Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

[bestrafer]

Hello everyone.

I have L460 Type 20FV (2 X 8MB bios chips) with no boot issue after BIOS update (black screen with restarts, common issue on this model + BIOS update).

BIOS dump(s) from this post https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...7&postcount=27 makes the laptop boot absolutely fine, no delays, etc..

But there is an exclamation mark in the device manager for the LAN card right after fresh OS installation - LAN naturally doesn't work. I saw requests like "BIOS: fix LAN" on other sites.
Could someone point on a direction where to read and what should be fixed in the BIOS dump(s) pointed above?

I tried to load outimage(1).bin into "CSME System Tools v11 r46", but it gives me a lot of errors. There is a "gbe region" section in "Flash Image Tool" to provide a clean LAN region - must be there?
Likely, doing something totally wrong.

Thank you

[hardware1]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Hello everyone.

I have L460 Type 20FV (2 X 8MB bios chips) with no boot issue after BIOS update (black screen with restarts, common issue on this model + BIOS update).

BIOS dump(s) from this post https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...7&postcount=27 makes the laptop boot absolutely fine, no delays, etc..

But there is an exclamation mark in the device manager for the LAN card right after fresh OS installation - LAN naturally doesn't work. I saw requests like "BIOS: fix LAN" on other sites.
Could someone point on a direction where to read and what should be fixed in the BIOS dump(s) pointed above?

I tried to load outimage(1).bin into "CSME System Tools v11 r46", but it gives me a lot of errors. There is a "gbe region" section in "Flash Image Tool" to provide a clean LAN region - must be there?
Likely, doing something totally wrong.

Thank you

Upload your Original Backup.

[bestrafer]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Unfortunately, I don't have original dumps.

I used the dump from the mentioned post (2 files). I'm attaching a single merged dump to simplify further investigation in Intel tools. It works for me, but LAN adapter fails to start (code 10) in Device Manager.


I suspect GBE region should be cleaned up, but don't know where to grab clean GBE region.

[SMDFlea]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Unfortunately, I don't have original dumps.

I used the dump from the mentioned post (2 files). I'm attaching a single merged dump to simplify further investigation in Intel tools. It works for me, but LAN adapter fails to start (code 10) in Device Manager.


I suspect GBE region should be cleaned up, but don't know where to grab clean GBE region.

Is there a sticker on the motherboard with the MAC address on it

[Mr.Nobody]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Hi!
I have the same problem in this thread...not resolved so far...
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...8&postcount=37
Maybe we can find a solution for my laptop too...
Thanks!

[bestrafer]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Is there a sticker on the motherboard with the MAC address on it

I can't see any (

Hi!
I have the same problem in this thread...not resolved so far...

Where is sticker with MAC on the board?

There are requests to fix LAN, but it looks like original dump is required - just google for L460 on vinafix com

[Mr.Nobody]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

I can't see any (



Where is sticker with MAC on the board?

There are requests to fix LAN, but it looks like original dump is required - just google for L460 on vinafix com

The sticker is under RAM1.
Cheers!

[bestrafer]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Is there a sticker on the motherboard with the MAC address on it

Ok, assuming we have original MAC address, what could I try to fix the LAN issue?

Edit GBE_region.bin and replace whatever MAC in it with the machine's original one, then rebuild bios?

[Mr.Nobody]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Ok, assuming we have original MAC address, what could I try to fix the LAN issue?

Edit GBE_region.bin and replace whatever MAC in it with the machine's original one, then rebuild bios?

That will be amazing if in the files from post #27 we change only the MAC address and the LAN will work...obviously in
outimage(1).bin...
I have two laptops with the same LAN problem, both flashed with files from post #27.
Cheers!

[bestrafer]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

For some reason windows shows it fails to start LAN i219-LM, while it's supposed to be i219-V(2) version of the NIC.

Anyone knows how to fix GBE region and where to grab "clean" GBE.bin?

[Mr.Nobody]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Hi everyone!
It seems I can't fix this problem although I tried everything to fix it.
So, decompiled the bios.bin (concatenated the two eeprom content) with Flash Image Tool - No errors, get the GBE Region.bin from Decomp folder (renamed to gbe.bin for process). After that changed the MAC with two tools, the older nvmmac gbe.bin c8:5b:76:bf:15:ed and the newer nvm gbe.bin setmac c8:5b:76:bf:15:ed. After that checked the CRC to be correct with nvmcheck gbe.bin and nvm gbe.bin dump. After that rename back to GBE Region.bin, put it back in Decomp folder and rebuild the bios.

Nothing works for LAN. Has a Code 10 in Windows. Checked the controller and it's recognized correctly WGI219LM.

The laptop boots fast and everything is working except LAN.
That's it for now ...
Cheers!

[J_PH]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Please, check this.
I kept the BIOS Region from the dump that works, but updated the ME Region to the original version of your dump.

[Mr.Nobody]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Please, check this.
I kept the BIOS Region from the dump that works, but updated the ME Region to the original version of your dump.

Thank you for the dump but it's not working...
After pressing the power button the power led blinks a few times (sometime 4 sometime 7 or 8 times) and after that stays on for about 20 - 25 seconds and shut down. No picture at all.
Thank you for your help.
Cheers!

[J_PH]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Please, check this.
I updated the ME and cleared the ME Region

[J_PH]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Hello everyone, I need a little help on the following.
I am trying to solve the problem of the user Mr.Nobody.
He has a dump (obtained on this forum) that works correctly, except for the LAN adapter.
Unfortunately it does not have the original dump.
1.- Is it possible that having incorrect DMI information is causing this problem?
2.- I have tried to get the BIOS region from the Lenovo package but the extracted file (it is not a TDK) is less than the size of the BIOS Region.

Attached dump that works without LAN and Lenovo upgrade package

L460 Laptop (ThinkPad) - Type 20FV
S/N PF0GJNZ7

[lfb]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Both dumps have a ME 11 Corporate LP with Power Down Mitigation while the original dump from the threadowner and the updates from Lenovo have a NPDM ME.

The solution for the threadowner was the ME config from his own dump which had a different port for the GbePCIePortSelect- see attached pic (and a repaired bios region).

The mentioned differences may be OK if there was a change in mainboard config at a point, but since there's a wrong ME version, OEM ID removed from ME config that's clearly a file that's been fiddled with already..


Try the attached firmware, I took the FD and ME from threadowners cleaned image together with your 'own' GbE and bios region.

(GbE should have the correct MAC since it gets written into ME when initializing ME for the first time, so I don't know what might happen when ME is initialized with a wrong/different MAC address.)


EDIT: Seems there were some more L460 stuck in bios updates at the same point. Hope it's allowed to link to another forum, here's more detailed what was done: https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/le...mp-flash/92774

[Mr.Nobody]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Hi lfb!
Thanks for the dump, works perfectly !
At first boot complains for wifi card not genuine or something like that, i wasn't there and I caught just one second of the error... but after restarting without wifi card and load defaults F9 then putting back the wifi card, the laptop is working fine.
Thank you for your help and time.
Cheers!

P.S. Working fine with any MAC...On the sticker I have C8:5B:76:C8:E1:9F and the BIOS shows 50:7B:9D:EF:2C:02

[lfb]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Thanks for the feedback!

P.S. Working fine with any MAC...On the sticker I have C8:5B:76:C8:E1:9F and the BIOS shows 50:7B:9D:EF:2C:02

I wonder- did you really use the dump in 2.zip from #16 here or the dump from the winraid thread?

[Mr.Nobody]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

Thanks for the feedback!


I wonder- did you really use the dump in 2.zip from #16 here or the dump from the winraid thread?

Hi !
I use the 1_L460_original_rec_nvr_me_2files.zip dumps from winraid.
Thanks

[lfb]

Re: Lenovo L460 LAN issue after BIOS dump flash

... I use the 1_L460_original_rec_nvr_me_2files.zip dumps from winraid. ..

OK, then it's consistent, that's simply the MAC from the GbE as it's supposed to be.

You can replace the MAC in GbE (both at 0x1000 and 0x2000) with your own MAC from the sticker. There's a checksum in the GbE but afaik it doesn't need to be corrected for normal use.