Windows update corrupted IME?

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   New to the forum, but I've spent a couple days searching online and trying various fixes for this problem. Z77 Extreme4 running Windows 10. The hardware and software configuration of this system has been unchanged and stable for over a year. Windows Update prompted for a restart earlier this week, and I let it run without inspecting the details. Apparently it tried pushing an Intel ME firmware update, because the restart led to a UEFI screen showing progress of an Intel ME update. The progress bar ran to completion, and the system immediately restarted - actually, it powered down, then the motherboard powered back up for less than a second, powered back down, then did the same thing twice more; on the third cycle, it reentered the Intel ME update screen. This cycle repeated about ten more times before the system detected a problem and provided a screen with an option to directly enter UEFI.
I downloaded the Instant Flash BIOS v3.00 for the board, and it successfully installed in UEFI, but the system reentered the same boot loop on restart. Sometime during this next cycle, however, Windows did start, and I was able to check that BIOS v3.00 was detected. About 15 minutes later, the system shut off by itself. It reentered the ME firmware update loop when I powered it back on. It does still detect the problem and allow access to UEFI after about ten cycles, but I cannot bypass the loops using the keyboard - the ASRock splash screen that shows the keyboard boot options appears immediately before the ME update, but it does not respond to keyboard input.

My guess is that the Intel ME firmware is corrupted, and the Instant Flash BIOS update isn't touching that region of BIOS. The most promising information I've found so far describes advanced BIOS management using the FTK tool (example: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/728348-How-to-fix-your-BIOS-if-there-is-corrupted-ME-area), but I can't tell if any technique based on this would work with this mobo.  I'm still waiting for a response from ASRock tech support, but given the age of the mobo, I wouldn't be surprised if I don't get any help that way.

Edited by bandarbalu - 18 Jun 2018 at 12:18am

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bandarbalu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 17 Jun 2018 Status: Offline Points: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote bandarbalu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Windows update corrupted IME? Posted: 18 Jun 2018 at 12:18am
	New to the forum, but I've spent a couple days searching online and trying various fixes for this problem. Z77 Extreme4 running Windows 10. The hardware and software configuration of this system has been unchanged and stable for over a year. Windows Update prompted for a restart earlier this week, and I let it run without inspecting the details. Apparently it tried pushing an Intel ME firmware update, because the restart led to a UEFI screen showing progress of an Intel ME update. The progress bar ran to completion, and the system immediately restarted - actually, it powered down, then the motherboard powered back up for less than a second, powered back down, then did the same thing twice more; on the third cycle, it reentered the Intel ME update screen. This cycle repeated about ten more times before the system detected a problem and provided a screen with an option to directly enter UEFI. I downloaded the Instant Flash BIOS v3.00 for the board, and it successfully installed in UEFI, but the system reentered the same boot loop on restart. Sometime during this next cycle, however, Windows did start, and I was able to check that BIOS v3.00 was detected. About 15 minutes later, the system shut off by itself. It reentered the ME firmware update loop when I powered it back on. It does still detect the problem and allow access to UEFI after about ten cycles, but I cannot bypass the loops using the keyboard - the ASRock splash screen that shows the keyboard boot options appears immediately before the ME update, but it does not respond to keyboard input. My guess is that the Intel ME firmware is corrupted, and the Instant Flash BIOS update isn't touching that region of BIOS. The most promising information I've found so far describes advanced BIOS management using the FTK tool (example: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/728348-How-to-fix-your-BIOS-if-there-is-corrupted-ME-area), but I can't tell if any technique based on this would work with this mobo. I'm still waiting for a response from ASRock tech support, but given the age of the mobo, I wouldn't be surprised if I don't get any help that way. Edited by bandarbalu - 18 Jun 2018 at 12:18am
	ASRock Z77 Extreme4, Intel i5-3450, OCZ Arc100, Diamond Radeon 1GB HD6670

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 28203	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Jun 2018 at 12:31am
	If worst comes to worst you can order a new BIOS chip from ASRock preflashed with the latest version and IME. The details are on ASRock's support page under Repair/RMA. If you do go this route you can always try the method you found first and see if it sorts the issue. ME corruption can be a real pain. Fairly often we see users having to order a new BIOS chip or resorting to using an external ROM flasher to force flash the chip completely rather than a partial update. Let us know how it goes


bandarbalu Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 17 Jun 2018 Status: Offline Points: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote bandarbalu Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Jun 2018 at 1:13am
	Many thanks for the super-fast reply! Is it accurate to guess from your reply that ASRock BIOS is not commonly user-managed or modified, in contrast to ASUS or Gigabyte? These are the two mobo manufacturers I have seen referenced in the forum posts regarding FTK and other BIOS management techniques. I was hesitant to try any of those since a) I haven't found any posts describing use of these tools on ASRock mobos, and b) ASRock doesn't provide BIOS files in similar formats to those manufacturers, making it harder to use the tools. Any idea how long it typically takes to receive a new BIOS chip from ASRock? I see several suppliers on eBay that say they'll pre-configure a chip once you order it and get it to you within a week.
	ASRock Z77 Extreme4, Intel i5-3450, OCZ Arc100, Diamond Radeon 1GB HD6670