BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

**Markus1741** · 12-07-2022, 02:23 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by Dukenukemx

I need some help as I'm trying to fix my IdeaPad 3 15ARE05. It just stopped turning on one day and I thought about a bad bios chip. I desoldered the chip and read it with my CH341A. I found this thread and used the files I found here to flash it onto my Winbond chip. Four tries at flashing the chip resulted in failed verify. Each failed was for a different location in memory. One flash didn't fail but when I read the chip and did a md5sum, they don't match.

To me it seems like a bad flash chip, unless I did something wrong. I'm using Linux Mint and the tool flashrom. It does detect the chip as a W25Q128.W and reading the chip physically does show it to be a 25Q128JWSQ. Only thing is Digikey and pretty much everywhere doesn't show this chip but other similar chips. I did find one Chinese source but I'm not a huge fan of waiting weeks to get my laptop working. Will any W25Q128 chip work or does it need to end with JWSQ?

Also the reason I thought the bios was bad because at first the laptop didn't work but unplugged the CMOS battery would get it working again. I did this multiple times until it just didn't work anymore. Doing a little research I heard this was a common problem for Lenovo. Supply chain issues maybe? Either I'm reading and writing to this chip incorrectly or I found the issue? Here's the terminal results.

Code:

sudo flashrom --programmer ch341a_spi -w BIOS_e7cn41ww.new.bin
flashrom v1.2 on Linux 6.0.8-x64v1-xanmod1 (x86_64)
flashrom is free software, get the source code at https://flashrom.org

Using clock_gettime for delay loops (clk_id: 1, resolution: 1ns).
Found Winbond flash chip "W25Q128.W" (16384 kB, SPI) on ch341a_spi.
Reading old flash chip contents... done.
Erasing and writing flash chip... Erase/write done.
Verifying flash... FAILED at 0x00b8536b! Expected=0xf6, Found=0xf4, failed byte count from 0x00000000-0x00ffffff: 0x2
Your flash chip is in an unknown state.
Please report this on IRC at chat.freenode.net (channel #flashrom) or
mail flashrom@flashrom.org, thanks!

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/...W25Q128/339728

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275032304442

Hello, I myself only use GNU-Linux to edit BIOS chips.

Flashrom automatically recognizes the chip from its database and specifies it.

It doesn't matter which BIOS chip you use, just the size has to fit.

If it doesn't work, the chip may be damaged.

Try that once.

sudo flashrom -p ch341a_spi -c W25Q128.W -w BIOS_e7cn41ww.new.bin

**Dukenukemx** · 12-07-2022, 09:17 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Didn't work. Laptop still won't post. The power light goes on but nothing on the screen and hooking up a second monitor doesn't show anything. Anyone ever ran into this problem with a IdeaPad 3 15ARE05?

**Markus1741** · 12-07-2022, 09:26 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by Dukenukemx

Didn't work. Laptop still won't post. The power light goes on but nothing on the screen and hooking up a second monitor doesn't show anything. Anyone ever ran into this problem with a IdeaPad 3 15ARE05?

Hello, please check if all capacitors and resistors around the chip are ok. Not that a resistor was moved when unsoldering.

**Dukenukemx** · 12-07-2022, 06:11 PM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by Markus1741

Hello, please check if all capacitors and resistors around the chip are ok. Not that a resistor was moved when unsoldering.

You mean if they moved? I checked and nothing seems to have moved. I'm thinking of reading the chip and see if the rom matches what I flashed. Maybe I can do it without removing it from the board.

**Dukenukemx** · 12-07-2022, 11:23 PM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

So I tried reading the winbond chip directly off the motherboard and the md5sum isn't the same. I used NeoProgrammer to read the chip. I could desolder the chip and read it again if someone thinks that'll make a difference? I uploaded what I got off the chip. That's strange considering that NeoProgrammer said it verified the flash.

These are the results.

Code:

b1b7362ecf9d3656708c18a8784f1663 BIOS_e7cn41ww.new.bin
8a7071cbd948bbd0a002f57e0626df15 backup3.bin

Attached Files

backup3.zip (2.89 MB, 17 views)

**Dukenukemx** · 12-07-2022, 11:46 PM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

I went and desoldered the chip and read it twice to see what the md5sum was. As you can see the results were different twice. I have no idea what I'm doing and I can't tell if that means the winbond chip is bad. My main PC runs Linux Mint but I ran NeoProgrammer on a old laptop I have running Windows 10 for these sort of things.

Code:

dbab23d252c31e0d12a97cd4166a98fa backup4.bin
c8b46906e7af0914fbfcf42efb27223f backup5.bin

Attached Files

**peste** · 12-08-2022, 02:09 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by Dukenukemx

I went and desoldered the chip and read it twice to see what the md5sum was. As you can see the results were different twice. I have no idea what I'm doing and I can't tell if that means the winbond chip is bad. My main PC runs Linux Mint but I ran NeoProgrammer on a old laptop I have running Windows 10 for these sort of things.

Code:

dbab23d252c31e0d12a97cd4166a98fa backup4.bin
c8b46906e7af0914fbfcf42efb27223f backup5.bin

remove the bios chip from the motherboard before reading or writing...try this..

Attached Files

DZCN40WW.hh.rar (4.83 MB, 44 views)

**Dukenukemx** · 12-08-2022, 10:47 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by peste

remove the bios chip from the motherboard before reading or writing...try this..

I did this and NeoProgrammer couldn't verify the flash. So I got this motherboard off Ebay that's not the same board but does fit and does turn on... sometimes. At some point this board will not turn back on and will need me to unplug the battery and cmos battery, but sometimes I get lucky and it turns on. The motherboard with the 3500U was meant for a IdeaPad 3 14ADA05, while my original board has a 4500U. I decided to take the flash chip off which was reported to be a W25Q64.W which is half the size of my original board. Tried reading it with NeoProgrammer and just like with the original board the bios I extracted don't have matching md4sum. So either I have 2 boards with bad flash chips or my CH341a isn't working correctly? Maybe because I use the alligator clip thing to connect to the chip instead of a socket like thing? My CH341a didn't come with a socket to put the chip in.

Attached Files

**peste** · 12-08-2022, 11:19 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by Dukenukemx

I did this and NeoProgrammer couldn't verify the flash. So I got this motherboard off Ebay that's not the same board but does fit and does turn on... sometimes. At some point this board will not turn back on and will need me to unplug the battery and cmos battery, but sometimes I get lucky and it turns on. The motherboard with the 3500U was meant for a IdeaPad 3 14ADA05, while my original board has a 4500U. I decided to take the flash chip off which was reported to be a W25Q64.W which is half the size of my original board. Tried reading it with NeoProgrammer and just like with the original board the bios I extracted don't have matching md4sum. So either I have 2 boards with bad flash chips or my CH341a isn't working correctly? Maybe because I use the alligator clip thing to connect to the chip instead of a socket like thing? My CH341a didn't come with a socket to put the chip in.

buy an adapter or stick the chip on the programmer...or wires between the programmer and the chip..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWigscuQDY

**Dukenukemx** · 12-08-2022, 03:01 PM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by peste

buy an adapter or stick the chip on the programmer...or wires between the programmer and the chip..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWWigscuQDY

Wait, you can solder it straight to the CH341a board? I'm gonna try this later. Soon as I find the chip for my original board because I think I lost it.

**Dukenukemx** · 12-08-2022, 11:56 PM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Can't find the original chip for my original motherboard but I did solder the other motherboards chip onto the CH341a and both bin's are still reporting different md5sum. Even though I've only used this for turning a fake GTX 960 into a what it was originally unsuccessfully, maybe the CH341a is bad? What's the chances that both boards have bad bios chips? I'm just gonna order another one and see if the results are different.

**rex98** · 05-20-2023, 08:53 PM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

is there any way to disable built in ram for this nm-c861. i got black screen when i stress test the ram built in. motherboard method please if available, or bios method here's my dump

Attached Files

NM-C681 REV 1.0.zip (5.63 MB, 47 views)

**lapfix** · 05-21-2023, 02:41 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by rex98

is there any way to disable built in ram for this nm-c861. i got black screen when i stress test the ram built in. motherboard method please if available, or bios method here's my dump

Try and give feedback

Wich soft you use for stress ram !

Attached Files

NM-C681 ON BOARD RAM DISABLE .rar (4.83 MB, 125 views)

**rex98** · 05-23-2023, 12:06 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by lapfix

Try and give feedback

Wich soft you use for stress ram !

it doesnt display.

**Doniciputat** · 08-20-2023, 06:43 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

Originally posted by peste

bios extracted from lenovo + dmi site update
dmi 1000 - 2fff

try..

thanks master pesta

**dqtech** · 10-25-2023, 03:49 AM

Re: BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

thanks

**ub6ib969** · 01-25-2024, 03:01 PM

Hi,

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 NM-C861 motherboard. BIOS IC W25Q128FW

Unit boots up with bad checksum cmos error and shuts down. attached is the extracted bios. Can anyone supply a working bios. Thank you advance.

Attached Files

W25Q128FW_OG.rar (4.93 MB, 15 views)

**ub6ib969** · 01-25-2024, 03:36 PM

sorry for error. can you please insert the DMI information, thanks

**ub6ib969** · 01-25-2024, 04:44 PM

model: Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05
motherboard model: NM-C861

i do not have the serial number, service tag or the information on the back of the unit has been rubbed off. the only other number is the barcode underneath the ram 8S5B20S44306L1HF13DA1JV.

**hoaca388** · 01-25-2024, 04:58 PM

Originally posted by ub6ib969

Hi,

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 NM-C861 motherboard. BIOS IC W25Q128FW

Unit boots up with bad checksum cmos error and shuts down. attached is the extracted bios. Can anyone supply a working bios. Thank you advance.

IdeaPad 3-15ARE05 Laptop

Attached Files

IdeaPad 3-15ARE05 Laptop.rar (4.87 MB, 35 views)

BIOS Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ARE05 (NM-C861)

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