Modified BIOSes for Thinkpads

Please do not post link to this page anywhere public! Feel free to send it to anyone through PM/e-mail/similiar means. Else it will need to be taken down. Thank you.

Always check the link to Lenovo's website and make sure the BIOS is meant for your machine. Though it shouldn't let you flash it if it isn't. The second column in tables is for this, that's not the modified BIOS!

All downloads are bootable CDs (exceptions noted), follow instructions from Lenovo's website on using bootable ISO BIOS updates.

Patch types:

skip – will only avoid displaying the error 1802/1804/1805 and allow booting; but BIOS will probably send disable signal over disable pin (miniPCIe pin 20) so you'll have to tape it or you won't get it to transmit anything
full – further modified that not only error 180X is avoided, but all (to my knowledge) calls for detecting whitelist presence will succeed; this will proabably spare you from taping over the disable pin and might get the hardware wireless switch working; if your card isn't supported by AccessConnections/Hotkey driver (and only Lenovo-branded ones are), then you still won't be able to control on-off state using Fn-F5

Access Connections support (for non-Lenovo cards, this easy way only works for cards from already supported manufacturers)

If you don't have AC installed, but use Fn-F5 with Hotkey driver, you just need to open TpFnF5.exe in some hexeditor, search for some ID of supported card and replace it with ID of your card. You can see your card ID in device manager, in properties of your device, called something like Hardware ID. If should be in form of VEN_1234&DEV_5678, search the TpFnF5.exe for DEV=5678 (in plaintext, not hex) and replace it with correct ID.
If you have AC installed, AcFnF5.exe takes over and will use AC libraries to detect supported cards. Specifically WWAN card IDs seem to be located in AcAdaptersInfo.dll and Acon.dll, there's more for WLAN. One added problem for easy replacing is that the strings here are in unicode, so it will look like this in hex editor. Again need to replace some supported card with the one you have, as in previous paragraph.

Recommended section – these modified BIOSes have been tested on at least one machine and did not brick it:

Machine	Based on BIOS	WLAN	WWAN	WUSB	Note
W500	6FET79WW 3.09	full	full	full	contains either two .FL1 files which you should replace in BIOS update from Lenovo (in appropriate folders, both must overwrite some file), or bootable CD, which boots to command line, type `command` and hit enter to use Lenovo's update tool. Type `flash2 /u` to force update when you already have this version.

These modified BIOSes have been tested on at least one machine and did not brick it, but are obsolete now:

Machine	Based on BIOS	WLAN	WWAN	WUSB	Note
T500/W500	6FET70WW 3.00	full	full	full	contains either two .FL1 files which you should replace in BIOS update from Lenovo (in appropriate folders, both must overwrite some file), or bootable CD, which boots to command line, type `command` and hit enter to use Lenovo's update tool. Type `flash2 /u` to force update when you already have this version.
T500/W500	6FET71WW 3.01	full	full	full	contains either two .FL1 files which you should replace in BIOS update from Lenovo (in appropriate folders, both must overwrite some file), or bootable CD, which boots to command line, type `command` and hit enter to use Lenovo's update tool. Type `flash2 /u` to force update when you already have this version.

These BIOSes have NOT been TESTED on any machine yet, potential BRICKING RISK:

Machine	Based on BIOS	WLAN	WWAN	WUSB	Note
W500	6FET81WW 3.11 7VET80WW 3.10	full	full	full	contains either two .FL1 files which you should replace in BIOS update from Lenovo (in appropriate folders, both must overwrite some file), or bootable CD, which boots to command line, type `command` and hit enter to use Lenovo's update tool. Type `flash2 /u` to force update when you already have this version.

Obsolete and NOT TESTED on any machine, potential BRICKING RISK:

Machine	Based on BIOS	WLAN	WWAN	WUSB	Note
None as of now.

Don't forget general BIOS flashing safety: never flash from Windows, remove the computer from dock, have charged battery and also connect AC power.

2008-03-05: Please report success/problems here! (editing records fixed)

Your Nick/Name	Machine / BIOS Model	Card	L.	Avoids boot error?	Connects?	Taped pin 20?	Comment (issues...)
		is Lenovo-branded					Contact: (I might try to resolve issues you report, not public)
2010-01-27 amdinator	W500 3.11	Intel 4965AGN	no	yes	yes	no	Works great!
2010-03-26 TYuriy	W500 4062-57G	HP hs2300 / MC8775	no	yes	yes	no	Ok!
2011-02-22 Yuriy	W500 4062-57G	Toshiba Intel 5350 WiFi/WiMAX	no	yes	yes	no	Ok!
2010-05-01 evaldas	W500 3.11 4061-3FG	Intel 5300	no	yes	yes	no	Perfect
2010-11-04	W500		no	no	no	no

Column "L." = Is Lenovo branded?