faster-ai

Hi again @win32asmguy. I’m also considering whether to go for the Uniwill/Tongfang IDY or go for the Clevo X580. Is the IDY's BIOS confirmed to not use Intel BootGuard? In other words, can the BIOS be freely modified without being blocked by fused BootGuard protections? The Clevo is attractive because there’s a community-maintained BIOS repository and Service Manual (some models even including motherboard schematics), which is incredibly valuable for DIY, modding, and repairs （https://repo.palkeo.com/clevo-mirror/ username and password are both repo). But the repo currently lacks X580's Service Manual, so I’m unsure if this one will ever be released. Meanwhile, for the Uniwill IDY, I’m seeing fewer signs of public BIOS or Service Manual availability. Do you know if Uniwill/Tongfang provides a public BIOS or if anyone has shared its Service Manual and motherboard schematics? The IDY also boasts water cooling, which is appealing. But the X580 offers four drive bays and dual LAN ports—another strong point. Do you have a perference on which platform?

I'm considering the X580 model but I hope to get unlocked BIOS. @win32asmguyI’ve seen you mentioned that the Clevo X580 BIOS is locked, while System76’s model come with an unlocked BIOS—but at a higher price. I’m wondering whether other vendors’ X580 BIOS could be unlocked through manual methods, such as opening the chassis, locating the BIOS SPI chip, and reading/writing it using a hardware clip or by desoldering it. I’m also aware that Intel BootGuard and fused BootGuard keys may prevent BIOS writes at the hardware validation level. Does the X580 use such fused BootGuard protections, making the BIOS completely unwritable? I came across reports suggesting Clevo BootGuard keys have been leaked (see this GitHub issue https://github.com/linuxboot/heads/issues/1894). But I don't know could those keys be used to re-sign a modified BIOS for X580? If you have time, could you test the tool “bootguard-status” by Felix Singer https://github.com/felixsinger/bootguard-status to check the X580's BootGuard state? cc. @ssj92 @Prema