Category Archives: Intel

how to protect against the latest intel Processor Vulnerabilities

If you are concerned about the latest round of Intel Vulnerabilities then its important to remember that you can’t just mitigate them all with just the latest Windows updates. Several of these vulnerabilities have been addressed in Microcode updates that are normally included within the latest mainboard BIOS release. As we all know it can often take sometime for OEMs to release a new BIOS for a system and in many cases never.

Given the severity of these vulnerabilities Microsoft have made available a Microcode update pack for many of the affected processors, the microcode will be loaded at the OS level rather than BIOS level but for the majority of businesses and individuals this will ensure that your Windows installation is secure.  Its important to note that Microsoft has only released this updated Microcode pack for the latest Windows 10 build 1903, you will need to upgrade to this build before you can install it.

The Knowledgebase article KB4497165 provides information on which Microcode level you need to be running to ensure that you are protected

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4497165/kb4497165-intel-microcode-updates

The actual Microcode download link is here

https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=4497165

You can check which Microcode version you are currently running by launching Powershell and entering the following command

reg query HKLM\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0

We are looking for the line “Update Revision”

After installing the latest BIOS or Microcode Update pack from Microsoft you should run the query again to check that you are running the updated Microcode version.  In my screenshots we can see that previously my Microcode version was AA and after installing the Microsoft Microcode update I am now running B4.

Alternatively you can just run regedit and manually browse to the relevant key to check your Microcode version

HKLM\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0

Unexpected system crashes and red screen of death (RSOD)

Having recently upgraded my system I kept finding that my computer would unexpectedly restart, games would crash out and after playing almost any game for 15-30 minutes I would get a Red Screen along with buzzing and then the computer would restart.

As with any issue the route cause and resolution might be different for you but I found that disabling XMP (Extreme Memory Profiles) completely resolved my issues.  XMP clocks upthe memory in your system, sometimes above what the manufacturer recommend so this would be classed as overclocking.

Other troubleshooting steps that you could perform if this does not resolve your issue

Check to see if any other components in your system are overclocked (CPU, GPU or Memory).

Check your system and component temperatures and ensure that all fans are running correctly.

Test your Hard Disk Drive using manufacturers or third party diagnostics software.

Test your Memory using manufacturers or third party diagnostics software.

Update the system BIOS

Update drivers (especially Chipset and GPU)

Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll – Pre Service Pack 2 Revision History for Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Small Business Server 2011 (SBS 2011)

Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll – Pre Service Pack 2 Revision History for Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Small Business Server 2011 (SBS 2011)
09-May-2015 – 6.1.7601.18848 – Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll – x86/x64 – https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/kb/3064209 – June 2015 microcode update for Intel processors in Windows
02-Aug-2014 – 6.1.7601.22758 – Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll – x64 – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2970215 – Host Microcode update for Intel processors to improve the reliability of Windows Server
02-Aug-2014 – 6.1.7601.18548 – Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll – x64 – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2970215 – Host Microcode update for Intel processors to improve the reliability of Windows Server
10-Feb-2011 – 6.1.7601.21658 – Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll – x86/x64 – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2493989 – Microcode update for Intel processors in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
10-Feb-2011 – 6.1.7601.17558 – Mcupdate_genuineintel.dll – x86/x64 – https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2493989 – Microcode update for Intel processors in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2

Laptop Comparison (2015)

Laptop/Notebook Model Processor Processor Clock Speed Processor Cores Processor Cache Dedicated Graphics Dedicated Graphics Memory
HP Beats Special Edition 15-p058na AMD A8-5545M APU with Radeon HD 8510G Graphics 1.7GHz / 2.7GHz Turbo 4 CPU 4MB None None
HP 15-g022na AMD A8-6410 APU with Radeon R5 Graphics 2.0GHz / 2.4GHz Turbo 4 CPU 2MB None None
HP ENVY 17-j121na TouchSmart Intel Core i7-4710MQ with Intel HD Graphics 4600 2.5 GHz / 3.5GHz Turbo 4 CPU 6MB NVIDIA GeForce 840M 2GB DDR3
HP ENVY TouchSmart 17-j122na Intel Core i5-4200M with Intel HD Graphics 4600 2.5 GHz / 3.1 GHz Turbo  2 CPU  3MB NVIDIA GeForce 840M 2GB DDR3
HP Omen 15-5001na Intel Core i7-4710HQ with Intel HD Graphics 4600 2.5 GHz / 3.5 GHz Turbo  4 CPU  6MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 4GB GDDR5
HP ENVY 15-j140na Intel Core i5-4200M with Intel HD Graphics 4600 2.5 GHz / 3.1GHz Turbo  2 CPU  3MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 840M 2GB DDR3
HP Pavilion 15-p178na AMD A8-6410 APU with Radeon R5 Graphics 2.0GHz / 2.4GHz Turbo 4 CPU 2MB AMD Radeon R7 M260 2GB DDR3L
HP ENVY 15-j151sa AMD A10-5750M APU with Radeon HD 8650 Graphics 2.5 GHz / 3.5 GHz Turbo  4 CPU  4MB AMD Radeon HD 8750M 2GB DDR3
Inspiron 15 5000-Series Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz / 2.7 GHz Turbo  2 CPU  3MB AMD Radeon HD R7 M265 2GB DDR3
Inspiron 15 5000-Series Intel Core i7-4510U 2.0 GHz / 3.1 GHz Turbo  2 CPU  4MB AMD Radeon HD R7 M265 2GB DDR3
Inspiron 17 5000 Series Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz / 2.7 GHz Turbo  2 CPU  3MB NVIDIA GeForce 840M 2GB DDR3
HP ENVY 15-k201na Intel Core i7-5500U 2.4 GHz / 3.0GHz Turbo  2 CPU  4MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M 4 GB DDR3
HP ENVY 15-k200na Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz / 2.7 GHz Turbo  2 CPU  3MB NVIDIA GeForce 840M 2 GB DDR3
HP ENVY 17-k207na Intel Core i7-5500U 2.4 GHz / 3.0GHz Turbo  2 CPU  4MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M 4 GB DDR3
HP ENVY 17-k201na Intel Core i7-5500U 2.4 GHz / 3.0GHz Turbo  2 CPU  4MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M 4 GB DDR3
HP ENVY 17-k200na Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz / 2.7 GHz Turbo  2 CPU  3MB NVIDIA GeForce 840M 2 GB DDR3