lbwww/site/docs/install/x230_external.md

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title: ThinkPad X230/X230T external flashing
x-toc-enable: true
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This machine is available to purchase with Libreboot pre-installed:
<https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-x230/>

NOTE: Libreboot standardises on [flashprog](https://flashprog.org/wiki/Flashprog)
now, as of 27 January 2024, which is a fork of flashrom.

**[PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE INSTALLING](../../news/safety.md),
OR YOU MIGHT BRICK YOUR MACHINE: [SAFETY PRECAUTIONS](../../news/safety.md)**

NOTE: Internal flashing (from vendor firmware) to Libreboot is possible, on
this board, but the steps are a bit more complex than using an external flasher.
See: [internal ivybridge flashing](ivy_internal.md)

Read the [Ivybridge/Haswell common guide](ivy_has_common.md) if you want more information.
All of the following instructions assume that you've cloned lbmk and are operating from the
root of that project. To do so, run

	git clone https://codeberg.org/libreboot/lbmk
	cd lbmk

You can now follow the rest of the instructions.

Preparing a release Rom
-----------------------

You must patch the release rom with the necessary vendor files *and then* flash it to your board.

Lbmk includes a script that will automatically inject the necessary files into a rom image.
The script can determine the board automatically if you have not changed the name, but you can also manually set the board name with the `-b` flag.

In order to inject the necessary files into a rom image, run the script from the root of lbmk and point to the rom image.
Run the injection script pointing to the release archive you downloaded:

	./vendor inject /path/to/libreboot-20230319-18-g9f76c92_t440_12mb.tar.xz

The script can automatically detect the board as long as you do not change the file name.
You can then find flash-ready ROMs in `/bin/release/`

Alternatively, you may patch only a single rom file.
For example:

	./vendor inject -r x230_libreboot.rom -b x230_12mb

Optionally, you can use this script to modify the mac address of the rom with the `-m` flag.
For example:

	./vendor inject -r x230_libreboot.rom -b x230_12mb -m 00:f6:f0:40:71:fd

NOTE: this makes use of `nvmutil`, which you can read more about in
the [nvmutil documentation](nvmutil.md).

Splitting The Rom
-----------------

You can use `dd` to easily split your rom into the two separate portions for
external flashing.

	dd if=libreboot.rom of=top.rom bs=1M skip=8
	dd if=libreboot.rom of=bottom.rom bs=1M count=8

Flash the top chip with top.rom, and tho bottom chip with bottom.rom.
Don't worry about knowing which chip is which on a standard setup; flashprog will let you know if the 
image size is incorrect for the chip you're flashing.



Disassembly
-----------

Start by removing the battery.
Remove every screw from the bottom of the machine marked with a keyboard/touchpad indicator.

Pry up the keyboard and separate it from the palmrest.
![](https://av.libreboot.org/board/x230/palmrest.jpg)

Unplug the ribbon cable from the palmrest and pry it off as well.
![](https://av.libreboot.org/board/x230/palmrest_cable.jpg)

Pull up the protective cover to reveal the two soic chips for flashing.
![](https://av.libreboot.org/board/x230/chipLocation.jpg)