Is this a new NG?

T i m

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Dec 19, 2022, 5:41:12 AM12/19/22

to

Seeing just one but not so recent post etc?

Theo

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Dec 20, 2022, 9:45:13 AM12/20/22

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T i m <indiv...@spaced.me.uk> wrote:
> Seeing just one but not so recent post etc?

'New' as in 20 years, which is maybe new in Usenet terms :-)

According to https://uk.comp.sys.laptops.narkive.com/
the most recent post was 5 years ago.

Theo

Marco Moock

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Dec 20, 2022, 3:41:29 PM12/20/22

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Am 19.12.2022 um 10:41:07 Uhr schrieb T i m:

> Seeing just one but not so recent post etc?

No, it isn't new, but you can of course post here.

T i m

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Dec 27, 2022, 2:39:30 AM12/27/22

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Hi Theo. ;-)

Thanks for that ... it just seemed that for what looked like a handy
newsgroup (as I was going to ask a question about a laptop that may have
had a UK bias), I wasn't sure why it appeared nearly empty or not full
of spam etc?

Cheers, T i m

Marco Moock

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Dec 27, 2022, 4:02:11 AM12/27/22

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Am 27.12.2022 um 07:39:27 Uhr schrieb T i m:

> Thanks for that ... it just seemed that for what looked like a handy
> newsgroup (as I was going to ask a question about a laptop that may
> have had a UK bias), I wasn't sure why it appeared nearly empty or
> not full of spam etc?

Just post your question in a new thread here, there are readers.

T i m

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Dec 27, 2022, 4:41:32 AM12/27/22

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Cheers. ;-)

It was that I was just hoping to upgrade the BIOS on an old but tidy
Toshiba Satellite laptop I was given by a mate recently and my Google
foo didn't seem to be working. That or it was and I was just unsure
about what I had found.

The problem is the info sticker on the bottom of the laptop is fairly
worn so it's not easy to make out the exact model but I think it's an
L-750 (PSK6ME) and is currently running BIOS V2.30 23/03/2011.

I think this is it:

https://uk.dynabook.com/discontinued-products/satellite-l750-201/tab/services/

And this looks like it covers the current BIOS version (but not the
date) but doesn't specifically mention the PSK6ME bit?

https://support.dynabook.com/support/viewContentDetail?contentId=3483311

It's now running W10 Home pretty well on 6GB of RAM (I'll take that to
8GB probably, (if for no other reason than to get dual channel support)
and I often find that updating the BIOS to the latest brings in some new
features or fixes known ones (or I'm guessing they wouldn't bother
releasing later versions)?

Cheers, T i m

Marco Moock

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Dec 27, 2022, 5:32:32 AM12/27/22

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Am 27.12.2022 um 09:41:30 Uhr schrieb T i m:

> The problem is the info sticker on the bottom of the laptop is fairly
> worn so it's not easy to make out the exact model but I think it's an
> L-750 (PSK6ME) and is currently running BIOS V2.30 23/03/2011.

Use software like CPU-Z (Windows) or dmidecode (Linux) to read out the
SMBIOS information. Computers newer than 20 years have these
information, you don't need to rely on a sticker on it.

T i m

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Dec 27, 2022, 1:37:55 PM12/27/22

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Yeah, I have CPU-Z on there but it doesn't seem to tell me any more
about the specific underlying model that I can see? ;-(

CPU-Z TXT Report (heavily edited).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Processors Information
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Socket 1 ID = 0
Number of cores 2 (max 2)
Number of threads 4 (max 4)
Manufacturer GenuineIntel
Name Intel Core i3 380M
Codename Arrandale
Specification Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 380 @ 2.53GHz
Package (platform ID) Socket 989 rPGA (0x4)

BIOS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

UEFI Yes
BIOS Date 03/23/11

Chipset
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northbridge Intel Havendale/Clarkdale Host Bridge rev. 02
Southbridge Intel HM55 rev. 05
Bus Specification PCI-Express 1.0 (2.5 GT/s)
Memory Type DDR3
Memory Size 6 GBytes
Channels Dual, (Symmetric)
Memory Frequency 531.9 MHz (4:16)

Monitoring
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mainboard Model Base Board Product Name (0x00000825 - 0x4694B6D0)

<etc>

FWIW, the first BIOS I ever played with was taking the ROM out of
genuine IBM PC, copying it onto an EPROM and plugging it into my IBM PC
(XT) clone. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Theo

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Dec 28, 2022, 4:23:05 AM12/28/22

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T i m <indiv...@spaced.me.uk> wrote:

> I think this is it:
>
> https://uk.dynabook.com/discontinued-products/satellite-l750-201/tab/services/
>
> And this looks like it covers the current BIOS version (but not the
> date) but doesn't specifically mention the PSK6ME bit?

It's hard to say because I don't understand Toshiba's part numbering system.

Often the part number includes some irrelevant details, like the colour, the
size of HDD fitted or the country of the keyboard. I would happily
cross-flash a BIOS from a laptop with those being different.

I had a brief look around and found this:
https://www.ramcity.com.au/pages/toshiba-satellite-l750-series
which links PSK numbers to laptop models (L750-xxx).

There are a lot of them. It seems that some models have a first gen Core
CPU (i3-nnn) and some have a second gen (i3-2nnn). That's the sort of thing
that would make me wary about cross-flashing a BIOS from the wrong model.

Somebody has posted the BIOS for a PSK6ME, if you trust a random forum:
https://vinafix.com/threads/satellite-l755-psk6me-psk6re.18250/
and there's a different BIOS for the PSK1 series:
https://vinafix.com/threads/satellite-l750-psk1we-psk1ye-psk2ye-psk2yf-psk2yr-psk2yv-psk30e.18244/

OTOH the laptop is worth approximately nothing, so maybe worth a risk?
Or just stick with what you have?

Theo

T i m

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Dec 28, 2022, 2:53:06 PM12/28/22

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On 28/12/2022 09:23, Theo wrote:
> T i m <indiv...@spaced.me.uk> wrote:
>> I think this is it:
>>
>> https://uk.dynabook.com/discontinued-products/satellite-l750-201/tab/services/
>>
>> And this looks like it covers the current BIOS version (but not the
>> date) but doesn't specifically mention the PSK6ME bit?
>
> It's hard to say because I don't understand Toshiba's part numbering system.

Glad it's not just me then Theo! ;-)

>
> Often the part number includes some irrelevant details, like the colour, the
> size of HDD fitted or the country of the keyboard. I would happily
> cross-flash a BIOS from a laptop with those being different.

Agreed.

>
> I had a brief look around and found this:
> https://www.ramcity.com.au/pages/toshiba-satellite-l750-series
> which links PSK numbers to laptop models (L750-xxx).

Thanks mate.

>
> There are a lot of them.

THere are aren't there! I see there are three that match up with the
PSK6ME bit but not the 026004(and what looks like E or B or 5) N.

> It seems that some models have a first gen Core
> CPU (i3-nnn) and some have a second gen (i3-2nnn).

How would I display that info as I can't tie it up using Speccy or CPU-Z?

It just says it's an i3 380M?

> That's the sort of thing
> that would make me wary about cross-flashing a BIOS from the wrong model.

And me. Ironically, of the many devices (GPS's, Phones, laptops,
tablets) that I've upgraded / flashed over the years ... one of the few
that ended up getting bricked was a Lenovo T430 Thinkpad and that was
using the official upgrade utility? It turns out that this wasn't
unheard of ... ;-(

>
> Somebody has posted the BIOS for a PSK6ME, if you trust a random forum:
> https://vinafix.com/threads/satellite-l755-psk6me-psk6re.18250/

Someone reported success and V2.80 is quite a few on from the current V2.30.

FWIW, there is a 2.30 but not a 2.80 listed here:
https://support.dynabook.com/support/viewContentDetail?contentId=3483311

But that might not mean anything.

> and there's a different BIOS for the PSK1 series:
> https://vinafix.com/threads/satellite-l750-psk1we-psk1ye-psk2ye-psk2yf-psk2yr-psk2yv-psk30e.18244/

And that one seems to match the latest version (3.60) on my link above.

>
> OTOH the laptop is worth approximately nothing, so maybe worth a risk?

Well there is that, just that at the moment it *is* working ...

> Or just stick with what you have?

Quite.

I think we are on the same page in that if there was a reasonably high
confidence level that it *was* a compatible version it would be worth
the risk of the re-flashing process itself, especially if the flasher
also had a model compatibility checker built in (as a few have), OR, a
means of backing up the original BIOS and a bare iron recovery process.

(I think I've saved the current BIOS using CPU-Z and a quick look at it
shows a header that reflects some tangible info. I'll check those you
linked and see if there is any compatibility in the contents.

Cheers, T i m