Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop - Corrupt BIOS

[grimacelord]

Hello there.

I am working on a Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 desktop that currently has a corrupt BIOS and I have been unsuccessful thus far in trying to fix it myself.

History:

1. This computer came to me initially with an error message that said "BiInitializeLibrary failed 0xc0000001" or "0135 fan error". It would always be one of the two errors. It should be noted that when it produced the fan error, there was no physical problem with the fans. They were all spinning just fine.

I searched for this error online and discovered quite a few people had this very same problem with this very same computer and the ultimate solution was to flash a new BIOS and the problem would be solved.

The problem was, the provided BIOS update from Lenovo was meant to be flashed from within Windows and I was unable to boot Windows (or anything else for that matter) due to the error message when first powering on the computer. I could enter CMOS and I tried to load "Optimized Defaults" or to change boot order so I could boot off of a CD/USB, and while I could change those settings, it would never go beyond that error message after first turning on/rebooting the computer.

2. So then, I first removed the BIOS chip from the motherboard and attached it to a CH341A programmer with a 1.8V adapter and took an initial dump of the original BIOS. That file is attached to this post.

3. I erased the chip and then flashed it with the .bin from the Lenovo BIOS update and soldered the chip back to the motherboard.

4. Computer does turn on, but no POST. Fans spin, case LEDs illuminate, but nothing ever appears on the display. I let it sit this way for as long as 20 minutes and it never produces an image.

5. I reflashed the original BIOS back to the chip and the computer still does not POST now. At least before, the computer would POST, but now, even with the original BIOS back on the chip, the computer will not POST.

6. I compared the original dump with the BIOS update .bin in HxD and saw many large sections of code that are different from my dump and the update file. I assume some of it is vendor specific data like SN and whatnot, but I am not sure how to "merge" in that data from my dump and into the update file or if that is even the problem.

I was hoping someone could look at my dump and the rest of this info and possibly help me create a working BIOS file I can flash back to the chip to get this computer POSTing again.

Thank you in advance.

Computer information:

Model: Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop (Lenovo) - Type 90RB
SN: MJ0G16B7
Motherboard Model Number: AMDP19ME2 VER:1.0
Original BIOS version already on chip: O4MKT23A (it seems. I was able to find this by searching the bin in HxD)
Lenovo BIOS Update: Here is the official Lenovo download page, but I have also attached it in a ZIP to this message.
BIOS Chip Model: MXIC25U12872F - (I think it might be worth noting that ASProgrammer and NeoProgrammer both detect the chip as MXIC25U12873F, which is incorrect. Mine is ends in 72F)

If you need more information, please ask and I will get it to you right away. Attached are my original BIOS dump and the update file from Lenovo.

[SMDFlea]

Re: Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop - Corrupt BIOS

try this one.

[grimacelord]

Re: Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop - Corrupt BIOS

try this one.

Hi there. Thank you for taking some time to try and help me, but unfortunately the BIOS you provided makes the computer behave the same way. It does power on, all lights and fans spin, but nothing ever appears on screen.

[MacAttack]

Re: Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop - Corrupt BIOS

Did you ever find a fix? Just got one with the same problem today. However, the customer had knocked off a zener diode in the bottom corner of the board. A 1HC Z. I am trying to figure out the exact replacement for it.

[grimacelord]

Re: Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop - Corrupt BIOS

Did you ever find a fix? Just got one with the same problem today. However, the customer had knocked off a zener diode in the bottom corner of the board. A 1HC Z. I am trying to figure out the exact replacement for it.

Unfortunately, no. I tried flashing the BIOS multiple times with multiple different versions released by Lenovo for that board and none of them worked. I even tried replacing the BIOS chip itself and flashing it and that didn't help either.

Due to time constraints with my customer, I had little choice but to simply offer a motherboard replacement. I offered them a replacement with the original motherboard which was about $170 if I remember plus labor or to replace with another B550 chipset board that gave all the same functionality as the original just lacked the proprietary connector for Lenovo's LED strips. That board was significantly less expensive, though. The customer ultimately went with the 3rd party (GIGABYTE) B550 board because they didn't want to spend a lot for the original OEM board. Everything worked fine after the board swap.

I wish I had more time to try repairing that board/BIOS/whatever it was, but my customer was in a hurry so oh well.

While I had this board, I was looking for schematics for it to hopefully help me narrow down some other problem it must have had, but I was never successful in finding it, even on pay-wall sites. You'll probably have to find schematics for a similar board and then find the value of the zener diode for that board and hope it was the same design/value used in the one you're trying to repair.

Good luck!

[grimacelord]

Re: Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop - Corrupt BIOS

Did you ever find a fix? Just got one with the same problem today. However, the customer had knocked off a zener diode in the bottom corner of the board. A 1HC Z. I am trying to figure out the exact replacement for it.

Also, are you sure it's a zener diode?

You may take a look at this one: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...32MR-G/2138119

I found that using: https://smd.yooneed.one/ - which has helped me in the past identify components. Pretty cool website. According to it, the digikey link I posted above could be your component, which is a voltage regulator. Use the datasheet to see if it matches the size and appearance of your's. You could also use that value/part number to help you search through similar Lenovo board schematics to see if it's a part commonly used in that circuit.

If you're sure it is a zener diode, you could try using that component lookup site and see if you can come across something that seems to match.

[MacAttack]

Re: Lenovo Legion T5-26AMR5 Desktop - Corrupt BIOS

Thanks for replying! It is definitely a SOT-23 Package. I keep seeing different things regarding the marking. I believe it is zener diode as I learned how to test one and that confirmed it. I just don't know how to get the correct replacement other than finding the schematic.

[RockitRepairs]

Hey, so I recently came across the same issue (When powering on the device would beep twice and then display "0135 fan error", after prompting F2 the device would then show "BiInitializeLibrary failed 0xc0000001". I ordered a new board for the customer, which appeared to be defective (the CPU debug light turned on). I put the old board back just in case to see if I may have damaged the CPU when I swapped it over. The only connections I had at the time were CPU, GPU, and MB. Got the "0135 fan error" upon boot, looked into the bios, and saw that the CPU was being recognized. Okay cool, so the CPU is still working fine. For shits and giggle I decided to press f2 and it booted into the os just fine. I then updated the bios and the issue has been resolved. Not sure if it was just luck but maybe try booting into the os with bare minimum connections.