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Intel MEBx does not allow local firmware update.
I am trying to update the Bios from my Optiplex 9010. from version A18 to A30.
After having flashed the bios multiple times, Windows or Dos, or at least I thought I did, I see it fail. No error messages whatsoever the procedure runs like charm automatic reboot and all except the bios does not update.
It remains A18, I tried serveral bios version all with the same outcome.
I think I understand the MEBx option is blocking the firmware upgrade. In the Intel documentation (Intel ME Manageability Features) It shows an option LOCAL FW UPDATE how ever this option can be disabled with FITC tool. I understand the FITC tool is a file image creation tool that sets the options for a bios update procedure. I have no idea how to use this tool and think I would be using a Colt 45 to kill a fly.
MEBx Version 8.0.0.0069
FW Version 8.1.40.1416
LMS Version 11.0.6.1194
MEI Driver Version 11.0.5.1189
MEI DeviceID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1E3A&SUBSYS_052C1028&REV_04\3&11583659&0&B0
SOL Driver Version 11.0.0.1136
SOL DeviceID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1E3D&SUBSYS_052C1028&REV_04\3&11583659&0&B3
I got this machine out of the dealing room of a bank, The bank maintains its network and devices remote, I don't just am a single user.
Is there a simple way to disable MEBx or to reinstate option LOCAL FW UPDATE without having to design some update procedure myself?
All I want to do is upgrade the Bios because my mouse and keyboard are lagging..... HELP!!!
Update procedure runs fineUpdated bios is the bios file system
AMAMSNL
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August 16th, 2019 06:00
Finally succeed to update the Bios with the latest firmware version A30 from A18 here is what I did:
Somewhere I red somebody had similar problems on a different system he also had red somewhere that it could help to switch the memory modules.
I disconnected all devices from my system including network and power. Opened the case took out any optional cards and memory modules. Took out the battery from the mainboard. Pushed the power button for another 5 minutes to make sure the motherboard was discharged. Assembled the system again, new battery, with only keyboard, mouse, network, monitors and power connected. I rebooted the system with F12 and booted from my Freedos USB stick. I chose to update from A18 to A19 worked like a charm as usual. The system automatically rebooted when it was done preparing I went into the BIOS F2 and what version did I see A18 the same F!5$^#*$%WK.
I finished to setup the bios as the settings were wiped from the power discharge I set everything back to what it was. Rebooted into Windows and went online however the system freezed. I rebooted and Windows did some repairing while booting apparently something had gone wrong. I checked the device manager after boot and saw some problems with the display drivers. The system has a Nvidia Quadro NVS450 card. I renewed the drivers to the latest version.
In a desperate attemp to update the bios I ran the A19 exe under Windows with all normal settings including virus scanner on. Everything went as I had done at least 20 times before. However when rebooted msinfo showed A19 bios ...... I immediately tried A20 under Windows, virus scanner on etc... it worked however now the system was actually showing that it was updating the bios to A20 when it had rebooted.
I then went from A20 to A25 and then A30 voila problem solved. Now lets see if my system indeed works better with the newest 2018 Bios. Thanks everybody for your help !!!!!
Dell-Alan D
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August 8th, 2019 05:00
@AMAMSNL one of my colleagues asked me to get in touch you over this issue.
It would appear that you have two separate issues here that I would like to discuss, keyboard and mouse lagging in office and the inability to update the BIOS.
For the keyboard and mouse issue, this sounds very much like operating system or office issues rather than hardware. A BIOS update is unlikely to have any effect on that issue.
a) The optiplex 9010 was introduced over 7 years ago therefore I expect your warranty has long expired. What version of Windows are you running and what version of Office are you running?
b) How often does the mouse and cursor lag occur i.e as soon as an office application is opened, when doing certain tasks, after a few hours use?
c) Is this issue seen in non Microsoft apps i.e google chrome, firefox or another application?
d)Does the issue ever fix itself?
e) Does the cursor lag in the ePSA diagnostics (To run the diagnostics, power on the system and keep tapping the F12 key in rapid succession. Select Diagnostics)
f) Does the cursor lag in the BIOS? (To access the BIOS, power on the system and keep tapping the F2 key in rapid succession)
g) Have you tried the mouse in another usb port?
h) Do any other usb devices experience lag or delays when connected?
For the BIOS issue, if the BIOS cannot be updated generally it's a sign of a failing motherboard. The only way to resolve that issue is with a replacement motherboard. Due to the age of the system I doubt we would still carry stock of those motherboards.
You mentioned that you have tried multiple different BIOS revisions unsuccessfully. If the current BIOS A18 is corrupt this can prevent upgrades from taking place. You can try flashing the BIOS again to revision A18 and it may fix the issue for you and enable you to then update to the latest revision. I would recommend upgrading in blocks of 2 or 3 i.e A18 > A21 > A23 etc
Alan
AMAMSNL
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August 8th, 2019 09:00
Hi Thanks for your reply and suggestions.
I tried the A18 and A20 bios update no luck . Not working.
are you sure that this has nothing to with the fact that I can't enable LOCAL FW UPDATE in the MBEx menu, Intels guide on MBEx says that if this option is not visible in the MBEx menu it was deactivated with the FTIC, see page 15 MBEx user manual
I went into the Bios to see if there is some sort of switch but there isn't however you can save some key settings in the Bios that allows you to browse in the bios file system FSO:/bios folder showed bios A30 but as you can see in my msinfo extract I am still on A18.
OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Version 10.0.17134 Build 17134
My office version is 16.0.11901.20070 32 bit
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name XXXXXXX
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model OptiPlex 9010
System Type x64-based PC
System SKU OptiPlex 9010
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3401 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. A18, 30-4-2014
SMBIOS Version 2.7
Embedded Controller Version 255.255
BIOS Mode Legacy
BaseBoard Manufacturer Dell Inc.
BaseBoard Model Not Available
BaseBoard Name Base Board
Platform Role Desktop
Secure Boot State Unsupported
PCR7 Configuration Binding Not Possible
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
[Keyboard]
Item Value
Description Microsoft Hardware USB Keyboard
Name Enhanced (101- or 102-key)
Layout 00020409
PNP Device ID USB\VID_045E&PID_0745&MI_00\6&29C30A7F&0&0000
Number of Function Keys 12
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\hidusb.sys (10.0.17134.1, 41,50 KB (42.496 bytes), 12-4-2018 01:33)
[Pointing Device]
Item Value
Hardware Type Microsoft USB Dual Receiver Wireless Mouse (Mouse and Keyboard Center)
Number of Buttons 0
Status OK
PNP Device ID HID\VID_045E&PID_0745&MI_01&COL01\7&376B50A&0&0000
Power Management Supported No
Double Click Threshold Not Available
Handedness Not Available
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\mouhid.sys (10.0.17134.1, 32,50 KB (33.280 bytes), 12-4-2018 01:33)
Hope the above helps?
Tesla1856
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August 8th, 2019 10:00
You can try flashing from outside Windows (DOS like) :
https://www.dell.com/community/Vostro-Desktops/Vostro-460-XPS-8300-Upgrade-Adventures/m-p/6071757/highlight/true#M1311
Be sure to carefully read section below the screenshot as well.
AMAMSNL
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August 9th, 2019 07:00
Hi Thanks for your help.
I tried as suggested but made usb boot disk with Rufus 3.6
Tried 1st with A18 (current version) and then A19 and A20. Procedure runs fine below pics but Bios remains A18.
I did get a strange message upon booting Free Dos see below pic
Freedos boot
Maybe a sign the Dell Logo upon regular boot shows up like a vertical stripe see below pic.
And the result
Checking the Bios file system, in the Bios interface shows A30 Tried to update before in the bios folder ?????
savvy2
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August 9th, 2019 09:00
did you read all text files on each bios version first./
each one has list there, telling important things, to know and do.
some say, (needs version 20 to gain 30)
some say, last 2 can only be run on W8. or some other related wild things.
read them all, make sure it does what you think it does, land in the correct order.
my 3020 took steps, not one leap.
some tell you also , (read them) once you get to Axx level there is NO REGRESSION (UEFI h3ll rules)
BIOS used to be simple , not now.... unless super lucky as many are.
savvy2
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August 9th, 2019 09:00
so the F12 key is missing, menu , flash bios.
is yes use freedos only. never use windows to flash ever, ok,
if windows is corrupted you will fail. and gee is old PC.
the Freedos way is best, and dell shows, "non windows way, like linux)"
but should say, best way, of all lacking F12 magic key.
a fact. (freedos is fresh ,not infected, freedos is single tasking, and safe, windows is a bag of worms, pre-emptive multitasking OS is not safe. not really )
the FREEDOS , rom.exe from dell, runs in freedos. sure does. (how not sure but does , the have it locked down so deep i can not learn that.... but is.) (i can't unpack it, as ive done for years) for years I did that to be what it was doing is what I WANTED, but not now it's all a big secret, sigh)
trust me dell says,
I say trust but verify. (or look silly later)
Tesla1856
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August 9th, 2019 12:00
Right. Since you have A18, you should correctly be trying A19 .
Most important pic showing actual error message didn't appear with other pics.
I see SecureBoot mentioned. IF this is a fully UEFI-based system, you should be flashing CMOS directly from F12 on initial boot ( the UEFI Environment ) . Obviously, outside of Windows and also NOT using FreeDOS or similar. This was all on the post I linked you to (you just have to read, comprehend, and execute directions).
Dell-Alan D
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August 12th, 2019 04:00
@AMAMSNL
are you sure that this has nothing to with the fact that I can't enable LOCAL FW UPDATE in the MBEx menu, - no, the BIOS failing to update has nothing to do with the inability to change the MEBx settings. However it could be a sign of a failing motherboard.
As mentioned in my original response, if you can't update the BIOS it's most likely that the motherboard has failed. However that's not likely going to resolve your laggy cursor issues unless the cursor issues are being replicated in the BIOS or during the diagnostics.
If you could respond to all of my troubleshooting steps I posted it would be appreciated.
Alan
AMAMSNL
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August 13th, 2019 11:00
Dell-Alan D
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August 14th, 2019 01:00
@AMAMSNL thanks for the response.
I find it strange that usb devices aside from the keyboard and mouse work fine, but the keyboard and mouse dont as that would suggest it's those devices at fault.
If the keyboard and mouse are laggy in the BIOS that would suggest faulty hardware. I would be looking to try the front and rear usb ports to see if they make any difference.
The answers you provided about office and issues getting progressively worse sound more software rather than hardware.
It's possible you have both hardware and software issues here.
Have you tried reinstalling office or resetting office to see if that makes a difference?
Do you know when Windows was last installed?
If you run Windows in safe mode do you still experience performance issues and lag? - https://support.microsoft.com/en-ie/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode
Alan
AMAMSNL
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August 14th, 2019 03:00
Ran e PSA Thorough diagnostics, system passed on all components. Test took quite some time!
I am now updating my Windows to latest version. See if that makes any difference.
If not will reinstall office.
BTW I am experiencing the lag with 2 types of keyboard/mouse sets. Microsoft and Logitech sets.
Both with new batteries.
Thanks
AMAMSNL
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August 14th, 2019 03:00
Dell-Alan D
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August 14th, 2019 05:00
@AMAMSNL all 9010 systems have a UEFI BIOS, although I'm not really why that has any relevance to the troubleshooting I have suggested.
I look forward to hearing how you get on with updating Windows and Office.
Alan
AMAMSNL
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August 15th, 2019 05:00
I updated windows to build 18362 and expanded the RAM to 20GB the lag is considerable less and now mainly manifests when filling in forms under Chrome like this one. I'll un and re install chrome to see if that helps, still have to reinstall office.
About UEFI Bios.I was answering to Tesla1856 (Rockstar) who mentioned:
"I see SecureBoot mentioned. IF this is a fully UEFI-based system, you should be flashing CMOS directly from F12 on initial boot ( the UEFI Environment ) . Obviously, outside of Windows and also NOT using FreeDOS or similar. This was all on the post I linked you to (you just have to read, comprehend, and execute directions)".
Yes the system is UEFI but I am set to Legacy bios I should have sad. Still I am wondering how to Flash the Bios without using mentioned OS's
Thanks Keep you posted who I get on,,,