KB4589208: Intel microcode updates

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I just finished new install of 1809/server 2019. I ran my WUS program to see what update it suggested and this popped up from last year
KB4589208: Intel microcode updates for Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019
Does this update my CPU? I do not understand what this is or whether or not I need to install it? Could anyone tell me what this is for?  I have 12th gen intel core i7-12700kf 3.61 ghz processor.    Thanks

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb4589208-intel-microcode-updates-for-windows-10-version-1809-and-windows-server-2019-93015f5a-af14-d551-b645-0fae034c6b34

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the KB4589208 update simply updates the mcupdate_GenuineIntel.dll file to a newer version and contains updated CPU “microcodes” for certain Intel CPUs.

please read the following sites about “microcode” to better understand what is going on

Wikipedia article about “microcode”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcode

“Microcode” definition from Technopedia:
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/8332/microcode

Intel Microcode – WikiPedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Microcode

What is Firmware or Microcode, and How Can I Update My Hardware? – HowToGeek
https://www.howtogeek.com/346627/what-is-firmware-or-microcode-and-how-can-i-update-my-hardware/

List of “supported” Intel processors for Windows LTSC 2019 1809:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/minimum/supported/windows-10-ltsc-1809-supported-intel-processors

i7-12700kf is not on that list for 1809 (only up to most 10th gen Intel CPUs like i7-10700KF and some 11th gen CPUs like i7-11370H are supported). installing the KB4589208 update may or may not provide any benefit for that 12th gen CPU. you can simply just “hide” or pass on this update if it proves to be no benefit

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69800

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FWIW,

I find the following articles helpful in gaining a clearer picture of the processor microcodes updates :

1) Demystifying Microcode Updates for Intel and AMD Processors
————————————————————–
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/core-infrastructure-and-security/demystifying-microcode-updates-for-intel-and-amd-processors/ba-p/1000845

2) Updating processor microcode
——————————-
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/microcode-update

The 2nd article has a guide in using the command-line in Windows to see the processor microarchitecture and which microcode revision is in use.

HTH.

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windbg

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I usually install it and then use GRC | SecurAble: Determine Processor Security Features | to disable the speed impact.

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Are there any uCode updates that should be applied to machines with the i9-9980HK CPU that is found in ASUS ROG G703GX-XB96K laptops?

I have just about given up on getting this laptop to run Win8.1 Pro — many of the drivers simply do not exist for versions of Windows less than 10. The NVIDIA drivers do not. Some Intel drivers work but others fail. Etc.

I really hate to downgrade this laptop to Win10 — Mint Linux seems to be a better option, but I would love to find a good guide to installing Mint on this kind of gaming hardware.

Regards,
TMG

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TMG,

The May 10th, 2022 microcode update from Intel contains a microcode update for your i9-9980HK (family 06, model 9e, stepping 0d), which is version 0xf0. Incidentally, it’s the same microcode being used by my Xenia 15’s i7-9750H (also 06-0e-0d).

I am not sure how one checks this in Windows, but that is the most recent one listed. If you have applied a firmware update (if Asus released one) more recent than this, it may have contained the newer microcode. If not, having the microcode applied by the OS works too, but it would be up to Microsoft to package and distribute it. I don’t know if MS has released an update for Windows for this, especially so if you are talking about a “forbidden” combination of a 7th-gen or newer Intel CPU and Windows pre-10.

FWIW, I tried to set up 8.1 on a Kaby Lake (7th gen) gaming notebook and gave up on it a few years ago. In my case, it was the i2c drivers that didn’t work. I force-installed the Windows 10 drivers on Windows 8.1, and they did not work. I also tried force-installing the Windows 8.1 drivers for the 6th-gen CPU, and that failed too. Without those, the “precision” touchpad did not work properly, and the Synaptics driver’s options didn’t work either. There may have been other incompatibilities other than that, but I did not proceed any further.

Linux worked fine on that laptop.

Setting up Linux on a gaming laptop really isn’t that different from any other laptop. If you would like to begin a discussion on that topic, please begin a topic in the Linux for Home Users forum. I have set up Linux (not Mint specifically, but I have done several other Ubuntu derivatives) on a few different gaming laptops, including the Kaby Lake unit mentioned above, my Dell G3 (i7-8750H), and the Xenia 15 in my sig at the bottom of this message. All of these have Intel CPU and nVidia GPUs like your setup, so setting things up should be about the same.

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon 6.2
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/32GB & GTX1660ti, Kubuntu 24.04
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, Kubuntu 24.04 (and Win 11)

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Thank you for the information Ascaris.  I have reached the same conclusion regarding Microsoft’s high-pressure campaing to force users of new hardware to downgrade to Win10 or Win11 from a versions of Windows such as Win7 or Win8.1 wheic can be stripped of a lot of their privacy intrusion defects.

Now I have to figure out how to get ASUS to provide me the Activation Key for the version of Win10 Pro that came with my ROG G703GX-XB96K.  Sometimes they are very helpful about providing such information, but other times they can be stubborn as a broken down old mule.

I know I made a backup of the machine before I did much more than power it up and do some basic checks ot make sure it was in working order.  But that backup appears to have gone missing in the clutter that developed in this small condo as I moved a lot of odds and ends that in inherited plus the usual boxes of new computer-related items that tend to fill all available space in  places I live which do not have sufficient storage.

I just want to avoid downgrading one of my Win8.1 licenses to Win 10 since I know Win10 Pro came with the machine and I certainly do not need an extra Win10 license — it is an OS I have learned to loathe, but will probably need now and then as a computer consultant whose clients will expect some lvel of Win10 (and Win11) support.

Since I am moving to a neighboring county, I would like make sure I have that Win10Pro license before I move and greatly increase my chances of losing it forever.  I am likely to post something in that forum you mentioned, but right now, in addition to preparing for a move, I am getting some dental work done — that does not help me concentrate at all.

Regards,

TMG

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Ok since my processor is not listed I will skip it. But I did run GRC spectra and found I am not protected from meltdown. GRC securable says everything is fine. I went to Asus site and found and udate to my bios. Is there any connection to the bios update and meltdown protection?

I have never updated a bios. Is there anything that can go wrong doing this?

How do I get protected from meltdown?

thanks

 

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The main risk of BIOS updates (assuming you’re using the correct update) is of power failure during the update, which can brick your computer. If possible, take a backup of your current BIOS (usually an option during the update process), and ensure your computer is plugged into a UPS (or to the charger, with full batteries, in the case of a laptop) before proceeding. Good luck.

Zig

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69800 wrote:

Is there any connection to the bios update and meltdown protection?

No.

Both affect Intel/AMD chipsets.

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Ok there is an micro code availible from Asus July 11 2022. What happens if I never update my microcode ever. My last LTSB computer was never updated and still is fine today

 

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