VOGONS


Reply 40 of 60, by biessea

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Roman555 wrote on 2022-11-13, 19:15:
Now it doesn't matter which exactly edition of Win7 you're trying. Any edition should use more than one CPU cores (I don't remem […]
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biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 18:57:

Oh yes sorry, I am confusing a little bit cause I have another system than it's a Lenovo A55 and have all 4gb installed there.
In this system I have 3gb installed in four modules and dual channel enabled.
So I will try a Win 7 home edition, or perhaps a Win 10 too what do you think? It's a big shame to have Hyperthreading and don' t use it.

Now it doesn't matter which exactly edition of Win7 you're trying. Any edition should use more than one CPU cores (I don't remember about Win7 starter though 😀 ).
Personally I don't like Windows 10 because it likes to live its own life 😀 I understand that you think Win10 is usable and WinXP is not. Anyway I would try both 😀

biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 19:13:
Horun wrote on 2022-11-13, 19:06:

It has to be something between the BIOS/chipset and the OS that is not seeing the HT (640) or dual core (D915) proper is the OS. Would be interesting to see what a Linux Live boot cd says........

And this problem hasn't never been out before? I am really surprised, cause this Lenovo Pc were sold a lot.

So no other ideas than try and try other OS?

Of course there is one more way: to desolder BIOS chip, find dump from type 8114 and flash it, solder PLCC32 socket and so on 😀 And it may not help too.

Wow, fabulous.

So I find really incredible that in the cpu support chart they told that is supported even a Pentium D940. And how can a person use that dual core feature?
God it's so frustrating without a real explainatiom from Lenovo at this point.

Computer lover since 1992.
Love retro-computing, retro-gaming, high-end systems and all about computer-tech.
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Reply 41 of 60, by Roman555

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biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 19:35:
... Wow, fabulous. […]
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...
Wow, fabulous.

So I find really incredible that in the cpu support chart they told that is supported even a Pentium D940. And how can a person use that dual core feature?
God it's so frustrating without a real explainatiom from Lenovo at this point.

Does BIOS settings have any APIC options ? APIC should be enabled. Also it should be enabled before OS installation (not after)

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Reply 42 of 60, by biessea

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Roman555 wrote on 2022-11-13, 20:00:
biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 19:35:
... Wow, fabulous. […]
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...
Wow, fabulous.

So I find really incredible that in the cpu support chart they told that is supported even a Pentium D940. And how can a person use that dual core feature?
God it's so frustrating without a real explainatiom from Lenovo at this point.

Does BIOS settings have any APIC options ? APIC should be enabled. Also it should be enabled before OS installation (not after)

I have to take a look. Can't you find these instruction in the screenshot that I posted on the second page?

Computer lover since 1992.
Love retro-computing, retro-gaming, high-end systems and all about computer-tech.
Love beer, too.

Reply 43 of 60, by Roman555

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biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 20:55:

I have to take a look. Can't you find these instruction in the screenshot that I posted on the second page?

I didn't find. The option is usually placed in "ACPI" tab of a BIOS settings. Phoenix BIOS is not common for me.

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Reply 44 of 60, by biessea

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Roman555 wrote on 2022-11-13, 22:00:
biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 20:55:

I have to take a look. Can't you find these instruction in the screenshot that I posted on the second page?

I didn't find. The option is usually placed in "ACPI" tab of a BIOS settings. Phoenix BIOS is not common for me.

I've got it. I found that page in "power supply" tab on BIOS.

I think it's all enabled.

I really don't know what to do now, It's freaking impossibile that this system can't enable Hyperthreading cmon!!!

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Reply 45 of 60, by darry

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biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 22:54:
I've got it. I found that page in "power supply" tab on BIOS. […]
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Roman555 wrote on 2022-11-13, 22:00:
biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 20:55:

I have to take a look. Can't you find these instruction in the screenshot that I posted on the second page?

I didn't find. The option is usually placed in "ACPI" tab of a BIOS settings. Phoenix BIOS is not common for me.

I've got it. I found that page in "power supply" tab on BIOS.

I think it's all enabled.

I really don't know what to do now, It's freaking impossibile that this system can't enable Hyperthreading cmon!!!

That setting has to do with power management in standby mode . It is not the setting you were looking for, unfortunately .

The fact that Hyperthreading does not work in Windows 7 or 8 on that machine is indeed puzzling. That being said, other than the fun factor/challenge of getting Hyperthreading working (for best possible performance), AFAIU, the main end goal is to provide you father with a machine that he can use to browse the Internet :

I have to give this computer to my father so I want him to use and surf on internet without any problems.

In that context, let us consider the following :

- The Pentium 4 640 CPU and 945G chipset can only run 32-bit Windows 8.1 and 10 (CPU instruction limitations) and, even on a 64-bit Windows 7 system would still be limited to less that 4GB usable RAM (chipset limitation)
- Google is dropping support for Windows OSes older than Windows 10 in early 2023 https://mspoweruser.com/chrome-support-for-wi … nds-early-2023/
- Mozilla is evaluating whether they will do the same or not for Firefox https://mspoweruser.com/mozilla-is-considerin … -windows-7-8-1/
- Without browser updates for security and compatibility (newer SSL certificates, etc), surfing on the Internet without any problems is not going to be possible for very long and would be an especially bad idea for banking/financial sites.
- The Pentium 4 640 CPU is about 17 years old, has high power consumption and is quite slow (even with Hyperthreading working) on the modern Internet with its HTML5 content and embedded videos .
- that Pentium 4 640 CPU is about half the speed (at best, slower in multi-threaded scenarios) of the low end Celeron J3455, even in the best of circumstances https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-P … /m7095vsm200485
- Unless you add a video card that supports offloading video decompression of most common codecs, most video content on the Internet will be unbearably slow when decoded by that Pentium 4 .
- A complete, brand new, machine that has a J3455 CPU, 6GB RAM and supports current 64-bit Windows OSes costs about 140€ . It also includes WIFI and a 128GB SSD . https://www.amazon.it/NiPoGi-Computer-Support … i/dp/B099KMZ5TV .
- A cheap used, but still newer and faster than that A52 and capable of running current OSes and browsers is another option (even a 15-year old Core2 Duo or Core2 Quad based system would be faster and more compatible than the A52 you have)

It is a great idea to try to put older machines to productive use, but at some point, there comes a time when it just might not be practical anymore, at least for some applications (like surfing the modern Internet). Whether this point has been reached or not, is subjective and obviously your choice, but the above points should, IMHO, be taken into consideration .

Last edited by darry on 2022-11-14, 03:26. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 46 of 60, by Horun

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darry wrote on 2022-11-14, 00:10:

I have to give this computer to my father so I want him to use and surf on internet without any problems.

- A cheap used, but still newer and faster than that A52 and capable of running current OSes and browsers is another option (even a 15-year old Core2 Duo or Core2 Quad based system would be faster and more compatible than the A52 you have)

It is a great idea to try to put older machines to productive use, but at some point, there comes a time when it just might not be practical anymore, at least for some applications (like surfing the modern Internet). Whether this point has been reached or not, is subjective one and obviously your choice, but the above points should, IMHO, be taken into consideration .

Good thinking and missed that !! If going to use it for a parent better to get something newer. Does not have to be off the shelf new but at least get something in the last 10 years.
My story: Back in late 2017 bought my mom a "newer" computer than she that just could not keep up and spent too much time trying to keep it running (older soc 775 e6600 based like this situation)
All she did/does is use the internet, do her taxes and print some docs on occasion from the PC...
Got her an HP Envy 1437c mini-tower because well built mid level 2013 computer (for an OEM computer), got it from a limited auction of various office/school equipment...
Being only about 5 years old and what limited things she did I knew it would last her at least 5-10 years if I properly maintained/upgraded as necessary.
For the $140 USD spent was a very good bargain at the time and still might be. i5-3470, 12GB DDR3, 2TB hd, nV620 1Gb video, wi-fi card, etc in nice mini-mid tower....
Runs great today and still does everything she needs !!! Yes was running Win 8.1 but now Win10 LTSC ( 😁) am not going to upgrade her to Win11 unless absolutely necessary !!
added: for those curious: Win10 2019LTSC has a ten year life span, the newer Win10 2021LTSC has only a five year span.... just an FYI

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 47 of 60, by darry

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Horun wrote on 2022-11-14, 03:25:
Good thinking and missed that !! If going to use it for a parent better to get something newer. Does not have to be off the shel […]
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darry wrote on 2022-11-14, 00:10:

I have to give this computer to my father so I want him to use and surf on internet without any problems.

- A cheap used, but still newer and faster than that A52 and capable of running current OSes and browsers is another option (even a 15-year old Core2 Duo or Core2 Quad based system would be faster and more compatible than the A52 you have)

It is a great idea to try to put older machines to productive use, but at some point, there comes a time when it just might not be practical anymore, at least for some applications (like surfing the modern Internet). Whether this point has been reached or not, is subjective one and obviously your choice, but the above points should, IMHO, be taken into consideration .

Good thinking and missed that !! If going to use it for a parent better to get something newer. Does not have to be off the shelf new but at least get something in the last 10 years.
My story: Back in late 2017 bought my mom a "newer" computer than she that just could not keep up and spent too much time trying to keep it running (older soc 775 e6600 based like this situation)
All she did/does is use the internet, do her taxes and print some docs on occasion from the PC...
Got her an HP Envy 1437c mini-tower because well built mid level 2013 computer (for an OEM computer), got it from a limited auction of various office/school equipment...
Being only about 5 years old and what limited things she did I knew it would last her at least 5-10 years if I properly maintained/upgraded as necessary.
For the $140 USD spent was a very good bargain at the time and still might be. i5-3470, 12GB DDR3, 2TB hd, nV620 1Gb video, wi-fi card, etc in nice mini-mid tower....
Runs great today and still does everything she needs !!! Yes was running Win 8.1 but now Win10 LTSC ( 😁) am not going to upgrade her to Win11 unless absolutely necessary !!

That's a nice setup and is still quite usable today (5 years later). I see similar ones going for less than 85 CAN$ (i5-3470 Lenovo or Dell, but with less RAM) at "Amazon surplus" type local resellers and pawn shops. Having chatted with a pawn shop employee, I was told that still decent, 2011-ish or newer small form factor systems don't tend to sell that well and are rather inexpensive a consequence (and that was before Windows 11 official requirements were known). Things might be different in Italy (which I presume is where OP resides, based on the language/locale of the shared screenshots).

On the cheaper side of the spectrum, finding 20-40 CAN$ quad core machines at Value Village or Salvation Army locations also happens occasionally. I have bought up a few of these, then upgraded and then either sold at cost or given them away. There are also non-profits in my area that sell tested, warranted an fully licensed (Windows OS) at relatively low cost. Sometimes, they have specials/promotions too. For example, https://www.insertech.ca/en/warehouse-sale-2022/ . I presume similar options exist elsewhere. IMHO, and in my area at least, it has never been easier to buy an inexpensive but usable personal computer, especially now that WFH "COVID PC buying fever" has subsided somewhat . Even https://www.dellrefurbished.ca/ has OptiPlex 3040 MFF machines with a Core i5 6500T, 16GB RAM and a 500GB HDD and Windows 10 Home for 209 CAN$ (about 158 US$) and that's the regular price .

Reply 48 of 60, by Horun

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Wow that is great ! Dell refurbs are very good !

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 49 of 60, by darry

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Horun wrote on 2022-11-14, 04:38:

Wow that is great ! Dell refurbs are very good !

Indeed, as long as it's Dell (or one of its contractors) doing the refurbishing.

I had previously bought 3 Dell laptops from third-party refurbishers (sold through local retailers, at least one of which was Staples' Canadian division) :

- one was fine, other than the expected scratches/blemishes due to use
- one came with an LCD screen that was physically damaged ( i.e. someone poked it with a pen and caused damage to the point of always visible discoloration). That does not qualify as "normal" in my book, so back it went. The Staples employee that processed the return off-handedly suggested that people buying refurbs were expecting a lot, maybe too much. I (probably wisely) chose not to engage with him on that subject .
- one seemed to work and looked OK, but was missing some screws on the bottom!!! Back it went too . If the supposed "refurbisher" isn't even able and willing to replace screws that might have been missing before "refurbishing", or worse, didn't bother screwing all of them back in after "refurbishing", they can keep it and eat the cost of shipping both ways. IMHO, there is a difference between refurbished and "unfurbished". P.S. This was meant to be a gift .

Reply 50 of 60, by biessea

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darry wrote on 2022-11-14, 00:10:
That setting has to do with power management in standby mode . It is not the setting you were looking for, unfortunately . […]
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biessea wrote on 2022-11-13, 22:54:
I've got it. I found that page in "power supply" tab on BIOS. […]
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Roman555 wrote on 2022-11-13, 22:00:

I didn't find. The option is usually placed in "ACPI" tab of a BIOS settings. Phoenix BIOS is not common for me.

I've got it. I found that page in "power supply" tab on BIOS.

I think it's all enabled.

I really don't know what to do now, It's freaking impossibile that this system can't enable Hyperthreading cmon!!!

That setting has to do with power management in standby mode . It is not the setting you were looking for, unfortunately .

The fact that Hyperthreading does not work in Windows 7 or 8 on that machine is indeed puzzling. That being said, other than the fun factor/challenge of getting Hyperthreading working (for best possible performance), AFAIU, the main end goal is to provide you father with a machine that he can use to browse the Internet :

I have to give this computer to my father so I want him to use and surf on internet without any problems.

In that context, let us consider the following :

- The Pentium 4 640 CPU and 945G chipset can only run 32-bit Windows 8.1 and 10 (CPU instruction limitations) and, even on a 64-bit Windows 7 system would still be limited to less that 4GB usable RAM (chipset limitation)
- Google is dropping support for Windows OSes older than Windows 10 in early 2023 https://mspoweruser.com/chrome-support-for-wi … nds-early-2023/
- Mozilla is evaluating whether they will do the same or not for Firefox https://mspoweruser.com/mozilla-is-considerin … -windows-7-8-1/
- Without browser updates for security and compatibility (newer SSL certificates, etc), surfing on the Internet without any problems is not going to be possible for very long and would be an especially bad idea for banking/financial sites.
- The Pentium 4 640 CPU is about 17 years old, has high power consumption and is quite slow (even with Hyperthreading working) on the modern Internet with its HTML5 content and embedded videos .
- that Pentium 4 640 CPU is about half the speed (at best, slower in multi-threaded scenarios) of the low end Celeron J3455, even in the best of circumstances https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-P … /m7095vsm200485
- Unless you add a video card that supports offloading video decompression of most common codecs, most video content on the Internet will be unbearably slow when decoded by that Pentium 4 .
- A complete, brand new, machine that has a J3455 CPU, 6GB RAM and supports current 64-bit Windows OSes costs about 140€ . It also includes WIFI and a 128GB SSD . https://www.amazon.it/NiPoGi-Computer-Support … i/dp/B099KMZ5TV .
- A cheap used, but still newer and faster than that A52 and capable of running current OSes and browsers is another option (even a 15-year old Core2 Duo or Core2 Quad based system would be faster and more compatible than the A52 you have)

It is a great idea to try to put older machines to productive use, but at some point, there comes a time when it just might not be practical anymore, at least for some applications (like surfing the modern Internet). Whether this point has been reached or not, is subjective and obviously your choice, but the above points should, IMHO, be taken into consideration .

I appreciate a lot all of your words, you write a lot and you give me some absolutely correct thoughs.
Anyway after that, I really want to keep this A52 computer working with hyperthreading. This morning I will try Windows XP just to see if it's working there.
Anyway I want to mantain Windows 7 or 8 or 10 in 32bit so (no problem for the 4GB cause I installed at the end 3GB) but no-one of you here can't really understand why this HT doesn't work, and this for me is absolutely weird considering how much old computer lover is here. I just wanted an explaination, one effective explaination to understand WHY this HT doesn't work in this machine when in bios the option is present, and when Lenovo doesn't speak about strange incompatibility.
I'm so surprised when something like this happen.

Computer lover since 1992.
Love retro-computing, retro-gaming, high-end systems and all about computer-tech.
Love beer, too.

Reply 52 of 60, by biessea

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EduBat wrote on 2022-11-15, 20:25:

Have you tried configuring Sistema Operativo Plug and Play [Yes] in the BIOS?

yes yes.

But guys, I found a japanese guy that writed this in a page, when I was searching for bios:

"Since the XP service is ending, I decided to keep an XP machine, so I bought it at an auction and replaced the CPU with a Pentium D820. At first it was recognized by 2 cores, but as soon as I updated to the latest bios, I was stumped why it was only recognized 1 core. I've searched and searched, and there was a person who wrote a way to reset the BIOS to original (2HKT13AUS) in this review, and I was able to reset it, but Lenovo's site still has the latest BIOS, 2HKT14AUS. It's an older model, so I don't think there are many people using it, but definitely don't upgrade! In the unlikely event you update and have the same symptoms as me (HT doesn't work, multi-core is only recognized as a single core), post how to reset BIOS in the "Lenovo IdeaPad S9e 40682EJ" review. If you refer to it, you can restore it. I hope this information helps someone."

link of japanese page: https://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/00100618817/SortID=17323445/

I now then try to download the previous bios and reinstall all. Let's see if I can solve.

Computer lover since 1992.
Love retro-computing, retro-gaming, high-end systems and all about computer-tech.
Love beer, too.

Reply 53 of 60, by biessea

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YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!

I finally got it. Thanks for that previous post that I mentioned, and I think all the Lenovo a52 owner have to be advised, I solved the situation!

I am happy that I didn't gave up!

The problem was the bios, the newer version probably have some problem with Hyperthreading or dual core (Pentium D) processors, even if it sees them.

Now I installed Windows 7 Ultimate and the hyperthreading is active and working! I'm so happy, finally I can use and give to my father a system fully functional.

I attach images of the desktop showing the working Hyperthreading.

So at the end, If you have a Lenovo A52, if you have the last bios 2HKT14A YOU HAVE TO downgrade the bios to 2HKT13A to permit the operating system see the dual core or the Hyperthreading correctly!!! I think this has to be know for ages from now, if someone has this old system!

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Last edited by biessea on 2022-11-16, 21:20. Edited 1 time in total.

Computer lover since 1992.
Love retro-computing, retro-gaming, high-end systems and all about computer-tech.
Love beer, too.

Reply 55 of 60, by H3nrik V!

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Now only one question remains ... Will it perform better with the newer BIOS and no HT, than with the older BIOS and HT enabled? 😉

Please use the "quote" option if asking questions to what I write - it will really up the chances of me noticing 😀

Reply 56 of 60, by biessea

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H3nrik V! wrote on 2022-11-16, 19:24:

Now only one question remains ... Will it perform better with the newer BIOS and no HT, than with the older BIOS and HT enabled? 😉

Absolutely better with HT, this is what CPU-Z say when you do the benchmark... I am really happy to make it works as they intended!

Computer lover since 1992.
Love retro-computing, retro-gaming, high-end systems and all about computer-tech.
Love beer, too.

Reply 57 of 60, by Horun

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biessea wrote on 2022-11-16, 16:51:
YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!! […]
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YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!

I finally got it. Thanks for that previous post that I mentioned, and I think all the Lenovo a52 owner have to be advised, I solved the situation!
I am happy that I didn't gave up!

The problem was the bios, the newer version probably have some problem with Hyperthreading or dual core (Pentium D) processors, even if it sees them.
Now I installed Windows 7 Ultimate and the hyperthreading is active and working! I'm so happy, finally I can use and give to my father a system fully functional.

Great ! Which BIOS flash version did you use ? The DOS floppy or the Windows or the CD ? Will add the A13 bios to Vogons Library in case the Lenovo site removes it....
I sorta figured it was a BIOS/chipset to OS thing but was not sure if using a previous bios would help....

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 58 of 60, by darry

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biessea wrote on 2022-11-16, 20:26:
H3nrik V! wrote on 2022-11-16, 19:24:

Now only one question remains ... Will it perform better with the newer BIOS and no HT, than with the older BIOS and HT enabled? 😉

Absolutely better with HT, this is what CPU-Z say when you do the benchmark... I am really happy to make it works as they intended!

Glad you got it working.

I hope it's fast enough for your intended use case (for your father) and that modern browsers keep on being available for Windows 7 for a while.

Reply 59 of 60, by biessea

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Horun wrote on 2022-11-17, 02:13:
biessea wrote on 2022-11-16, 16:51:
YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!! […]
Show full quote

YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!

I finally got it. Thanks for that previous post that I mentioned, and I think all the Lenovo a52 owner have to be advised, I solved the situation!
I am happy that I didn't gave up!

The problem was the bios, the newer version probably have some problem with Hyperthreading or dual core (Pentium D) processors, even if it sees them.
Now I installed Windows 7 Ultimate and the hyperthreading is active and working! I'm so happy, finally I can use and give to my father a system fully functional.

Great ! Which BIOS flash version did you use ? The DOS floppy or the Windows or the CD ? Will add the A13 bios to Vogons Library in case the Lenovo site removes it....
I sorta figured it was a BIOS/chipset to OS thing but was not sure if using a previous bios would help....

For some reason, the floppy disk version didn't work for me, I don't remember why, but I never reach to flash with the diskette.
So the easy way is to burn a CD-ROM (rewritable for me so I deleted at the end of the procedure) with the ISO that Lenovo offers in the support site, scrolling down the page you can find the 2hj913a.iso file with the 2HKT13A bios version.

I attach it here. And I will upload in the driver page here on Vogoners 😉

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Computer lover since 1992.
Love retro-computing, retro-gaming, high-end systems and all about computer-tech.
Love beer, too.