About Intel Management Engine firmware

[RootWyrm]

So: generally speaking, what ME firmware changes did Intel incorporate, comparing between the Z77 & Z87 chipsets?
Also: why Z87's ME firmware can't be applied to the Z77 machine's bios.
Lack of space, or exactly what reason? Was the bios ROM storage capacity changed with the Z87, or?

Very little but the code base is different between Z77 and Z87. Remember that this is extremely low level code which has to be capable of running in real mode as well as protected mode. And it works with specific registers on the chipset itself. That's why you can't just throw Z77 code at Z87 or vice versa. Again, these are hooking to specific registers and pins. Same reason while even though I use a common driver for say, AMD PCnets, I have to handle 975s with different routines than 972s.

As far as capacity goes: that's defined by the motherboard manufacturer. Normally you're seeing 64Mbit (8MB) shared region these days because frankly, UEFI is a bloated pile of migraines. Compare this to the old 1Mbit (128KB) days and even AMI ROMBIOS8 at 32Mbit (4MB). Everyone's up to 8MB+ - most of the dual/quads which actually use IME's features are pushing 16MB of EEPROM and multiple 640K regions or zero-zero legacy / full protected mode and that's with the GUI stripped out.

As far as the E2100 problems, fred, if you wanna PM me I can maybe help out there. But the honest answer is: the E2100 is a pile of crap and the firmware has to be handled with MMTool - IME can't manage the E2100's load. (Hell, I don't think the E2100 is even PXE capable so may be no OROM.)

[parsec]

I was thrilled when I saw this thread, I've been looking for some of the documents included in this package, and the tools all grouped together are great, thanks for posting all of this!!

Alas, now I finally know why MEInfo always failed on my systems in the past... my OS(s) are configured to use EFI/GPT booting, and the Windows*64 bit tools won't work in that environment.

Still trying to figure out how to use the EFI versions of the tools... not that I have found a version of the EFI shell that I can run from my ASRock boards

[virtualfred]

I was thrilled when I saw this thread, I've been looking for some of the documents included in this package, and the tools all grouped together are great, thanks for posting all of this!!
Alas, now I finally know why MEInfo always failed on my systems in the past... my OS(s) are configured to use EFI/GPT booting, and the Windows*64 bit tools won't work in that environment.
Still trying to figure out how to use the EFI versions of the tools... not that I have found a version of the EFI shell that I can run from my ASRock boards

MEinfo works with EFI/GPT under Windows 64, i'm using it... but ME FW can be locked by Asrock, as FITC can't load it (must be extracted before to see ME FW 9.0.2.1345).

[boondocks]

Thanks to the OP for a very useful and informative thread.
This thread I will be referring people to....as there is so much misinformation about Intel ME on the net.

[profJim]

This thread is now a sticky.

[SolidBladez]

Thank you virtualfred for making this tutorial. I was able to replace the old ME FW on my ASRock Z87 Extreme6. This will definitely come in handy with my EVGA Z77 FTW because any time I need to flash the BIOS it flashes over the current firmware with the stock one. Drives me nuts every time I have to go into Windows and use the tools to reflash it to the current one.

[virtualfred]

Thank you virtualfred for making this tutorial. I was able to replace the old ME FW on my ASRock Z87 Extreme6. This will definitely come in handy with my EVGA Z77 FTW because any time I need to flash the BIOS it flashes over the current firmware with the stock one. Drives me nuts every time I have to go into Windows and use the tools to reflash it to the current one.

Thanks for your feedback, it is good to know that it also works with Asrock, so no failure with checksum.
I know that many prefer update ME FW with the "conventional" method, and I respect that, but if my method works reliably this is an update with restart less to do which is appreciable when user often flashed his BIOS !

[greg.chalk]

Hi

thank you very much for your effort to make this guide.
Now we already know how to insert the ME FW directly in the BIOS rom and the raid rom/SataDriver from fernando.
Is it possible to make a equivalent guide for the rest parts of bios? (Intel Boot Agent PXE/Intel PCI Accelerated SVGA/CPU MicroCode Pack)

I think that Intel Boot Agent PXE is similar and Intel PCI Accelerated SVGA/CPU MicroCode Pack will be very easy with mmtool.

Thank you very much again for your effort.

[virtualfred]

Hi
thank you very much for your effort to make this guide.
Now we already know how to insert the ME FW directly in the BIOS rom and the raid rom/SataDriver from fernando.
Is it possible to make a equivalent guide for the rest parts of bios? (Intel Boot Agent PXE/Intel PCI Accelerated SVGA/CPU MicroCode Pack)
I think that Intel Boot Agent PXE is similar and Intel PCI Accelerated SVGA/CPU MicroCode Pack will be very easy with mmtool.
Thank you very much again for your effort.

Thanks for your support

You ask me a lot of work
But don't you know LS29/Sonix is actually working on an impressive tool to do it easily ? Fernando creates and keep update a thread about this UEFI BIOS Updater (of course Stasio added a link for this tool in his thread below "AMI (UEFI) BIOS Tools").
I tried it and think this tool can be the better and easiest way to replace ROM in BIOS. For the moment it's not perfect with microcodes because it delete all µcode present and replace with Haswell 317 or Ivy 729/919.
UBU could be the future for BIOS mod... when it will update ME FW... I will be on vacation

[Teddybehr]

@Virtu

Awesome thread "mon grand cousin français" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very ...very well done.
Best guide on the net!