Items tagged with BIOS
If you're reading this, chances are high that you got here via a Google search because someone told you to "update the BIOS" on your PC, and you're wondering what the heck that means. Don't worry; we're gonna get you sorted out. "BIOS" stands for Basic Input/Output System, and it used to be the lowest-level firmware...
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In case you missed it, Intel earlier this week issued a statement saying it finally discovered the root cause of widely reported instability on its 14th Gen and 13the Gen Core processors. Intel also said it would be delivering a microcode patch to address the issue, and that it was targeting mid-August for a roll out...
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In 2020, HP released the business-oriented HP ProBook 455 G7, an AMD-powered laptop that retailed for about $1,000. Owners used this device happily for several years, but now these machines are dying in droves. Users suspect HP of bricking the laptop with a bad BIOS update, and so far, HP doesn't have anything useful...
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We like to joke about percussive maintenance when we talk about tools and technology. A good swift hit with a hammer can fix a lot of issues, right? Well, one researcher out of New Zealand found it was possible to use a screwdriver to reset the BIOS password for a Lenovo laptop.
If you’ve ever run into an issue...
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ASRock has delivered a pleasing BIOS update for owners (and prospective buyers) of its Radeon RX 7900 XTX Aqua Extreme OC graphics card. After applying this update, ready to download immediately, owners will experience a further performance boost with this already overclocked ('OC') liquid cooled product.
In a...
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If you follow hardware news at all, you are surely aware of the "exploding CPU" issue surrounding the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and certain Socket AM5 motherboards, particularly (but not exclusively) those from the ASUS ROG family. If you're not familiar, that's basically the gist of it right there: certain motherboards, when...
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You should always be cautious about where and how you obtain BIOS updates for your devices, though that's especially true right now for anyone who owns a product from MSI, be it a motherboard, graphics card, or any other hardware with firmware. That's because MSI recently suffered a cyberattack on part of its...
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Among the requirements for installing Windows 11 are two security features: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 and Secure Boot. As we’ve documented before, it’s possible to sidestep these requirements and force a Windows 11 install or upgrade anyway. Microsoft even published a registry hack to give users this...
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Lenovo has been in the computer game for some time. In 2005 it purchased IBM's personal computer line that held the prefix moniker "Think," such as ThinkPad and ThinkCentre. It has since expanded the product offering to include much more, such as ThinkBooks, the Yoga series, and the Legion lineup, in addition to...
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Motherboard makers right now are collectively like, 'YOU get a BIOS update, YOU get a BIOS update, YOU get BIOS update', and, well, you get the idea. The reason for the influx of firmware upgrades is to get today's existing platforms ready for tomorrow's CPUs, those being Intel's next-gen Raptor Lake lineup sporting...
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Unlike driver updates, BIOS releases typically arrive far less often—usually when vendors add support for new CPUs, but also occasionally to improve stability and performance, or to address security vulnerabilities. Regarding the latter, HP is pushing out firmware updates for over 200 laptops and desktops to patch a...
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When folks talk about major security flaws like the Log4shell exploit in Log4j, or the Eternal Silence UPnP exploit, everyone tends to panic until they're resolved. That's because those bugs are remotely exploitable, meaning that they can be used to attack a system over the internet without placing the attacker in...
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A team from Binarly, a firmware protection company, recently discovered several repeatable anomalies on twenty different enterprise machines in the course of a job for a midsize enterprise company. After looking further into these anomalies and digging all the way down into the disassembly code, the team found 23...
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Ever since BIOS updates became possible, the process required rebooting the PC. Even when motherboard manufacturers moved completely to UEFI, this remained the case. Intel is now changing that, thanks to a new part of the ACPI specification called Platform Firmware Runtime Update and Telemetry (PFRUT). This allows for...
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Security researchers have sounded the alarm on four BIOS vulnerabilities affecting 129 different Dell models, including various laptop and desktop systems, as well as some tablets. In total, it is estimated that around 30 million Dell systems are susceptible to the vulnerabilities and should be patched right away...
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A month ago, AMD confirmed that many 500 Series motherboards were having problems with USB connectivity. The issues were long documented on the AMD subreddit, but it was comforting news from Ryzen enthusiasts to hear that AMD finally had their backs regarding this annoyance.
ASUS today announced that it uploaded new...
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AMD made a splash last week by announcing its Ryzen 5000 series of CPUs based on Zen 3, with up to 16 cores and 32 threads, and a huge IPC (instructions per clock) uplift. What it did not do, however, is announce a new chipset. Whether one is coming or not for Zen 3 remains to be seen, but armed with the latest BIOS...
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AMD heard the complaints from Ryzen 3000 series CPU owners that some chips were not hitting their advertised boost clocks as expected, and has issued new firmware code to its hardware partners to address the issue. What this means is, if you own a third-generation Ryzen processor, be on the lookout for a new BIOS...
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AMD's plan from the beginning of Zen was to have a single socket last for several generations of processor releases. Making good on that promise, AMD's upcoming Ryzen 3000 series of desktop CPUs will once again utilize the same socket, with many existing motherboards getting support by way of a BIOS update. Getting a...
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AMD is planning to at least talk about its upcoming Ryzen 3000 series of desktop processors in a few weeks at Computex, and the expectation is that it will be launching the new CPUs at that time. As that date draws closer, motherboard makers are prepping for the event with new models based on the upcoming X570...
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AMD has run into a bit of trouble with a "specific boot issue" that might be affecting some second gen Ryzen desktop processors, specifically Raven Ridge APUs, when those chips are socketed into an early AMD Socket AM4 mainboard. According to AMD, since the release of the AMD Socket AM4 mainboards in early 2017...
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Intel is getting ready to kick legacy BIOS support to the curb, with future platforms taking full advantage of the UEFI Class 3, the most recent version of UEFI. That is already the case for many Intel systems already shipping. By 2020, Intel wants to move on completely, removing BIOS support from UEFI. That means all...
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