My laptop model is Samsung NP300E7A-S04RU.
It was bought back in 2012, but is still fully operational in terms of user experience.
About a year after purchase, it had undergone the BIOS update procedure to the latest available one (09QA).
Recently I’ve learned about advanced BIOS settings hidden in a menu on “Exit” tab that becomes visible if you press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F4 in setup utility. While researching it, I found “ME Configuration” submenu and entered it, to be unpleasantly surprised at the same moment because it showed me the next information:
ME PW Version: 0.0.0.0
ME Firmware: Unknown
Intel ME: [Enabled] <-- this is grayed and unavailable
End Of POST Message: [Enabled]
I am 98% sure that me_cleaner or any similar rough method was not used on this computer. Thus, I immediately became very curious of what’s happened, because such things tend to indicate malfunctions, and I had put a lot of effort in this machine for it working flawlessly (for example, it features a completely DIY 3D-printed lid instead of original fragile one which literally crumbled to pieces over time).
To obtain the current status of ME, I first tried intelmetool from coreboot, and that’s what I’ve got (running under Xubuntu 20.04):
$> sudo ./intelmetool -m
Bad news, you have a `HM65 Express Chipset LPC Controller` so you have ME hardware on board and you can't control or disable it, continuing...
MEI found: [8086:1c3a] 6 Series/C200 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1
ME Status : 0x4181
ME Status 2 : 0x163b0000
ME: FW Partition Table : OK
ME: Bringup Loader Failure : NO
ME: Firmware Init Complete : NO
ME: Manufacturing Mode : NO
ME: Boot Options Present : NO
ME: Update In Progress : NO
ME: Current Working State : Initializing
ME: Current Operation State : Bring up
ME: Current Operation Mode : Normal
ME: Error Code : Debug Failure
ME: Progress Phase : BUP Phase
ME: Power Management Event : Pseudo-global reset
ME: Progress Phase State : 0x3b
ME: Extend Register not valid
ME: has a broken implementation on your board with this firmware
ME: failed to become ready
ME: failed to become ready
ME: GET FW VERSION message failed
Next I decided to try official Intel utilities. My CPU is i5-2430M, north bridge is Sandy Bridge-MB IMC and south bridge is Cougar Point HM65. From that I’ve concluded that I need ME System Tools v7, which I downloaded from a neighboring thread by @plutomaniac.
Then I tried to use MEInfoWin64 and got this (running under Windows 7 x64, with Administrator privileges):
$> Intel ME System Tools v7 r2\MEInfo\WIN64> MEInfoWin64.exe -VERBOSE
Intel(R) MEInfo Version: 7.1.50.1166
Copyright(C) 2005 - 2011, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
Platform stepping value is 4
FW Status Register1: 0x00304181
FW Status Register2: 0x153B0000
CurrentState: Init
ManufacturingMode: Disabled
FlashPartition: Valid
OperationalState: Bring Up
InitComplete: Initializing
BUPLoadState: Success
ErrorCode: Debug Error
ModeOfOperation: Normal
ICC: No valid OEM data, ICC not programmed
PhaseStatus: UNKNOWN
PMXUtil: Error during PMX Call: PMxDrv!MAPPHYS - Bad Input Parameters
SMBIOS Table Data
Starting address: E0850
Table Size in Bytes: 2469 ( 0x9A5 )
Number of Table Entries: 61 ( 0x3D )
Virtual mapping of complete Table: 2 4kB Pages
Table Type 0 ( 0x 00 ) found, size of 24 (0x 18 ) bytes
SMBIOS Table Data
Starting address: E0850
Table Size in Bytes: 2469 ( 0x9A5 )
Number of Table Entries: 61 ( 0x3D )
Virtual mapping of complete Table: 2 4kB Pages
Table Type 0 ( 0x 00 ) found, size of 24 (0x 18 ) bytes
Table Type 1 ( 0x 01 ) found, size of 27 (0x 1B ) bytes
Table Type 2 ( 0x 02 ) found, size of 15 (0x 0F ) bytes
Table Type 3 ( 0x 03 ) found, size of 21 (0x 15 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 8 ( 0x 08 ) found, size of 9 (0x 09 ) bytes
Table Type 9 ( 0x 09 ) found, size of 17 (0x 11 ) bytes
Table Type 9 ( 0x 09 ) found, size of 17 (0x 11 ) bytes
Table Type 9 ( 0x 09 ) found, size of 17 (0x 11 ) bytes
Table Type 9 ( 0x 09 ) found, size of 17 (0x 11 ) bytes
Table Type 9 ( 0x 09 ) found, size of 17 (0x 11 ) bytes
Table Type 9 ( 0x 09 ) found, size of 17 (0x 11 ) bytes
Table Type 10 ( 0x 0A ) found, size of 6 (0x 06 ) bytes
Table Type 10 ( 0x 0A ) found, size of 6 (0x 06 ) bytes
Table Type 11 ( 0x 0B ) found, size of 5 (0x 05 ) bytes
Table Type 12 ( 0x 0C ) found, size of 5 (0x 05 ) bytes
Table Type 13 ( 0x 0D ) found, size of 22 (0x 16 ) bytes
Table Type 22 ( 0x 16 ) found, size of 26 (0x 1A ) bytes
Table Type 32 ( 0x 20 ) found, size of 11 (0x 0B ) bytes
Table Type 18 ( 0x 12 ) found, size of 23 (0x 17 ) bytes
Table Type 21 ( 0x 15 ) found, size of 7 (0x 07 ) bytes
Table Type 23 ( 0x 17 ) found, size of 13 (0x 0D ) bytes
Table Type 24 ( 0x 18 ) found, size of 5 (0x 05 ) bytes
Table Type 27 ( 0x 1B ) found, size of 14 (0x 0E ) bytes
Table Type 39 ( 0x 27 ) found, size of 22 (0x 16 ) bytes
Table Type 4 ( 0x 04 ) found, size of 42 (0x 2A ) bytes
Table Type 7 ( 0x 07 ) found, size of 19 (0x 13 ) bytes
Table Type 7 ( 0x 07 ) found, size of 19 (0x 13 ) bytes
Table Type 7 ( 0x 07 ) found, size of 19 (0x 13 ) bytes
Table Type 16 ( 0x 10 ) found, size of 15 (0x 0F ) bytes
Table Type 17 ( 0x 11 ) found, size of 28 (0x 1C ) bytes
Table Type 20 ( 0x 14 ) found, size of 19 (0x 13 ) bytes
Table Type 17 ( 0x 11 ) found, size of 28 (0x 1C ) bytes
Table Type 17 ( 0x 11 ) found, size of 28 (0x 1C ) bytes
Table Type 20 ( 0x 14 ) found, size of 19 (0x 13 ) bytes
Table Type 17 ( 0x 11 ) found, size of 28 (0x 1C ) bytes
Table Type 19 ( 0x 13 ) found, size of 15 (0x 0F ) bytes
Table Type 15 ( 0x 0F ) found, size of 29 (0x 1D ) bytes
Table Type 127 ( 0x 7F ) found, size of 4 (0x 04 ) bytes
Error 1002: Failed to retrieve Intel (R) ME FW Version
Error 9458: Communication error between application and Intel(R) ME module (FW Update client)
Error 9459: Internal error (Could not determine FW features information)
Ugh. Then I decided to try MEManuf tests:
$> Intel ME System Tools v7 r2\MEManuf\WIN64> MEManufWin64.exe -VERBOSE
Intel(R) MEManuf Version: 7.1.50.1166
Copyright(C) 2005 - 2011, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
Platform stepping value is 4
FW Status Register1: 0x00304181
FW Status Register2: 0x153B0000
CurrentState: Init
ManufacturingMode: Disabled
FlashPartition: Valid
OperationalState: Bring Up
InitComplete: Initializing
BUPLoadState: Success
ErrorCode: Debug Error
ModeOfOperation: Normal
ICC: No valid OEM data, ICC not programmed
PhaseStatus: UNKNOWN
Error 9256: Communication error between application and Intel(R) ME module (FW Update client)
Error 9257: Internal error (Could not determine FW features information)
Error 9296: MEManuf Test Failed (9257)
And finally I launched the Flash Programming Tool as it was suggested in a neighbouring thread:
$> Intel ME System Tools v7 r2\Flash Programming Tool\WIN64> fptw64.exe -VERBOSE -D output.bin
Intel (R) Flash Programming Tool. Version: 7.1.50.1166
Copyright (c) 2007-2011, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
Number of LPC Devices supported: 109
LPC Device Id: 1C49.
Platform: Intel(R) HM65 Express Chipset Revision: B2
Initializing SPI utilities
Reading HSFSTS register... Flash Descriptor: Valid
Region Limits as programmed into the SPI Registers
FREG0 - DESC Region:Base Address: 0x000000 Limit : 0x000FFF
FREG1 - BIOS Region:Base Address: 0x180000 Limit : 0x3FFFFF
FREG2 - ME Region:Base Address: 0x001000 Limit : 0x17FFFF
FREG3 - GbE Region:Base Address: 0x1FFF000 Limit : 0x000FFF
FREG4 - PDR Region:Base Address: 0x1FFF000 Limit : 0x000FFF
Address Limit 0x400000 Maximum Memory 4096kB
--- Flash Devices Found ---
Error 103: There are no supported SPI flash devices installed. Please check connectivity and orientation of SPI flash device.
I found some topics here and on other forums claiming that such issue could be caused by BIOS update. Moreover, some guy said there that Samsung BIOS updates for Intel-based devices are “incomplete” (idk what did he mean, lack of ME region?..). That why I’m asking for help here. This would involve some BIOS modding, and I literally hate such kind of things because of being too afraid of messing with proprietary vendor software after bricking a HDD a time ago using similar stuff.
Attaching the BIOS dumps I’ve made: np300e7a-s04ru 09qa.zip — Яндекс.Диск
-
samsung/
original BIOS update utility from Samsung website and the EXE package it downloads -
ITEM_20130312_816_WIN_09QA/
package contents (unpacked usingsamsung_extract_archive.pyscript) -
PhoenixTechnologiesLtd.-09QA.rom
current BIOS dump obtained usingUniversal BIOS Backup ToolKit 2.0.exe.
Really hope for any help.
Cheers.
