Available on:
- Star Labtop Mk III
- Star Labtop Mk IV
- StarBook Mk V
- StarLite Mk IV
- StarLite Mk III (Beta)
Requirements:
- fwupd version 1.5.6 or later
- The battery must be charged to at least 30%
- The charger must be connected (either USB-C or DC Jack)
- BIOS Lock must be disabled
- Supported Linux distribution (Ubuntu 20.04 +, Linux Mint 20.1 + elementaryOS 6 +, Manjaro 21+)
Notes:
On the StarLite Mk II and Mk III, to switch back to AMI, this must be done with a hardware programmer.
Setup
Follow the steps in this guide for how to install the pre-requisites.
If you are not using one of the distributions listed above, it is possible to install coreboot using a Live USB.
Disable BIOS Lock
BIOS Lock must be disabled when switching from the standard AMI (American Megatrends Inc.) firmware to Coreboot. BIOS Lock is only available in later versions of the firmware, so if you don't see it, please update the AMI firmware first. To disable BIOS Lock:
1. Start with your LabTop turned off. Turn it on whilst holding the F2 key to access the BIOS settings.
2. When the BIOS settings load, use the arrow keys to navigate to the advanced tab. Here you will see BIOS Lock.
3. Press Enter to change this setting from Enabled to Disabled
4. Next, press the F10 key to Save & Exit and then Enter to confirm.
Switching Branch
Switching branch refers to changing from AMI firmware to Coreboot, or vice versa.
First, check for new firmware files with the below terminal command:
fwupdmgr refresh --force
Then, to change branch, enter the below terminal command:
fwupdmgr switch-branch
You can then select which branch you would like to use, by typing in the corresponding number:
You will be prompted to confirm, press y to continue or n to cancel.
If you see a message Message recipient disconnected from message bus without replying, you'll need to add the iomem=relaxed kernel parameter. The two below commands will do this for you:
sudo sed -i 's/quiet/quiet iomem=relaxed/g' /etc/default/grub
sudo update-grub
Once the switch has been completed, you will be prompted to restart.
The next reboot can take up to 10 minutes, do not disconnect the charger. This reboot can occasionally stall, so if it's been longer than 5 minutes and the screen is blank, press and hold Ctrl + Alt + Delete and Power for 30 seconds.
Once the reboot is complete, that's it - you'll continue to receive updates for whichever branch you are using.
You can switch branch at any time.