KB4497165 Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 1903 and 1909 Sept. 1 Win Update

ddelo said:

@Steve C,

When the OS starts its loading process upon boot, it first checks the BIOS/UEFI microcode and compares it with latest one for your CPU ( i.e the one proposed by Intel ).
If your UEFI microcode is up to date, its loaded and the OS disregards the one from Windows Update.
If it's not up to date, then the microcode from Windows Update is loaded.

In other words if your UEFI is up to date, then the Windows Update microcode (if installed), can be uninstalled as it's not used.

Thanks - so the update for my ProBook as in post 108 was not needed due to the recent BIOS update. I'll uninstall the update in that case. Your script is very useful for checking the status - why can't MS do a similar check and refuse the update if not needed?

ddelo said:

You're most welcome Steve.
Mind you that MS do check at boot, so they know and not only that, they also write the UEFI microcode revision in the Registry.
Now why they don't check their own Registry entry and not install the update (and confuse users), I believe is a question that only their development team can answer.

Thanks to your script my desktop PC (i5-3570K on Ivy Bridge) just updated from microcode 0x20 to 0x21 so I'll keep that update (see below).
Attachment 254556

ddelo said:

Yes you should keep this one!!!

First of all you can check manually your UEFI microcode revision in Registry in the value "Update Revision" under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System\CentralProcessor\0\
That is where Windows 10, write the UEFI microcode they find at boot.

The most recent intel CPU microcode revisions can be found here
Note that, there is a significant lag between intel's announcement and its implementation by the respective OEM (if the OEM takes the time to update the BIOS/UEFI, especially for older CPUs). That is the reason Microsoft implements the microcode through Windows Update, as they don't know when and if the OEM will include the latest revision in their BIOS/UEFI.

You can read all new developments in this intel post

Thanks - all good info. Sadly I'm not allowed to give you any more rep points today.

I used the Get-SpeculationControlSettings command and all is fine with my 7 year old i5-3570K motherboard despite Gigabyte giving up on BIOS updates

ddelo said:

You can rep me tomorrow..... Just joking my friend!
No need to, you already did and I appreciate it!

And to be honest, I wouldn't expect any updates from Gigabyte for this one.
It's a polite (...or not) way to tell you, that you need to get a new one!.... which you did with the 450 G6 ProBook!

I'm in the market too, for a new laptop and I'm leaning towards a ProBook like you did.
The hp ProBook 650 G5:
intel® Core™ i7-8565U,
16 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM,
512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M. 2 SSD,
Intel Graphics® uhd 620,
15.6 " Anti-glare LED-backlit FHD IPS display, 220 CD/m², sRGB 67% (1920 x 1080)
DVD-ROM

I hope to get a good deal for this one, until the end of the year...and I'll be brand new!!!

That's a better spec than my ProBook 450 G6. I didn't see the need for the i7 CPU, DVD and 16GB RAM. I have a spare RAM slot anyway for upgrade. There is a spare drive slot which I've used for another SSD so I can schedule backups to it. Note the display is a bit dim in bright light so check that out. Otherwise, I found the ProBook offered the best 'bang for buck'. The cheapest UK supplier was HP's Store for which I also had an offer code. The ProBook has better warranty support than the consumer range and some claim they are built to a higher standard. It was a battle to remove the HP bloatware but you can always do a clean install. It's a PITA to remove the back the first time as you may well discover.

Hoping a knowledgeable person can advise me if this update will still protect on devices updated to 1909, or only 1903? One of my computers (a Gigabyte P37x v5) has not received a BIOS update since the very first spectre/meltdown vulnerabilities and I depend on the MS updates for that.

catspyjamas said:

Hoping a knowledgeable person can advise me if this update will still protect on devices updated to 1909, or only 1903? One of my computers (a Gigabyte P37x v5) has not received a BIOS update since the very first spectre/meltdown vulnerabilities and I depend on the MS updates for that.

Go to intel's website and download their intel processor identification utility. Run the utility and see if the bios/microcode is the patched version.