Other X61 BIOS revisited (again)

balanga · Friday at 7:57 PM

I am having difficulty getting to grips with the contents of the BIOS upgrade CDROM for a ThinkPad X61.

The file can be obtained using:-
fetch https://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles/7nuj22uc.iso
and the contents can be extracted using tar xf 7nuj22uc.iso
You can boot from this ISO using Ventoy, and it boots up to IBM DOS Version 5.0 and 9 files are shown.
command.com is dated 05-09-91. None of these 9 files appear in those extracted from the ISO,
So where are they stored?

vmb · 2026-01-24T01:45:28+0000

Try using 7-zip (7z) instead of tar to extract the files from the .iso image.

Espionage724 · 2026-01-24T02:37:45+0000

balanga said:
None of these 9 files appear in those extracted from the ISO,
So where are they stored?

Looks like there's 7nuj22uc\[BOOT]\Boot-1.44M.img (guessing it boots to C:\ with files within that 1.44M.img); iirc there's a way to check mounted disks, but I'd try random paths like:

Code:

A:\lcreflsh.bat
D:\lcreflsh.bat
X:\lcreflsh.bat

Or take that 1.44M.img image, write to USB, then copy the 7nuj22uc folder onto it so it shows on the booted environment like C:\7nuj22uc\lcreflsh.bat

balanga · 2026-01-24T08:13:24+0000

vmb said:
Try using 7-zip (7z) instead of tar to extract the files from the .iso image.

Many thanks for this. I was under the impression that tar would extract all the files from the ISO. Maybe there is some parameter which would cause tar to extract subdirectories. I finally have some understanding as to how this works.

I also notice that this does not expose the subdirectory either.

mount -t cd9660 /dev/`mdconfig -f /7nuj22uc.iso` /media

balanga · 2026-01-24T15:30:15+0000

Espionage724 said:
Looks like there's 7nuj22uc\[BOOT]\Boot-1.44M.img (guessing it boots to C:\ with files within that 1.44M.img); iirc there's a way to check mounted disks, but I'd try random paths like:

Code:

A:\lcreflsh.bat D:\lcreflsh.bat X:\lcreflsh.bat

Or take that 1.44M.img image, write to USB, then copy the 7nuj22uc folder onto it so it shows on the booted environment like C:\7nuj22uc\lcreflsh.bat

file -s Boot-1.44M.img:-

Boot-1.44M.img: DOS/MBR boot sector, code offset 0x3c+2, OEM-ID "*P%5!IHC" cached by Windows 9M, sectors/cluster 2, root entries 112, sectors 1440 (volumes <=32 MB), sectors/FAT 3, sectors/track 18, serial number 0x124b0cf8, label: "DISK 1", FAT (12 bit), followed by FAT

mdconfig Boot-1.44M.img:-

md0

file -s /dev/md0:-

/dev/md0: DOS/MBR boot sector, code offset 0x3c+2, OEM-ID "*P%5!IHC" cached by Windows 9M, sectors/cluster 2, root entries 112, sectors 1440 (volumes <=32 MB), sectors/FAT 3, sectors/track 18, serial number 0x124b0cf8, label: "DISK 1", FAT (12 bit), followed by FAT

mount -t msdosfs /dev/md0 /media

mount_msdosfs: /dev/md0: Invalid argument

Anyone care to comment on what I've done wrong?

tingo · 2026-01-24T17:07:18+0000

Do ls -l /dev/md0* and see if any partitions (BSD partitons, noe GEOM partitions) show up?

covacat · 2026-01-24T17:24:13+0000

fsck_msdosfs /dev/md0 and let it fix it
then mount will work

Code:

# ls -1 /mnt/
AUTOEXEC.BAT
CD-DRV.BAT
COMMAND.COM
CONFIG.SYS
HIMEM.SYS
IBMBIO.COM
IBMDOS.COM
IBMTPCD.SYS
MSCDEX.EXE
QCD-DRV.COM

gotnull · 2026-01-24T17:30:22+0000

Why you did not follow the advice from this message in your other thread?
I mean the blog post is clear, commands are simple to follow, and it seems to exactly match your situation, what did not work?

balanga · 2026-01-24T17:36:48+0000

tingo said:
Do ls -l /dev/md0* and see if any partitions (BSD partitons, noe GEOM partitions) show up?

ls -l /dev/md0*

crw-r----- 1 root operator 0x64 Jan 24 17:23 /dev/md0

balanga · 2026-01-24T17:47:44+0000

covacat said:
fsck_msdosfs /dev/md0 and let it fix it
then mount will work

Code:

# ls -1 /mnt/ AUTOEXEC.BAT CD-DRV.BAT COMMAND.COM CONFIG.SYS HIMEM.SYS IBMBIO.COM IBMDOS.COM IBMTPCD.SYS MSCDEX.EXE QCD-DRV.COM

fsck_msdosfs /dev/md0

** /dev/md0
** Phase 1 - Read FAT and checking connectivity
FAT starts with odd byte sequence (f9ffff)
Correct? [yn]

Correct? [yn] Y
** Phase 2 - Checking Directories
** Phase 3 - Checking for Lost Files
Update FATs? [yn]

Update FATs? [yn] Y
11 files, 538 KiB free (538 clusters)

***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****

And now it works!

Thanks very much covacat

balanga · 2026-01-24T17:49:47+0000

gotnull said:
Why you did not follow the advice from this message in your other thread?
I mean the blog post is clear, commands are simple to follow, and it seems to exactly match your situation, what did not work?

I know the commands were simple to follow and I tried a hundred times and it did not work!

balanga · 2026-01-24T18:18:56+0000

I guess the reason the ISO file won't apply the BIOS update is because of the settings in the img file and that I need to autoexec.bat, config.sys and/or
cd-drv.bat.

blackbird9 · 2026-01-24T20:47:05+0000

When I did this, I actually burned the .iso to a physical cdrom, and installed it on the X61 using a portable usb dvd drive. That worked, I remember. Sometimes the easy fix is to use hardware.

blackbird9 · 2026-01-24T20:51:43+0000

It was one of these, in case that helps. They seem to be a bit pricey to get a working one now though.

Pardon our interruption...

Or you could get the ultrabase for the X61 and use the dvd drive in that (get one with the dvd drive installed).

balanga · 2026-01-24T20:52:24+0000

blackbird9 said:
When I did this, I actually burned the .iso to a physical cdrom, and installed it on the X61 using a portable usb dvd drive. That worked, I remember. Sometimes the easy fix is to use hardware.

The easiest fix would be to install via Windows.

But that would mean admitting defeat

blackbird9 · 2026-01-24T20:58:13+0000

Actually if you were going to try hardware, an ultrabase with the dvd drive installed looks like much better value than a usb dvd drive. Like this one, only 12 pounds. There are lots of others up there, you might find a better one than this. The X6 ultrabase is the right one for the X61. And it is a full docking station, external monitor and network, more usb ports, etc. Useful addition to the X61.

Pardon our interruption...

blackbird9 · 2026-01-24T21:15:40+0000

Flashing a bios is something where I almost always stick to the manufactur's exact instructions. Because if anything goes ever so slightly wrong, for whatever reason, you can end up with a bricked box. Then you have to mess around sticking clips on the backs of chips (if you can) and trying to reprogram the thing manually.

balanga · 2026-01-24T21:18:03+0000

blackbird9 thanks for the suggestions but my aim is to apply this upgrade via LAN.

My attempts up to now got as far booting up to an IBM DOS Version 5.00 prompt the same as booting via Ventoy from the ISO file.

I need to figure out how to link the 1.44M.img with the BIOS update files.

blackbird9 · 2026-01-24T21:20:42+0000

Wish you good luck. Yes I remember flash from lan is a supported bios option, you have to enable it in the bios.

balanga · 2026-01-24T21:23:02+0000

According to ChatGPT:-

Create a DOS boot image (bios.img) containing:

Lenovo flash utility

BIOS files

AUTOEXEC.BAT to run the flash automatically

Example AUTOEXEC.BAT:

<span>FLASH2.EXE /U /R<br></span>

(/U unattended, /R reboot)

blackbird9 · 2026-01-24T21:34:03+0000

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds013564-bios-update-utility-thinkpad-x61-x61s-reserve-edition

gotnull · 2026-01-24T21:44:55+0000

balanga said:
I know the commands were simple to follow and I tried a hundred times and it did not work!

Sorry it didn't work.

I found several links on the net and each one uses a different method so ... may be the recommended method to update your bios via CD is the right choice, if you can of course.