Thanks, OP, as trying both may help given that they are the same system. Both auction descriptions are identical so whatever is going on with the one you're working on could also be an issue with the other.
And again, I really doubt you have a claim for either of the systems because the seller stated they were only booted to the BIOS. That would tell me that anything beyond that is "iffy" at best and unknown by the seller.
If you could get both of them running you'd have a couple of pretty sturdy systems for a very low initial cost. I see you also bought some memory for them so I'm assuming you'd like to fix 'em up. I really wouldn't try a bigger HD than is already in there while you are trying to get the systems to boot property.......one less thing to think about while you concentrate on getting them to work.
The BIOS flash file should be listed on the Lenovo site under the serial numbers of both systems (probably use the same file). I didn't check the system enough to see if it has a floppy drive but if not maybe you could pick up one (they are cheap) or borrow one from someone who has one? I bought a good one (a Targus) given that the more new computers I buy the less floppy drives I have to work with and I've used this drive on now 4 computers that didn't come with floppy drives. I had no problems at all flashing the BIOS with a USB floppy drive and it did straighten out a couple of minor problems I was having with the 2nd ThinkPad. I also flashed the 1st one with the internal FDD without incident. Even my Ontrack Data Eraser worked with the USB FD.
You just need to make sure you have the right file for your system which has been mentioned here and is very important. I've also flashed external HDs, routers, and other assorted hardware and never had any problems. I just double and triple-check the file to make sure I've got the right one.
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Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
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