Critical update for Intel Core CPUs is out

Have Intel processor? Download the fix right now

A COUPLE OF WEEKS ago, we heard that Dell was dealing with a certain situation considering Intel dual-core MCW and quad-core KC marchitecture, and that the company was releasing urgent BIOS and microcode versions for its line up.

We learned that the affected CPUs are the Core 2 Duo E4000/E6000, Core 2 Quad Q6600, Core 2 Xtreme X6800, XC6700 and XC6800. In the mobile world, the Core 2 Duo T5000 and T7000 need to visit Microsoft's site, while server guys will want to use motherboard BIOSes if they do not rely on Microsoft Windows operating systems. The affected servers are Xeon 3000, 3200, 5100 and 5300s - or just about every model from second generation of Core marchitecture, Oddly enough, Yonah - 32-bit Core Duo processor - isn't among the affected cores.

We are assured that no product recall will happen, and that La Intella took all appropriate steps in order to minimise public image, because if a product recall happened, Intel's credibility would be ruined for good.

Anyway, if you have a Core CPU based machine, go to the link below to download the update. AMD processors are not affected at all, in case you were wondering.

Microsoft support site

Does anyone know what the fix is for?

It says on the MicroSift server that the update is...

A microcode reliability update is available that improves the reliability of systems that use Intel processors.

What it does not say is that it is Core specific. In this machine, I have a 3.2GHz Prescott, and when I asked for the update, it came and installed.

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Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.

Don't know if this is the exact same thing that was originally referred to, but I found this over at Lenovo/IBM
Critical BIOS updates for Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor

Symptoms
Intel has released a new microcode update for all systems with an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor.
This microcode update is being provided to eliminate two issues:

* A possible processor marginality
* A potential source of unpredictable system behavior .

This microcode update has no performance impact and is a complete solution for these issues.

In order to ensure the long term reliability of your Lenovo product, it is highly recommended that all users with an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor update their system BIOS to the latest level. The microcode update from Intel is contained in the latest system BIOS for your product.

Affected configurations
The above symptoms may occur on any system that is configured with the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor. To identify the type of processor your system has, you can look in the System properties. The Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor is identified as "Intel® Core™ 2 CPU".


Solution
The BIOS updates linked below contain a critical microcode update to improve system reliability. Lenovo highly recommends that you apply the applicable system BIOS update.

Intel explains the Core 2 CPU errata

...at first Intel posted the details about these particular errata back in late April inside a Core 2 Specification Update PDF document, explaing how this error could cause memory leaks and ultimatively, lead to crashes. This was caught in testing, and there were no reports from the open world. However, most motherboards of today are unstable enough that even if the TLB buffer errata was the cause of system crash, we seriously doubt it would be reported back to Intel.

Most computer users have a "default guilty guy", and that guy's name is William H. Gates III, or just Bill. Intel, AMD or substandard hardware these CPUs are placed on aren't to be blamed.

After the errata was posted, Intel partners were informed that a fix is on the way. Later, Intel pushed out a microcode update in a form of BIOS update to its hardware partners, and there are already a lot of products in the channel with correct BIOSes from the start. For others, updating your BIOS with a newer version will apply the hotly debated update. Biggest error of this affair is not disclosing what the microcode update is for, or complete story about the erratum - leaving ground opened for rampant speculations which we saw on many forums, and with Microsoft releasing an security important update without any descriptions but "seriousness of the issue", the ground for major panic was born.

The errata itself has something to do with Translation Lookaside Buffers, also known to this world as TLB, part of the microarchitecture that is improving access to system memory as much as possible by keeping refences to physical memory in its own table.

Intel came back to us with the following statement:

"We’ve addressed a processor issue by providing a BIOS update for our customers that in no way affects system performance. We have documented this as an errata. All processors from all companies have errata, and Intel has a well-known errata communication process to inform our customers and the public. Keep in mind the probability of encountering this issue is low. Intel documented the issue a few months ago - Specification Updates for the affected processors are available at http://developer.intel.com."

Intel Core 2 Duo Has 'Non-Fixable' Bugs, OpenBSD Founder Alleges

With the recent release of a microcode reliability update on Microsoft's site that addresses a handful of Intel Core 2 processors, concern over the pervasiveness of bugs in some of the company's latest processors is growing, especially now that OpenBSD founder Theo de Raadt released his own rundown of outstanding, fixed, and what he deems as "non-fixable bugs."

Details are still lacking about what, precisely, the June 22 patch fixes—not to mention how severe the actual bugs were—but in de Raadt's own words, some of the Intel's latest processors "are buggy as hell."

Additionally, "…some of these bugs don't just cause development/debugging problems," according to a de Raadt posting on a mailing list, "but will *ASSUREDLY* be exploitable from userland code."

If true, that could spell trouble for Intel on multiple fronts. As de Raadt notes, some of the errors found on Intel's latest errata (or error) list cannot be fixed via the standard microcode updates the chipmaker usually releases.

According to de Raadt, there are 20 to 30 of such bugs in Intel's latest errata list that cannot be worked around by operating systems and will be potentially exploitable.

As far as Intel is concerned, the company would not comment on whether it agreed with de Raadt's assessment or not – or whether there were any imminent plans to recall or respin the chips to solve such bugs.

It did, however, seem to downplay the importance and alleged severity of such bugs in its Core 2 processors.

"Months ago, we addressed a processor issue by providing a BIOS update for our customers that in no way affects system performance," said Nick Knupffer, an Intel spokesman, in an e-mail.

"We publicly documented this as an erratum in April," he continued. "All processors from all companies have errata, and Intel has a well-known errata communication process to inform our customers and the public. Keep in mind the probability of encountering this issue is low."

Knupffer went to say that Intel investigates all errata for issues and vulnerabilities and, if found, the company issues fix, usually through a microcode update.

The latest round of patches address the Intel dual-core "MCW" and quad-core "KC" architecture, and Intel released urgent BIOS and microcode versions for its line up on July 11. The affected CPUs included the Core 2 Duo E4000/E6000, Core 2 Quad Q6600, Core 2 Xtreme QX6800, QX6700 and QX6800, according to Intel's errata (or error) list.

We are assured that no product recall will happen, and that La Intella took all appropriate steps in order to minimise public image, because if a product recall happened, Intel's credibility would be ruined for good.

These things have been going on for as long as there have been processors. This is nothing new, and as you should be well aware, AMD processors have many eratta as well.

One HUGE difference: most people who have processors with Intel eratta will get automatically updated by Microsoft. People with AMD processors are much more likely to be "out in the cold" with AMD's eratta fixes for a lot longer.

Yeah, I don't like Bill Gates either. But if I run Linux, then I'm REALLY out in the cold for processor eratta updates.

== Bill