Any one know where I can download this from the IBN support site? ThinkPad Hardware Maintenance Disk
Thankyou

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THANK YOU

I was trying to download this Hardware Maintenance Disk, but it seems it's no longer there. Do you know any other location from where it can be downloaded?

I'd also like to know if I can use it on my ThinkPad iSeries 1400 model 2611 451. The thing is I was trying to update my BIOS with R01-A7E from http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... IGR-488QAL and when my floppy was booted a "VPD CheckSum error" occured. Later, I've found on the net that I have to use this HMM (called also CE Utility - http://zurich.ai.mit.edu/hypermail/thin ... /0318.html or Utility Program Diskette in Hardware Maintenance Manual for my notebook).

Sorry for not covering the topic, but I don't want to give births to new unnecessary topics . Regards

I was surprised to see that this Hardware Maintenance Disk had been made available for public download, and am not surprised to discover that it is no longer available.

I believe that the IBM Thinkpad Hardware Maintenance Disks (HMD) were never intended for public consumption, and their distribution was intentionally limited by IBM. This is especially true of the latest version of the disk (v.1.7x). Some earlier versions of the HMD, including version 1.60, were made available to the public for a time on various IBM FTP sites, but those earlier versions also appear no longer to be available through IBM or Lenovo.

The reason these are not distributed publicly is that they can be used by thieves to change the internally reported serial numbers on stolen Thinkpads.

I'm not 100% sure which version is needed for the 1400 series, but I would guess that version 1.60 may work.

If you would like a copy of version 1.60 of the Hardware Maintenance Disk, then you can send me an email along with your real name and physical address and I will email you a copy as an attachment. To send me an email, simply use the email button at the bottom of my post.

Phil.

When I used your HMD and chose "Assign UUID" another error occured - it said I don't have EEPROM installed. I found that EEPROM is, to put it short, old version of a flash memory on which BIOS is stored. Now I'm confused...

Does anyone have a clue what to do now? I'm thinking of giving it a break, because it's getting deeper and deeper and all I originally wanted to do was to burn some CDs on my combo

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Thanks al7kz. I've downloaded it, but it didn't help. This time "Unknown exception occured. Setting UUID Checksum... FAILED". When I chose another option - "EEPROM failed". Any suggestions about this EEPROM? Could the source of my problem be the fact that my previous CD-ROM drive was replaced with new LG Combo?

Hmmm. Well, that looks pretty available to me. I stand corrected.

No, your CD drive shouldn't affect any of this, but if you want to verify that, then simply remove your CD drive and then try to use the disk again with nothing installed in your bay.

Phil.

I had difficulties with that and I don't want to damage my laptop.

[Moderator edit: removed link to password hacking software]
Maybe this will work or at least give someone a clue what can be done to "install EEPROM". Unfortunately, I've got a feeling it's to pro for me, because it says something about soldering etc.

I'm not sure you understood what I was saying -- I'm suggesting removing the entire drive from the UltraSlim Bay, I'm not suggesting taking the drive out of its caddy. Are you having some kind of difficulty with your UltraSlim Bay? You should just be able to hold the switch on the bottom of the laptop while you pull the drive out. And that's it.

Nope. That won't help you.

I'm not sure why you get the message "EEPROM failed", but it does seem that you are experiencing a known problem with updating the BIOS in a 1400. You initially said you were getting the error: "VPD checksum error". Have you tried this patch?:
Patch for VPD checksum error during BIOS update - ThinkPad 1400

Phil.

It worked. Thanks a lot pkiff. I've corrected the checksum and updated BIOS. Too bad it didn't help me with my combo. Thanks anyway, it's all I asked for. I'll continue my struggle on my native (Polish) forum



I'm afraid the only switch I've got is for the battery pack. There's no UltraSlim Bay in my thinkpad as far as I know. I've checked in the manual - nothing either.

Great!

My mistake. I forgot that you have a 1400 and not a 600. I don't know the 1400/1500 series very well.

Phil.

The maintenance disk is not for public release for some of the reasons pkiff stated above.

Openly distributing it, or any version of it here is I imagine counter to the rules of this board, or at least brings ethical questions to play.

Just my two cents to the mods on ThinkPads.com

I believe nobody on this forum openly distributed these disks. I could only see links to IBM's ftp resources (which are now deleted) and an individual request of mine, supported by my personal data.

These are two cents from me

Then you missed:

..."If you would like a copy of version 1.60 of the Hardware Maintenance Disk, then you can send me an email along with your real name and physical address and I will email you a copy as an attachment. To send me an email, simply use the email button at the bottom of my post. "

...and the other link that was not an IBM or LEnovo domain.

To be honest, it is not clear to me what IBM/Lenovo's policy is about these disks. However, just to clarify what happened in this thread...

In the specific case described by Maels, one of the resolutions provided in IBM support materials required the use of the Hardware Maintenance Disk. I'm comfortable giving someone a copy in such a case.

They both looked like IBM FTP addresses to me: the first link was to one version, then the next to the next updated version. I didn't see any non-IBM/Lenovo domain in either link. The one link that was removed (by me) was to a (non-IBM/Lenovo) page that discussed methods of bypassing supervisor passwords. And those discussions are not permitted on the Forum.

Phil.

Fair enough... I do know that Lenovo limits the distribution of that "disk" to authorized business partners that do service, and what they call Self Maintainers. So... fuzzy area eh?

what does this disk do exactly?

It lets you set the serial number (and maybe machine type?) of the machine in the NVRAM. This is usually done to make it match what's on the case, but it could be done to make fraudulent warranty claims.

Few things that are effective cannot be misused.

I got a Hardware Maintenance disk elsewhere in the net and now have the situation that I had to replace a mainboard in my T21, so the mainboard serial and the one on the case don't match. When I have the existing serial number information displayed, I get three fields that include the serial number of the new board, but also a number of other characters. So I'm hesitant to change anything for fear that I'll corrupt the EEPROM that holds this information.

Based on my experience thus far, it's probably against the rules to even ask this question, but how the heck do you change a board serial number to match the one on the case under such circumstances? Eventually I suppose I'll find an answer somewhere, but it would be easier if someone would help here (or if this is "secret" information in a PM)

You use the Hardware Maintenance Diskette. That's what it's for.

Sorry, but the question was for an explanation that tells me why the data in the EEPROM includes not only the serial number but also a number of other characters mixed in (and exists in three different strings). Just changing the data by substituting the current serial number of the new board for the old one in the strings without knowing what you're doing is a recipe for disaster.

Naturally I know what the disk is for.

But the disk itself offers nothing except for an unhelpful F1 help function, something like what you see as "help" in a BIOS. I often wonder why the people who write these things waste their time merely repeating what they're supposed to explain.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. It's been a long time since I've used the software.

IIRC, there's a serial number for the system, and one for the board. That was on a very old machine. Perhaps on newer ones, there are serial numbers for the MiniPCI or MiniPCI-E cards in there as well.

Please allow me to throw in my two cents worth (okay I'm Canadian so 1.92 cents worth).
First of all warranty on ThinkPad 600 and others in this forum has expired long long ago. So I doubt anyone will attempt to use the HMD to scam IBM for warranty. Two if someone steals such a machine, the market price is somewhere south of $100 ($105 Canadian) - that is to say hardly worth it.

I see a little edginess in some of the posts re: ethics and this I understand. As a recipient of the largess of a member of this group, I was able to use my legal Windows 2000 Pro license (OEM is different than retail.) So please stop, take a breath or count to ten. You have in this group some of the finest, most ethical people on the net. Helping one member with a private offer of a "difficult to obtain" piece of software just makes sense.

I for one am very willing to help someone with their problem if I can. Grey area? My hair is pure white.

Finally found what I wanted, here for reference: an understandable description of how to proceed with the Hardware Maintenance Disk.