HPdv8 not protected from Spectre

[mt588]

I discovered from a utility from steve Gibson that my system is vulnerable to Spectre. I understand there should be a MicroCode Update, but I cannot find it.  How do I protect my laptop from Spectre (and Meltdown)?

[KrazyToad · Accepted solution]

@mt588

Welcome to HP Support Forums. A really great platform for posting all your questions and finding solutions.

I have gone through your Post and I would like to help

The  HP DV8-1200 model is not affected by the Spectre Meltdown

You can refer to the list of affected models in this Link: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c05869091

Hope this helps

Keep me posted if you need further assistance

Thank you and have a wonderful day 😊

If the information I've provided was helpful, give us some reinforcement by clicking the "Solution Accepted" and this will also help other community members with similar issue.

[David_J_W]

It wouldn't be the first time a Steve Gibson tool gave erroneous results. As a double check, I've checked some of the processors used in this model against Intel's list of Spectre vulnerable CPUs and didn't find them in the list, which tends to confirm @KrazyToad's statement that this system is not vulnerable.

[mt588]

Thank you so much for your help and quick answer!

One last thing, below is the InSpectre warning I saw on my laptop.  I am happy to find out from you that my system is not affected by Spectre Meltdown.  My understanding is that the Windows OS has been patched to include OS programming to prevent vulnerability in case the processor is vulnerable --- further, I understand that clicking the "Disable Meltdown Protection" button sets a registry entry to turn off the related OS programming protection, and doing so would speed up my system. 

1.  Do you think this action would be advisable to speed up my system, or would it remove needed protection from vulnerabilities?  I just replaced my HDD with a SSD and installed a fresh Windows 7 SP1 64-bit OS (and all updates), which led me to install HP drivers, non-wndows software, and discovery of potential security vulnerabilities.

2.  I cannot find the preported microcode update.  If there actually is an update, how do I get it and should I install it?

[KrazyToad]

@mt588

I'm glad we got this sorted out 😊

Disabling Meltdown Protection does not have an impact on the speed of the laptop

Could you elaborate more on what you mean by microcode update?