Lenovo W540 BIOS Repair using EZP-2019 SPI programmer (Laptop won't boot)

[@xylen.c4861]

I've just repaired an Lenovo Thinkpad E531 with yor tutorial. One less for the waste bin, thank you!

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Glad it helped :-)

[@peterzhilkin6147]

Thank you for your video, it really helped me to fix a bricked w540. I used EZP2023+ from aliexpress. I have different chips on the motherboard, namely MXIC MX 25L3273E and 25L6473E. They were recognized by the programmer (but for some reason as 3206E and 6465E). All the best

[@PiotrK2022]

Reason is simple - autodection isn't 100% accurate. This cheap programmer - doesn't expect to much. If u want to perfcect one, buy SVOD, but it's much more expensive.

[@carlossebastianalvarezaran1385]

I've been without mi PC since a year and I never find a tutorial like yours, and now I have mi pc again thanks to you, very good video my bro 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Glad I could help. I hope you subscribed and gave it a thumbs up. Best way to help others.

[@es-br8ck]

Saved a good W540 in otherwise great condition from the dump - Thank you so much!

[@gjscomputerstuff]

You're welcome. I'm glad it helped.

[@es-br8ck]

@@gjscomputerstuff Additions and updates for those who might do this: There is a newer programmer available, the EZP2019+ "plus". 4 Euro on Amazon. It didn't require the manual soldering for pin 4 (and it seemed to have the bottom row for the zif socket connected, too). It has a new software version in the box (on a handmade tiny CDR...) that has a properly signed driver (no more messing with driver signing disable) and an updated chip database that did recognize the chip. So no fear, it is a lot easier today than when the video was made... But do use the old version 0.26.0 as shown of the uefi tool! The newer versions of it are far "too smart" and recognize a hundred files in the BIOS instead of just five blobs that can easily be ported over from the capsule file. If the repairs succeeded, immediately update to the second most recent BIOS version via CD iso, so the BIOS bug that caused the problem doesn't trigger again quickly. The most recent BIOS version should be done with Windows reinstalled, as the CD iso method somehow doesn't update the embedded controller firmware, leaving the old EC version with the fan speed pumping and a strange combination of new BIOS and ancient EC firmware. (Flashing back one version and then returning to the latest is an option, but takes far more steps.)

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@es-br8ck I wouldn't be surprised if there are different 'flavors' of the EZP2019 programmer - may depend on who you purchase your unit from. I wouldn't be surprised that if I had a purchased my programmer from a different vendor , I may not have had to 'solder' the ground pin. Others also have the same programmer but different software versions. If you flash back to an earlier version with a different EC firmware, make sure you immediately update your BIOS (have everything ready) as you will likely soon after encounter the BSOD, in a very short time, if you don't. Thanks for the info on the 'newer' EZP. It's nice to see that the models/software are actually improving with time.

[@EmerRodriguezFormisano]

Thanks for teaching us. It didn't fix my laptop (probably the mother board is dead) but I learnt a lot

[@gjscomputerstuff]

You can try removing all the memory from your motherboard and then powering it up. If the mother board beeps at you (number of beeps depends on the model), then your motherboard is probably still ok. If it beeps but nothing ever appears on the screen, likely something with the video circuitry/bios isn't working. If no beeps, well it may still be ok but that's another kettle of fish. Most likely problem is a fried component somewhere within the power supply circuitry on the motherboard.

[@zhenyay.5361]

Inspired by this video, I bought the same programmer and modified it the same way to fix ground issue, otherwise it didn't work (at least with soic clip). Surprisingly my Dell 9020SFF desktop has exactly the same SPI chips, and I following all the instructions here I was able to insert nvme EFI module. Unfortunately nobody knows how to mod Dell bios without spi programmer.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Glad it helped. I haven't noticed any other videos mentioning my little 'solder ground wire bypass trick' - although I have noted others having difficulty getting the programmer to work consistently with a SOIC chip based on a motherboard. I'm not familiar with DELL BIOS specifically. Does the WinFlash64.exe tool work on a DELL? With the Lenovo, you can modify the 'new' BIOS (well part of it) with the UEFItool and then 'manually' update the BIOS using the WinFlash64.exe program and the Modded BIOS. This can be done from the OS (windows based with WinFlash64). You can also make a backup of your current BIOS with the WinFlash64 when you update. All can be done without a SPI programmer. Of course, if you make a mistake and brick your BIOS, and you don't have a programmer handy - you're screwed until you get one. Of course, I won't test that on a DELL if you're not sure of exactly what your doing. Makes me think I should make a video on how that's done exactly.

[@martinnash007]

Very interesting video. Especially the bit about the ground pin inside the programmer. I was thinking about buying one of these so now I will be able to mod it correctly, when it finally arrives.

[@trilacon1357]

Did you go through with it? I wanna try it myself but don't wanna fry the unit or the bios chip xC

[@gloyor666]

thanks, you saved my e455

[@gmjwtech6976]

Hello, thanks for your video, its great and very well explained! but unfortunatly, with my W540 it hasnt worked out. Before, the machine stopped at the logo screen. I also unplugges, replugged and tried several times to get into BIOS by F1 and ENTER. Now with your method, machine still powers on but nothing is seen instead. Do you think, it may makes sense to use another factory BIOS ? so not necessarly, the latest of the same utility version. Thnx

[@gjscomputerstuff]

After performing this manual BIOS fix, you may have to wait several minutes at the Boot screen the first time you boot up for your BIOS to go through the changes. You aren't actually programming a new finalized BIOS image, but merely placing new BIOS information into the BIOS chip for the boot loader to deal with (like doing an Flash from the/a OS). The boot loader takes the new supplied info and then updates the BIOS. You can try another factory BIOS, if its the same, although the GBe MAC address won't be the same - that's specific to your computer - but you can easily modify an new factory BIOS with your MAC address. You aren't bypassing an Embedded Controller version? The info in the FL1 file is the BIOS, and the info in the FL2 file is the embedded controller info. In the video, I show updating the BIOS with the latest BIOS version available that has the same ECP as your current BIOS. You shouldn't mix and match BIOS's with differenet ECP versions.

[@gmjwtech6976]

@@gjscomputerstuff Hello and thank you for your reply. What you mean by your notes on the MAC address? Do you want to say, the MAC address should be preferably adjusted as well in order to that your method works generally for other individual models? However, I am currently trying a former and older BIOS version with the same embedded controller version as identified with the BIOS version as it was installed before applying your methods.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@gmjwtech6976 Each internet card has its own unique hardware ID (the MAC address). If you are using a BIOS that is not from your original computer, the MAC address in that BIOS will be different than yours. But you can always go in and edit the MAC address of a different BIOS and change it to the one found in your BIOS.

[@gmjwtech6976]

@@gjscomputerstuff Hey man, thanks again for your reply. I have now applied the first BIOS version with the same EC 1.14. ... and ... A M A Z I N G ! I could start and boot into the OS. So your method worked ! You did a great work !! Again, thank you for sharing your method !!!

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@gmjwtech6976 Glad my video could help you. Give it a thumbs up/like if you haven't already.

[@Lucretia9000]

Hi, how do you know which sections to save/replace?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

That would depend on the problem. Almost always, it is your BIOS that is screwed up and thus you would replace the BIOS Region of your old ROM file (~17:30 mark). This is what is changed when you do an BIOS update on your computer. The 'Descriptor Region' and GbE Region should never change as they refer to your hardware. The ME region can be altered by the BIOS update - or more specifically if the ECP changes (13:45) this may be altered. I do not show how to alter the ME - things get complicated, that is why I suggest you use the latest BIOS with the same ECP that you had most recently installed (there is also software installed in your OS to deal with the ECP). If you mix and match ECP in BIOS and OS the system may boot and run, but you will very soon encounter a BSOD. But you may (should) have enough time to update your ECP if you need to. If your Descriptor region and/or GbE Region don't look proper then you may need to alter those areas - but you don't get that information from a BIOS update - you'd need to do some research on your hardware to find out how to change that. Well beyond the scope of most people.

[@MrDinakdakan]

i have ezp2019 and does not read anything if soldered, if i attach the chip directly it works, thanks ill check the voltage maybe this is easier just to provide a separate usb for power

[@gjscomputerstuff]

You could always see how much of a voltage difference their is between the 2 situations - (pin 8 +V, pin 4 ground on the 8-pin SOIC).

[@MrDinakdakan]

@@gjscomputerstuff i get 4v chip mounted, when i use cable i get 3.1v, its a sst25vf512 spec say operating v is 2.7-3.6 read write gets completef with data all null ff something.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@MrDinakdakan Your voltages seem a little high. The EZP2019 should output 3.3V (really close) without anything connected. It has a 3.3V Voltage regulator inside (U2 : AMS 1117-33). Do you get 3.3V with nothing connected? It seems as if either 1) your voltage meter is reading high or 2) your regulator is damaged or 3) your regulator is floating. You can measure the voltage across a new CR2032 (or similar) 3V battery and confirm 3.2-3.3V for a new battery to confirm your meter. You can measure the voltage across the AMS 1117-33 by itself to confirm regulator is operating properly. If you do get 3.3V on the regulator and 4V on Pin8 to Pin4, something's floating - that's sort of similar to what I had. If you do get 3.3V with nothing connected, and 4V when mounted - something must be pulling the chip high (5V cmos battery instead of 3V?). Your board is not attached to any power source is it?

[@radoslavdimitrov942]

How about to reset/bypass supervisor password (the easiest way), as i bought refurbished W540? And the reseller was not corect enough to sold me a locked laptop.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I haven't had the need to do this so I don't know. You can still follow this procedure if you have a supervisor password set to change your bios manually, but in the end, if you don't know the supervisor password, you won't be able to enter the bios later via the keyboard without the password. In this video, I actually do have a supervisor password set when I did this procedure.

[@vonniehudson]

Great video. I have the Lenovo W541 (not W540). I’ve completely disassembled the laptop and removed the system board but I cannot find the BIOS chips even after carefully searching for hours using bright light and a magnifier glass. The only thing I haven’t removed is the heatsink and fan. Any idea what I’m missing? Reddit, Lenovos website and internet so far, sadly, haven’t been helpful. :(

[@gjscomputerstuff]

At the 2:00 minute mark I show a picture of the motherboard (it's backside where the chips are located near the SD card slot). In the shot, I label the Bios Chips and there is an arrow pointing to them on the bottom left. The W541 motherboard is very similar to the W540, and the chips are in the same location. I'm not sure if they have the exact same numbers as the W540 (at the 2:15 minute mark) but physically they will be similar in size and shape.

[@abnad2827]

Hello, nice and good video thanks. I want to reprogram the eeprom 24s08 of my laptop lenevo T500 type 2241 , because the bios is corrupted. I can't find a copy of the original Bios .. .bin, I need your help to get an identical copy to the original. Thanks in advance.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Sorry, but I don't have anything that could help you. There are a couple of sites that may 'sell' you a programmed bios chip that you can then copy. Some web sites also 'sell' the BIOS bin file, but I can't recall them and I don't know how credible they are. I'd suggest ebay.

[@lotsofanime1174]

Good day, why is may ezp2019 always getting an error "flash error check address:10h" when clicking verify button? Thanks in advance.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

That indicates that when verifying, there was a difference between what is in the current flash memory and what is in the computer's memory file (when you loaded the file to write) at a particular position (or block position as data is written/read in blocks). The very 'low' value indicates to me that your chip was not successfully programmed at all - basically nothing was written (properly?) from the start. This could be due to 1) you are not making good contact to the chip with the connector (or it moves while programming) 2) you did not successfully erase the chip prior to programming (if you fail to write, you may need to do an erase after an 'unsuccessful' write in the program) 3) your have the wrong parameters in your selected chip (or the wrong chip is selected) 4) the device (ezp2019) is not operating properly - perhaps the voltage drops too much when trying to program - like the ground problem mentioned in my video. You can measure the voltage on chip while programming (while reading or writing only - not test or verify) to see if the ezp2019 is in fact supplying the proper voltage. 5) your chip is damaged - memory is essentially millions upon millions of transistor gates, and if any of these gates no longer function (properly), you may still be able to read but no longer write to that 'memory' location. If you suspect a damaged chip, you may try several erase then write then read (not verify which stops after the first error) to attempt to reset the chip. Make sure the BIOS battery is disconnected and then try a few erase/write/read cycles and then wait 1 hour or so (for charge dissipation) and try again. (If this works, and occasionally it will, you should see about getting a replacement for the future when it fails again - which it will probably do).

[@chadreuelcalvo8771]

Hi I have a acer iconia w700 that has no image on screen but will beep when the battery is about to be empty. It has two bios on it. Windbond 25Q32BVSIG and 25Q16CVSIG. I can extract and write in the two bios chip but nothing is happening.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

That's a pretty vague comment, not sure what to do with it.

[@renaishabebo]

Brother i have the problem when i remove the coin battery voltage comes but when i put it in it doesn't is it the bios ic problem?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I'm sorry but I don't follow what you are saying. Can you be more precise in what you are asking. You remove the BIOS battery and 'voltage comes" - where/what is this voltage. Are you measuring the voltage on the V++ of the chip? Is your laptop plugged in why doing/measuring whatever voltage you are talking about? You are going to have to provide more details if you want any help/advice.

[@tylerpeppy1450]

Do you happen to know how to add a chip to this software? I want to program a Cypress EEPROM but they aren't "technically" supported. I figured i'd just need to add the codes for programming from the datasheet. Any help would be appreciated

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Somewhere in the 6min range I talk about chips. At about 7:30 I begin altering an existing chip's parameters with new values and then save it (add button first, to add it to the program database, then save button to save the database for future use). This is what you will have to do. I modified a chip that was similar to an existing one I new had similar parameters so I didn't need to change much. You may have to change most/all of the parameters. It will need to be a series '24' or '25' or '93' with this programmer (or at least the one I am using).

[@tylerpeppy1450]

@@gjscomputerstuff Thanks for the explaination! I rewatched the video and understood everything so clearly. Gained a subscriber!

[@kotlet2612]

Would you please make a video about 24 x and 25 x series chips and how to know which serie is my chip

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Well, the programmer doesn't really care if it is 24 or 25 series chip (Their programming requirement specs are the same). This information is part of the chip ID that is printed on the top of the chip. For instance MX25L6473 is a 25 series chip. For more info I would check a wiki page such as: how-to.fandom.com/wiki/How_to_identify_computer_chips_or_integrated_circuits_on_circuit_boards

[@kotlet2612]

@@gjscomputerstuff thanks for your answers man u really deserve far more viewer appreciate it

[@4quarius]

Great video. Liked and Subscribed.

[@jordan9632]

My W540 oldBios Bios Region is missing the 7A9 with 9E21. It has Padding, FFF, 005, and 7A9 (PEIs). Is that from a bad read-in from my programmer or is that a symptom of the original bricking? Any thoughts on going forward?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I would doubt that its a bad read (you get everything else). It may depend on what components your W540 came with and/or the version of your BIOS (and controller). Can you list the component options of your system and the BIOS version? I don't currently have access to my Laptop BIOS to check right now but perhaps tomorrow.

[@jordan9632]

@@gjscomputerstuff Thanks for your reply! It's the 20BG-0014US with 83WW 2.31 on the bios. I'm pretty sure it's the i7-4800MQ, 8BG DDR3L-1600, Quadro K1100M option. The mobo is LKM-1 WS MB, 12291-2, 48.4L013.021.

[@jordan9632]

Also, I did multiple dumps on the 25Q064A and in multiple different ways. When it was successfully dumped, it only ever has the descriptor, GbE, and ME regions (with proper info) when I open the old64 bin in UEFITool. The Bios region is empty except for total size. This is my first foray into the world of bios programming, so that may be normal though.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@jordan9632 The '64' or 8MB chip should contain the Descriptor, GbE, ME, and BIOS region. The '32' or 4MB chip will contain the 7A9... volume with the 9E21 volume image. The BIOS region should not be empty, yes there are large chunks of FF but there should be lots of data too. Are you referring to the BIOS region in the 8MB chip starting at offset 500000h? If you are missing the 7A9 with 9E21 as well, your BIOS may have been corrupted and you may need to get another BIOS file. Your laptop seems to be pretty standard (20BG version). If you try a number of reads of your chips, are they all the same? They should be - provided the contact is good and the parameters are correct. Make sure you get consistent data from your chips. If the regions continue to be blank, I would suggest you check the net for a BIOS file for your laptop. There should be some available. If you can't find one, I can try emailing you a copy of mine. The 83WW uses an ECP version 1.14 file. I

[@jordan9632]

@@gjscomputerstuff Your additional info was very helpful. I got a dump from a forum (badcaps) dropped in my GbE for the MAC and then used your instructions to drop in more current bios and flash. Boots to Windows again. Thank your great video and taking the time to reply!

[@silviusarghi8644]

I'm having a similar problem with my Lenovo B590. I managed to mod the old bios and save it, but when I wanted to update it to a newer version, something went wrong and the update process failed. Now it starts and hangs with a black screen. Could I just rewrite it using the saved bios? Obviously, using SPI clip.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Yes, you should be able to rewrite it using the saved bios. Did you replace your BIOS/CMOS battery? That's a pretty old laptop and BIOS batteries are good for maybe 5 years (some more, some less). If your battery is insufficient, you will continue to have problems. You just can't use a voltmeter to test a battery, you need to provide some sort of load (say 1K, 2K ,3K resistor across it when you measure). Batteries are cheap so if you haven't replaced it, I suggest you do so. Also, when you first boot up your laptop after making BIOS changes externally with a programmer, it may take several minutes the first time for the Bootstrap loader to reapply/reinitialize the BIOS settings before going to the UI BIOS display page. Did you check/verify that the rewritten BIOS chip(s) data in the chip is the same as in the file? I don't quite understand what you did when you say you wanted to update it to a newer version. Was the modded BIOS file the newer version? After programming the BIOS, did it then just fail to boot to a BIOS screen?

[@silv3rtrancer]

@@gjscomputerstuff Well, the battery was changed last year and I haven't really used it lately since I have a newer laptop, so I guess it's ok. I managed to modify an old version (H1ET39WW - on lenovo website the last one is H1ET84WW or even H1ET92WW) so I have the archive stored which contains the bios.bin file, which what I need, right? I have never been able to update that bios due to an error I encountered so I left it that way. But there days, being quarantined, I had to kill some time and decided to play with it for a while until I broke it, lol. So after modding it, I decided to updated using another file from the website but it failed.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@silv3rtrancer You can't update from H1ET39WW to H1ET84WW or H1ET92WW with the programmer. There are other things to consider. For instance, the management engine may be different or other things. So the actual BIOS structure will be different. Your BIOS has to be compatible with other hardware on your motherboard and when you do an Update properly (using the OS bios flash utility) other aspects (BIOS structure) are also updated. Trying to do that with a simple editor Tool like UEFI won't work. Try just updating your BIOS following the procedure here, with the same BIOS H1ET39WW. You can also try updating to anything from H1ET39WW to H1ET75WW but not anything more recent than that.

[@silviusarghi8644]

@@gjscomputerstuff Yeah, I figured it out, thank God I have the .bin file, this all I need. Well, I am frustrated I can't update to the latest, because I want to update the CPU, from i5 3210M to i7 3630QM so I might need some microcode update which I'm not sure the H1ET39WW has. So I guess this will have to do. What do you suggest I should do?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@silviusarghi8644 Once you have got your laptop to boot to the OS successfully, you can update the BIOS to the latest version using the update software from Lenovo and update it through the/an OS. I don't know the specifics for that model. You may be able to update it through Windows, or you may have to create a boot disc and use that. It should be well explained how to do that in the update text file that comes with the BIOS. You just can't update the BIOS with a SPI programmer to a different structured BIOS. Well, actually you can, but it is a lot more complicated than the procedure I have outlined here. Once you can boot (39WW to 75WW), you should also look for hardware updates. If your BIOS is really that old, your hardware updates are also probably quite old. You will need to check your hardware updates and see if they have a minimum bios requirement. Download all the BIOS updates you may need before you update, (your network may stop functioning until everything is updated) and I would start with your network card/wifi update first. Check also the BIOS update you are going to use (92WW) and see if you need to first install anything else (like a management engine). The BIOS text file should indicate any requirements - see if you need to update to an intermediate BIOS first before updating to the latest BIOS - again this should be indicated in the BIOS text file (its usually not necessary but I have come across incidents where this was the case with older equipment). You should be able to install the the latest BIOS (eventually). If a hardware device doesn't seem to be functioning after installing the very latest BIOS, you may need to reinstall that specific Hardware update.

[@ww5220]

My CPU is working, but i have fully black screen after SSD upgrade (old bios, not updated by years). There is no backlight or anything. This tutorial is applicable for that, or i shall have black screen, but with backlight?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I'm not really following what your are saying. But, the BIOS doesn't really care about the operational state of the hard drive, although it may not be able to boot from it (if the BIOS is too old to support the new SSD). You still should be able to get into the BIOS. Are you able to get into the BIOS? If not, and you disconnect the SSD and/or reinstall the old hard drive, are you then able to enter the BIOS? If so, than I would guess that your system's BIOS doesn't recognize the new SSD drive and is hanging on it. Thus you should be able to boot to the old hard drive, or from a bootable CD. Many BIOSes (the upgrades) do have a Bootable image file that you can burn onto a CD and then use that to boot into your system and upgrade your BIOS that way. Then it should be able to support a new SSD hard drive. If you system is very very old, you may find that there isn't any more upgraded BIOS for it and will have to stick to older drive systems. If you are not able to get into the BIOS, in any manner, then perhaps this video will be of use to you. These are rather bland suggestions because you need to better describe your scenario and how you got there if you want any reasonably useful help.

[@stevencharette7918]

anyway you can share that EZP 2019 USB Programmer software, i have the v2.0 but with no chip editor no device option near the ABOUT tab maybe upload to google drive if you have a chance

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I uploaded mine to ufile.io (free account). It will be there for max 30 days accorind to uFile.io ufile.io/g6ekxf2z

[@stevencharette7918]

@@gjscomputerstuff omg thank you, i looked everywhere i couldn't find it,, i have a bios 25q064a i need to add, again thank you so much :)

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@stevencharette7918 Well, I hope you gave me a thumbs up and subscribed.\

[@stevencharette7918]

@@gjscomputerstuff oh yeah i sure did i will be following and learning my friend, trying to learn micro soldering and BIOS repair, i got quoted for a simple Diode TVS repair 300 bucks, so id rather learn to fix it myself. im not paying someone $300 bucks for a 10 mins job

[@gjscomputerstuff]

lhwerks00 Your comment came in my mailbox but I can't see it on KZbin so hopefully you check back to see this?? Anyways some comments and questions: 1) The Lenovo 25Q032 chip has an ID of 0x20BA16. It is a series 25 chip (obviously) 4MB size, 256 Flash Page, 3.3V If you can't find that ID in your program, search for the WinBond 25Q032 with ID 0xEF4016 (or perhaps 0xEF3016) chips. They are pretty common and have the same programming parameters. 2) the 25Q064 chip has an ID of 0x20BA17 (its a pair of the 25Q032 with twice the memory - hence it's ID is similar except for the last digit). Again if you can't find that one, search for the WinBond 25Q064 with ID 0xEF4017 (or perhaps 0xEF3017). 3A) Don't worry too much about BV, FV etc, they typically refer to packaging (size of the chip, spacing between terminals etc). That becomes important if you need to replace the chip - it needs to fit the underlying pad spacing and needs to be exact. 3B) The voltage is what is important. The W540 Bios chips are 3.3V and a lot of the devices you mentioned are 1.8Volts. If your voltage setting is wrong, you make not get consistent results. 4) On your programmer, make sure your speed isn't too high that can cause some problems. Did you disconnect your BIOS battery? Have you checked the voltage on your battery? 5) if you are able to boot, but not able to read your chips with your programmer, I would say that your programmer isn't set up properly (wrong voltage, chip ID, programming parameters, bad connection. (try reading with and without the BIOS battery backup installed - It should be a 3Volt watch type battery. Having the battery connect can help you to read the chip, but it can also mask having the wrong voltage on you programmer - leading to intermittent reading capability. Also, some programmers don't work well when the chip is connected to the board, and having the bios battery connected may help. Ideally, your programmer should work consistently without the battery connected. 6) The waiting for an 'internal static charge' to dissipate is a quick fix, but I believe it will get worse and is systematic with an error in earlier BIOS's. 7) i believe the GNET86WW is a problematic BIOS. At some point you are going to want to get GNET91WW and then GNET92WW (new emedded control program - stable). I don't recommend upgrading your bios with a programmer to anything later than GNET91WW. 8) with your computer running, check the MAC addresses of your network card (LAN not wifi) - it should correspond to what you see in your GbE (GigaByteEthernet) region of your BIOS.ROM file.

[@lhwerks007]

i tried connecting the battery but with the CMOS battery i could not get the read quality I was able to get without the CMOS battery yesterday (no intel image created). I will try to reassemble my PC today and reconsider if its worth the risk to attempt fixing. Of note, the programmer I have does not allow me to search by chip ID, just by manufacturer or chip name, and oddly under winbond chips it does not list 25Q064 but calls it W25Q64, and 25Q032 is called W25Q32. please see here: www.xgecu.com/MiniPro/TL866II_List.txt also when I auto search my chip it suggests to me Micron N25Q032A or Numonyx N25Q032A, or Micron N25Q064A and Numonyx N25Q064A. Unfortunately I cannot get an intel image rom from these. I have the system reassembled and I am trying to power it on and it wont post, which happens often so I am going to see if it resolves like it used to, or if this machine has finally died.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Ilhwerks I just read your comments again with fresher eyes and had a few thoughts I'll share with you: I'm not an expert with bitlocker, but I believe it works in tandem with the TPM to encrypt information - so disabling your TPM should mean that you can't boot up. Does bitlocker together with TPM encrypt your bios descriptor region? I have seen 3 different W540Bios roms - none of which have your values - the excessive number of flash chips. You probably should have only 11 for a 20BGCT01WW unless you have a specialty added function - of course you may have - your intel image indicates 2 flash chips and 4 masters where the others I've seen only have 3 masters and your Bios region access settings are slightly different). Perhaps your descriptor region has been encrypted! This is the main region of the BIOS that is particular to your specific computer and really the only region you need a clean 'dump' of in order to successfully rebuild a bricked computer's BIOS - and if bitlocker together with TPM can encrypt this - I could understand why/how it is successful in protecting peoples computers. I would recommend you completely uninstall bitlocker (it'll have to decrypt your hard drive so it will take some time). Then reboot, if everything is ok, then turn off TPM again (and remove all forms of security that you can) and see if you can successfully boot. If you can, you can try going in again and read your bios chip. You can always re-enable your security features later. If you reflash your BIOS with 'standard' parameters and you still have bitlocker on it or TPM was in use, it could mean your hard drive info is completely lost and you will have to reformat it. Of course, if you have successfully booted, you should be able to just upgrade the BIOS, but I suppose if you have been having BIOS problems, then you would want a clean copy of your BIOS before attempting a BIOS update via the OS and a programmer dump is the ideal way of doing that. If youwould like, I can supply you with a few different copies of W540 BIOS rom (89,91,92 bios versions from different motherboards) - via the FireFox Send. I was just making that video for my channel when I received your comment with the FireFox Send link. Have you always used that or did you get that from my coversation with MrKurce81? I think it's a great tool. G.

[@lhwerks007]

@@gjscomputerstuff Hi again, I think you misunderstood what I said before about bitlocker, was that I cannot enable bitlocker and get it to boot, and so I have had bitlocker off and it would boot (I had to wipe my disk and reinstall because of encryption). I have had booting problems since about 2016/2017 Anyway, I reassembled my system and it did boot again, however a funny thing. Now I cannot get all my ram slots to work. Since 2017 I have had an issue getting the ram configuration correct to boot, but this time It just wont boot with all 4 dimms inside. I tried cleaning it and what not, it will only take two dimms of 4. I had all 4 working before I attempted to read the bios chips. it used to give me trouble before but would eventually accept all 4, now it boots fine with 2 and 4 it wont start. it doesnt matter the dimms used, i tried swapping them in the working slots. but yeah, i got all the bios information, GNET92WW (2.40) 2019-08-23 Embedded Controller: GMHT29WW (1.14) ME Firmware: 9.1.45.3000 Machine type: 20BGCT01WW System-Unit Number: R900W46P System Board Number: W1KS43710U5 Mac Address: 54 EE 75 05 27 5E UEFI Secure ON security chip was enabled, i changed to disabled secure boot enabled it is very interesting to me, that when I had the programmer on the bios chips I pulled different gnet versions off the chips!!! I have saved a bin with gnet 84 and a gnet 88. Next, the ROMS i compiled with working "intel image" there were two, and the read from the BV chips had a ME region version of 13.32769.63.4092, whereas the read of FV chips has this value listed as 9.1.45.3000. however, both list a different MAC address than what my system shows in bios when booted. very strange indeed (the others look like real mac addresses) remember this is because my xgecu programmer has different selectable chips, W25Q64BV and W25Q64FV i was able to read an intel image from, but there was no way to find a chip under the chip code you provided, also it doesnt list the winbond chip as 25Q064, but just 25Q64XX. very strange. I am considering trying a different programmer. but this one seems very solid overall. I emailed the manufacturer but did not get a response. when my system broke, it was plugged into a thinkpad pro docking station. also I was travelling overseas for an extended time, im from the us. i cant imagine what happened, because this break did not occur from performing a bios update. was it a malfunction from the dock, did it get a zeroday? really strange but I think this system is junk now. it turns on and runs, but its super unreliable it seems very suspicious. thoughts?

[@gmjwtech6976]

Hey man, thanks again for your reply. I have applied the first Bios update with the same embedded controller version 1.14. AMAZING ! Your method worked perfectly in my case and I could boot into the OS !! Thank you again for your excellent work !!! The only issue, because I used an OS version which was originally installed for an other machine type, makes my machine crash after some few minutes. But I am optimistic with a fresh and new instal, everything will be fine finally. However, You are great!! Thnx again!!!

[@pauldanster1239]

flash check error address: 10h ezp2019. The tool delete and write but fail to verify. I'm programming on board

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Others have asked this and you can check other commenters, but basically: That usually means that you did not successfully write to your chip (there is a difference in what is read from your chip and what is in memory) The very low address would indicate that you didn't write anything (successfully) to the chip This could be due to (in order of ease of checking) 1) you did not erase the chip (successfully) prior to writing 2) you did not have good contact to your chip when writing 3) you do not have the correct parameters setup for your chip 4) your programmer is not able to maintain the proper voltage when writing to the chip (a similar improper grounding as indicated in the video - applicable when you are programming a 24 or 25 series chip ( but not a 93 series chip)). 5) perhaps something else that I can't think of at the moment but the above 4 are what I would check.

[@fatehfernane1666]

hello, does this EZP-2019 SPI programmer work with 5 volt automotive eproms like 93 and 95?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Sorry, but I haven't tried 93 or 95 chips. I wouldn't worry to much about the '5V' labelling (EZP-2019 doesn't output 5V) as the chips typically operate over a range of voltages such as 2 to 6V (and may still operate at lower voltages). Your best bet would be to check out the manufacturer's specs for the device in question.

[@fatehfernane1666]

@@gjscomputerstuff thx,

[@GorgeGeorg]

@@fatehfernane1666 I didn't mention it in my comment but I do in the video - that the EZP-2019 applies a voltage on the chip of 3.3V.

[@kotlet2612]

Is it necessary to do the uefi edit thing ive seen some ppl just flash the rom and it worked ? Its a little advanced im afraid i damage the chip by doing sth wrong

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Is it necessary? If you just copy the info from the Bios chip(s) to your computer and then just re-flash the same information - what have you changed? Some people may think nothing, but in fact, the process of erasing and then writing to the chip may allow the chip to function again. Also, completely discharging the chips (over time) and then rebooting may also work. Older chips may get 'stuck' and a re-flash or discharge may (for a while) alleviate this problem - and you're good to go. However, BIOS may also get damaged (information gets screwed up) and just re-flashing/discharging may no longer work as you can no longer get far enough along in the boot process for the BIOS to correct itself and it hangs. Here you will need to rebuild/reset. What this video shows is not a rebuild of the BIOS in itself, but resetting the BIOS to reconfigure itself on the next power up - that's what you are actually doing in the 'swapping in/out' of info with UEFI editior. It's the same process that a Operating System programmer does when you do a BIOS update/upgrade with the system already running windows.

[@kotlet2612]

@@gjscomputerstuff thanks alot as far as i understand if i only flash thebin file generated from cap it might work for most of the time? Butrebuild is likethe overkilling and making sure everything goes well i dont know if i should update my bios or not i updated my mothers laptop bios it went well i didnt even know it was updating bios i was just installing drivers from site but now im reading ppl screwed the process and the other reason im afraid it will go wrong is that the current cpu im using isnt listed on asus site supported list i5 3470 so the system might crash during the update ,its not very expensive build thats why im trying to work on it and learn stuff , Thanks for ur vids theyre great

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I (nobody in fact) could say "most of the time" it will work. It will ultimately come down to what is wrong with your system. Unfortunately, that is much more involved task to investigate and requires a detailed understanding of the BIOS layout and chip layout and design. With different manufacturers, different systems and requirements; this would be too involved for almost everybody (even if you are a hardware/software expert). Doing the repair and programming is practically child's play in comparison. I think this video explains what needs to be done - but not why. That is what I have attempted to bring to the general population.

[@kotlet2612]

@@gjscomputerstuff thanks for explaining have a good day

[@StAlKeRrEpAcK]

I have a desktop wont post with blank screen hardware are all good mouse on but keyboard numlock not on when booting i think bios corrupted it was showing scrambled letter on bios ,auto restarting and when checking ram for errors on boot it freezes and sometimes it restart then no post right now

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Give it a rest (unplug power). Remove all peripheral devices and USB connected devices (remove the USB plugs - mouse, backup drive or whatever else maybe connected. Try to disconnect all drives (except your main hard drive) Then wait at least 30 minutes then retry. If no change, then likely your BIOS is corrupt. If you are able to boot, then, your power supply or an another device may be faulty.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Many desktop computers also have a BIOS reset switch/jumper/button on the board. You can look up your motherboard online and determine what you have. Then you can also try Resetting your BIOS this way and retry booting. The only manual should explain exactly how to do this (place jumper over ... ; hold button for x seconds on boot up ... , or whatever).

[@nalinguleria8811]

Hi , I really need help with this, I am using a MX25L6473F but the program detects it as somthing else and I also don't know the chip ID . Also even when I use a compatible profile the program shows it has written but when I go to read it says it's empty and gives an error when I verify. I do not bios battery plugged in so should I ? Could this damage the chip ?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I believe that Chip ID is probably 0xC22016 or 0xC22017. Is this the chip ID that you get? C2 is the manufacturer's ID and 2016/2017 is the Device ID, a response from an 0x9F request (RDID?). If your chip isn't in the data base, you will need to check a datasheet to get the config parameters. (8MB Flash, 256 Flash page, etc) If you try to read/write without the proper configuration, it won't work properly (at all) although the software will attempt to send/receive data with those settings and report back that it was successful - it was successful performing the steps from the software point of view - not that the chip was successfully read or written. The chip will merely send back 0x00 or 0xFF (empty) and data written will be thrown away. The verify command is the method in which you can determine whether the chip was programmed successfully. Having the BIOS battery (not) plugged in shouldn't damage the chip. If you don't get the proper chip ID, you probably don't have a good contact with the chip - the programming parameters shouldn't have any affect on the obtaining the chip ID.

[@nalinguleria8811]

@@gjscomputerstuff oh okay so this whole time the chip actually hasn't been written to ? Would this mean the original bios code is still in there ? When I first started this I wanted to have a back up of the original but the program just returned as empty. Thank you so much for your help ! I retried this morning with my desktop computer this time but now the chip is simply not being detected it says "no chip detected please check connection" is this simply because it does not know the chip parameters ? Or is my connection just bad ( ( I have tried many times at this point but it only detected it once and then continued to say no chip detected ☹️ ) yesterday before sleeping I tried reprogramming with the bios battery and laptop power both plugged in with the ezp2019 programmer, could this have somehow fried the chip, how can i check this ?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@nalinguleria8811 I can't say for certain, but if you are unable to properly read the chip (empty) then you are also unlikely able to write to it as well. If the SOIC clip makes proper contact (and you have pin 1 aligned properly) then you should be able to read the chip id without knowing the chip parameters, But you won't be able to read/write the memory within the chip without the proper parameters. If you are unable to even get the chip ID, your unit may not be working correctly - a similar problem to what I found with the improper ground within the unit that I mention in the video (5 min mark). I would suggest you check the voltage across your chip when you test. It should be close to 3.3V (pin 8 is Vcc and pin 4 is ground). There should be a slight drop in the voltage as you begin testing (may drop down to 3V), if there isn't a drop then you likely don't have a good connection. If it drops substantially more than this, your unit may not work with chips mounted on a motherboard and you may have to either make modifications to your EZP2019 as I did, or obtain a different unit (different vendor, different model). You can also try leaving the BIOS battery connected to see if this helps. Before you write, you should download the memory. In your case, I would recommend downloading at least twice, saving each download, and then comparing the 2 to make sure they read the same (and aren't empty). You should be able to take the BIOS files and read them with an editor such as UEFItool to confirm that they are BIOS data.

[@nalinguleria8811]

@@gjscomputerstuff so all I have to do is check the voltage across the pins you mentioned with the SOIC clip and programmer plugged in ? And look for a voltage drop ?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@nalinguleria8811 You're asking for absolutes ('all I have to do'), but I am only offering suggestions. Check the voltage across the chip (is it 3.3V?), check the voltage drop (how much of a drop is there?). This may/should indicate whether or not your 'setup' is working. These are indicators as to what the problem 'may' be. Troubleshooting can lead many different paths, and what lies along that path depends on which branch your currently on. If you are an experienced trouble shooter, it doesn't take too long to find the problem - for me giving you advice, we really have to take it one step at a time. The most common problem is a connection problem. Are you sure you know which is Pin 1 on your device? Is your unit (EZP2019) working properly? (Voltages and voltage drops). If the voltages are wrong - then is your clip plugged in properly? It's easy to offset the connector by 1 slot in the ZIF connector. Voltage is > 3.3Volts - where is this extra voltage coming from - is it there when not connected? Voltage is 3.2 volts but drops to 3.1 volts when operating - looks good. Voltage is 3.3 volts and never changes - something (likely) isn't connected properly Voltage is 3.3 volts and drops to 2.7 volts - EZP2019 is unable to supply enough current Chip is damaged, or short on board, or EZP2019 ground problem l (like in the video) Try checking another BIOS chip, purchase a 25 series memory chip in an electronics store and see if the programmer works when the chip isn't connected to the motherboard. I doubt your programmer fried your chip (but it may have). The most likely way to fry a chip is with static electricity - walking (dragging your feet) on a carpet, building a substantial static charge, and then touching an electronic chip is like taking a baseball bat to someone's head - it's not pleasant. The blue background in my video (pictures) is a grounded electronics mat which allows one to discharge one's self of static electricity before working on electronics. That being said, its still not easy to fry a chip and the static mat isn't a necessity (but a good safety feature). I think I'll add that to my description.

[@gentcali]

I have a W25Q128FVPQ . I want to connect it and read throw EZP2019+ but cant do it . please help

[@gjscomputerstuff]

What is the problem that you are having? What have been able to do so far? You need to provide some details if you want help.

[@excellentintelligent1331]

@@gjscomputerstuff it does not recognise the IC and I can't read it.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@excellentintelligent1331 Have you followed along my video? Have you confirmed that you have pin 1 correctly selected? What does unit say when you connect it and try to ID it? You aren't providing me with any details! Without details, this is a waste of my time.

[@asambleamecatronica5785]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge buddy. I have a bin file that was read from 93c76 through ezp2019. When i load bin file and try to White it and click verify it's showing: "flash check error address 0h". I cannot write 93c76 eeprom. Have you experiencie issue before? I have tried with different 93c76 eeproms, diferente ezp2019 and diferente computer and still unable to write my bin file :-( have you seen this before?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

This flash check error indicates that it has not successfully written anything. Did you first erase the chip? It must be erased before it can be written. Try that and then read in the chip and see if you get a blank file (all FF or all 00). If you are unable to erase, something is wrong. Incorrect chip parameters; too high a write speed (set to lowest speed); poorly connected chip clip; unit unable to maintain voltage supply (short ground as indicated in the video). These are the most likely sources of problem for not being able to write. How closely have you followed the instructions?

[@asambleamecatronica5785]

@@gjscomputerstuff thank you for taking the time to respond buddy. I succesfully erased memory, changed speed but cannot write anyrhing. I applied 3.3 Volt from external power supply from 8 to 5 gnd pin but still unable to write. I do not know what is wrong 😞

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@asambleamecatronica5785 Did the software correctly detect your chip? It's very important for a 93 series chip because the configuration is somewhat different then for a 24/25 series chips which I have shown in my video. Have you checked the pinouts of your chip with a datasheet? I didn't notice at first that you were talking about a 93 series chip (these don't have to be erased before writing like the 25 series). There are some other differences as well - you have to make sure you select a correct memory unit width for a 93 series chip.

[@asambleamecatronica5785]

@@gjscomputerstuff when I click find, it is detected 24 eeprom but i choose 93 eeprom. I read 93c76 datasheet, Is pin configuration different? I also saw that protection is present if vcc is not reached 1.4v. I am installing eeprom in pin1 in adapter, 2 in 2, 3 in 3 and like that. May i do something different when i connect in ezp 2019 with 24 eeprom?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@asambleamecatronica5785 Well, you said you were able to successfully read the 93c76 chip into a bin file. If the contents look ok, then I would say that your parameters are ok and that you should be able to modify and write the contents as well. There may be a little bit of 'tweaking' required to be able to write the file - which is why I suggested using the slowest speed. You could also try the other speeds. In my experience this is all that would be required. However, if you received a bin file from someone else (and you didn't read it in from your own chip), and then tried to program that bin file and are unable, I would first try and read the chip and see if you get any meaningful data. If you can't then most likely the parameters are not setup correctly and you need to choose a 93 chip from the database - one that fits the parameters within the datasheet or is close enough that you only need to change a few parameters - and proceed to try and read data in before writing. Your english is a little broken and the details of what you have done (and your experience in chip programming) is unclear to me so I am unsure as how to proceed.

[@hassana7089]

Hi can you share that version of EZP2019, because I have one without device button

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I posted this earlier at s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=05964581697784627751

[@hassana7089]

@@gjscomputerstuff thank you

[@gaborm4767]

Ok so you flashed the lenovo BIOS to the spi flash directly by flash programmer. But why did you copy some part of the old version of BIOS to the new one?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Something was corrupted in the old BIOS file. The computer would not boot, and when you turned the computer on and hit the F1 key to go into the BIOS, it would just sit there. You can't just take a 'new' bios file from the Lenovo site and flash that. The info in BIOS updates isn't an 'image' of your BIOS but rather what needs to be changed in your current BIOS. There is information that is pertinent to your hardware is also stored in your BIOS and that info isn't available in the downloads from Lenovo. Your BIOS is an amalgamation of what was there already, and new stuff provided in the 'update'. However, what you capture with the programmer, IS an image of your BIOS, so if you have a corrupted BIOS, you need to either copy an image back into the BIOS (either one you made previously or one you got from someone with very, very (the same) hardware). I didn't have an original BIOS from before it became Bricked, so I copied my original BIOS (with the programmer) and modified it with the stuff that changes and left the hardware info the same. Now if the chip was damaged and I had lost the BIOS parts specific to my hardware, I would have to replace the chip and get a BIOS from a similar hardware based computer.

[@johnedmargalero2041]

Hi can i ask you something? Why i have this error after verifying Flash check error address:10h Chip type: winbond 25Q65fw Programer: ezp2019 Prefered type: Winbond 25Q64fw 1.8v Speed: 6hz Page: 256

[@gjscomputerstuff]

That usually means that you did not successfully write to your chip (there is a difference in what is read from your chip and what is in memory) The very low address would indicate that you didn't write anything (successfully) to the chip This could be due to (in order of ease of checking) 1) you did not erase the chip (successfully) prior to writing 2) you did not have good contact to your chip when writing 3) you do not have the correct parameters setup for your chip 4) your programmer is not able to maintain the proper voltage when writing to the chip (a similar improper grounding as indicated in the video). 5) perhaps something else that I can't think of at the moment but the above 4 are what I would check.

[@deilsonalves8833]

Friend, you know how to tell me why my program does not have this device option ... which I already searched here and does not have ...

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I don't understand what your asking. What device option? What program?

[@remigiuszbloch]

@@gjscomputerstuff new version of "EZP2019 USB High Speed Programmer" don't have "Device" button in toolbar. Can you share link to your version of this program?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

\@@remigiuszbloch The program I used is posted on tiny upload. It came on my driver disk. s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=05964581697784627751

[@knightwar3]

I just checked my ezp 2019+ and the pin4 is not connected to ground that's why i found the ch341 which has the pin4 connected directly to ground to be more reliable despite it's cheaper price compared to this one also the green led is too bright that resistor must be changed too

[@gjscomputerstuff]

For 25 & 26 series chips, pin4 should be grounded. For (most ?) 93 series chips, pin5 is the ground. I believe the ezp2019 has internal switching for the ground to compensate for this. Unfortunately, the ground switch mechanism tends to have higher resistance then a direct to ground and this results in a voltage drop. If the chip is mounted - the source Vcc may not be able to provide enough current to compensate - resulting in a Vcc below the minimum threshold for successful operation. If the chip is not mounted, this voltage drop in not sufficient to drop Vcc enough for a problem to occur. I would guess that the makers of the ezp2019's tested their units on stand alone chips and not mounted chips.

[@knightwar3]

​@@gjscomputerstuffthis makes perfect sense

[@nevemartins]

Thank you so much!

[@4quarius]

I have a problem with 25q032 chip. I can't read it properly. There was no problem with 8MB chip, and i think that my 4MB is broken. I've tried everything except unsoldering it and read directly from socket in programmer yet (don't have hot air here). Do you think that is there any chance to rescue this bios if 4MB chip is broken? I can buy same chip and solder it to my board, but I have no idea if this will work without original dump.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

If your 8MB is ok, then you should be ok. All of the relevant info to your motherboard occurs at the beginning of the ROM file which is in the 8MB segment. Note that the ROM file is 8MB at beginning and 4MB at the end. You will need to get a ROM(12MB) file from a similar motherboard, you can swap out the 'hardware info' from your 8MB chip and place it into the other ROM (12MB) using the UEFItool following a similar procedure as I have done, except you will keep all the stuff I exchanged (the common BIOS) and replace the motherboard info : Extract theDescriptor Region; GbE Region; ME region info from your 8MB and place it into the other BIOS ROM (12MB) and save it as Your new BIOS, then go ahead and reread your new BIOS ROM file and follow my procedure and replace the BIOS parts with that downloaded from Lenovo (or who ever makes your motherboard/computer) . As far as reading your 25q032, did you disconnect the battery backup - some people say you should, some say you shouldn't I would try both. Also, I would check to see if there is any short between any of the pins on the BIOS chip. Check the voltage on the chip while your are trying to read/write/erase it and ensure that it is the correct voltage - Most are 3.1-3.3 volts although some are lower (1.8V). If the voltages drops off too much from it's designed value, it won't work properly (or even at all). The eeprom's are fairly robust chips, especially when soldered in place. I'd worry about a bad Capacitor (leaking) that may prevent the chip from functioning - have you checked your Caps? You can download the Datasheet for the 25q032 from many places to see what pins are what when you search for a short. If you are going to replace the chip, you don't need a hot air unit but a reasonable soldering iron with a fine tip - you don't need to worry about damaging the chip when taking it out so but you have to operate quickly. After you have it out, make sure you don't have any excess solder or shorting between pads when going to re-solder the new chip (remember that a good flux is your best friend).

[@4quarius]

@@gjscomputerstuff Thanks for reply, I've tried everything, with battery, without, on different voltages. It reads the chip, but always with different values n some regions of memory. I can't get two identical dumps from this chip. I'll unsolder it and check in socket later. Thank You very much.

[@4quarius]

@@gjscomputerstuff All caps seems to be OK. I'll start from unsoldering the 25q032 chip, because regions bad readed are usually the same. Thats why I think it is broken. If I'll dump unsoldered chip with success, I'll check other possibilities. If not, I'll try to replace chip with new one and do steps which you reccomend. BTW my W540 isn't booting to splash screen. It beeps 5x and another 5x with blank screen. I don't know it's history. Board looks fine, bios was my first thought. Next I suspect are BGA chips.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@4quarius I would say the fact that you are getting the chip to read, but certain regions don't read consistently the same data, would indicate that there is something faulty with the chip. I'll assume you've also tried setting the programmer to it's slowest interface speed. Did your chip ID match one that was already in the programmer's database or did you select a similar one? If so, have you tried other similar ones?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@4quarius Somewhere I read that 2 sets of 5 beeps means that there is a problem with the motherboard (first 5 beeps) - that the BIOS info is not correct (second 5 beeps). Sounds very similar to your inconsistency reading the BIOS with the programmer. This leads me to believe your programmer and the way you are using it (parameters etc) is fine. If you can consistently read the first part of your 25q032, you may be able to use the HEX editor to Cut & Paste from the Lenovo Bios file (with the same BIOS version as yours) into the damaged region of your 4MB chip to repair it. You can test by reading the 'repaired' ROM file with the UEFItool - you should get no errors when you load it.

[@unknowntech2417]

how do you recognize the chip i.d? that is awsome? may i know?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

At around the 7 minute mark I discuss looking for the chip ID. Perhaps you are refering how did I know that the 25Q032 refers to a Winbond chip (~ 2:22 mark) ? Well, I looked on the NET for a datasheet using the numbers on the chip. I then looked at the operating parameters and looked for a chip in the database with similar values. I had already suspected that the WINBOND chips were comparable because they've been used in other computers for that purpose so I went directly to WINDBOND in the programs database.

[@unknowntech2417]

i hope more video to come.. thank you for some good idea. godbless

[@cr34t0r1234]

when i open ezp2019 app my menus are all garbled cant read anything anywhere in the app. seems that text encoding is off. anyone know why? i tried on windows 10 and windows 11 computers. is this for win7 only?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Sounds like your version of exp2019 is corrupt. I've run it on Windows 10 (mostly) and tried it on Windows 7 and both worked the same. Have you copied the program to your hard drive and run it from there? (I'm assuming you have a version on a CD). If you have a CD version, it may be best to copy the 'whole' folder to your hard drive. CD's are read only and the program may have to modify itself which may cause difficulties when running.

[@cr34t0r1234]

@@gjscomputerstuff i tried it from cd, from copying to desktop and i just downloaded one from the internet. and still the same. tried it on my laptop too. do you have a copy you can upload somewhere?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@cr34t0r1234 I posted the zip 'program' that came with my unit at: ufile.io/80ic1uta It should be there for 30 days according to ufile.io.

[@cr34t0r1234]

@@gjscomputerstuffthere was nothing wrong with the program. i just had to select a language that says english 😜😜thanks for your help though! 🙏

[@abnad2827]

Hi, Can your programmer do the 24s08 chip bios t500 lenovo? Thank in advance.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I've never personally tried but it says that it can program the 24 series EEPROMs.

[@abnad2827]

Hi, I try to read lenovo 24S08 eeprom with upa usb programmer but I have this message ACK error. What is the problem?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@abnad2827 Just saw this post, did not come up in the feed. I have never encountered an ACK error with my device. ACK refers (probably) to a control line on the chip. The error (probably) reflects that the line cannot be controlled - either it is tied high or it is tied low - that means it's probably shorted (internally or externally) to ground or a power line. My guess is that chip is fried. Have you tried other chips? If all other chips also show an ACK error, then the programmer is probably fried.

[@chaithanyachaithu9062]

I have lenovo ThinkPad e550 Problem is not turning on just red light blinking & some times beep sounds coming with times 😭 Pls tell me solution

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I can't provide a 'solution' - I can merely suggest things to look at or try. Have you tried entering the BIOS? The 'beeps' are (usually) an error code from your boot loader. You will need to look at the hardware maintenance manual for your laptop which will indicate what the beeps mean. You can search for "thinkpad e550 hardware maintenance manual" on DuckDuckGo easily enough. Simple things to try are to make sure all external devices are not connected (for example - if you have an USB mouse, wired or wireless, remove the USB connector). You can try resetting the memory modules. Also try removing the CD player and resetting the hard drive.

[@chaithanyachaithu9062]

Yes bro I have tried these all things but won't work I think it's bios chip problem may be

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@chaithanyachaithu9062 Well, you didn't mention any of what you have tried so far in your comment. Do you have a ezp programmer (or similar)? Have you read in the BIOS and reprogrammed it as in this video? Personally, I think Lenovo products have a very short lifetime. Thinkpads made by IBM were high quality products - Lenovo has earned a 'junk product' rating with me.

[@chaithanyachaithu9062]

Yeah I know that but where do I get that

[@gjscomputerstuff]

@@chaithanyachaithu9062 Get what? I do mention at the very beginning of my video where I get everything I use, hardware and software.

[@shaggyRogers1916]

Hi, idk how to start explaining but I have a gigabyte b450 aorus m which has the bios chip named (MXIC MX25U12873F) I somehow bricked the bios so I got the EZP2019+ today as some guy on youtube fixed the same motherboard with it I noticed that he didn't choose the exact chip in the software and somehow it worked with him and it's fixed I did everything right as he did in the video and everything seems right, at least for the connectivity side here's the problem that I have: when I read the chip it reads it just fine, but when it finishes all the bits be empty. when I write on the chip it writes just fine and it takes a good while and after it finishes I try to verify and it says "flash check error address *the address is written here*" I assume that it's the chip mismatch that I have so I tried do add a custom device in the database but I can't find the right information about my chip like the chip ID, I checked the bios datasheet and nothing provided about the chip ID but man !! how did that work with that youtuber?! I'm using the 1.8v adapter and cable provided with it when I ordered the ezp2019+ I knew that the ch314a is way better than it but it was too late Is there any hope to fix my bios? Thank you, and I'm sorry for taking too long.

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I would say your programming parameters are wrong or your device isn't working properly - as in my video I indicate that my ezp2019 wasn't able to properly program a chip still mounted to the motherboard until I altered the grounding within the ezp2019, or your chip is damaged. I take it that you believe your chip to be a 1.8V device (hence that adapter). Did you check the voltage on chip is actually 1.8V while you are trying to program it? And I mean while actually Reading or Writing and not just connected when connected to the chip. If it is unable to supply the voltage, then the device (ezp2019) may have a problem, if the voltage is able to hold the 1.8V then your chip may be damaged or just not connected properly but I would assume that you tried multiple times minimizing the likelihood that an improper connection is the problem. You can also look around for another BIOS (or similar) chip and see if you can read that - if you can then your chip may be internally shorted and would need to be replaced.

[@luckyitsolutions_capetown3804]

Hi GJS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS INFO. MY SIDE, AM IN TROUBLE WITH THINKPAD L480, I ACCIDENTLY WIPED THE CHIP AND I'M NOT ABLE TO LOAD NEW BIOS FILES. PLEASE I NEED YOUR HELP. I WILL PAY A FEE VIA PAYPAL MAYBE. U CANT SEEM TO LOAD NEW FILES INTO THE BRICKED BIOS, BIOS FILE IS FL1 FROM LENOVO NOT BIN FORMAT. PLEASE

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I'm not familiar with the L480. Does it have 1 or 2 BIOS chips? Do you have the original contents of the BIOS? I assume you read the info from the chips before your wrote the data. Is that the data you accidentally wiped? You can't load new files into the bricked BIOS - are you able to read the bricked BIOS? Do the files you read make sense? (if you look at them with an UEFI editor). Can you provide a more detailed description of what you did and what went wrong.

[@migue_45]

Hello, I don't speak much English so this message will be translated, okay I have an asus rog g750jx, I have american megatrends bios, version 209, well the problem I have is that I don't know much about computers, that is, formatting and that yes, but what happened to me is that when I had windows 11 I went to the bios, I went to a section where it said something about usb, and well I deactivated that option, and well to this day I have not been able to fix the problem I can't use the keyboard to navigate the bios menu of my laptop, and well, with this video and with that programmer that you show in the video, can I reset it, correct?

[@gjscomputerstuff]

You'd probably be ok just reseting the BIOS. Check for ASUS rog bios reset - perhaps some vidio like - (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIHEcmiYpNJ-Z5o) . It's usually a very simple thing to do. This video deals with the more complicated issue of when your BIOS is corrupt - and not really what you have described.

[@migue_45]

@@gjscomputerstuff Yes, and thanks

[@shawn83823]

can someone help me out i have i hp 640 g1 my bios chip is Mxic mx25l12873f do some know what this chip id is

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Do you have the EZP-20?? SPI programmer. If you connect it (properly) and hit test, it should return the ID it reads or indicate the chip and its parameters. A quick check indicates that yours is probably 0xC22018

[@gjscomputerstuff]

I was finally able to check the EZP2019 database file and that Chip is listed in the database, and it is indeed 0xC2 2018.

[@يسرى-خ9ذ]

i ned bios clear Lenovo W540

[@gjscomputerstuff]

What?

[@PiotrK2022]

@@UCcbd1K2SlNMAmhHoKwuOm3g You made a possible mistake... I heard that it is a bad idea to jump to the latest version so you should program closest version to original one because sometimes it may create issues and laptop will be still dead,

[@gjscomputerstuff]

Well actually, I point this out - starting at around the 13 minute mark I discuss the Bios. At around the 14 minute mark We discover which BIOS we currently have - GNET88 and then on the LENOVO web site we find the latest BIOS file with the same ECP which is the GNET91, and not the latest BIOS which is GNET 92 (but with a different ECP).