Laptop

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The wiki is being retired!

Documentation is now handled by the same processes we use for code: Add something to the Documentation/ directory in the coreboot repo, and it will be rendered to https://doc.coreboot.org/. Contributions welcome!

Recent progress of coreboot on laptops

  • coreboot supports the Getac P470 semi rugged notebook, based on Intel 82945GM/ICH7.
  • coreboot supports the Roda RK886EX (Rocky III+) laptop, based on Intel 82945GM/ICH7.
  • VIA has recently released open documentation for the VX700 and VX800 chipsets at the VIA Download Portal.

Embedded controllers

The remaining issue with supporting netbooks may be open firmware support for the Embedded controller (EC). These ECs used to support keyboard scan, lid open/closed, battery charging, power management, etc.

coreboot should work with the "stock" EC firmware. This may still be a challenge because "we don't know what we don't know". Behavior at runtime is fairly standardized, but we don't know what we need to do for initialization - do we need to set up registers, put in tables, kick things, or will it all Just Work (TM)?

HOWTO to find a way

  • find a model and manufacturer of your laptop
  • download a superiotool (latest svn) and build it
  • run as root 'superiotool -deV' and save output
  • download a ectool (latest svn) and build it
  • run as root 'ectool' and save output
  • try to find information - what EC or Super I/O chip is used in your laptop (may be some info in Service Manuals or Disassembly guides)
  • if you see that ectool return some fake staff - like only 'FF' or '00' - so you have custom EC configuration, it's a hard work for support
  • if you see that ectool return looks like 'right' output - you have a big chances for support
  • you need to find from thease outputs Super I/O / EC chip name, or if not see this - disassembly your laptop
  • try to find your Super I/O / EC chip datasheet

Laptop survey

This page attempts to list chipsets, Super I/Os, flash chips, and especially embedded controllers used in various laptops.

Vendor Model CPU Chipset NB Chipset SB Super I/O EC Flash Chip Flash Size Flash S. Flash T. Owner
ASUS S96F/Z96F Intel Core™2 Duo T7400 Intel i945 Intel ICH7 ITE IT8510E in Super I/O ? ? ? ? macavity
Acer Aspire One ZG5 Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Intel 82945GME Intel NH82801GBM ICH7-M Winbond WPCE775LA0DG in Super I/O Winbond 25x80AVSIG 8Mb no SOIP/DIP XVilka
Acer Aspire 3613LC Intel Celeron M 370 1.5GHz L2: 1MB Intel 82910GML Intel FW82801FBM SL7W6 ICH6-M ? ? PMC 0537 PM39LV040-70JCE 1Mb no SOIP/DIP XVilka
Dell Latitude CPi A366XT PII, 360 MHz Intel 440BX SMSC FDC37N958FR in Super I/O AMD AM29F040B 512KB yes PLCC UH
Dell Latitude C610 PIII, 1.2 GHz Intel i830 SMSC LPC47N252 in Super I/O SST SST49LF004A 512KB no PLCC CybFr
Dell Dell Vostro V13 Intel Celeron 743 1.2GHz, L2: 1MB (Ultra Low Voltage) Mobile Intel GS45 Express GHMC Intel 82801IEM ICH9M-E none ITE IT8502E Winbond 25Q16BVSIG 2Mb no SOIP/PDIP XVilka
Fujitsu-S. Lifebook S-4572 PIII, 750 MHz Intel 82440MX SMSC FDC37N769 ? Fujitsu MBM29F400T1 ? no TSOP(?) UH
Fujitsu-S. Lifebook S7110 Intel Core™2 Duo T7200 Intel i945 Intel ICH7 SMSC LPC47N217 Fujitsu MB90378 Spansion S25FL008A2 1024 kB no SO8 / SPI twice11
Gateway W730-K8X Socket 754 ?? ?? ?? SST 39VF040 ?? yes PLCC Juri
Gateway 6020GZ Celeron M 1.4Ghz Intel 855GME ?? ?? ?? ?? no ?? Juri
Gericom Webboy 340S2 PIII SiS630 NSC PC87393VJG NSC PC87570 Winbond 29C020 256 kB yes PLCC NS
Getac P470 Intel® Core 2 Duo Mobile Intel 945 Intel ICH7 ? ? ? 8Mb no SPI / SOIC8 Stefan Reinauer
Highscreen XD 14-C1700 Intel Celeron 1.7 GHz SiS650 NSC PC87391(?) ? EON EN29F040(A) 512 kB yes PLCC UH
HP Omnibook XE3(L) PIII, 750 MHz Intel 82371MB Intel PIIX4M SMSC FDC37N869 NSC PC87570 SST 28SF040A 512 kB no PLCC UH
IBM Thinkpad T30 Intel P4 Mobile, 1.8 GHz Intel i845 Intel ICH3-M NSC PC87392 Renesas H8S 64F3169ATE10 ST M50FW080N5 1024 kB no TSOP40 / FWH edgecase
MSI Wind U100 Intel Atom N280 1.66Ghz Intel 945GSE Intel ICH7-M ? ENE KB3310 SST MX25L8005 8 Mb no TSOP40 / SPI ?
One A110 VIA C7-M ULV 1.0 GHz VIA VX800 none ENE KB3310 ? ? no ? UH
Panasonic Toughbook CF-25 P166MMX FW82439TX (430TX) FW82371AB NSC PC87336VJG Renesas 3886 SST SST29EE020 256 kB no ? Miernik
Roda Rocky III+ RK886EX Intel® Core 2 Duo Mobile T5500 Intel 945 Intel ICH7 SMSC® LPC47N227 Renesas M38859 SST SST49LF080 8Mb yes PLCC Stefan Reinauer
Roda Rocky II+ RT686 Intel Pentium III Intel 430BX Intel FW82371EB SMSC® FDC37N769 Renesas M38867M8A SST SST29LE020 256KB yes PLCC/parallel UH
Sony Vaio Picturebook PCG-C1XD P2 400 443ZX ? ? ST M29W004BT 512 kB no Miernik
Sony Vaio Picturebook PCG-C1X P266MMX 430TX ? ? ? ? ? ? Miernik
Toshiba Libretto 50M PA1243CM P133 custom FPGA ? ? ? ? ? ? Miernik
Toshiba Satellite A80-117 Intel Celeron Intel 915GM Intel ICH6 SMSC LPC47N217 ENE KB910 ? 1024 kB no TSOP (?) UH

1 According to the vendor BIOS update tool.
2 Nice thing: EC/Flash is not shared, so you can erase the whole flash during system operation (this was tested).

Further links:

Mailinglist discussion

A few earlier coreboot discussions on laptops are linked here, you might get useful information out of them:

Who really makes your laptop?

There are several various brands of laptops, but there are only a few actual laptop makers.

Name brand companies like Hewlet Packard, Compaq, IBM, Dell, Gateway, Sony, Micron, Toshiba and others; including Alienware and Voodoo do not make their own laptops. The exceptions are Asus and Apple, and even Apple doesn't make all of their laptops.

Original Design Manufacturers (ODM) make the laptops for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). They in turn, add their preloaded hard drives and sell them to consumers. This is why a laptop is a bit more complicated to support with coreboot. The OEM's may not even have all the specifications for the laptop since the ODM has done all the design and assembly.

Some laptop ODMs are:

  • Quanta makes laptops for Sony, Dell, and IBM
  • Inventec and Arima make the Compaq line
  • Compal also makes IBM and Dell lines, as well as Hewlett Packard
  • Clevo makes the popular Alienware and Voodoo gaming laptops

Further links:

Random product links

VIA has a list of many netbooks at VIA Partner Mobility Devices.

VIA also has information on other mobile platforms at VIA Mobility Platform.

The Quanta IL1 vx800 based reference design covers similar models/clones such as:

Other vx800 based netbooks:

There are still a few netbook designs currently on the market that use the VIA vx700 chipset:

There are also several AMD 690/600 laptops still available that may be candidates as well:

Intel Atom with i945 chipset netbooks:

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