Disable battery validation check patch

[merge]

Disable battery validation check patch

[kaffeekanne]

I actually have EC version 1.14, but BIOS version 2.60 and thought i need both to be most recent to be on the save side before flashing skulls. If most recent EC but BIOS is mostly irrelevant that might be good to add in the documentation. Lenovo still releases BIOSes so someone wanting to install skulls, probably would not need to update one last time since EC version is not increasing anymore.

Also, thanks for your hard work!

[merge]

As I understand it, Lenovo's original flash update tools have to be used. Also, skulls is a bios image; we don't touch the EC. But we mention it in our docs and could document this possibility...

[merge]

thanks for mentioning this! I'd love to have an ISO image (using the latest lenovo one) with only the battery EC patch applied.

Even if we won't be allowed to distribute it, that'd be great

[Thrilleratplay]

@merge The focus of Skulls is the BIOS but because it also has a script to run ME cleaner easier, I thought this would also be a good addition. As there is already a script to modify the bottom x230
chip, my idea was to include an option in that script that would copy the user's EC, decrypt it, patch it and reflash it.
Obviously, I need to do more research and test this out myself. If this seems like an appropriate path for Skulls to take, I can create a pull request.

[merge]

if you find an easy way, feel free to add an option to apply this. we apply me_cleaner during hardware-flashing using a clip. You won't be able to read the EC memory from there though.

I think https://github.com/google/pawn could read the EC memory too, but I could be horribly wrong. The projects you pointed at all use Lenovo's official update tools.

If you're looking for an easier target: I created a "battery patched" USB/CD image from the latest Lenovo ISO image; it's documented and ideally we could offer an image to download too...

It would be valuable if you'd document and test how to run this "official" EC update when you're already running the latest firmware, and the front Lenovo-UI stops, saying "not necessary" or something. http://zmatt.net/unlocking-my-lenovo-laptop-part-3/ mentions this too. Of course this is only relevant for people who are still on the Lenovo bios, but then at least for all of them.

[merge]

I think our current documentation is about as much as we can do here. I dont see a way to automate this using free software, so I'll close this. Feel free to reopen or create a new issue if what is documented can be automated. thanks a lot!

[kaffeekanne]

@merge:

If you're looking for an easier target: I created a "battery patched" USB/CD image from the latest Lenovo ISO image; it's documented and ideally we could offer an image to download too...

Actually i am looking exactly for that. The battery of my x230t died years ago and i wanted to do a last EC update before moving to skulls. I have no windows around to do a flash from there, but sketched out a manual way without battery check including a Windows PE ISO and the Update tool from lenovo, interrupting the update at some point (alle files extracted) and starting the flash tool with a switch ignoring the battery state.

Since that is pretty hacky and i have not found some else having done this before, a "USB/CD image" that has done this before would be highly appreciated!

[merge]

are you talking about using a cheap, 3rdparty aftermarket battery, or some check during flashing that any battery is inserted at all, or is not empty?

This issue is about the first problem. If the lenovo flashing tool wants the battery to be "not empty", that's a different issue. But you only need an EC update of your version really is older than 1.14.