P775TM1 Fans 100% and turns off

[solidus1983]

Really strange. I take it screen is still blank?

 

Is the GPU and CPU getting warm on boot?

[razor0601]

Before I flashed the Bios and EC. It’s getting warm. But now I will check it again.

[harkaz]

Boot is halted before Intel Management Engine is completely loaded.

1. First of all, make sure processor is properly seated and cooled. Reapply thermal paste if needed.

2. Reflash BIOS from the SPI interface with a clip: First erase the BIOS flash chip (U16) via a 3.3V SPI flasher (this clears NV items as well), then flash the full 8,192 KiB* image. May I recommend the P775TM1-G BIOS v 1.07.27, even if it is not latest. Ensure that there are no errors. Voltage supply of the flasher must be stable and configured at the appropriate level (3.3V), do NOT operate from battery.

3. If options 1 and 2 fail, then the entire motherboard needs to be tested to find if a semiconductor has gone faulty. The CPU can be removed and tested on another device. In practice, because JTAG is disabled on commercial devices, a new motherboard may be needed.

 

[solidus1983]

2 hours ago, harkaz said:

Boot is halted before Intel Management Engine is completely loaded.

1. First of all, make sure processor is properly seated and cooled. Reapply thermal paste if needed.

2. Reflash BIOS from the SPI interface with a clip: First erase the BIOS flash chip (U16) via a 3.3V SPI flasher (this clears NV items as well), then flash the full 8,192 KiB* image. May I recommend the P775TM1-G BIOS v 1.07.27, even if it is not latest. Ensure that there are no errors. Voltage supply of the flasher must be stable and configured at the appropriate level (3.3V), do NOT operate from battery.

3. If options 1 and 2 fail, then the entire motherboard needs to be tested to find if a semiconductor has gone faulty. The CPU can be removed and tested on another device. In practice, because JTAG is disabled on commercial devices, a new motherboard may be needed.

 

 

Now that is some solid solid advise right there. It is a shame about JTAG being disabled in commercial boards as that would help pinpoint the issue. 

[razor0601]

3 hours ago, harkaz said:

Boot is halted before Intel Management Engine is completely loaded.

1. First of all, make sure processor is properly seated and cooled. Reapply thermal paste if needed.

2. Reflash BIOS from the SPI interface with a clip: First erase the BIOS flash chip (U16) via a 3.3V SPI flasher (this clears NV items as well), then flash the full 8,192 KiB* image. May I recommend the P775TM1-G BIOS v 1.07.27, even if it is not latest. Ensure that there are no errors. Voltage supply of the flasher must be stable and configured at the appropriate level (3.3V), do NOT operate from battery.

3. If options 1 and 2 fail, then the entire motherboard needs to be tested to find if a semiconductor has gone faulty. The CPU can be removed and tested on another device. In practice, because JTAG is disabled on commercial devices, a new motherboard may be needed.

 

I did that all. But I will try the .27 Bios.

The new symptoms started with the new EC Flash. So what’s better? First to flash EC or Bios? And which EC Version is recommend?

[harkaz]

I see. Version 1.07.16 is appropriate for the primary EC. There is also a secondary EC (latest firmware for secondary EC is 1.07.02). I assume you programmed the primary EC. EC must be flashed first, then the BIOS (before rebooting the system), as the BIOS can be easily reflashed.

If the EC firmware is damaged, then the motherboard should be replaced, short of trying this programmer (for the primary EC chip) - not guaranteed that it will work: https://alexlaptoprepair.com/en/svod-programmer-kbc-ene-spi-i2c-mec-ite-smsc/.

There are also two JFLASH connectors (JFLASH1 and JFLASH2) that may allow programming of the 2 EC chips. Interface seems to be I2C (1 clk and 1 data lane), but I am not sure about the tools needed.

[razor0601]

So which is the U15 EC chip? First or second? Because this is the chip I flashed.

i think it’s the second? I flashed there 1.07.16

[harkaz]

That must be is the secondary EC. I see this is flashable via SPI, so you are in luck. Flash the secondary EC firmware.

The primary EC may be flashable with the controller I referred to the previous link (via the keyboard connector).

[razor0601]

I flashed already the second EC. Before I did that the laptop starts like I said in the first post. Now after I flashed the second EC it turns on and immediately off on battery. With A/C adapter plugged in it turns on and the gpu fan starts after 1 second with 100%. But the gpu stays cold. 

[harkaz]

Try erasing the second EC flash (U15), and flash the secondary firmware again, after padding the file (ie. adding an appropriate number of 0xFF bytes to the end of the firmware), so the file reaches the exact size of 128 KB. If this has already be done, and the BIOS has been reflashed, then the primary EC firmware must be reflashed with specialized equipment on the primary chip. If that is not cheap, the motherboard should be replaced.

 

EDIT: Padding with 0xFF could be preferable.

[razor0601]

I can erase, flash and read the U15 without adding 0xFF …

so I think the first EC has to be reflashed. Do you know which is the correct EC Version for that?

[harkaz]

For BIOS 1.07.27 (or later), it is EC 1.07.16

Padding may be necessary for proper execution of the firmware machine code though (even if the programmer can properly read/write/erase). I had a similar experience with Thunderbolt firmware - padding was necessary for the firmware to be properly initialized. If you take a look at the primary EC fw with a hex editor, you will notice the padding.

[razor0601]

I flashed the 1.07.16 to the U15. So that was not right? 
And what is padding? Don‘t understand that word.

[harkaz]

No, that was the wrong firmware. You need another file. Search for "2nd_EC10702.zip"

Padding. Simply put, means explicitly defining the empty space in the firmware. A firmware file that is intended for Windows/UEFI shell programming may not contain this empty space, so it must be manually added before flashing with a low-level programmer.

Padding is done in hex editor. If you need help with that, I can prepare and upload a padded file for you.

 

[razor0601]

Ok thanks. So first I will give it a try with the second EC.

[jaybee83]

*grabs some popcorn while following this thread* keeping fingers crossed here! 🤠

[razor0601]

I flashed the 2nd EC but nothing changed. So I also tried several EC versions and also the original dump. Nothing changed. So now the first EC has to be reflashed? 

[harkaz]

Try reflashing the original BIOS dump to the U16 as well, along with the second EC (U15). If nothing changes, then a reflash of the first EC should be attempted.

[razor0601]

So I reflashed both. Nothing changed. So how to reflash the first EC? On eBay this type of programmer is very expensive 

And a friend of mine said maybe it’s also the Intel management engine. So a clean Bios reflash is required?

[solidus1983]

Did you disable Intel ME before the issue came about?

[razor0601]

Can’t remember that.

 

Does anybody know how to flash via these Clevo connector(J_Flash1…)?

[harkaz]

13 hours ago, razor0601 said:

So I reflashed both. Nothing changed. So how to reflash the first EC? On eBay this type of programmer is very expensive 

And a friend of mine said maybe it’s also the Intel management engine. So a clean Bios reflash is required?

Yes, the 8MB BIOS.ROM from the stock Clevo BIOS should be flashed to U16. Reflashing EC1 is the last step.

JFLASH1 most likely requires tools that are part of ITE8587 firmware sources.

 

Note: In the past, in order to disable ME from the unlocked BIOS without a problem similar to the one you described, I have run the Clevo's meset tool first.

[razor0601]

The Clevo stock Bios had I also tried. The right programmer and the needed tools to reflash the Main EC is a pain in the ass and expansive. 
But there is another option. It is possible to get a preflashed IT8587 chip via eBay. So do I only need the U44 chip? 

[harkaz]

It might be easier to just replace the board. The ITE8587 chip (U44) must come from another P775TM1 and the firmware version should be appropriate for the BIOS version. Success is not guaranteed (resoldering may cause damage, there may be other defective components on the motherboard).

 

 

[razor0601]

I have a technician who can flash the firmware on the chip and has the needed devices to solder a new chip. 
so he can take the EC Version from the XMG site?