[Request] Unlocked Lenovo Y520-15IKBN BIOS

My BIOS chip ID is : 25B64CSIG
My laptop schematic says I have W25Q64FV that’s taking 3 volts.
I have the CH341A programmer and already made backups of my BIOS using version 1.34 of the CH341A software and also used Colibri just in case, my BIOS chip is 25B64CSIG and I made backups as W25Q64BV, W25Q64FV and GD25Q64 using both tools, I didn’t erase anything yet.

Link to stock BIOS from manufacturer: https://download.lenovo.com/consumer/mobiles/4kcn45ww.exe
I’d love if someone with more experience unlocks my laptop’s BIOS, the advanced tab is hidden.
I will PM the BIOS files when needed.

Thanks in advance.


Edit by Fernando: Thread title shortened and customized

Commenting to boost this up, hopefully it catches the attention of the right eyes.

@Lost_N_BIOS
Here is the thread you asked for.

@qattos - Please check BIOS chip ID again, this is not valid ID >> 25B64CSIG
Please read the chip with your eyes, magnifying glass and flashlight may be required. If you can’t tell for sure, take an image of it with and without flash, put in zip and upload for me.

I can unlock this BIOS, already have done for a few members on another large thread, but yes, for this particular one you need to use flash programmer.
But, I need to know correct ID, so I can tell you what software to dump chip with, if not already did w/ correct one, and which will write back OK.

I have sent you a private message with the backup files link, my chip ID is GD25B64, with this attached to it CS1G.
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@Lost_N_BIOS - I compared the backups with each other using HxD software and they’re all identical, I think that means I made good reads of the chip.

Please read the ID off the chip, or show me image. You’ve now mentioned two brand of chips, and two ID’s, and first one you mentioned is not a valid ID
So, I want to see the BIOS chip please, so we are sure all is done correct, and so write will not fail. All your dumps matching via hex may mean all good, or all invalid, best we know correct chip ID for sure, so writes will not fail.
Once we are sure, I will have you send me a SINGLE BIOS dump file


yes, you have already stolen the program code of this mode

@Black_Raven - What??? I steal nothing, and your sentence isn’t very clear??

Unlocking BIOS menu like this is usually 2-4 bytes to changes, so there is nothing to steal, and those bytes can be changed a few ways usually, so some modders may do one way, or another, but ALL modders would see/edit the same offsets
So if you see same/similar mods done on some BIOS that does not mean someone stole or copied edit, it simply is because this is the only offset you can edit to get desired result, so ANYONE that does the mod would arrive at the same location to unlock the BIOS.

I do all edits myself, some I cannot find where to edit in assembly, thus I tell user I cannot do.

@Lost_N_BIOS - Sorry for making this confusing.
Here’s a picture I took of the chip ID, you can see it says something like 25B64CSIG.
https://mega.nz/file/LZtxSQbI#FhNr4CMwem…RK_NARfH73k7OpU

@qattos - This is not Winbond, it’s Gigadevice GD25B64CS - Confirmed working with 1.34 and GD25B64 ID << Please use this version and that ID to dump BIOS, if you already have, send me this file ONLY.
I thought wrong ID since I looked up W25B64

@Lost_N_BIOS - I looked for the GD25B64 ID but I didn’t find it on 1.34, I found only GD25Q64, should I choose it?

Hmm, yes, I see that now, maybe a typo in my notes!?! Yes, use that ID, and hopefully write is OK and it was just typo in my notes
Send me only that one file.

@Lost_N_BIOS - I will send it to you on PM if it’s fine with you.


you just confirmed the theft…for you it’s a few bits…because you didn’t…all you can do is a bitwise comparison

@Black_Raven
Your help is welcome
Dietmar

@Black_Raven - I denied “Theft/Stealing” what are you talking about? All BIOS, at least Insyde, is only a few bytes to unlock menu, are you saying because I can unlock 100’s of Insyde BIOS I stole the “method” from someone?
There is MANY guides and blogs etc, that show how to unlock insyde BIOS in various ways, all you have to do is locate where the menus are being bypassed/locked out, and in assembly change that to allow them to be loaded (few ways to do)
Yes, anyone that knows hex knows how to compare, but that does not tell you how to change a bypassed menu in assembly yourself, it can be done many ways (90 90, EB, EB 00, 84>85/84>85, 74/74 >> 75/74, simply force path to what you want, etc)

If you’re trying to say that because I know how to read and learn from guides and blogs for this exact purpose is theft, then you are crazy!
MANY Insyde BIOS unlock in similar manners, with various 1-3/4/5/6 bytes to change, so I steal them all because I learn how this works from blogs like Donavann6000’s blog for this exact thing, info on mydigitallife forums, or forums like the long lost RebelsHaven?
No, this is called reading, learning, and applying knowledge to your daily life to benefit humanity

You can’t unlock a menu by doing the edit at another area of the BIOS generally, so anyone that does an unlock is going to hit those same bytes, or at least that same instruction set or area.
Two people editing BIOS around the same offset are two unrelated BIOS edits, that may have same outcome, and anyone that does it same of the few ways, simply chose that same method over another (probably because it’s the best way to do the change)
For this edit, would you like me to do it differently than normal, so you can put your paranoid mind at ease? It’s only 1-2 bytes for this edit in subroutine 610 @ 95Ch >> 75 1D to >> EB 1D, could be done 75 >> 74 instead of EB, but it’s not ideal
Could also change >> 48 3B C1 75 1D >> To 90 90 90 74 1D or 90 90 90 >> EB 1D etc. Many ways to end up at same outcome
Or, you could also instead of unlocking these menus, swap them with Main or Security if users wanted, many ways to do stuff like this

Also, BIOS-mods forum is not at all the only place in the internet where insyde BIOS editing techniques are shown, shared, guides written about, or mod BIOS done etc
You could find this same BIOS unlocked in probably at least ten different forums done by several other people too.

*Edit - Y540 would be good example of similar edit here - Subroutine 820 @ 975h >> 75 14 >> Change to EB 14, or one of the ways I mentioned above.
I just grabbed this BIOS randomly because similar model, and have never unlocked this BIOS for anyone yet that I know of or that I can see in my work folder for this model.
May need 75 05 above that (@ 915h) changed to EB 05, but I would not know for sure and in that case I would send user two BIOS to test, and then would know after he test
I do this often if unsure in some cases, send 2-3 BIOS to find exact correct edit, remove unnecessary edits in a final

So I stole that too now, because I opened it in IDA and found the area to change it from bypassing the menus?
If yes, I guess you are right, I stole it from Lenovo just now and posted the unlock bytes publicly, I guess they will be mad and change them in next BIOS if they care?

@diderius6 - Please don’t add to the pile, he’s not helping anything here
Only trying to start trouble for no reason, and acting like no one else in the world knows how to edit a BIOS, or that they at least should never arrive at the same edit (I guess), even if there is only a few certain bytes you can edit for same desired outcome.


Such self-centric/cynical behavior while BIOS modding always pisses me off. The world doesn’t revolve around you. Other people can think & learn in their own way in order to help whenever possible. Lost’s reply covers my feelings on this as well so it will suffice.

Btw, I know you’re sending PMs in private to random people who ask for help here so that you help in private while presumably asking for compensation at the same time. I’ve received at least two reports from spooked/creeped out users of this forum. If you have something to say, something to contribute, do it publicly at the threads. Hiding behind a private communication system while also claiming to be a bios modding diva and expecting something in return for this (f.y.i.: not allowed in this community), is funny at best, but probably ban-worthy at this point.

@plutomaniac - Not to add salt to injury, but he did PM me when I created this thread offering to help, of course I knew he was looking for compensation and told him no.



Erm… thats not how firmware mods work, champ. You aren’t stealing anything by modifying existing code, nor are you stealing when performing a modification, there are only a set amount of ways to accomplish the task, sometimes literally only one way. By your logic every modder is stealing off of eachother even when theres only one way to do something

@Lost_N_BIOS - Sorry to bother you again but I made a mistake, I sent you a bad BIOS dump, Colibri gives a different dump than CH341 programmer v1.34, and you said that using 1.34 is confirmed to work on my Chip ID, I think Colibri should be avoided on GD25Q64/GD25B64.

I will PM you the correct BIOS dump if you’ve got the time to work on it, there’s no rush.

Sorry again for wasting your time, and thank you so much for everything, your help is inspiring me to learn about all of this.