I disabled the DID From being sent
(and enabled Local FW update and ME image reflash)
and I saw an error:
(a7): Me FW Downgrade - Request MeSpiLock Failed

Then it booted to windows.

Still can't read or write it with FPTw64 :(

That makes sense, thank you! :)

I have the Realtek HD audio chip, with Nahimic and ESS Sabre, but I have no access to it, because that would require removing the mainboard. I would have to completely tear down my laptop and I'm not prepared for that right now.
Would just SPI flashing the entire MSI 8MB bios file into the Bios chip (it's exactly 8192 MB) fix this issue? Repasting the GPU video card would be far easier than me dissembling the laptop completely. I'm not disassembling it now, but when I do wind up reflashing, do I just do the usual load->Auto-Erase->Flash->Verify with the Skypro software? (I've flashed my video bios before with it so I know the routine). Or would this not fix the CSME issue?

I don't have any datasheets. I'm just a gamer. I bought the skypro, 1.8v adapter and Pomona clip and jumper cables for hard modding the GTX 1070 video Bios (TDP modding). I know the mainboard doesn't use the 1.8v adapter (Pascal vbios does), but if it's that simple, I can flash it on my next GPU teardown.

Yeah I'll be ok. I know about the loss of DMI information. I was not aware that flashing the main chip directly would wipe that. This does explain a LOT why people who send their MSI laptops to the factory for service get 0000000's and "Please change product name" for the DMI product information--because the incompetent repairmen (NOT the MSI engineers in Taiwan) just reprogram the entire chip and forget about the DMI information that is supposed to be preserved; they're supposed to program that stuff back before they send it to the customer.

Thank you for the heads up.

There was actually a buggy MSI bios release where if you cleared CMOS, DMI information was lost. What I can do is dump the entire bios chip as is with a programmer, then ask a modder to mod the "broken" ME bit which is set to disabled, flash it back, as fixing that won't be difficult. That will probably be the best way to go. I'll wait for now until something actually requires the "MBEX" To be enabled (since the ME isn't actually disabled, just the bios extension, otherwise I would be getting those 30 minute shutdowns, etc), then I'll take a programmer to the laptop.

Taking out and repasting liquid metal always gives me the shivers. Nothing like a conductive ball of doom to ruin your day (even with proper prep work!).
I have both a disassembly and reassembly video for this laptop (was taken from some MSI FTP site). Assembling desktop motherboards is scary enough, even with proper ESD discharge precautions and steady hands. But those tiny EDP and other ribbon cables look like they could break if you stared at them too hard. And I had a problem with the keyboard cable which caused a few characters to not output (all on the same cluster, which I found from searches, other people having the exact same keys issue on Steelseries laptop keyboards--CAps lock, S, 6, 7 and Z). I fixed that with some Deoxit D5 and cleaning and trying to 'straighten' any bends in the cable. I would hate to have to have that issue happen again if I had to take out the mainboard. So, programmer it is!

Thank you very much for your help, @plutomaniac . I'll take it from here with my programmer.

I updated the firmware on my Dell Inspiron 5559 on 1/22/2018 before knowing about the reboot problems. Now I can't boot to Windows 10.

I tried to revert to an earlier version of the firmware, but the Intel ME update failed. It was trying to downgrade from 11.8.50.3426 to 11.0.0.1194. I gather from plutomaniac's 1/25/2018 post that the SVN of 11.0.0.1194 was lower than SVN 3 for 11.8.50.3426.

From a bootable USB drive, MEINFO on the Dell reports 11.8.50.3426 LP and SVN 3.

I want to use the Flash Programming Tool (FPT) with a binary file to return to an earlier 11.8.x.x that has an SVN of 3, but where can I get one? (Or should I be using the FWUPDATE?)

I looked in the 4th entry under section B1 Consumer Systems, and it contains a binary file that looks like it would work with FPT. But this is the same version I already have. All the other files I looked at seem to be Windows install versions.

Thanks for the good post.

Flash programming tool is on the tools linked on the very front page of this thread, along with that fwupdate and meinfowin64 and other files. Did you look there?

Sorry, I missed the link to Intel Engine Firmware Repositories.

@ plutomania:

Thanks for the clear and unambiguous statement that I should not do what I was thinking about doing. And thanks for clearing up my confusion about the cause of the reboot issues.

I had already downloaded and installed the previous BIOS update from Dell, but when the ME firmware failed to load, I thought that was the cause of my reboot issues.

Thanks again for the help.

@plutomaniac my ME issue was fixed by Svet from the MSI forums. He took my APTIO dump, unlocked ME Access somehow and wrote a flasher which reflashed my capsule with an older ME (11.8.50.3399)
Everything's in working order now. Not going to mess with "temporarily" disabling the ME ever again. No-sirreeee.

Is this 3399 version of 11.8.50 considered secure?

@Falkentyne - yes it is safe. You can look at the beginning of the post, there scroll down a bit and you will see a table chart showing the safe firmware's. Plus there is a link just above it that goes to the Intel site to download the checker. Good to here MSI helped you out, they have helped me too in the past years.

Zitat von plutomaniac im Beitrag #3762

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Yes I see, your header has two extra pins. The motherboard is from Pegatron, but they don't make motherboards themselves anymore so finding info online is even harder. Since I don't know these things, I suggest you ask HP support, both at the forums and their official channels. I don't think they'll mind explaining the pinout of the 10-pin ROM_Recovery header but you never know. The above picture does come from their forums. Otherwise, I would personally treat the extra two as irrelevant and try my luck with the known header pinout (8).

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Intel-SA-00086 Detection Tool Intel-SA-00086 Detection Tool v1.0.0.169