Forum - RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools

#1336 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:48 am

Zitat von Fernando im Beitrag #1341
A Firmware update is always a risk. I don't belong to the users, who always are afraid not to have the latest of everything.

I usually like to have everything up-to-date and that's the reason i reached this thread but once again i don't know if a firmware upgrade is really worth it or not (i tend to have some fear of doing firmwares upgrades, that's why).

I've read the 1st post and i quite understand everything, did the 2 first steps and verified my firmware version and the tests passed without any errors.

I didn't fully understand this part though:

Zitat
Up until ME v7, this tool works only with the smaller Intel ME Update Firmwares (not full 1.5MB or 5MB images). From ME v8 and onwards, FWUpdate can also work with the full ME Firmwares (1.5MB or 5MB images) which are FITC compatible. In both cases though, FWUpdate does not change any platform settings relating to Intel Management Engine (which would be bad since ME settings are platform/system specific and not interchangeable) other than updating the version. In case it reports an error, check "Appendix B - Tool Detail Error Codes" of the System Tools User Guide included with your relevant package.

Does this mean that nothing is changed except the version numbers?

Zitat von Fernando im Beitrag #1341
Why do you want to install the complete Intel MEI Software package? I personally just install the pure Intel MEI Driver from within the Device Manager.

Since it gave me errors and the version aren't the same i was curious about it but i see there's no need to worry about that. The .iNF method seems fine.

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#1337 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:17 am

Zitat von zt3 im Beitrag #1342
I didn't fully understand this part though:
Zitat
Up until ME v7, this tool works only with the smaller Intel ME Update Firmwares (not full 1.5MB or 5MB images). From ME v8 and onwards, FWUpdate can also work with the full ME Firmwares (1.5MB or 5MB images) which are FITC compatible. In both cases though, FWUpdate does not change any platform settings relating to Intel Management Engine (which would be bad since ME settings are platform/system specific and not interchangeable) other than updating the version. In case it reports an error, check "Appendix B - Tool Detail Error Codes" of the System Tools User Guide included with your relevant package.
Does this mean that nothing is changed except the version numbers?

You should better ask the author plutomaniac.

My current System:
MB: ASRock X570 Pro4, CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, System Drive: 500 GB Samsung 980 Pro, Graphics: Sapphire Radeon RX570, OS: Win10 x64 Pro
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#1338 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:00 am (Last edited: Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:00 am)

Guess i'll need to wait then as he stated this:

Zitat von plutomaniac im Beitrag #1336
Note: I won't be able to search or upload new Engine stuff for the next 10 days.

Anyway, thanks for your help/time Fernando!

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#1339 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:26 pm

Zitat von zt3 im Beitrag #1342
Does this mean that nothing is changed except the version numbers?

The ME Region consists of some sections. The two important ones are CODE and DATA. CODE is the firmware core whereas DATA are the custom settings or other info stored at the ME Region which can be OEM specific, altered by the user etc. FWUpdate only updates the CODE whereas DATA is left untouched. Flash Programming Tool (FPT) can only flash ME Regions (RGN/EXTR) whereas FWUpdate both ME Updates (UPD) and regions (RGN/EXTR). ME Updates basically include only CODE whereas ME Regions both CODE+DATA and the latter can be imported in Flash Image Tool (FITC).

What you are interested at is updating the ME CODE, the DATA should be left as it was set by the OEM etc. So, you should use FWUpdate and the latest ME firmware provided for your system at the start post. That way, you will update your firmware and the settings will be left intact.

Regarding the driver, if you have a 1.5MB system you only need to install the driver, no extra software. So either the Installer or directly the INF. Check the instuctions and recommendations at the first post.

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#1340 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 5:52 pm

It seems you replied sooner :P Thanks for the clear explanation!

I've read the first post (and some pages from 70 up) but now i have some doubts.

I've checked my motherboard bios and latest firmware with ME Analyzer and this was the result:

It says Locked. Is that a bad thing?

Lets say if i update the firmware to the latest available (v8.1.52.1496) and later flashed another bios version (or the same) the ME firmware would downgrade to the current version?

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#1341 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:20 pm

Zitat von zt3 im Beitrag #1346
It says Locked. Is that a bad thing?

No it is not, it should be locked under normal circumstances. Exactly because it's locked, you cannot downgrade it if you flash a modded or newer bios in the future which may have an older ME firmware version. You can safely upgrade to the latest 8.1.52.1496 firmware via FWUpdate tool.

Thank you for using MEA and yes I do check the forum but I will not upload anything new these days. :)

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#1342 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:47 pm (Last edited: Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:48 pm)

That sounds bad if something goes wrong with the update, or not? I mean, if something happened while updating we could always flash the bios to get it working again. I'm probably saying something stupid though, i'm not really into these technologies.

Anyway as you suggest in the first post we need to backup our actual firmware version with FWUpdate tool first and only later flash the new one so i assume that if something goes wrong we can use that to fix it.

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#1343 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:25 pm (Last edited: Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:27 pm)

Truthfully, it is considered a security vulnerability to have an unlocked flash descriptor on consumer oriented systems. Having an unlocked descriptor is useful for advanced users who either want to dump their whole ME Region (Code+Data) or mod a ME Region with FITC and flash it afterwards with FPT. Use FWUpdate, it should be just fine.

You don't have to backup your firmware before flashing a newer one. The FWUpdLcl - save command will save a ME Update (UPD) image and not your full ME Region.

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#1344 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:46 am (Last edited: Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:55 am)

I just updated it, all went fine:

Thanks once again and sorry for all the questions!

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#1345 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Sat Jul 25, 2015 10:25 am

Hello :)

Intel ME Firmware 9.1.30.1008 1.5MB

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#1346 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:38 pm

@ Pacman:
Thanks for the new Intel ME Firmware.

After having flashed it, the MEInfo details of my ASRock Z97 look rather similar:

My current System:
MB: ASRock X570 Pro4, CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, System Drive: 500 GB Samsung 980 Pro, Graphics: Sapphire Radeon RX570, OS: Win10 x64 Pro
Donation Link:
If you are satisfied with my Forum activities, you can send a donation to my personal PayPal account by clicking onto >this< link.

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#1347 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Sun Jul 26, 2015 1:15 am (Last edited: Sun Jul 26, 2015 1:24 am)

Hello, I need help, how I can flash Intel ME without flashing bios?
My notebook is Medion Akoya P6638 and I can't find in download site BIOS
Can anybody help me?
I have chipset Intel HM76 and version ME : N/A

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#1348 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Sun Jul 26, 2015 10:04 am

@ Unreal:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!

Zitat von Unreal im Beitrag #1353
how I can flash Intel ME without flashing bios?

There is no need to flash a new mainboard BIOS, if you want to update the Intel ME Firmware.
You just have to flash the new Firmware into the BIOS by using the related specific Intel ME Firmware Update tool, which you can find within the start post of this thread.

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

My current System:
MB: ASRock X570 Pro4, CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, System Drive: 500 GB Samsung 980 Pro, Graphics: Sapphire Radeon RX570, OS: Win10 x64 Pro
Donation Link:
If you are satisfied with my Forum activities, you can send a donation to my personal PayPal account by clicking onto >this< link.

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#1349 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Sun Jul 26, 2015 4:24 pm (Last edited: Sun Jul 26, 2015 4:44 pm)

Don't work, why?
I run Me analyzer and there is nothing about Me, my version is N/A
When i write command FWUpdLcl64 -f ME.BIN i have :
ERROR 8743: UNKOWN OR UNSUPPORTED PLATFORM

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#1350 | RE: Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools datum

Sun Jul 26, 2015 5:00 pm (Last edited: Sun Jul 26, 2015 5:01 pm)

Zitat von Unreal im Beitrag #1355
When i write command FWUpdLcl64 -f ME.BIN i have :
ERROR 8743: UNKOWN OR UNSUPPORTED PLATFORM

Before you run any ME specific Intel ME Firmware Update tool, you should run the Intel ME Info tool.

My current System:
MB: ASRock X570 Pro4, CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, System Drive: 500 GB Samsung 980 Pro, Graphics: Sapphire Radeon RX570, OS: Win10 x64 Pro
Donation Link:
If you are satisfied with my Forum activities, you can send a donation to my personal PayPal account by clicking onto >this< link.

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