ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

[SMDFlea]

Here`s a quick ME Firmware cleaning guide.

The guide is basic,its main goal is to show you how to use intel FIT,its highly recommended that you all follow the guide posted at win-raid

(The attached FIT version is 11, if your ME Firmware (FW) is not 11.0.*.* follow the win-raid guide. Use the tools version for your ME FW, for example: ME System Tools v9.1 For systems running ME v9.0 - v9.1)


A video,software (intel FIT) and practice bios are all included. I`ll post a better video and more advanced guide at a later date.


1. Open the bios with MEAnalyzer and check the ME firmware version

(The latest ME Analyzer releases are on Github,https://github.com/platomav/MEAnalyzer/releases )
Thank You platomav

(Create MEAnalyzer executable from Github Python Scripts - https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=115358 . Thank You reformatt

2. Find the matching ME firmware and rename to ME Region.bin

3. Start Flash Image Tool (FIT) and open the bios

4. Change "Generate Intermediate Files" to no and save as untitled.xml .Close FIT

5. Copy or move the ME Region.bin to the decomp folder, overwriting the original

6. Start FIT again,open the untitled.xml file, click on Build,Build Image .

7. outimage.bin is the bios with clean ME firmware, rename it if you want

8. Open the bios with MEAnalyzer,it should say Configured (only ME FW 11 and above will say configured)

9. Job done

**************************************
How to clean ME Region on Apple machines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exfG5Iywmjk .Thanks piernov

****************************************

For a more detailed,in depth guide:

Guide-How To: Clean Dumped Intel Engine (CS)ME/(CS)TXE Regions with Data Initialization https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/gu...lization/31277 .A huge thanks to plutomaniac

Intel (CS)ME, CS(TXE), CS(SPS), PMC, PHY & PCHC:
Firmware Repositories
https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/in...sitories/30869

Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools 2-15
https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/in...ols-2-15/30719

Intel Trusted Execution Engine: Drivers, Firmware & System Tools
https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/in...nd-tools/30730

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And to Badcaps https://www.badcaps.net/index.php?pageid=donate1<<
.

[SMDFlea]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Some motherboards have dual bios chips.FIT can`t work without first joining the bios backups together into one file.

To join two files together you can use a hex editor,file joining software or a batch script that runs from the windows command line.

To make a batch script copy the text without the quotes "" into notepad:

"@ECHO OFF

copy 8MB.bin /B + 16MB.bin /B 8+16MB_Joined.bin /B

pause"

Save the file with any name you like followed by a .bat file extension,for example: Join_8+16MB.bat

When the batch file is run the files named 8MB.bin and 16MB.bin are joined together and a new file is made called 8+16MB_Joined.bin

Both filenames must be renamed to match your own filenames,or you can rename your bios backups to match the script filenames.
Multiple scripts can be made and kept in the same folder.Files of any size can be joined,the file names are used just to avoid any confusion.

After cleaning the ME firmware FIT will split the files back again.

.

[SMDFlea]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

ME 16 and ME 16.1

Work in progress

[lapfix]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Clear steps to take , thank you SMDFlea

[bachir2004]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Really nice job smdflea.

[sourcebf]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Thanks brother for all this useful informations

[Mazorca]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

A thousand thanks. Makes for a good reading and learning even if you don't do the cleaning, lots of good info.

[Spider1211]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Thank you. Can you please make a guide on how to extract EC?

[Ghamidi]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Great job thank Mr smdfela

[fyaagoub]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Thank you

[al2216aa85ms]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Checking the resulting outimage.bin with the infamous me_cleaner.py tells me that "The AltMeDisable bit is NOT SET"

How is the ME cleaned then? Will your steps prevent it from loading or....? Please excuse my lack of knowledge.

My ME version is 10.x.x.x and using ME_Analyzer, there is nothing to indicate whether the image is "configured" or not, that piece of info is simply missing/omitted from the results. Your test bin says "initialized" before the cleaning and is ME ver. 11.x.x.x. Maybe ME ver 10.x.x.x doesn't even have the option to be "configured"?

I will test my outimage.bin later on tonight to see how the ME behaves.

Thanks for the clear steps and all the tools and info provided, much appreciated.

[qonma]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

nice post meybe to experiments for the clean me

[al2216aa85ms]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

OK, I read part of the in-depth guide you linked to and the goal, it says, is to prepare the bios.bin for flashing on similar machines. I was under the impression that this guide would strip away the ME so that it is disabled. For those who want to "disable" ME on your machines, this is not the guide to follow. There is nothing good about the ME, just another way big brother may keep a watchful eye over you. It's kinda creepy now that I think about it and I'm sure violates some human rights.

[Bonzas]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Tried several times without success with ME 11 or later especially after ME 12 release, found many board trouble with that bios.
Maybe someone can help to explain where is important part doing this ( Clear ME 11 & Later )

[alas3376]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

great job, thank you

[stingerchamp]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

What happens if file system already said configured instead of initialized?

when i open bios file ( dumped one) it says file system configured.

[stingerchamp]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

hi,

if you need Intel CSME firmware repository pack for 11.8.50 ,please find below compressed file.

[SMDFlea]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

What happens if file system already said configured instead of initialized?

when i open bios file ( dumped one) it says file system configured.

It means the ME firmware is already cleaned.

[SMDFlea]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

hi,

if you need Intel CSME firmware repository pack for 11.8.50 ,please find below compressed file.

Thanks, you`ll find a link in the first post to all the repositories

https://www.win-raid.com/t832f39-Int...ositories.html

[SMDFlea]

Re: ME Firmware Cleaning Guide

Tried several times without success with ME 11 or later especially after ME 12 release, found many board trouble with that bios.
Maybe someone can help to explain where is important part doing this ( Clear ME 11 & Later )

Which part in particular are you getting stuck with