HP Chromebook 13 G1 BIOS Repair Russia

[ozamyatin]

Hello!

I have tampered with UEFI/BIOS on my HP chromebook 13 G1 by removing the write protect screw, loosing guarantee and launching Mr.Chromeboxes script to install a modified version in order to boot alternative OSes. In that progress I have made a backup of my UEFI/BIOS. After that something went wrong and I bricked my chromebook completely. It wont turn on, only keyboard backlight is working. The screen is pitch black, it wont turn on its backlight on, so I assume, I bricked it by messing the UEFI up. On the forums I have found info that in oder to restore original UEFI I have to use a Google Servo device which is by no means available to buy, not only in Russia. I have tryed to cry for help in any service center I could find including official HP ones, but no laptop service center would say that they could repair my chromebook, not for money, just replace it with a new one if I had had guarantee unvoided. I was and still am frustrated at the fact that a new motherboard for my device could be bought only in the US and at a ridiculous cost of 3 x price of the whole new same chromebook in Russia. I am desperately asking for help as long as chromebooks are sold in Russia 20% more expensive than they are in the US and I have overpayed for the device already. Please, if anybody could provide info on how to reflash stock UEFI/BIOS on a chromebook without Servo myself in Russia, you would do me an immesurable favor to me. My email: ozamyatin@gmail.com

[Lil_Boy_Blue]

Hi

Not really

https://libreboot.org/docs/install/rpi_setup.html

Raspberry Pi (C720 Chromebook)[link]

[ozamyatin]

Thank you very much for the reply! However, the guide will not help me as long as HP Chromebook 13 has a very specific approach to BIOS. I have located the BIOS chip on the motherboard named winbond, but its memory seems to be only 4mb, whereas my backup/dump of BIOS is over 16mb. That means that reflashing the dump is possible only by Google Servo which is not available in Russia by any means (I know that Google wont sell it even in the US). Nothing can rescue my chromebook now. And I find it necessary to say that HP is to blame for not being able to provide exchange parts for a legally sold and not smuggled computer in Russia for a reasonable price that is lower than a new same chromebook. I could buy two ! of these new chromebooks 13 g1 core m3 versions for the price of a single motherboard for one of them! This is ridiculous. I thought HP had a name for reliability, but it seems that they can very much let you down.

[Raileanu]

Hi, do you still have the bios dump? Can you share a link from where I can downoload please? I will try to make a bootable usb that will repair the corrupted bios. Thanks.

[ozamyatin]

Thank you very much for the reply. Please, find the bios dump for Chell on my Google Drive via the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GmJbNzwD_Kf_wpgexvGfkwuYoHb7Vz-Z/view?usp=sharing
Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Raileanu]

Hello. Thanks for the dump. Is this the original one from your laptop G1 model that you backup, or just from a website? And to let you know that your computer main bios chip is a 16mb winbond one that is located under the CPU heatsink and not the 4 mb one near the keybord connector which is the EC bios chip.

If you can get a CH341 programmer you can flash it easily, but let e see what I can do by USB flash recovery method.

[ozamyatin]

Thank you very much for your help! I am very grateful.
I provided the original dump from my core m3 32gb model that I had backed up myself with the help of Mr. Chromebox's script. The version available from the web for restoration inside the script had actually bricked my device, so I am not posting it here. 
Offtopic, but interesting info: some tech guys from another city, that I asked about the issue, gave me a modded bios dump for chell that could potentially run forced Developer mode without the beeps on startup indicating the Developer mode is an always-on option. I think, that version of dump clears the sectors where device's serial number is stored.

[Raileanu]

I ask you this as I flash the bios you provide in my Hp Chromebook13 G1 test machine and it does not power on, nothing. If you also have that modded bios please if you can upload that to. I am working right now to find the solution so if you can reply quick it will be better.

[Raileanu]

Hello. I also send you an email. If you still need help please reply.

[Raileanu]

I analise your backup bios and is missing the entire Intel ME Region plus other bios blocks. I 'm working now to replace those and see if I can make a working bios. It will be at great help if you can also upload the moded bios from that website to analise it to.