this you was able to program the EPROM again, but a programmer was necessary.

-When the mainboard/notebook industry becomes faster and faster then more and more (small) bugs in BIOS-codes appear because the mainboard manufacturers were pressed of time.

-A better solution to store and FLASH a BIOS (code) was necessary,
so EEPROMS was (developed and) introduced and used on more and more mainboards. However, you cannot program certain areas, you must program the whole EEPROM in one loop/cycle.

-So a better kind of memory was necessary and the FLASHROM was introduced. The FLASHROM does not need a whole programming/FLASH cycle if you just want to exchange data in certain areas.

-On many and new Intel / HP computers BIOS updates just consist of certain updated BIOS modules. FLASHROM technology makes it possible to update just the certain areas in the FLASHROM which "need" an update.

-Today, the most and new mainboards use FLASHROMs to store the BIOS data.

-Award hasn't existed since September 1998. Phoenix technologies bought Award.

[staff's note: Actually this is not exactly true, Award existed before, many 486DX machines had AWARD BIOS, I used my self one at the time. They merged with Phoenix in 1998. Victor]

-MicroID's MRBIOS does not exist anymore aswell. However it has a really great and user-friendly BIOS Setup.