lbwww/site/docs/install/e6400.md

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title: Flashing the Dell Latitude E6400
x-toc-enable: true
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Introduction
============

Initial flashing instructions for the E6400.

**ROM images are available in the [Libreboot 20230423
release](../../news/libreboot20230423.md), and subsequent releases.**

**Variants with Nvidia GPUs are NOT supported in Libreboot 20230423
or 20230625.**

**Variants with Nvidia GPUs are supported in Libreboot 20231021 or higher.**

This guide is for those who want libreboot on their Latitude E6400 while
they still have the original Dell BIOS present. This guide can also be
followed (adapted) if you brick your E6400, and you want to recover it.

Variants (nvidia or intel graphics)
========

Dell E6400, E6400 XFR and E6400 ATG are all believed to work. The flashing
instructions are identical, on all of them.

100% Free Software possible (Intel GPU)
=========================

This board can boot entirely *free software* in the flash. The hardware is similar
to that of ThinkPad X200, T400 etc where no-ME setup is possible.

No-microcode setup feasible
----------------------------

The
[microcode bugfixes/mitigations added for GM45](../../news/gm45microcode.md)
are also applicable to this board, for users who are interested. Read that
article for more information.

Libreboot still recommends that boot with CPU microcode updates, by default,
for all the reasons described by Libreboot's [Binary Blobs Reductions
Policy](../../news/policy.md) but this board run reasonably well without them.

A note about GPUs
-----------------

We *confirm that* the Nvidia models are PM45, and therefore will require a VGA
ROM for initialisation. This is supported in Libreboot *after* the 20230625
release, if you compile from source; the `e6400_4mb` target can work on both
variants, but will need the Nvidia VGA ROM inserted to work on Nvidia models.
This insertion is handled automatically in newer lbmk revisions, during build
time, or you can [insert it on a release rom
after 20230625](ivy_has_common.md). - **A Video BIOS Option
ROM is used, in this configuration. Libreboot's
build system automatically downloads this at build time, or it can handle that
for you in the same way if it was scrubbed from a release ROM.**

Models with Intel graphics are GM45, and fully supported in Libreboot
with native initialisation; ROM images are available since Libreboot 20230423.
**The Intel video initialisation is libre, implemented with publicly available
source code via libgfxinit, from the coreboot project.**

Flash chip size {#flashchips}
===============

Use this to find out:

	flashprog -p internal

We believe most/all are 4MB (32Mb) flash sizes. The schematics hint that
some boards may have 6MB flash (4MB and 2MB, dual chip), but we've only ever
seen 4MB setups in the wild. You can still flash the 4MB image on 6MB setups,
if it's encountered, by just leaving the higher 2MB part unflashed, because
the flash descriptor (in Libreboot) configures everything so that the BIOS
region ends just before the 4MB mark, in flash; the BIOS region is the final
region, in the higher part of flash as defined *by the descriptor*, regardless
of whether that is the actual end of the flash.

Libreboot does currently provide 6MB images on this board, for these reasons.

MAC address {#macaddress}
===========

The MAC address is part of the ROM image that you're flashing. You can change
it at any time, before or after you've flashed Libreboot; you can also change
it in the *Dell* BIOS, if you really want to. This is for the onboard gigabit
ethernet device.

Refer to [mac\_address.md](../hardware/mac_address.md).

It is recommended that you run *nvmutil*. See:

[nvmutil usage manual](nvmutil.md)

The `nvmutil` software is specifically designed for changing MAC addresses,
and it implements a few more safeguards (e.g. prevents multicast/all-zero
MAC addresses) and features (MAC address randomisation, ability to correct or
intententionally corrupt(disable) GbE sections if you wish, swap GbE parts,
etc). You can *also* run ich9gen, if you wish:

[ich9gen usage manual](ich9utils.md)

Intel GPU: libre video initialisation available
===============================================

Libreboot uses coreboot's native `libgfxinit` on this platform, for
variants with Intel graphics.

For Intel GPU variants, Libreboot 20230423 and up have full support. Simply
flash a release ROM, if you wish.

Intel GPU errata
----------------

Systems with a 1440 x 900 display panel instead of the more common 1280 x 800
panel will have garbled graphics before the OS boots (i.e. in SeaBIOS or GRUB)
in Libreboot 20240504 and earlier. This is fixed in releases after 20240504.

This was caused by libgfxinit calculating PLL divider values for the pixel clock
assuming a 96 MHz reference frequency, whereas the E6400 uses a 100 MHz
reference frequency. The error is not large enough to affect the lower
resolution panels, but is enough to affect the 1440 x 900 panels which use a
higher pixel clock.

Nvidia GPU: Video BIOS Option ROM required
==========================================

**NOTE: `nouveau` (Linux video driver) is unstable when it was last tested, in
this setup. Either specify `nomodeset` kernel option, or use another
operating system such as OpenBSD. More information is written on the
[E6400 hardware page](../hardware/e6400.md), regarding OS compatibility.**

This is *unavailable* in Libreboot 20230423 and 20230625, but a future release
will contain support for these variants; for now, you must compile Libreboot
from Git. It is available in the default `master` branch of lbmk, under
build target `e6400_4mb` - either build from source and it gets inserted
automatically, or you can [insert it
manually](ivy_has_common.md) on future release ROMs past Libreboot 20230625.

An earlier experimental revision existed in an experimental branch of
lbmk, as build target `e6400nvidia_4mb`, but it was decided that since SeaBIOS
is the only payload anyway on this board, having just a single build target is
more efficient if that can (and it does) support both variants. It was therefore
added to the master branch.

Actual installation is the same as with regular E6400 (Intel GPU) variants.
Refer to the [E6400 flashing instructions](../docs/install/e6400.md).

Problems with Linux video drivers on Nvidia
-------------------------------------------

Technically, there is nothing wrong with Libreboot itself, but the `nouveau`
driver hangs/crashes on Nvidia models, after booting Linux with the Nvidia VGA
ROM loaded from coreboot.

Until that is fixed, you must specify `nomodeset` in your Linux kernel boot
parameters.

Refer to [development
discussion](https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbmk/issues/14#issuecomment-907758)
for more information - [testers needed!](../maintain/testing.md)

The *Intel* GPU variant of E6400 is more stable, and works fully, with full
acceleration - the Nvidia models can only be run in software, and the BSD
systems only have the slow `nv` driver (which is nonetheless stable).

Nvidia errata
-------------

**BEFORE** you flash it, please know that support for Nvidia variants is
a **proof of concept**. Known issues exist. For more information, please
read the [E6400 info page](../hardware/e6400.md), [E6400 nvidia news
page](../../news/e6400nvidia.md) and the [development discussion via
codeberg](https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbmk/issues/14#issuecomment-907758).

How to flash internally (no diassembly)
=======================================

Please read the article:

[Internally flash Dell Latitude laptops](dell_internal.md)

Dell's original BIOS/UEFI firmware typically prevents write access, but it
has bugs which can be exploited, to enable Libreboot installation very easily.
You do not have to disassemble the machine.

How to flash externally
=========================

Refer to [spi.md](spi.md) as a guide for external re-flashing.

The SPI flash chip shares a voltage rail with the ICH9 southbridge, which is
not isolated using a diode. As a result, powering the flash chip externally
causes the ICH9 to partially power up and attempt to drive the SPI clock pin
low, which can interfere with programmers such as the Raspberry Pi. See
[RPi Drive Strength](spi.md#rpi-drive-strength) for a workaround.

Have a look online for videos showing how to disassemble, if you wish to
externally re-flash.