I bought a Lenovo X230 and I want to modify it to be the same as a certified laptop, has anyone done the same thing?
I want to remove the webcam, mic and speakersand install coreboot.
Please tell me how to do it.
Take off the keyboard and palm rest, and you can remove the speakers, I think the microphone is built into the same component.
If you don’t know how to fully disassemble the laptop, you shouldn’t try and remove the webcam, just buy a privacy shutter for the webcam. To remove the webcam, you need to disassemble display, and the plastic bits that keep the screen together can easily break off when you open the display.
You need to remove the display from the chassis and unscrew the two screws in the front covered with black tape. Then you take something thin and gently push in the plastic locks and at the edge of the display, if you break them you can’t fully close the display when you are done.
When you have the display open, you can remove the camera, and then you just close the display and reassemble the laptop.
Then you need to install heads/coreboot, but there are step by step guides on how to do this.
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There are youtube videos on opening the case on a Lenovo X-230. Look at them. Opening the case is not intuitive.
There are lists of changes on the Nitro Key site, and on Insurgo site.
Realize that with a Lenovo X-230, there are several parts, which for the original BIOS to work, must be the original Thinkpad parts. Like it must be an original battery, the original WiFi adapter. After the change to Core Boot those issues go away. Although someone once said that an original battery worked better than the substitutes.
Make sure you clear any BIOS Password.
If you do not plug in the keyboard, or touchpad correctly - on re-assembly - the computer will not boot.
Sven, speaking for a T430 said the Samsung pro drive was noticeably faster than the less expensive drives. But you do not have to afford everything all at once.
Keep in mind I gorked a Mobo. So maybe I should not say anything.
But now you have some reading material.
Get the maintenance manual from here
It contains detailed drawings, and step by step guides to disassembly.
Removing webcam, mic requires opening up the lid - it’s quite
straightforward, if you are careful when prying up the claws on the
front bezel. You can disconnect or remove the items.
The speakers are under the palm rest. Straight forward removal.
To install coreboot, you will need to flash the chips under the palm
rest - easy to get to, and there are many guides available online.
The old coreboot wiki still holds good.
As you’re working in the machine, it makes sense to clean it internally,
and apply fresh thermal paste. Again, if you follow the manual, this is
easy.
Update the firmware before you start, it makes sense for you to
flash the EC with Hamish Coleman’s excellent patch(GitHub - hamishcoleman/thinkpad-ec: Infrastructure for examining and patching Thinkpad embedded controller firmware) to allow use of 3rd party batteries -
Read that carefully before you do anything else. You don’t want to update
firmware beyond 2.75 BIOS package.
Work slowly and step by step.
Store screws carefully and count them in and out - I habitually place
the screws on work bench next to the machine in order of removal.
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So Skulls is not recommended?
Why do you say this?
When I was at the point of using either Skulls, or building CoreBoot from current - someone said to use Skulls, as it used the latest CoreBoot, already assembled.
But you did not suggest Core Boot. Might be a place I went wrong.
Well, I am going to buy some shorter wires.
useful information