Problems with Intel's management engine
Problems with Intel's management engine
Hello, over the last couple of days my computer has been experiencing problems with entering sleep mode and starting up correctly. When it goes into sleep, it takes a few seconds before it comes back on, but the screen, keyboard, or mouse aren't working, so I can't exit sleep mode. This means I have to completely turn it off to restart it. While turning it back on after powering it up, it takes five to ten seconds before anything happens again—my display turns on and my BIOS logo appears, then Windows tries to start but immediately shuts down unless I jump back on quickly. Once it's on for the second time, loading windows becomes extremely slow (despite having an SSD), and my keyboard and mouse lights flicker while windows open. The Ethernet driver never shows up unless I restart completely, after which everything works except the sleep issue.
I've chosen to remove several drivers to free up space on my SSD, suspecting that old bloat or faulty drivers might be causing the problem. I think a driver related to code 10 (power failure) from Intel's management engine could be the culprit—this is why the keyboard and mouse lights blink irregularly. After uninstalling that driver, the performance improves: windows load faster, and both mice and keyboards function normally.
However, removing Intel drivers only solves one problem. When I reinstalled the latest drivers from my OEM, the boot time remains slow, and the lights still flicker. Now I'm considering uninstalling the entire Intel setup, hoping to wait a few seconds between restarts so the computer can run smoothly until the fix is applied. Sleep mode matters for me because I often need to leave my PC open for 30 to 80 minutes while doing chores, and I want to let it rest a bit before diving back in.
Could this be connected to Intel's unusual behavior? Here are some details that might help: My system is a Dell OptiPlex 9020 with a 1650 processor, 16GB RAM, a 1TB Crucible SSD for Windows and software, plus a 250GB SSD and a 1TB HDD. I'm using an Intel i7-4770 CPU at 3.40GHz. I can't update my BIOS because the flash tool just boots Windows normally—this was my first attempt to fix it. I've already uninstalled a Star G430S tablet driver before this issue started, but it didn't help. I switched from UEFI to Legacy mode in my BIOS without much success.
I also tried installing a new Intel driver, but it only resolved the slow startup and lighting issue temporarily. Now I'm planning to completely remove the Intel drivers instead, giving the system time to stabilize before each restart—preferably waiting 3 to 5 seconds between restarts so I can get back to work quickly once everything is back on track.
I'd suggest running CrystalDiskInfo to see if the drive's starting to fail and reseating all of the connections relative to the drive. Given that this is a fourth gen Intel computer, if that's the drive it came with, it's getting pretty old and could be failing, or something could have come loose internally. If Intel ME is giving you issues, check to see if your manufacturer has an updated firmware (not driver) for it before reinstalling the latest OEM driver. Be careful screwing with Intel ME; if you try to do anything too weird, you can render your computer unbootable.
You can verify disk health through system monitoring tools or built-in diagnostics. Check the operating system's resource manager or performance monitor for real-time status. Additionally, use command-line utilities like `smartctl` on Linux to inspect disk health details.
It seems Dell integrates ME updates into the BIOS upgrade, which complicates the process. Consider using Dell SupportAssist—their suggested driver updater—to streamline the installation of all components.
I tested all three approaches: clicking the .exe while Windows is running, executing it in DOS as an installation step, and using the BIOs flash tool. Each one displays "preparing to update" before restarting or booting into Windows directly.