Z200 switches off after exactly 30 minutes

[lwoody7110]

Hi all

I've 2x Z200 motherboards purchased from eBay resellers.  Both power off (not a shutdown - a switch off) at exactly 30 minutes after power on.  This happens in both BIOS or in Windows. 

I suspect that Intel Management Engine is the root cause.

Tips towards solution appreciated

[DGroves]

i would first check the bios settings and the windows power settings and reset both to defults

are you on a domain that is pushing custom settings via group policy?

[lwoody7110]

Hi

The bios has been set to defaults and also updated to latest available. 

As as a reminder, the problem occurs if the pc is left in the bios screens. This isn’t a Windows power management issue. 

When in windows, the pc turns off as if the power plug was pulled from the socket. 

I strongly suspect Intel Management Engine is turning the motherboard off.  Does anyone have expertise in troubleshooting ME issues?

[DGroves]

when you are in the bios. or at the bios screen the managment engine driver is not loaded, as such ME is not active

is the cpu a retail or engineering sample?

if you have a hair dryer, try blowing it acress the board to check for a part that may be heating up

[lwoody7110]

Hi DGroves

The Intel Management Engine is indeed on.  Its on 100% of the time and is baked into Intel chipsets and surfaced by the BIOS since around 2006.  Its designed for out of band support.  I suspect that AMT has a problem and is turning the motherboard off.

Windows software is a part of the wider solution from Intel for remote management activities.  Intel ME does NOT require an OS installed to function, just power to the motherboard and a network connection.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Active_Management_Technology

[DGroves]

unless your board bios has a AMT entry in the bios and a SOL com3 OS driver for windows then your statement about  remote management activities being active is not true,.....AMT only runs on systems that are vPRO capable  intel uses the ME engine in later systems without (AMT) remote access for things like power control and other internal cpu tasks but none of them will cause a shutdown when sitting at the bios or in the bios after a period of time

many people confuse the AMT feature with the Managment Engine

[lwoody7110]

It does have AMT.

I think your knowledge is skewed.  Windows is NOT required for Intel Management Engine/AMT/vPro to 'do stuff'.  It is an out of band technology that works at the hardware layer.  An OS is not required.  Software/drivers in a OS expose the h/w to the user.  Enterprise admins may deny the software to see the h/w.

Please google "intel amt shutting down 30 minutes" and browse the wiki link I offered in the previous reply.

[DGroves]

i am well aware of the ME firmware checking for tampering and if found shutting down the system

i am also aware that the HP bios is a checksumed one that prevents any modified bios's from being installed, and that currently there are no known tools to override this

i am also aware that if you try to load a incorrect me firmware update the updater will stop and notify you of this

i am also aware that the ME firmware is a seperate update from a bios update

i am also aware that if a bug like you are describing did exist in the z200, then it would have been found, reported, and fixed by now. and since nobody on the internet has reported such a problem i can with confidence say that no such issue currently exists 

i maintain over 400 systems locally and over 40 remotely so i'm well aware of what AMT is, and does and what the intel "ME"  is

i recomend that you disable the AMT in the z200 bios since it's a known security risk  and not needed unless you are on a domain and/or require remote access to your system

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine

http://jp.ext.hp.com/lib/doc/manual/workstation/hp_workstation/z200_amt_setup_configuration_z200_int...

[lwoody7110]

This may be the issue then.  Perhaps the previous owners tampered with the BIOS.  The odd thing is the same thing is happening on two z200's purchased from difference resellers.  Both shut down at exactly 30 minutes.

In the BIOS is an option to Enable/Disab le Trusted Execution Technology & Embedded Security Device Support.  Even with both disabled, Windows Device Manager can see a Trusted Platform Module 1.2.

I've tried various combinations of enabled/disabled and the 30 minute watch dog timer still kills the PC.

I've reapplied the latest motherboard BIOS.  On boot, there is a message "Management Platform in Manufacturing Mode"

One thing that I've noticed is that the HP ME update BIOS fails to install with a circlular problem.  The BIOS will not update as it requires access to MEI drivers.  The drivers will not install as it says the platform is not supported - hence perhaps the BIOS is corrupt or tampered with and thats why the previous owner listed it on eBay. This is happening exactly the same on both motherboards.

[DGroves]

no,  what happened most likely is that the previous person attempted a ME update and did not follow the directions, and has left the "ME"system in a unstable state if you had posted this information in your first post it would have saved much time

i suspect the ME firmware may have been updated before the Bios was updated (a no no that may cause problems)

try this first: (it's for a diffrent model but may help)

1. Start or restart the computer.
2. Press and hold the F10 key until the system enters Setup.
3. Select Security > Setup Password and create a setup password  (write this password DOWN!!!!) 
4. Save the changes and then power cycle the computer
5. Log into F10 BIOS Setup using the newly created setup password

     (If you do not need password modify it by blank field or reset by the jumper)
6. Save and exit and then power cycle the system

If a Setup password is not desired, repeat steps 2-6 again leaving the "Enter new setup password" and "Enter new setup password 

try the sp50543 file ,extract it by running it or using winzip/winRAR go into the DOS folder and copy all files onto a DOS formated/bootable usb key and read the directions on running the updater bat file

if that fails download sp81826  ( works on XP win 7 32/64 bit OS) you must be able to boot into windows

This package contains the latest Intel Management Engine (ME) v6.2 firmware

Management Engine firmware SoftPaqs have been updated to include two batch files for easy deployment. The first batch file, update.bat, is automatically called when the SoftPaq is run. You have an option to decline the automated update and perform a manual update at a later time. The second batch file, silent.bat, can be called by IT professionals to silently deploy the firmware update (no user interaction required). 

Prerequisites when using the Windows update utilities. 

1. You must install the latest Intel Management Engine Software. Intel Management Engine Interface drivers are required.

download sp47295  for the correct AMT application/driver package
2. You must run the update.bat, FWUpdLcl.exe, or FWUpdLcl64.exe with administrative privileges.

If User Account Control (UAC) is not set to "Never Notify" you will see a UAC prompt even when using the silent install options (silent.bat)

Fix and enhancements:

- Adds a security fix. 
- Intel Management Engine (ME) Firmware update, required to address the INTEL-SA-00075 / CVE-2017-5689 Vulnerability (https://security-center.intel.com/advisory.aspx?intelid=INTEL-SA-00075&languageid=en-fr). HP strongly recommends promptly updating your systems to this updated ME firmware version, which supersedes all previous releases. 

- Additional critical steps may be required - including fully un-provisioning each of your systems in order to remove any potentially unauthorized configuration settings. Details on complete steps required to mitigate this vulnerability are available in the INTEL-SA-00075 Detection Guide, available at https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26755.

- The Windows based installation scripts (silent.bat and updated.bat) have been updated in this latest release to allow for more efficient firmware updates, with changes specifically made to Software Solution Manager (SSM) deployments to prevent recurring installation attempts.