T430s boot from SD / SDHC card reader

[douglaslucas]

Can a Thinkpad T430s with option "Express Card Slot & 4 in 1 Card Reader & Smart Card Reader" selected at purchase boot from a SD or SDHC card? I had a MacBook Pro and would boot off an SDHC card that held Ubuntu 12.04. I want to know if the T430s can do the same thing, if the BIOS can see the card and boot off it.

Page 134 (of the PDF) in the manual - www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/user.../t430s_ug_en.pdf - seems to suggest it's possible, but some threads for similar models suggest it isn't - http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T500-and-newer-T-series/T410-support-of-SD-card-reader-boot-up/m-p/... & http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/T400-T500-and-newer-T-series/T410-boot-from-SDHC/m-p/309410/highlight/tr... Such a specification can probably differ from model to model...

If it's not possible to boot off an SDHC card, would the T430s BIOS see a thumbdrive in a USB 3.0 slot and boot off that?

Thanks so much!

[douglaslucas]

Here is the correct link for the manual: http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/user_guides/t430s_ug_en.pdf

[Mark_Lenovo]

Douglas,

Welcome to the forum - I'll have to look into that.   Thanks for the links.

Mark

[lead_org]

booting from the SDHC doesn't seem to be working for my T430s.

The USB 3.0 would only boot a drive if you put it in USB 2.0 mode in the BIOS (by disabling the USB 3.0 mode).

[douglaslucas]

Thanks Jin. Are you sure that's the case with the USB 3.0? I wonder why it would be so.

[xcln]

Just FYI  -  I have cloned OK the standard windows 7 64 Pro (Samsung SSD 120GB) to a 120 GB Kingston SSD Hyperex 3 - removing the internal boot SSD, then starting the T430s results in the Kingston (external on USB3 Aluratek ) or external USB2 (disabling USB3 in Bios):

I get the Windows startup screen, so the USB drive definitely boots AOK, but then BSD.

So I have some sort of windows 7 issue,  but it seems that the USB ports do boot fine.  (Acronis et al  USB botable sticks work fine..)

That is a pain .. the T61 I have boot w/o problems from USB cloned drives...

Any feedback welcome 

[douglaslucas]

My T430s finally arrived. The USB 2.0 port will boot the thumbdrive, but neither of the USB 3.0 ports will. (The thumdrive is a 3.0 Patriot with Ubuntu 12.04.1 LiveCD on it.) I tinkered with the BIOS settings but couldn't figure anything out to make the 3.0 ports boot the thumbdrive.

Anyone have any ideas?