Damn you HP!

CabooseCaboose title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">for making me h4x my BIOS</div>Yea, so, my laptop came with an Intel Pro Wireless 3945 wireless card. I wanted to use it in Linux, it only works on about 50% of AP's (not mine). Yea, the driver for it sucks.

So, googleing about, I find a nice Atheros based card (It's a mini pci-e card, and there are only like 4 kinds on the market...) So, atheros based cards have wonderful linux support, I ordered it.

I install it, and upon booting, it tells me that it's an invalid wireless devise with an error 104 or some such.

Googleing leads me to a solution, and that is to h4x my BIOS and add (by replacing something else) the vendor id and the devise id to the bios then flashing. It took a while to find the right hex bits, and the flash went wiothout a hitch, or so I thought.

When I turned my lappy back on, nothing happened...

Yea, so I killed my $1500 laptop, and voided the warranty. I need a USB floppy to fix it, and I hope that fixes it.

Then I need to try again so the atheros card that I bought will work...

Moral of the story, HP sucks.
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Comments

  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    Yup, HP pretty much does suck. I think that's all there is to it.
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  • douchebagatrondouchebagatron Custom member title Join Date: 2003-12-20 Member: 24581Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    i have an hp laptop and love it. but i dont use linux. so maybe instead of blaming hp you could blame linux.
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  • RatonetwothreetwooneRatonetwothreetwoone Join Date: 2004-03-23 Member: 27504Members
    holy crap, my dad just did the same thing with his hp... said somewhere to update the bios... so he tried it and killed the mobo... places say itll cost anywhere from 3-600 dollars to fix... he just got a new one
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  • RoverRover blargh Join Date: 2003-09-23 Member: 21139Members
    Sorry, this calls for:




    lol owned.
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  • MonkfishMonkfish Sonic-boom-inducing buttcheeks of terrifying speed&#33; Join Date: 2003-06-03 Member: 16972Members
    And the moral of the story ladies and gentlemen is, don't use Linux!
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  • puzlpuzl The Old Firm Join Date: 2003-02-26 Member: 14029Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1606069:date=Feb 13 2007, 12:38 PM:name=Sonic)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sonic @ Feb 13 2007, 12:38 PM) [snapback]1606069[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    And the moral of the story ladies and gentlemen is, don't use Linux!
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Never attribute to linux that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

    ( sorry caboose )
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  • CabooseCaboose title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
    Nope, much deserved. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

    Just need to find a USB floppy drive to fix it.
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  • DrfuzzyDrfuzzy FEW... MORE.... INCHES... Join Date: 2003-09-21 Member: 21094Members
    edited February 2007
    <!--quoteo(post=1605988:date=Feb 12 2007, 09:51 PM:name=Caboose)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Caboose @ Feb 12 2007, 09:51 PM) [snapback]1605988[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Yea, so, my laptop came with an Intel Pro Wireless 3945 wireless card. I wanted to use it in Linux, it only works on about 50% of AP's (not mine). Yea, the driver for it sucks.

    So, googleing about, I find a nice Atheros based card (It's a mini pci-e card, and there are only like 4 kinds on the market...) So, atheros based cards have wonderful linux support, I ordered it.

    I install it, and upon booting, it tells me that it's an invalid wireless devise with an error 104 or some such.

    Googleing leads me to a solution, and that is to h4x my BIOS and add (by replacing something else) the vendor id and the devise id to the bios then flashing. It took a while to find the right hex bits, and the flash went wiothout a hitch, or so I thought.

    When I turned my lappy back on, nothing happened...

    Yea, so I killed my $1500 laptop, and voided the warranty. I need a USB floppy to fix it, and I hope that fixes it.

    Then I need to try again so the atheros card that I bought will work...

    Moral of the story, HP sucks.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Good luck finding another wireless card for that laptop. I work in a factory repairing ALL hp and compaq laptops, the wireless cards are not even compatible between the different models. Send me the model and system info and i'll send you the part number of the wlan card you need. But, its a bit too late for that XD
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  • CabooseCaboose title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
    Yea, the thing is, the computer was working great, wireless card and all. Just not in linux. I didn't want another intel pro wireless card, I wanted an atheros card, so I got one.

    It's documented on various places on the internet how to change vendor/devise/subsys id's from one thing to another so that the computer will boot, seeing the card as an allowed card because that information is in the bios's "whitelist".

    I think I screwed up in rebuilding the BIOS with the Phoenix bios editor. Next time, I'll be more careful <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
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  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi&#33; Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    Why not just buy a pre-installed linux laptop?
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  • CabooseCaboose title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
    Because I didn't.
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  • DrfuzzyDrfuzzy FEW... MORE.... INCHES... Join Date: 2003-09-21 Member: 21094Members
    Actually, tomorrow I'll try grabbing HP's flash tools i use at work for replacing motherboards. Maybe you can flash your laptop back to health.
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  • CabooseCaboose title = name(self, handle) Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13597Members, Constellation
    Elaborate please.

    HP's sending a box, It'll be here Monday. What kind of tools are we talking about?
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  • SloppyKissesSloppyKisses omgawd a furreh&#33; Virginia Join Date: 2003-07-05 Member: 17942Members, Constellation
    ive never seen a laptop come pre-installed with linux.... if so who sells these? Its certainly not best buy lol
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  • ThansalThansal The New Scum Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1215Members, Constellation
    edited February 2007
    <a href="http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/nseries_nb?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd" target="_blank">Dell Does</a>


    I think HP atleast HAS sold laptops with linux preinstalled, not sure if they still do.
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