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title: ThinkPad X230/X230T external flashing
x-toc-enable: true
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Open source BIOS/UEFI firmware
------------------------------

This document will teach you how to install Libreboot, on your
Lenovo ThinkPad X230 laptop motherboard. Libreboot replaces proprietary
BIOS/UEFI firmware.

**Minifree now sells the Libreboot T480, instead of the Libreboot X230. See:
<https://minifree.org/product/libreboot-t480/>**

**NOTE: Libreboot standardises on [flashprog](https://flashprog.org/wiki/Flashprog)
now, as of 27 January 2024, which is a fork of flashrom.
The reason why was explained, in
the [Libreboot 20240225 release](../../news/libreboot20240225.md#flashprog-now-used-instead-of-flashrom)**

**[PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE INSTALLING](ivy_has_common.md), OR
YOU MAY BRICK YOUR MACHINE!! - Please click the link and follow the instructions
there, before flashing. For posterity,
[here is the link again](ivy_has_common.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
-----------------------

**Please follow this prior to flashing, or you may brick your machine.**

Please [inject vendor files](ivy_has_common.md) prior to flashing. You can also
use this guide to change the built-in MAC address for your Intel Gigabit
Ethernet device; doing so is advisable, because otherwise you will have a
default, generic MAC address.

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)