Lenovo G505s A10-5750m / qubes 4.0rc5 / Unsupported Hardware Detected

[carop...@gmail.com]

Hello
I just bought a used lenovo G505s A10-5750m
(specially for installing Qubes4.0rc5)
material not recognized! (bios: SVM support enabled)
I try to change the few options in lebios, nothing!
hardware info: www.sendspace.com/file/iqscc7
I understand nothing...
would a G505s owner have an idea?
(google translation)

Bonjour ( FR )
je viens d'acheter un lenovo G505s A10-5750m d'occasion
(specialement pour installer Qubes4.0rc5)
materiel non reconnu ! (bios: SVM support enabled)
j'ai essayer de modifier le peu d'options dans lebios, rien!
hardware info:
www.sendspace.com/file/iqscc7
je comprend rien...
un proprietaire de G505s aurait il une idee ?

[awokd]

On Fri, March 23, 2018 2:08 pm, carop...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hello
> I just bought a used lenovo G505s A10-5750m
> (specially for installing Qubes4.0rc5)
> material not recognized! (bios: SVM support enabled) I try to change the
> few options in lebios, nothing! hardware info:
> www.sendspace.com/file/iqscc7 I understand nothing...
> would a G505s owner have an idea? (google translation)

Are you getting this warning on the install? Which features does it say
are missing?

[carop...@gmail.com]

thank you for your reply.
the error message at installation:
sign: Welcome to qubes R4.0-rc5
language validation english, continue: window that opens:
Unsupported Hardware detected, this hardware lacks features required............

[awokd]

Thank you. Which features does it list after that? It might be safe to
ignore the warning, depending what they are.

[carop...@gmail.com]

I was not further in the installation ...
I thought it was not possible ...
if I continue the installation it should give me

je n'ai pas ete plus loin dans l'installation...
je pensais que cela n'etait pas possible...
si je continue l'installation il devrait me donner d'autre infos ?

[awokd]

Yes, it might give you the other info further on in the installation, but
I was expecting to see it right there on the warning message. Go ahead and
see how far it gets?

[carop...@gmail.com]

I am installing qubes4 at this time (USB installation by rufus).
I am waiting to see if I have any errors during the installation.
Once installed there is there a particular place to see an error report or problem in qubes4rc5?

(my apologies for the French to English translation which is not always very good)

[awokd]

On Fri, March 23, 2018 3:03 pm, carop...@gmail.com wrote:
> I am installing qubes4 at this time (USB installation by rufus).
> I am waiting to see if I have any errors during the installation.
> Once installed there is there a particular place to see an error report or
> problem in qubes4rc5?

It depends how far it gets. It if makes it all the way through the install
and template deployments, and you can get to a dom0 terminal, try running
"qubes-hcl-report" and look for the 5 items listed towards the end.

> (my apologies for the French to English translation which is not always
> very good)

Pas de probleme!

[carop...@gmail.com]

I think it's going to be hard to understand ...
complete installation> reboot> nothing, black screen!
I am rather worried ....
This is a pc that I tested under W8.1, and no apparent problem ...
to your knowledge have you ever seen this kind of problem with another user?

[awokd]

You might need to update the BIOS, I think this is the latest available:

http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/lenovo-g-series-laptops/lenovo-g505s-notebook/downloads/DS038577

I ran Qubes 4.0rc1 on the vendor BIOS on that laptop and it worked OK. The
best option for those laptops is to Coreboot them, but that is kind of
hard to do- you have to open them up and flash them from another computer
using specialized hardware.

[carop...@gmail.com]

I think well to update the bios (for this model 2.05 to 3.00)
but that only seems to bring problems (like overheating) and I'm afraid I can not go back to 2.05 (although he thinks it's possible). I will try an earlier version of qubes to check if the pc reagis.
coreboot, very interesting option, I have not yet look in depth, use hardware and disassemble is not a problem, but it seems that one must configure are own bios, is this true?
if existing files, ready to use for flashing, I will do it, that's why I bought this model of PC G505S, Qubes4 + coreboot ...
but for the moment it is rather badly engage .... :)

[awokd]

I didn't notice any problems with overheating on 3.00, but I wasn't on the
vendor firmware for very long either. :)

I can send you the coreboot image I built for my own use, or I can help
walk you through building your own. You're going to want a CH341A USB SPI
programmer and a SOIC8 test clip. I'm happy to discuss in (much) more
detail but we should probably switch to direct emails for that.

[carop...@gmail.com]

But I did not understand that you owned a G505s ...
so you have bios 3.0 on your machine?
but I will be happy to receive your coreboot, but no problem of incompatibility between machine?
yes all help is welcome (thank you) for my flash coreboot, I plan to order this material (CH341A with SOIC8) on aliexpress, but I wait to see if I can consider installing qubes 4.
(I am currently installing W7 to verify that I do not have a problem with the machine itself)
Yes by mail it seems easier, tell me how to exchange our emails?

[carop...@gmail.com]

Installation of 4.0rc1 qubes starts normally,
(no message "Unsupported Hardware Detected")
it might be interesting to pass the information to the developers.
At the end of the installation, reboot, black screen!
I have a real problem ....

[awokd]

Sounds like you will have to update your BIOS to 3.00 or Coreboot then, in
order for it to work.

[carop...@gmail.com]

Yes, that's what I was thinking ...
I think I have no choice.
so I'm going to look at the procedure to go into 3.0

[awokd]

I have yours, but make sure mine aren't going to your spam folder.

[carop...@gmail.com]

Ok, it happens sometimes in spam ...
I flashed on bios 3.0
new installation of the Q4rc1, I will see if at the end of the installation if screen remains black after reboot
which version do you have of Qubes install on your PC?

[carop...@gmail.com]

Q4rc1 installation at the end of the installation,
and after reboot, black screen!
I do not have many solutions ....

[Tai...@gmx.com]

Hi! flash coreboot and make sure the latest microcode updates are
installed (they have to be or else many things won't work)

[carop...@gmail.com]

Yes, I think to do it ... even if for me it's not easy ... (but I think I'll get there with people from the forums)
on the other hand I have just tested an installation of lubuntu 16.04, result the black freeze screen just after installation and rebbot, I made the test with another menu option just after the menu screen (with advanced options)
the screen freezes on:
loading linux 4.4.0-31-generic ...
loading initial ramdisk ...
"" (nothing) ""
I'm starting to think that the processor is overheating and freezing.
there have already been cases on this model.
the bios updated in 3.0 does not help I think.
do you think that the coreboot, can solve the problem?
on my side I think I will dismount to reassemble the CPU with thermal paste and clean the fan.

[carop...@gmail.com]

I think my PC has a problem, it heats a lot too much, I will make it (maybe the cause of my concern, CPU that would put itself in security, although I also ask the question of bios). I will still look for another G505s and I will still order in advance the material (soic 8 and CH341A).
Thank you very much to AWORD and the other intervener for their help.
I will go back to share some that I would have a new PC.

[awokd]

On Sun, March 25, 2018 10:33 am, carop...@gmail.com wrote:
> I think my PC has a problem, it heats a lot too much, I will make it
> (maybe the cause of my concern, CPU that would put itself in security,
> although I also ask the question of bios).

You upgraded to the factory BIOS 3.00 and it is overheating in Qubes 4rc5
and locking up the computer?

> I will still look for another
> G505s and I will still order in advance the material (soic 8 and CH341A).

Coreboot might fix the problems you are having with your current laptop.
You can flash it back to the factory BIOS if it does not.

> Thank you very much to AWORD and the other intervener for their help.
> I will go back to share some that I would have a new PC.

Look forward to hearing back from you!

P.S. Did you check your spam folder for my emails?

[carop...@gmail.com]

You upgraded to the factory BIOS 3.00 and it is overheating in Qubes 4rc5
and locking up the computer?

I have never been able to successfully install Qubes 4rc5, 4rc1.
end installation> reboot> black screen!
(and for the 4rc5 I had the unsupported hardware message, not on 4rc1)

Coreboot might fix the problems you are having with your current laptop.
You can flash it back to the factory BIOS if it does not.

I also think that coreboot could fix the problem (I feel that the bios is buggy)
but I must give back the G505s quickly, after that will not be possible, I do not take the risk of finding myself with a problem on this PC.
I will order the material in advance (soic 8 and CH341A), when I find a new PC G505s, I already have the hardware to flash in coreboot quickly, I could see if everything goes well with qubes.
Another person told me that this PC sometimes has problems with overheating, it seems common.

Look forward to hearing back from you!

Yes of course.
I would always have an eye on the forum.
you would not get rid of me so easily!
:)

P.S. Did you check your spam folder for my emails?

I was in spam, nothing at all ...
(except for the mails of the forum)

[carop...@gmail.com]

I think to order this material for a future flash coreboot on G505s. can you confirm that the material is OK?

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-New-1Pcs-SOIC8-SOP8-Flash-Chip-IC-Test-Clips-Socket-Adpter-BIOS-24-25/1902568501.html?spm=a2g0w.10010108.1000013.2.30477bfd2htbm7&traffic_analysisId=recommend_2088_1_90158_iswistore&scm=1007.13339.90158.0&pvid=63e0ac4c-740a-44bf-a29e-4ae1308b53ac&tpp=1

https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/CH341A-24-25-Series-EEPROM-Flash-BIOS-USB-Programmer-with-Software-Driver/32279803302.html?spm=a2g0w.10010108.1000014.20.28b34948TxrfKB&traffic_analysisId=recommend_3035_null_null_null&scm=1007.13338.99596.000000000000000&pvid=867e0361-8306-47ff-b545-99e0dd9b3659&tpp=1

[qma ster]

> I think to order this material for a future flash coreboot on G505s. can you confirm that the material is OK?

Sorry for late reply, these links are almost ok but it's better to get CH341A with a green PCB because there were a few bad black CH341A with 5V instead of 3.3V while we haven't heard of such cases for green CH341A

[qma ster]

By the way: Mike Banon frequently visits reddit.com/r/coreboot , so you may also ask him if you have some coreboot G505S questions