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5-Coreboot-First-Flash.md

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Note: These steps are only to be used when Coreboot is flashed for the first time, since only 32K of the 64K BIOS ROM is writable in the beginning.

Flash Coreboot for the First Time

Warning: Make sure that you use the latest coreboot.rom file from the latest binary releases on the official Libreboot website! It is too risky to use your own builds on the first flash! (Coreboot might fail to work, etc.)

  1. Run the bucts command to make the first 64K of the BIOS bootable.

Warning: This step is extremely important, because the remaining read-only 64K acts as a safety net in case Coreboot is flashed incorrectly.

sudo ./bucts 1

  1. Run this flashrom command to install Coreboot to your BIOS chip. Make sure to wait until it completely finishes, it can take a few minutes.

    sudo ./flashrom -p internal -w coreboot.rom

Note: This flash will take a while, and will output errors for addresses 0x0 and 0x1f0000 if working with a 2 Mbyte flash chip.

  1. At the end, flashrom will probably output FAILED! (since the last 64K is write protected). No need to panic; errors are normal. However, the error output must match the text shown below (or have very similar errors):

    Reading old flash chip contents... done. Erasing and writing flash chip... spi_block_erase_20 failed during command execution at address 0x0 Reading current flash chip contents... done. spi_block_erase_52 failed during command execution at address 0x0 Reading current flash chip contents... done. Transaction error! spi_block_erase_d8 failed during command execution at address 0x1f0000 Reading current flash chip contents... done. spi_chip_erase_60 failed during command execution Reading current flash chip contents... done. spi_chip_erase_c7 failed during command execution FAILED! Uh oh. Erase/write failed. Checking if anything changed. Your flash chip is in an unknown state.

Reading old flash chip contents... done.
Erasing and writing flash chip... spi_block_erase_20 failed during command execution at address 0x0
Reading current flash chip contents... done. Looking for another erase function.
spi_block_erase_52 failed during command execution at address 0x0
Reading current flash chip contents... done. Looking for another erase function.
Transaction error!
spi_block_erase_d8 failed during command execution at address 0x1f0000
Reading current flash chip contents... done. Looking for another erase function.
spi_chip_erase_60 failed during command execution
Reading current flash chip contents... done. Looking for another erase function.
spi_chip_erase_c7 failed during command execution
Looking for another erase function.
No usable erase functions left.
FAILED!
Uh oh. Erase/write failed. Checking if anything has changed.
Reading current flash chip contents...  until done.
Apparently at least some data has changed.
Your flash chip is in an unknown state.

Note: If you get a different set of errors, the flash has failed. DO NOT TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER!

Tip: One of the most common issues is failing to set .write - spi_chip_write_1 in flashchips.c, so fix that, rebuild flashrom with make, and try again.

  1. Run the bucts command below to check whether it was set successfully. If the line with Current BUC.TS=1 is identical, you may continue safely.

    sudo ./bucts

bucts utility version '2'
Using LPC bridge 8086:27b9 at 0000:1f.00
Current BUC.TS=1 - 64kb address ranges at 0xFFFE0000 and 0xFFFF0000 are swapped

  • If the flash was NOT completed correctly, do not turn off the computer, and run the following command to restore the original BIOS.

    sudo ./flashrom -p internal -w factory.rom

  1. If you are sure that the flash was completed correctly, fully turn off the computer (don't just restart). Then remove and reinsert the battery.

  2. Your computer will boot into a basic version of coreboot now, but you're not done yet. We will need to flash the full version of coreboot in the next section.

Sources

Recovering from a bad flash (First Flash Only)

Note: This unbrick method only works on the first flash of Coreboot, when bucts 1 is enabled; since the factory BIOS still exists.
After Coreboot is flashed for the second time, the factory BIOS will be overwritten, so this method wouldn't work anymore.

If flashrom was misconfigured or the coreboot ROM was corrupt when the computer was turned off, it will be bricked upon startup.

Thankfully, the factory BIOS has not been fully overwritten yet. By unplugging the CMOS battery, bucts 1 will be unset, and the computer will boot normally again.

  1. Unplug the CMOS battery for about 10 seconds. The CMOS battery is found under the keyboard.
  2. After the CMOS battery has been removed, the factory BIOS will boot again.
  3. Press the ThinkVantage button once you see the ThinkPad bootsplash.
  4. Wait a while, and there will be an error informing you to set the correct date.
  5. Press Enter to continue and set a correct date and time in the BIOS
  6. Save your changes and restart. Wait for the BIOS to boot the hard drive. (this will take longer than normal)
  7. Return to your Linux OS and go back to the beginning of this guide.

Tip: One of the most common issues is failing to set .write - spi_chip_write_1 in flashchips.c, so fix that, rebuild flashrom with make, and try again.