Lot of the recent updates of the BIOS of Lenovo Laptops caused the devices to get bricked, We figured out a fix for the Lenovo BIOS Failure. Let’s get started, You need to download a few files and a pen drive to get started to fix bricked Lenovo BIOS.
How To Fix –
- Format USB disk as FAT file system.
- Download the Phoenix crisis recovery tool – Link (UPDATED 6th July, 2016)
- Extract the files and run WINCRIS.exe.
![How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]](http://techzei.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/image-1.png "How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]")
If it doesn’t run and give an error try to run it in compatibility mode like shown below.
![How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]](http://techzei.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/image-2.png "How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]")
- Once the application opens, select the formatted USB stick.
![How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]](http://techzei.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/image-3.png "How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]")
- Click the “Start” button wait until this message pops up and click OK (Do not close WINCRIS.EXE)
![How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]](http://techzei.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/eatgwe.png "How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS]")
- Choose “YES”,and hit start again and exit the tool.
- Remove your USB stick and reconnect.
- Copy the files “MINIDOS.SYS” and “PHLASH16.EXE” that are present in the same folder as the tool to USB Pen Drive.
- Copy your bios with name “bios.wph” (BIOS file differs for each laptop model,The one included in the zip is for G450 ONLY. If you have any other Lenovo model kindly read the note below)
NOTE :
“bios.wph” included in the zip is for G450 ONLY, If you have a different model make sure to REPLACE the included file with the “bios.wph” file of your model, download the BIOS file specific for your model from the Lenovo website and extract the downloaded .exe (Use 7-Zip) file to obtain the “bios.wph” file for your model.
- Once your USB Pen Drive looks like this, you are ready to go.
Recovering the laptop :
- Turn off your laptop, disconnect the power source, plug in the USB stick.
- Connect the Power source, Press and hold “fn” key + “R” and while doing so hit the power button and wait for 5 seconds until you see the pen drive blink and the fan running.
- Leave your laptop alone for few minutes and it will reboot on its own, if not then simply remove and replace the battery and turn it on and keep your fingers crossed.
the link to the tool is dead 🙁
Will fix it ASAP.
Edit: Fixed.
how to get a bios.wph for w540?
Download the BIOS IMG file from the lenovo website for your respective model and extract with a archive manager of your choice (7-Zip/WinRar) to obtain the bios.wph file
mine is Z580 and there are two exe files in lenovo.com
http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/ideapad-z-series-laptops/ideapad-z580/downloads/DS100928
not sure which one to download? and also how to get whp from exe
thx
Downloaded the latest one!
To get the whp file, simply extract the .exe file (preferably with 7-Zip)
hi thx for the reply
but i am not able to extract .exe with 7zip it says cannot open as archive
Try renaming the extension to .zip and try again? Or simply google for the whp file for your model
and i forgot: link not working
Seems like Lenovo is behind our back. We are looking into it , check back in a day.
Edit: Link fixed
The link to the tool is dead again.
Does this apply to InsydeH2O BIOS recovery?
We are looking into it.
And No. It is only for Phoenix bios.
Hi, for E540 Thinkpad Edge, can i remove bioss password?
We are not very sure of the particular model but you can give it a try by flashing a fresh copy of BIOS
The link works fine?
https://mega.co.nz/#!NFwGlCYC!2e0CJxoMNhcRZ4JjmXMO2gLzndbygiEu9MbfTUaqkrI
Thank you for your prompt update. The link is fine now. Are Phoenix & Insyde completely different in their implementation that this method can not be used to update Insyde BIOS at all?
As for my Lenovo G460 BIOS (Insyde H2O), the latest BIOS update bricked the unit and now it does not read the flash drive anymore to either restore the old BIOS or update to new BIOS. It stays ON with Fan ON, LEDs on Panel & Flash Drive ON and shutdowns after 1-2 minutes. Any thoughts? I will appreciate.
They are different, this method cannot be used for insydeH20.
And for your problem, all you need to do is recover your BIOS.
We strongly suggest you to check out the lenovo forums.
If we can find any leads, we will keep you updated.
Does this work for any phoenix Bios? I bricked an acer laptop…
Worth a try. Post back the result 🙂
I try to do this on my lenovo w540 but the key combination doesnt work it still stuck at think pad splashcreen.. any help?
Search for it on the lenovo forums!
I’m not sure which file to rename bios.wph.
I downloaded and extracted the BIOS update utility from Lenovo, but none of the files a .wph extension.
I got them from here.
http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-edge-laptops/thinkpad-edge-e540?c=1
I have an E540.
We’re sorry. You need to look for an alternative method to fix your BIOS
hey are you able to open your bios menu? i have a Z580 and got it bricked after installing bios given from the lenovo support website , and i was following some random forms to find the solution and by luck i just changed the boot mode to legacy in main tab and some other option to legacy first not sure which one , and selected save and exit and then it just came .
Are you sure it is a phoenix one? You can try extracting this file http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds037207 and check if there is a wph file in it.
I tried all the instructions above and its still not working sir. my laptop is g450 and its totally dead because i tried to flash the bios and it hanged so I tried to remove the battery and now its not working. please. i badly need my laptop and i really need your help. im using a 16gig flashdrive and tried the recovery method but when i hit fn+r +power button it just gives me 1-2blinks and thats it. no fan noise and no boot. please help me?
Try checking if the files are present inside the pen drive after you run the tool. Make sure the tool runs properly (I ran it on a Win 7 x32bit)
Finally, repeat the process twice or thrice.
This is the only known easy method.
Please put bios file download link for Lenova b490.
http://support.lenovo.com/en/downloads/ds032260
You can extract the .exe file to obtain the bios file
Hi,
How to boot on the usb if we don’t have an “fn” Key on the keyboard ?!
Do a search specifying your model number or drop in your model number here, we ll get back to you.
Worked perfectly for my x200, thank you very much for the clear description. However, the description says that the bios is for g450, while the readme in the zipfile says: x200 – what worked actually fine. And the second step – copying the minidos.sys and phlash.exe are now performed during creation of the pendrive – so probably you might want to update the description 🙂
The files present were specifically downloaded for the G450. Also, we tested it on that specific model.
Coming to second step, in few PC’s one file maybe skipped. So to be foolproof , its good to check if the file is present or no.
And glad if that helped you! 🙂
hi bro… i have .exe file for lenovo b490 20205…. wgen i try to extract its failed … aldo used 7 zip and universal exractor… so please leave .wph file for my laptop …. thanks in advance
does it even run on phoenix BIOS? The above guide is ONLY for phoenix bios.
Also, is your laptop dead as a result of a failed BIOS update? In that case, you need to get your bios chip verified by a technician.
(I guess you’re referring to this file http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/lenovo-b-series-laptops/lenovo-b490-notebook/20205)
I have lenovo g500, nothing comes up on the screen when I press fn+r and than release the power button.
My screen was stuck up on lenovo screen for past few days so I opened the lappy and cleaned the ram. BUt later noting was coming up, not even lenovo logo. Still the problem is same. Please help.
Sounds like a hardware issue since you say the logo used to appear and now it doesn’t. Check with your local technician to confirm.
Hello jay, i the link is dead again. i have download wincris.exe from this website bios-mods.com/bios-recovery/phoenix-bios-recovery/ but the wincris.exe can not run. i also have run from compability mode
can you advice where i can get another wincris.exe
i want to fix BIOS my lenovo ideapad s10-3
thanks…
In the first process itself when i open the wincrisis.exe it is showing no removable device detected insert one and try again even though when have a usb drive formatted and kept ready on my pc
Never experienced such an error, you can try the following:
1. Try a different USB drive / port. (Make sure you format it to NTFS/FAT 32, try both & see if it detects)
2. If above fails, run wincrisis.exe in compatibility mode.
3. If nothing works, try on a different PC.
I bricked lenovo b490, as you said I extracted the bios exe. I can’t find. Wph file inside rather than I found. CAP file. Do know what to do next?
You need to follow a different procedure for the mode you have mentioned. Look for it in the lenovo support forums.
link not working,can you please fix it?
hi
i am using lenovo b490.my laptop could not on . it still in black screen.i thinl\k bios is corropt what will i do it nw
sir that I do all procedure. My pendrive blink and pc restart and the fan is running but I could not recover it. What will I do???reply me
Are you sure the files are present on the pen drive? Use the tool again.
Make sure you use the BIOS files of your specific model.
If you do it right, it must fix it.
Else, you need to first confirm if its your BIOS or something else
Ya i insert correct file inside my pendrive. The bios.wph taken from another same model laptop bios. I think it could not read bios file. Could u help me. I have Lenovo b490
Hi Azhagar,
I’ll be really grateful if you can give the good bios.wph file taken from a working laptop.
My B490 shows the Lenovo logo, goes into the bios, but is not able to boot from any device, HDD, DVD or USB. Bios settings are correct (Secure Boot/ CSM/ UEFI etc.)
I’ve not been able to extract the wph file from h9et92ww.exe.
There’s another file h9et84ww.exe whose extracts include $0AH1000.FL1, $0AH5000.FL1 and $0AH9000.FL1. I don’t know if they are the required files.
Please help!
hello, your bios seems to be fine.
Use Rufus to make a bootable USB (any linux distro) and report back?
Usually the only indication for fixing the BIOS is when your laptop shows nothing but a black screen which doesn’t seem to be happening in your case.
Thanks very much Jay for the reply!
As I said It is not booting from any device. I’ve tried Win 7 DVD, Win 7 USBs, Ubuntu USB – nothing is working.
When I use F12 for the boot menu and select USB or DVD, the menu reappears after a flick of a second.
When I select HDD, then a black screen appears with a flashing cursor.
Has anyone been able to use this method to install the previous working version of the BIOS for Lenovo’s mobile work station, model W540? Many people, including me, are having problems booting with the new BIOS version and we need a method to solve the problem. The old BIOS seemed to work (we updated and shouldn’t have because of a security update). Thanks for your help.
Hi Jay,
I am trying to fix my Lenovo s10-3 for the past few months. I tried every step but my USB is not detecting. when I switch power on, I can hear the hard drive sound and all but just having a blank screen. Please help me. Thank you
Is it even phoenix BIOS? It depends on the BIOS wph file, for the USB to be detected.
Hey bro. I have a Lenovo Z580 and I think my BIOS needs to be upgraded. Its current version is “Phoenix Technologies Ltd. 5FCN91WW, 9/20/2012”. However, I’ve found posts that say that the update 5FCN95WW is buggy and many of the users couldn’t boot after updating. I wanted to update BIOS so that I could unlock the Advanced Tab and enable Memory Remapping Feature in BIOS. So should I give the update a try? Thanks in advance!
Hello,
We don’t own the model you specified but the general advice would be to skip the 95 update since others have said it could brick your device. I would suggest you to look for a more updated version.
If you still want to give it a go, make sure you have the old BIOS file which can be used to recover, if anything goes wrong.
Hi, can u help me, i have a lenovo b5400, i tried to install windows on a new m.2 ssd but now im stuck on a boot menu/app menu panel and my laptop wont recognize any usb port or cd/dvd so i cant not boot to install the os again, i think is a bios problem, i tried to download the file for the bios from lenovo web site but i cant unzip the file j7uj59ww.exe, i need some help i dont have more money for a new laptop and i need it for the school, sorry for my bad english
I would suggest you to remove the SSD and replace it with the previous HDD. Check if that helps there is nothing much you can do with the BIOS if the wph file is not available.
Also, as long as you’re able to boot up, you can get it fixed. A screenshot of the menu would be helpful.
thx for the reply,i have a lenovo b5400 and i will try to explain my problem in more depth. i tried to install my 2 os, windows/ubuntu, on a new m.2 ssd that i bought since it is more faster than the hdd, i put the m.2 inside the computer and it work fine i boot from the cd, all ok, and i install windows first on the ssd, everything ok the install start, but after the machine restart the first time a boot menu show up and the only options where ubuntu and windows boot manager i tried all and the screen goes black and then back to the boot menu, i remove the ssd and then only the original hard driver apears and no ubuntu or windows manger, both the hard driver and the m.2 work fine and i tested both on other computer, the thing is no only that boot menu/app menu show but the hdd is mark as disk1 with no name and i cant boot from the cd or usb, also when i try legacy mode the screen goes black and i need to remove the cmos or internal bios battery to access the bios again. After some trail and error, i discover some things if i change the serial ata option on the config menu from the bios from AHCI to Compatibility, the computer recognize both the hard driver and the cd by name and not by disk1 and if i change the option inside usb menu-> usb 3.0 mode from smart auto to enable the computer show the usb on the lenovo diagnostic software and pass the motherboard bust test but still cant boot from anywhere. I dont know waht problem this is, i want to update the bios since my bios is the J7ET59WW (2.04) to the 2.06 but the only file that lenovo provides is the one name j7et61ww.exe and i cant unzip it and after install it the other file i found inside the folder is one name $0aj7000.fl1. and i dont know if that is the one i need to change to bios.wph pls help me since i dont have a clue what the problem is and i need the computer for shcool and i have like 0 money, sorry for my english
Having gone through everything you have written, I can only suggest you to contact lenovo. You have done most of what I could suggest.
You say that the pen drive slot is not working, in case it does then let us know and we could guide you further.
If it doesn’t, you may have to open, desolder the BIOS chip (NOT RECOMMENDED) and resolder it back.
For some reason, the files needed for the BIOS update are not available. like I already said you have to contact lenovo and check with them on the availability of files
[…] How To Fix Lenovo BIOS Failure [PHOENIX BIOS – Techzei – Lot of the recent updates of the BIOS of Lenovo Laptops caused the devices to get bricked, We figured out a fix for the Lenovo BIOS Failure. Let’s get started, You … […]
Hi, i have a lenovo G450 notebook, i was looking of a BIOS update for the laptop, but there were no updates of it compatibe with Win8.1, but the website had a installer for lenovo G400. I just wanted to ask you will the bios work for my G450?
No. Don’t try using it.
I get a message when I try to launch wincris that there is no removable device present. This is on multiple machines. Running Win 7 Pro on everything.
Please try using a different USD drive
brw em using a lenovo b490 20205 i downloaded the genuine bios for this laptop and tried flashing it and it worked sucessfuly and booom my screen went off no display .. but my laptop is running i can feel my fan running. Do you have any solution for this ??????
Will suggest you to use the tool on another PC and create a USB and re do the procedure. Must be due to improper recovery.
Hi Jay,
I am trying to install WINCRIS but when I press start a meassage saying:
—————————
WINCRIS
—————————
Project Path Must be Specified!
The folder must contain both BIOS.ROM and PLATFORM.BIN files,
or a BIOS.WPH file
Enter Project Path or Select Browser.
Appears. Any idea about what I am doing wrong?
Thanks,
You will need to place the files as directed. Choose the path to the files and enter it.
Jay hi, I just saw this article and thought you could help me. Namely, I have Lenovo Ideapad 700-15isk model and I have installed BIOS update to the latest version E5CN56WW. After that, I realized that I can’t start windows. Actually, bios doesn’t recognize my ssd as a boot drive anymore. I have win10 installed on it. I think the problem is with this BIOS update, so my question is there any solution how to revert BIOS to previous version for this notebook. Unfortunately I didn’t write down the previous version. Also I’ve reinstalled windows but still I would like to know how can I downgrade the BIOS to previous (original) version. Thanks in advance.
Downgrade is usually not possible unless you have the required files. If the problem is with the SSD, would suggest you to format and re try. Don’t have access to the model you have mentioned to dig in further.
How fix same problem for Lenovo b490 government laptop
You will have to search the bios files for your specific model.
Hi .JAY
Please help me find lenovo v460 bios.It’s so hard to search.
I found many file .bin & .rom but not work to change to .wph.
Need help….
The above method does not support your model.
Does this work with the lenovo g580? i remember my bios stating it was phoenix secure tiano 2.2 (or something like that) yet the only folder i extract with the latest update of my computer, its insyde….how does this make sense?
Dear Jay,
I was not capable of finding a bios.wph for my ThinkPad X131e. Could you perhaps give it a shot and take a look whether you can find anything?
Regards,
Rick
Sorry this method does not work for the model you have specified.
hello
does this work for lenovo thinkpad x220 ???
i have tried this a few times but before now i need to know if work for my laptop
but its complete bricked no video just start for a few seconds the leds flashing and shutdown again with the battery it stays in a reboot loop without no video
the bios is phoenix thx
It does work but since it is booting up, the problem does not seem to be the BIOS
My Lenovo b490 got a blank screen after updating a bios from the Lenovo official website.
Pls tell me the solution to solve that!!!
Which BIOS was it? If it’s phoenix you can follow the above guide.
Hi Jay
I have Lenovo U410 when I hold Fn+R after few second laptop turned off.
Bios in my ideapad can’t start anything. Could you help my via email, skype messenger ??
I don’t think your laptop uses phoenix BIOS.You will have to check out the official Lenovo forums for further help.
I’m sure I have Phoenix BIOS I Can send you a screenshot with the information. My bios Has 65CN13WW version
My bad. Were you able to extract the .wph file from the bios?
I download a *.rom file from BIOS DEPOT and change name to bios.wph as you recommend in your tutorial
No, as per the tutorial you are supposed to extract the contents of BIOS file.
Perhaps, I do it wrong.
how to do it corectlly? I mean how to extract bios from the bios.exe file.
I found the executable file on lenovo web site but this file try to upgrade my bios. How to extract bios from this file?
Download and install 7-zip and use it to extract the .exe file (rename the .exe to .zip if you are not able to extract)
And still nothing happened.
The best sollution is send it on service.
Thanks for your help. I tried fix it using your advice but nothing works properlly.
We are afraid so. Maybe it is a hardware failure.
Hi Jay, Lenovo u310 is stuck at restoring old version of windows and the bios looks corrupted. I’m not able to boot into legacy mode as well. Any idea how I could fix this will be greatly helpful.
Which BIOS version was it on? Did you try formatting the disk and performing a clean install?
Thank you for your response. Can you tell me how to find the BIOS version? I have a bootable pen drive with windows 10 but the BIOS won’t let me choose the boot option. Is there any other way to do a clean install. I also tried to find the BIOS battery to see if I can reset it but couldn’t figure out anything.
I assume you are able to enter the BIOS settings but there is no option to select boot disk/order ? I would suggest you to Google the key combination for your specific model to choose boot device. Try another OS if possible (use rufus to make bootable drive)
No it doesn’t enter into the bios menu at all. It keeps saying one key recovery is corrupted and doesnt launch boot menu. No option to choose between boot option
You will have to get further help from the official lenovo forums.
One key recovery is completely different. A sign of no bios is – the screen would remain black no matter what. Try fn+f8/f12 to go directly into bios.
Hi. Jay.
I need help from your expertise.
I have T420 which was shutdown during BIOS update, Now it is not booting at all. When press power button on it shows light on the power button and tries to start system then goes off. It doesn’t show any thing on the screen. Screen keep black all the time.
Please help me if you have some savior solution for my laptop.
Awaiting for reply.
Thanks in advance.
Its going to depend on the type of recovery. This method is for phoenix BIOS only, what is the type of BIOS on yours?
Hi.
Thanks lot for eply.
I am not very much sure, but as I got info this is phoenix also.
Regards.
Do you remember seeing the words “phoenix” every time you turned it on?
i have Lenovo G40-70 20369
help me o find the wph file
Sir, i followed the above steps but when i plug in usb and turn on laptop while holding fn+r key there’s no light in the usb and computer still stays in the black screen
Try a different USB port. If that doesnt work try a different usb-drive.
do you have BIOS zip for lenovo flex 10