@davidm71 - now I see what you meant about shorting pads, I initially thought you meant CPU pads for Coffee on Sky/Kaby type of pad shorting. This has nothing to do with USB Flashback
What you mean is pinmod shorting of pads to unlock the FD, this is covered in section E1 of this guide - [Guide] Unlock Intel Flash Descriptor Read/Write Access Permissions for SPI Servicing
Once you do that you use FPT to write in unlocked FD (unlocking FD and ME first in a FD dump), or write in your entire unlocked and modified BIOS while the FD is unlocked (needs redone on every reboot, unless you write in unlocked FD)
Section âBâ spoiler 2, image one or two, shows you how to edit the FD region of the BIOS to unlock it all, then you must program in that unlocked FD or entire BIOS with unlocked FD, while pinmod short session is in effect.
@Aureliano - are you saying, if you remove that GUID in BIOS, this will cause USB Flashback to re-write ME region during itâs process?
If yes, great tip, thanks. And if yes, do you know if that applies to all Asus, generally?
Once the pinmod is done, USB Flashback can flash any ME in the modded BIOS. I think what @davidm71 said "Flashback always reverted my ME" is due to GUID 63F23E9D-5FDA-415E-9C2A-64C4E2A6ECE8 which is an ME 11.8 update.
It is mentioned in
How could a motherboard self-update its ME?
[TOOL] Easy automated Mod tool for Coffee Lake bios (17)
[GUIDE] Coffee Lake CPUs on Skylake and Kaby Lake motherboards (38)
Ohh, Ok, thanks. Yes, pinmod would need to be done to unlock FD/ME anyway. That only remains active until you reboot. Some BIOS will USB Flashback ME always, and some will from EZ Flash too, especially if you enable ME Re-Flash option
That GUID you mention is not ME, ME Region doesnât have a GUID that Iâve ever seen, unless this is visible in MMTool maybe? Thatâs why I asked, I didnât check his BIOS to see what this module is (Unsure of his model)
So, I checked random model, and see you are correct, thanks! Is this always in BIOS, at this GUID, or sometimes GUID can vary, or is ME only in some BIOS as a copied module like this?
So, I checked MAXIMUS-X-CODE while looking at this, why is ME in BIOS twice anyway, this is unusual to see!?! It also does not match the main usual ME Region, contains 13kb data at front of file vs main ME region.
Edit - Thanks for links too, now I see why difference in size. I wonder if this module could be modified to contain older version instead, and then that easier reflash for some users?
I soldered the two pads near the USB Flashback chip. It now acts as a real programmer. I can flash any BIOS I want as long as itâs named creative.rom.
GUID 63F23E9D-5FDA-415E-9C2A-64C4E2A6ECE8 exists in newer BIOSs. I donât think the automated tools remove it. Changing this module seems unrealistic too.
Can you show a high res image of the solder point, or do you mean you simply did the pinmod (From the Unlock FD/ME guide I linked above) permanently (on the audio chip)?
Thanks for the GUID info, Iâve asked plutomaniac what he thinks about modifications to this file, doesnât seem unrealistic to me, but I mod BIOS every day and am used to doing/figuring out the unexpected 
I have some Z170 Asus here, Iâll have to see if those contain this, and then mod and find results. method to madness if itâs blocked when edited etc.
I was thinking if this is possible to modify, and it flashes in whatever is in there (including unlocked FD), then this will be a great way for those without programmer or skills/bravery to pinmod, to be able to re-write FD/ME without a programmer easily. And once confirmed, then revlaay and svarmod could incorporate into their AIO tools possibly.
* Edit, no luck on the Asus Z170âs, I checked two and neither contain this or a copy of ME 
so I canât personally test this stuff
Open it in a new tab. I think the chip labeled "BIOS" controls the USB Flashback.
Not trying to discourage you. But one still needs the skill and tools to flash the modded BIOS containing the modded GUID.
You canât discourage me, I modify BIOS all day long for 100âs of people a week, and I have many BIOS flashing tools (hardware) for any kind of testing or recovery needed on my end. Sadly, see my edit above, I donât have any newer boards than those.
You are correct though, if itâs possible to edit, and the edit is used during flash, then one would need to flash in whatever procedure worked to invoke these modified insertions (flashback, or FPT etc)
Youâll have to zip that image or something, forum software isnât hosting it correctly, even if I edit your post I canât view it properly. Ohh, I see, you didnât attach and insert it correctly. Please redo it, or zip the image, thanks
In my case, the eprom is removed.I use the programmer.Do I have to use the program USB Flashback?Whatâs the difference?Thanks.
@Foxsitto If you use programmer you do not have to do anything else, except write in your mod BIOS file - difference is you have total control with programmer, no restrictions to writing to all BIOS regions
@Aureliano - thanks for image correction, I can see it now, so you connect those two pads = entire BIOS write via USB Flashback always? How did you learn file name must be creative.rom? I wonder how many series this exact same edit works for with Asus models?
Must BIOS file be encapsulated, or removed from the capsule (So actual rom/bin) for this modified USB Flashback process?
I learned the mod here. It should work for any ROG board with USB Flashback. After that the entire BIOS can be flashed.
https://community.hwbot.org/topic/184577âŚffee-lake-cpus/
The BIOS is not encapsulated.
Thanks @Aureliano - whatâs that second mod shown at the guide, the connection beside the PCIE slots?
Comparing your image, to the one in the guide, you circled the position above the one in the guides image? In your image above, there is already a resistor in position the guide says to connect, below what you circled
Thanks for the help guys!
The other hard mod using a wire is equivalent to shorting pads on the CPU.
The layout around the USB Flashback chip is different across boards. I just shorted the only two bare pads near the chip. And it worked.
@Lost_N_BIOS : I have never systematically checked for this, but whenever I flashed a BIOS with old ME using the independent flashback on a ROG board, ME was successfully downdated as well. (Note that Asus uses the term âflashbackâ also on Strix and Prime models which often do not have an independent system for flash but need the CPU. This âflashbackâ is nothing more than a onboard button to activate automated EZ flash and canât do anything special)
However flashback cannot write protected FD unless there is a flashback pinmod for the board used.
I guess it all comes down to protection levels: Write restrictions in FD are chiplevel hardcoded and Flashback adherese to these. So it will not write to MAC region or FD itself, though technically it has all the capabilities. But ME region cannot be protected this way because it is occassionally updated by EZ flash, which does not have the capabilities to overwrite chiplevel locks. So ME has its own protection mechanisms on firmware level instead which are loaded during POST, but can be deactivated by software for legitimate updates (or by modders fidling with audio coded pins). These firmware locks prevent EZ flash, AFU, ⌠from writing illegtimate updates/downdates to ME region. But Flashback cannot be stopped by firmware because flashback does not POST at all and thus ME never gets loaded.
Once the pinmod is done, USB Flashback can flash any ME in the modded BIOS. I think what @davidm71 said "Flashback always reverted my ME" is due to GUID 63F23E9D-5FDA-415E-9C2A-64C4E2A6ECE8 which is an ME 11.8 update.
@Aureliano
Confused about what that GUID has to do with being able to revert?
Once the pinmod is done, USB Flashback can flash any ME in the modded BIOS. I think what @davidm71 said "Flashback always reverted my ME" is due to GUID 63F23E9D-5FDA-415E-9C2A-64C4E2A6ECE8 which is an ME 11.8 update.
@Aureliano
Confused about what that GUID has to do with being able to revert?
Do you mean you downgraded the ME but it was reverted? Thatâs because GUID 63F23E9D-5FDA-415E-9C2A-64C4E2A6ECE8 would force a ME upgrade after a flash. USB Flashback only writes what you feed it.
Ok I have almost everything I need to go ahead with this mod. Got my motherboard and my usb flash programmer working. Only missing a cpu so was wondering what cpu do you guys recommend I purchase?
Thanks
There are BIOSs already for M9A.
https://community.hwbot.org/topic/184577âŚffee-lake-cpus/
Anything between i3-6100 to i9-9900KF should work.
Waiting for 9350K. Hope its released soon!
Can You provide BIOS for Maximus VIII Ranger? Many thanks in avance