92 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
92 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
|
---
|
||
|
|
title: Internally flash Dell Latitude laptops
|
||
|
|
x-toc-enable: true
|
||
|
|
...
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Make sure SecureBoot is disabled, if you're running a UEFI-based Latitude.
|
||
|
|
Other steps also required, described on this page and in the `README.md`
|
||
|
|
file included with `dell-flash-unlock`.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Internal flashing
|
||
|
|
=================
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
You can simply boot Linux/BSD, on the Dell Latitude you wish to flash, and
|
||
|
|
run `flashprog` from there, for Libreboot installation. Certain other steps
|
||
|
|
are also required, documented in the steps below:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Flashing from BSD
|
||
|
|
-----------------
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Basically identical to Linux, except that you must
|
||
|
|
set `kern.securelevel` to -1 on boot, which is equivalent to `iomem=relaxed`
|
||
|
|
under Linux, for this purpose.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The `dell-flash-unlock` utility will compile and run just fine. It has been
|
||
|
|
tested on OpenBSD, NetBSD and FreeBSD. With this in mind, simply follow the
|
||
|
|
Linux instrucctions but adapt accordingly.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
If unsure, just boot a live Linux distro via USB and run it all there.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Flashing from Linux
|
||
|
|
-------------------
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
MAKE SURE you boot with this Linux kernel parameter: `iomem=relaxed` - this
|
||
|
|
disables memory protections, permitting `/dev/mem` access needed by flashprog.
|
||
|
|
The flash is memory mapped and flashprog accesses it via `/dev/mem`.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
You can flash Libreboot directly from the vendor (Dell) BIOS, without taking
|
||
|
|
the machine apart. It can be done entirely from Linux. It will probably also
|
||
|
|
work on BSD systems, but it has only been testing on Linux thus far.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
**NOTE (15 October 2023): The util is now called `dell-flash-unlock`, but it
|
||
|
|
was previously called `e6400-flash-unlock`. Links have been updated.**
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Check `util/dell-flash-unlock` in the `lbmk.git` repository, or in release
|
||
|
|
archives for Libreboot releases from 20230423 onwards.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Go in there:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
cd util/dell-flash-unlock
|
||
|
|
make
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
**With this program, you can unlock the flash in such a way where everything
|
||
|
|
is writeable. Information about how to use it is in the `README.md` file which
|
||
|
|
is included in that program's directory, or you can read it online here:**
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
**<https://browse.libreboot.org/lbmk.git/plain/util/dell-flash-unlock/README.md>**
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
**Please make sure that you do fully read the README, because it contains
|
||
|
|
useful information.**
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Literally just run that program, and do what it says. You run it once, and shut
|
||
|
|
down, and when you do, the system brings itself back up automatically; on some
|
||
|
|
systems, you have to boot the machine back up manually, after power down. Then
|
||
|
|
you run it and flash it unlocked. Then you run it again. The source code is
|
||
|
|
intuitive enough that you can easily get the gist of it; it's writing some EC
|
||
|
|
commands and changing some chipset config bits. The EC on this machine is
|
||
|
|
hooked up to the `GPIO33` signal, sometimes called `HDA_DOCK_EN`, which sets
|
||
|
|
the flash descriptor override thus disabling any flash protection by the IFD.
|
||
|
|
It also bypasses the SMM BIOS lock protection by disabling SMIs, and Dell's
|
||
|
|
BIOS doesn't set any other type of protection either such as writing to
|
||
|
|
Protected Range registers.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
MAKE SURE to back up the original firmware image first:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
flashprog -p internal -r factory.rom
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
When you flash it, you can use this command:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
flashprog -p internal -w libreboot.rom
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Where `libreboot.rom` is your Dell Latitude ROM. *Make sure* it's the right
|
||
|
|
one. If flashprog complains about multiple flash chips detected, just pick one of them (doesn't matter which one). On *most* Dell machines, the most correct
|
||
|
|
would probably be this option in flashprog: `-c MX25L3205D/MX25L3208D`.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
So:
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
flashprog -p internal -w libreboot.rom -c MX25L3205D/MX25L3208D
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
When you see flashprog say `VERIFIED` at the end, that means the flash was
|
||
|
|
successful. If you don't see that, or you're unsure, please [contact the
|
||
|
|
Libreboot project via IRC](../../contact.md).
|