@@JSebastian

I have attached a last test for Chipset tab unlocking. If this doesn't work, I don't know where else to look. Now for the rest of unlocking. Open your biosbck.bin in AMIBCP, click on the settings you want to unlock and set Access/Use to USER. Save this as a temp.bin and use MMTool to extract AMITSE. I have compared a before/after case and it is the only module that gets changed. As you have already found out, AMIBCP has the potential of bricking your board, especially when the input is a .cap file. Just extract (uncompressed, to avoid any corruption) AMITSE from temp.bin and replace in your biosbck.bin. Flash and test.

Some notes:
- sometimes just unlocking a parent option also unlocks its connections, just as you have seen in CPU-PPM. If you want to avoid changing all to USER, try unlocking only parent nodes. If you want to avoid mutiple tests, set all needed options to USER.
- some options are temporarly hidden when the parent is disabled. Ex: when "Launch CSM" is disabled, "Launch PXE opRom" should be hidden, as it is expected.
- not all options are safe/working. Manufacturers often start with a generic BIOS that gets customized. Like you promised, read ahead what each option does and see if it is supported by your hardware. Pay close attention to thermal configuration, as this is how I bricked my laptop after a successful modding.
- as you have seen in the case of "UEFI Boot", some options are locked with "Suppress if..." in Setup Utility. If you can't get them to appear with AMIBCP, just post a list here and I will see if they are suppressed in Setup.

@lordkag

Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #61

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I have attached a last test for Chipset tab unlocking. If this doesn't work, I don't know where else to look. Now for the rest of unlocking. Open your biosbck.bin in AMIBCP, click on the settings you want to unlock and set Access/Use to USER. Save this as a temp.bin and use MMTool to extract AMITSE. I have compared a before/after case and it is the only module that gets changed. As you have already found out, AMIBCP has the potential of bricking your board, especially when the input is a .cap file. Just extract (uncompressed, to avoid any corruption) AMITSE from temp.bin and replace in your biosbck.bin. Flash and test.

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #61

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Like you promised, read ahead what each option does and see if it is supported by your hardware. Pay close attention to thermal configuration, as this is how I bricked my laptop after a successful modding.
- as you have seen in the case of "UEFI Boot", some options are locked with "Suppress if..." in Setup Utility. If you can't get them to appear with AMIBCP, just post a list here and I will see if they are suppressed in Setup.

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The unlocking simply makes the setting visible, nothing more. If you haven't messed with the settings and the high temps are something new, you should first try to look the problem elsewhere, like software running in the background, CPU forced to continuously run at full speed... If it will continue to be a problem, just resort to last working biosbck.bin.

I don't know what you mean with CPU running at 5V. It will be a barbecue. You have different software to measure this, but ThrottleStop is the most reliable one.

HWiNFO is wrong with the ME size. You have 1.5M, just like other H7x chipsets. Only business Q7x have a 5M ME firmware.

You can test Win8 drivers and see how they work. You should try to get the latest version for Win8.1, no matter if it is for your laptop or not. They won't get installed if the ID of the device is not included; but it is possible that some of them won't work.

I don't see a way to unlock Chipset tab. The solution must be found in the same AMITSE, but I can only get a partial disassembly of this module, leaving the interesting parts out. Maybe I will investigate deeper, but I don't see this as an urgent task. Do you have anything important in Chipset tab to unlock?

It is hard to keep track with all the changes in your BIOS, without having full access to the screen. That is why I asked you to make a list of pending hidden options, starting with important ones you need. Example:

Advanced ->
- option1
...
- optionx

Boot ->
- option1
...
- optionx

If you are happy with the current state, no need to push things further. But if you want more settings, I won't spend hours on comparing partial screens with the full blown list in AMIBCP, when I could use that time to unlock only the requested settings. You must understand that I already went beyond the "help a fellow in need" scenario. Some boundaries must be set.

@lordkag

Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #63

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The unlocking simply makes the setting visible, nothing more. If you haven't messed with the settings and the high temps are something new, you should first try to look the problem elsewhere, like software running in the background, CPU forced to continuously run at full speed...

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #63

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I don't see a way to unlock Chipset tab. The solution must be found in the same AMITSE, but I can only get a partial disassembly of this module, leaving the interesting parts out. Maybe I will investigate deeper, but I don't see this as an urgent task. Do you have anything important in Chipset tab to unlock?

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #63

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I don't know what you mean with CPU running at 5V. It will be a barbecue.

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@@JSebastian

By reading some of the leaked source code, I managed to locate the locking code, in the form of a boolean array. Just replace the Setup utility with the file attached, like you did with "UEFI Boot" option. This will only unhide the Chipset tab (also kept UEFI Boot visible), so you should still use AMIBCP to unlock its sub-nodes.


The high temps are likely caused by dust accumulating in the cooling system, in the heat sink. The other possibility is that some capacitors are failing. For the first problem you have two solutions:
- first one is to disassemble the laptop and re-paste with a good quality thermal paste, clean every bit of dust around the fans and from the heat sink.
- a second and only a temporarily one is to blow compressed air from outside the heat sink. The air should again flow naturally, but the dust will remain in the system and will eventually do more damage.

There is no difference between the compressed ffs and the other file I provided, except the compression. The compressed one was provided in case you needed some extra space, but it is not worth it. There is plenty of free space and it is better to avoid any compression errors.

A big rule of thumb: don't use one software to measure things and avoid taking the result for granted. Use CPU-Z, GPU-Z, AIDA64, HWiNFO, ThrottleStop etc... If they all report the same thing, then you need to search for solutions. The high temps can determine the CPU throttling, thus causing performance drop and lower frequencies. Run some tests and check ThrottleStop logs. Run a game and check the clocks with GPU-Z or GPU Caps Viewer; run a H.264 video with LAVFilters set to every hardware decoding possible (all but CUVID) and check the clocks. Only then can you conclude that there is a problem.

What you see as 5V is probably the line to CPU, not the real consumption. Use the above softwares to determine this.

@lordkag @Fernando
Honestly I have to thank you guys for guiding me... and teaching me so much!!! I appreciate all the patience you have given me... This forum is truly the BEST OF THE BEST!!! This thread is the latest example of the knowledgeable support I have received on this forum!!! My hats off to you both!!!

Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #65

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By reading some of the leaked source code, I managed to locate the locking code, in the form of a boolean array. Just replace the Setup utility with the file attached, like you did with "UEFI Boot" option. This will only unhide the Chipset tab (also kept UEFI Boot visible), so you should still use AMIBCP to unlock its sub-nodes.

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #65

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The high temps are likely caused by dust accumulating in the cooling system, in the heat sink. The other possibility is that some capacitors are failing. For the first problem you have two solutions:
- first one is to disassemble the laptop and re-paste with a good quality thermal paste, clean every bit of dust around the fans and from the heat sink.
- a second and only a temporarily one is to blow compressed air from outside the heat sink. The air should again flow naturally, but the dust will remain in the system and will eventually do more damage.

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@@JSebastian

You must understand that I am not an infinite source of knowledge and that some answers can be easily found with a search. I have helped you with the difficult things (and even more than so), but I can't step in your shoes and do all the work with a hardware that I don't own. One must exercise moderation and also discover the virtue of patience when it comes to the learning process.

I can however help with a few steps. Some fast answers can be found in this place. But when dealing with such a critical component - BIOS, the foundation of machine-software-user experience, it will be a foolish mistake not to search in depth.

Some of the graphic settings are inherited from the AGP era, not sure if they are still useful. Others will have an impact and can be visually checked (like so); in principle it should be the more the merrier. The real testing must be done like in the previous examples: game, synthetic benchmark, video processing.

I once tested the bithdepth of the panel and got distorted colors. This is the internal hardware level of processing and it should already be at its best, but there is no one stopping you to test - it was easily to revert the change, despite the awful colours. Apparently your monitor does 6-bit with dithering to match 8-bit support. Since your graphic card is only feeding 8 bits of colour information (luma + chroma) per channel and most commercial stuff is encoded at this level, there is no point going higher with the current configuration. Maybe if you had a professional card with 10-bit support and a 10-bit IPS panel you could aim higher, but this is already decided at the manufacturing level. You should instead look at its dithering power and 4:4:4 chroma support. Do this with madVR and this image at fullscreen, not from browser. I tested my laptop's monitor for this exact scenario: disabled dithering in madVR, in "devices -> monitor -> properties -> native display bithdepth" I lowered the number, started some of the madshi's included tests and checked for banding. For the chroma is much simpler - the number you see is the level your panel has. I got lucky and had both 8-bit and 4:4:4 chroma. Of course this is just a fraction of what madVR has to offer and I don't see any respectable movie viewer who would go for something less. I use MPC-HC + LAVFilters + ReClock + madVR and have achieved the best that it is possible for my configuration/needs/taste. I won't give any advice on how to set them, because it is too much to cover.

I already stated that the thermal configuration is something to be avoided. The Thermal Monitors are already activated in your CPU and only fired when needed. I already stated that you should check for throttling when the system is stressed (ex: AIDA64 stress test) and you should see many things: performance drops, lower frequencies, thermal device, maybe flaws in the cooling system etc...

Does your laptop come with a bluetooth device? The specs give it as optional. If you don't have a dedicated button or a special combination of keys to toggle bluetooth, then there is no way to have it, just like with RAID. It seems I'm repeating myself for no reason and I actually spend more time on reading about your laptop than the owner himself. You might find that my patience is not unlimited and that my passion for (sharing) knowledge is neither. I do find myself often to be more critical than needed, but if the user hasn't even tried to search the simplest things about his configuration, what is the point in helping them? It would be hypocritical to not admit that it was fun to search this information and to test some patches with no risk involved from my part. But it will also be hypocritical to not admit that I am at least disappointed to see that your gratitude can not be extended to cover the first promise of searching before asking or testing things.

@lordkag
Hey! I do have to apologize for expecting you to provide me with ALL THE ANSWERS... I do get a bit carried away... I don't want to give the impression that I haven't kept my promise and gotten my hands dirty by not doing my part... I have, in addition to posting here... I may have went about it the wrong way, with the intention of getting the correct information that supported my own findings.... I am very grateful and I will take over from here... And I will stay away from anything "Thermal" in my BIOS!!! I didn't even unlock that Node as you may have noticed...
Oh, BTW... concerning the "Clean" install of my HD 4000 drivers... Unless I'm really ignorant, having done this many many times successfully up to Win8... I can't seem to get the drivers installed "Correctly" I still get the v3308 weird driver offered in Windows Update... No WDDM driver btw... And WinSAT still aborts the D3D DX10 Assessment... Here's the comparison between WinSAT on Win8 OEM (HDD) & WinSAT Win8.1 Pro (SSD)

Notice the differences... And DxDiag report shows driver as being WDDM 1.3 BUT Win8.1 doesn't pick that up... Here's what I did: I uninstalled HD 4000 driver using Windows remove program option... Restarted... Uninstalled driver thru Device Manager CHECKING "Delete Driver Software" box... Restarted... Uninstalled driver until I was at the generic "Basic Display Driver" ALL OF THIS WHILE OFFLINE!!!! Restarted once more... THEN installed driver v3496 by way of Device Manger and restarted... Any ideas?

Here's my WinSAT log file... It's short but does show an error and that the driver is not WDDM...

- As for the Bluetooth... If I remember correctly right out of the box I DID have BT... But right away I flashed my BIOS and upgraded to the SSD installing Win7 Ultimate x64... That's when I noticed the BT had disappeared... What I don't understand is why then is Win8.1 updating numerous BT related drivers in the DriverStore and they show up in Services.msc... If I install the Atheros BT drivers they install fine and the device shows up in Device Manager... I even get the Send To... Bluetooth Device context menu option... But that's as far as it goes... My research indicates that Asus needs a BT Patch for Win8.1... Similar to what Lenevo and others have done...

@@JSebastian

I don't want you to think that I'm avoiding questions for some reason. But this is the only way of keeping track of the real problems: if I ignore the questions -> it will seem disrespectful; if I answer the question or simply input "I don't know" -> I will encourage more of them; if I answer only those that are important and encourage the user to search himself for the unrelated ones -> I will have more time and fun with the conundrums, while the user learns something else in the process.

Could I have a picture with Display adapters from your Device Manager, but also the full string of the hardware ID? And to avoid downloading the full package, could you post only the .inf files from latest 3496?
I think this is more of a Windows or Intel "feature" (read bug) of not supporting the retired WinSAT, which you seem to value as the ultimate reporting tool, when it was from the beginning just for whistles and bells. If it works in Win8 but not in Win8.1, then it is improper coding. The only errors from WinSAT are from the program itself, nothing with WDDM. Even so, the WDDM is not some feature, but the whole model of the driver and it is linked with the OS = WDDM 1.1 on Win7, WDDM 1.2 on Win8, WDDM 1.3 on Win8.1. Could you post the DXDiag test instead?

You should start with real world testing, like a DX10 game (or the game's benchmarking tool), then go with 3DMark, PassMark PerformanceTest and for the fun with this and maybe this. I wouldn't trust Windows updates when it comes to video drivers, because they have a history of forgetting parts like MediaSDK (needed for hardware decoding/encoding) or OpenCL. Another test, even though it is time consuming, it is to install a clean non-OEM Win8. It will show if it is just the new OS to blame or something else. And if you add that the Graphic Control Panel is unable to show the version of VBIOS/GOP (Intel's tool = Intel's fault), I think you got a front seat to the movie "when things are rushed and we only care about the money, not what the user needs".

You did the right steps of installing the driver, except the last part. Always install the video driver from the package and NOT with Device Manager. It needs more then just some .inf and .sys, it also needs the MediaSDK and OpenCL, the audio driver.

The same thing for Bluetooth - post a screenshot of the device and a string of the actual hardware ID. There is a new driver here, but maybe it is not for your device. Also, read the full manual of your laptop. On page 72 it says to "press FN+F2 repeatedly until wireless and bluetooth icon are shown". It as also possible that the wireless driver has control over bluetooth, so you should check its settings. But I don't see how ASUS would have locked Bluetooth in BIOS in the first place if it was not missing.

@lordkag

Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #69

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I think this is more of a Windows or Intel "feature" (read bug) of not supporting the retired WinSAT, which you seem to value as the ultimate reporting tool, when it was from the beginning just for whistles and bells. If it works in Win8 but not in Win8.1, then it is improper coding. The only errors from WinSAT are from the program itself, nothing with WDDM. Even so, the WDDM is not some feature, but the whole model of the driver and it is linked with the OS = WDDM 1.1 on Win7, WDDM 1.2 on Win8, WDDM 1.3 on Win8.1. Could you post the DXDiag test instead?

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #69

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And if you add that the Graphic Control Panel is unable to show the version of VBIOS/GOP (Intel's tool = Intel's fault), I think you got a front seat to the movie "when things are rushed and we only care about the money, not what the user needs".

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #69

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The same thing for Bluetooth - post a screenshot of the device and a string of the actual hardware ID. There is a new driver here, but maybe it is not for your device. Also, read the full manual of your laptop. On page 72 it says to "press FN+F2 repeatedly until wireless and bluetooth icon are shown". It as also possible that the wireless driver has control over bluetooth, so you should check its settings. But I don't see how ASUS would have locked Bluetooth in BIOS in the first place if it was not missing.

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #69

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You did the right steps of installing the driver, except the last part. Always install the video driver from the package and NOT with Device Manager. It needs more then just some .inf and .sys, it also needs the MediaSDK and OpenCL, the audio driver.

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I still say the same, the problem is WinSAT related. There is nothing in WinSAT or DXDiag logs which would show any abnormality with the drivers itself. You will see the problem immediately in the normal usage, if it were so. But I will add a few more things to clarify this.

The graphic's ID is fully supported by the new drivers. I thought that maybe it could be a problem with a wrong ID, but everything is normal. The driver is WDDM 1.3, also pointed by DXDiag, otherwise it won't install on Win8.1. There is no such thing as "WDDM drivers provided by Windows Update opposed to generic manufacturer provided drivers". Windows just receives the driver from manufacturers, slices parts until it gets to the bare minimum required for working, then adds a WHQL stamp after some tests.

Your problem is likely self-made. You have a 150% scaling on a 1366x768 display! While this is a user setting, there are some limits, some of them determined by Windows' implementation of scaling. I myself only use 125% on a 1920x1080p display. You should read this and this instead, then experiment with different scalings. But start with a 100% control test to rule out scaling problems. For your screen I would recommend 110% at most.

There are some errors reported by DXDiag, not (entirely) graphic related. Some of them with MEI drivers, so you should update to latest 9.5.24.1790 or downgrade to latest 8.x. Other lines report problems with igdlh12.inf and displayoverride.inf, but since they were not found in 3496 package, then it isn't Intel related. You should search them (use Everything) on your Windows or system32 folder and upload them here. The first might be a leftover from older Intel HD drivers, the other is to be investigated.

You should have more then one entry for Bluetooth devices and a more particular string for hardware ID. I think you have installed the driver without an actual device. At least this is what I get for my Broadcom device: many entries with specific functions and also a clear string in the form USB\VID_xxxx&PID_xxxx.

@lordkag

Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #71

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I still say the same, the problem is WinSAT related. There is nothing in WinSAT or DXDiag logs which would show any abnormality with the drivers itself. You will see the problem immediately in the normal usage, if it were so.

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #71

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There is no such thing as "WDDM drivers provided by Windows Update opposed to generic manufacturer provided drivers".

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #71

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There are some errors reported by DXDiag, not (entirely) graphic related. Some of them with MEI drivers, so you should update to latest 9.5.24.1790 or downgrade to latest 8.x. Other lines report problems with igdlh12.inf and displayoverride.inf, but since they were not found in 3496 package, then it isn't Intel related. You should search them (use Everything) on your Windows or system32 folder and upload them here. The first might be a leftover from older Intel HD drivers, the other is to be investigated.

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #71

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You should have more then one entry for Bluetooth devices and a more particular string for hardware ID. I think you have installed the driver without an actual device. At least this is what I get for my Broadcom device: many entries with specific functions and also a clear string in the form USBVID_xxxx&PID_xxxx.

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #71

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Your problem is likely self-made. You have a 150% scaling on a 1366x768 display! While this is a user setting, there are some limits, some of them determined by Windows' implementation of scaling. I myself only use 125% on a 1920x1080p display. You should read this and this instead, then experiment with different scalings. But start with a 100% control test to rule out scaling problems. For your screen I would recommend 110% at most.

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I don't have a similar configuration to test, but I think those are just monitor/display drivers. What you can do is set iGFX to automatic and remove the grey-out devices under "Microsoft Basic Display Driver". They are not currently used and they are pre-installed drivers, so you won't permanently remove them from the system, just remove some strings that might hook the used ones from Intel.

It is possible that the drivers are not fully Win8.1 compatible, which is why they haven't received the WDDM 1.3 stamp. Maybe the problems in Metro is also a sign.

If you never used the Bluetooth, it is likely that it never worked. Windows has generic drivers for every common device and it has the Bluetooth services on any PC, if I'm not mistaken, to be prepared for any usage. This is my take: read the full manual of your device, locate any combination or setting that might affect Bluetooth functionality. Remove any Bluetooth device from Device Manager and restart. Activate bluetooth with the given combination and check for new devices in Device Manager. If you don't get a real device with a proper hardware ID, then you don't have it. Windows should detect any unknown device and install it or flag it as not working/installed.

Your pictures show a normal 100% scaling, but your DXDiag says you have a 150% scaling. Did you run DXDiag with the Samsung TV connected? It is OK for Samsung to switch to a bigger scaling, since it probably has a bigger resolution, but your laptop's display should stay on 100%. Use the registry method of changing the scaling and remove any marketing "features" Intel Graphic panel has to offer.

@lordkag

Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #73

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I don't have a similar configuration to test, but I think those are just monitor/display drivers. What you can do is set iGFX to automatic and remove the grey-out devices under "Microsoft Basic Display Driver". They are not currently used and they are pre-installed drivers, so you won't permanently remove them from the system, just remove some strings that might hook the used ones from Intel.

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Zitat von lordkag im Beitrag #73

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Your pictures show a normal 100% scaling, but your DXDiag says you have a 150% scaling. Did you run DXDiag with the Samsung TV connected? It is OK for Samsung to switch to a bigger scaling, since it probably has a bigger resolution, but your laptop's display should stay on 100%. Use the registry method of changing the scaling and remove any marketing "features" Intel Graphic panel has to offer.

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Removing the greyed-out devices under "Microsoft Basic Display Driver" is enough, all the related registry keys are removed. You can then use Services (services.msc or compmgmt.msc -> services) to set iGFX to "Automatic" (in registry is 1), which should have been default. If it doesn't like this state, just switch back to original state, no need to reinstall anything. Don't touch the services for BasicDisplay and BasicRender, as you will remove the monitor driver from starting.

It seems logical that when checking "Let me choose..." it will use the same level for all displays, which is bad for different display types. It also seems logical that when scaling is set to x%, that is the scaling that will be used, no matter the display. I don't know if they could have written it with a greater simplicity than this. For your case: it was set and locked at 100% with original display. When connecting the TV, it detected the higher resolution and enabled higher scaling levels. Checking "Let me choose..." was a bad choice from the start, as you force one level for all displays and it would poorly scale for one of them, which it did for your laptop's display. Unckecking the option and leaving at 150% for laptop's display is another bad choice, since you force a higher scaling on a low-end display. What you should do is avoid "Let me choose..." and set the level of scaling per display, restart in between. If Win8.1 can remember the setting, which is the smart thing to do, then you are set. If it can't set it on its own, then use a reg file to switch the display scaling when connecting the device. And no, I won't do it for you. It is pretty simple to do one.