No it is not, it should be locked under normal circumstances. Exactly because it’s locked, you cannot downgrade it if you flash a modded or newer bios in the future which may have an older ME firmware version. You can safely upgrade to the latest 8.1.52.1496 firmware via FWUpdate tool.
Thank you for using MEA and yes I do check the forum but I will not upload anything new these days. 
That sounds bad if something goes wrong with the update, or not? I mean, if something happened while updating we could always flash the bios to get it working again. I’m probably saying something stupid though, i’m not really into these technologies.
Anyway as you suggest in the first post we need to backup our actual firmware version with FWUpdate tool first and only later flash the new one so i assume that if something goes wrong we can use that to fix it.
Truthfully, it is considered a security vulnerability to have an unlocked flash descriptor on consumer oriented systems. Having an unlocked descriptor is useful for advanced users who either want to dump their whole ME Region (Code+Data) or mod a ME Region with FITC and flash it afterwards with FPT. Use FWUpdate, it should be just fine.
You don’t have to backup your firmware before flashing a newer one. The FWUpdLcl - save command will save a ME Update (UPD) image and not your full ME Region.
I just updated it, all went fine:
Thanks once again and sorry for all the questions!
@ Pacman:
Thanks for the new Intel ME Firmware.
After having flashed it, the MEInfo details of my ASRock Z97 look rather similar:
Hello, I need help, how I can flash Intel ME without flashing bios?
My notebook is Medion Akoya P6638 and I can’t find in download site BIOS
Can anybody help me?
I have chipset Intel HM76 and version ME : N/A
@ Unreal:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!
There is no need to flash a new mainboard BIOS, if you want to update the Intel ME Firmware.
You just have to flash the new Firmware into the BIOS by using the related specific Intel ME Firmware Update tool, which you can find within the start post of this thread.
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)
Don’t work, why?
I run Me analyzer and there is nothing about Me, my version is N/A
When i write command FWUpdLcl64 -f ME.BIN i have :
ERROR 8743: UNKOWN OR UNSUPPORTED PLATFORM
Before you run any ME specific Intel ME Firmware Update tool, you should run the Intel ME Info tool.
Error 9458: Communication error beetwen application and Intel Me module
http://www.winboard.org/attachments/win7…en-foto0040.jpg
This is my laptop, but ME FW VERSION IS N/A
Can fpt program only me region?
Please , help me
Install the latest drivers from the first post. Also, download the tools that corresponde to your system generation as is clearly mentioned, again, at the first post.
The computer does not meet the minimum system requirements to install the product software.
The installation cannot continue.
Hi!
I got a problem with my Laptop. I am suspecting that there is a problem with ME, because its having power loss exactly after 10min of power up. No help updating bios. Still same problem.
Anyway, i tried to follow the guide updating ME firmware but i ran into problem. MeManuf is giving me a following error:
Error 9331: SMBus hardware is not ready
Error 9296: MEManuf Test Failed
Where exaclty i can find out more information about those error codes and more importantly can i ignore those errors and continue with firmware update?
Hello, i´m new here… had the adress from the old german nlite forum 
my laptop is a Dell XPS17 L702x with Intel ME 7 Chipset.
flashed today the latest (?) firmware 7.1.80.1214… is it the latest? works all fine… thx for the instructions
but which driver i must install!?
the latest 11.0.0.1157 ? at intel site is it 7.1.x.x.x
@ Hopie:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!
It is fine to see you again here (I remember you very well).
Yes, it is the latest for your system.
No, I do not recommend to install it onto your old system. You may better take the Intel ME driver v7.1.70.1198 from the start post.
Enjoy the Forum!
Dieter (alias Fernando)
So…can anybody help me?
yeah… a long time ago…
thx… deinstall 11.x and install 7.1.70.1198
It is not easy to help you, because you give only very few informations.
Questions:
1. Is a device named "Intel(R) Management Engine Interface" (or similar) listed within the "System Devices" section of the Device Manager?
2. Which Intel ME driver version did you try to install?
3. Has it been just the driver or the complete Driver & Software Set?
Intel HM76 Express Chipset LPC Controller
All driver version for 7 series chipset
Doesn’t matter driver or software, still can’t do anything