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Date:      Thu, 15 Nov 2001 09:42:56 +1030
From:      Greg Lehey <grog@FreeBSD.org>
To:        Pratibha <ibpratibha@yahoo.com>
Cc:        freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: IBM ThinkPad T20 BIOS 1.16-IYET56WW
Message-ID:  <20011115094256.A33267@monorchid.lemis.com>
In-Reply-To: <20011109114904.58079.qmail@web14807.mail.yahoo.com>
References:  <20011109114904.58079.qmail@web14807.mail.yahoo.com>

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On Friday,  9 November 2001 at  3:49:03 -0800, Pratibha wrote:
> Can anyone please confirm that this particular
> BIOS version is indeed NOT plagued by the dreaded
> cannot-boot-after-installing-FreeBSD problem?
> I have just upgraded my IBM ThinkPad T20 from BIOS
> version 1.07-IYET43WW to this 1.16-IYET56WW version.
>
> I have seen the past tales of woe about ThinkPads not
> being able to boot after installation of FreeBSD.
>
> I know that there was an official-looking e-mail
> dated 15-Feb-2001 from Keith Frechette of IBM
> <kfrechet@us.ibm.com> saying that for the T20,
> BIOS version "IYET49WW or later" has fixed the
> problem:
> http://www.clave.gr.jp/ml/bsd-nomads/200102/msg00050.html
> This information is also reflected in the FAQ:
> http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/faq/install.html#BOOT-ON-THINKPAD
>
> HOWEVER, I HESITATE, because that same FAQ, section
> 2.10, says ominously and cryptically:  "It has been
> reported that later IBM BIOS revisions may have
> reintroduced the bug."
>
> So can someone please confirm that the BIOS
> version that I have, 1.16-IYET56WW, has not
> reintroduced the bug?  In general, is it known or
> documented somewhere which BIOS revisions have,
> or may have, reintroduced the bug?

I haven't heard of this.  I'd say you're safe.

> I don't want to "just try it out and see what happens", because in
> my present circumstances [travelling, away from home base], it would
> be very hard to recover from a disaster (nonbootable condition) on
> my laptop.

Understood.  But I can't really see any alternative.  Note that I've
had a report that the machine isn't completely unbootable, it just
takes about 18 hours to get out of the brick-like condition.  After
that it works normally.

Greg
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