[ltp] ThinkPad T520 won't boot Linux from Intel SSD 320

[Martin Steigerwald]

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Hi!

Today I got my new ThinkPad T520 + Intel SSD 320.

After creating a Windows recovery medium, I put the SSD into an external=20
eSATA case to circumvent secure erase freeze by BIOS and then issued a=20
secure erase as described in

https://ata.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/ATA_Secure_Erase

As Intel has an own utility to securely erase the SSD I consider that it=20
supports that procedure. I wanted to replace the default crypto key by=20
which the Intel SSD transparently encrypts data by a new randomly=20
generated one.

This worked, the previous data was gone and I installed Debian Wheezy on=20
the system. First with GPT and BIOS Boot Partition as well as EFI System=20
partition for possible future use. But I used grub-pc which apparently=20
installed into the BIOS Boot Partition.

The ThinkPad T520 did not boot this. And before I was able to read the=20
last message it replaced them by a boot menu. Trying again gives a=20
blinking cursor, some SSD accesses and the boot menu again.

Ok, so I tried some stuff - like syslinux, like gptsync and what not - and=
=20
after that wiped out the GPT partition table my parted mklabel msdos=20
command as well as a dd at the beginning and end of the SSD. Then I=20
reinstalled Debian another time with MBR partitioning scheme. GRUB 2 again=
=20
installed without errors.

But the ThinkPad T520 BIOS didn't boot this either.

I then disabled Intel AMT, let it deconfigure itself by pressing Ctrl-P,=20
disabled the antitheft functionality, upgraded the BIOS to latest 1.22,=20
embedded controller 1.13, set boot to diagnostics  and legacy only (no=20
UEFI), disabled option key display, even resetted BIOS settings to default=
=20
again, but the ThinkPad just doesn't like to boot the SSD.

Two questions:

1) Does anyone know how to teach the ThinkPad T520 to actually show the=20
last messages and stop there instead of replacing them by the boot menu of=
=20
the BIOS in a fraction of a second?

2) Anyone any idea whats going on here? The ThinkPad just doesn't boot the=
=20
SSD, anything else works. I dd the first sectors to a file and see traces o=
f=20
GRUB 2 in the hex dump. I can access the /boot partition, I can access the=
=20
LVM, but it doesn't matter as I do not get to see a GRUB menu at all. I=20
can also start GRML live CD an Debian installer. It just seems that the=20
ThinkPad BIOS scans the SSD and then decides that it doesn't want to boot=20
from it. For whatever reason.

It booted that Windows 7 that has been accessible from the SSD before the=20
secure erase.

Ciao,
=2D-=20
Martin 'Helios' Steigerwald - http://www.Lichtvoll.de
GPG: 03B0 0D6C 0040 0710 4AFA  B82F 991B EAAC A599 84C7

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