Intel releases Core 2 chip Bios fix
Is your microcode as reliable as it could be?
Intel has released a BIOS patch for Windows machines running Core 2 and Xeon 3000/5000 chips that addresses potential unpredictable system behavior.
The update is recommended for users running an Intel Core2 Duo E4000 and E6000, Intel Core2 Quad Q6600, Intel Core2 Extreme X6800 and QX6700, Dual-COre Intel Xeon 5100 and Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5300.
HP lists the "microcode reliability update" as a critical fix that can "leave a workstation in an unstable condition, which could potentially result in system lockups or failures, or data corruption or loss." HP reports the issue was found in a synthetic test environment during quality control testing.
Symptoms include mouse and keyboard failure, Windows Blue Screen of Death, and Linux generating a kernel panic.
While news of the patch has circulated suggesting catastrophic importance, Intel spokesman Nick Knupffer said the probability of encountering an issue is low, and has not been reported in any commercial situations or real-world environments.
"I'll put it to you this way," Knupffer said. "I've got a core chip at home and I haven't updated."
Large problem or no, Intel and its OEMs recommend users download the patch as a precaution. Users can download the BIOS update from Microsoft's support site or from Intel OEM vendors.
Specification updates for the affected processors are available at http://developer.intel.com. ®
Regcast training : Hyper-V 3.0, VM high availability and disaster recovery
COMMENTS
RE: Funnily enough...
Clock down the processor by .001 Ghz. Been reading plenty on the OC community and for some wonderful reason, Core 2's don't like even numbers. My E6420 runs at 3.199Ghz in most cases. However, from what others here have been saying, if you're running a 64bit OS, than go get it. It's explaining the random but not unrecoverable exception errors I've been running into running x64.
Intel's reply
I am from Intel, and I thought I would give you our perspective. Months ago, we addressed a processor issue by providing a BIOS update for our customers that in no way affects system performance. We publicly documented this as an erratum in April. 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. Specification Updates for the affected processors are available at http://developer.intel.com. We feel we’ve resolved the issue and were open about it with customers and then publicly publishing it, but this is a good venue for ideas on how we could do better or more. I am interested in any constructive comments...
c2d ramdom restarts
i thort my computer was overheating when it was left at full load for a few minutes and randomly restarting, now i think it could be this problem. i have an e6750 engineering sample and there must be a reason as to why intel havent gone into full production with them. other than that my comp goes like stink its a c2d at 3.3ghz with an fsb of 1650mhz, 3gigs of 1ghz mem, two 8800 gts in sli all in an asus striker extreme :) not bad for someone who doesnt have a job lol
IT infrastructure monitoring strategies
Requirements Checklist for Choosing a Cloud Backup and Recovery Service Provider
Cloud based data management
Enabling efficient data center monitoring
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
