System76 adjusts coreboot so that Intel Management Engine can be turned off again

System76 has updated its implementation of bios alternative coreboot to make it possible to disable the Intel Management Engine on new Raptor Lake laptops. This fixes a major bug in the laptops. The laptops also have support for Secure Boot.

System76 writes in a blog post that it has implemented that bug fix with a firmware update. In an earlier version of coreboot that shipped with the laptops, the Intel Management Engine was disabled. However, it subsequently turned out that the Intel ME was enabled again for many users. This turned out to be due to a bug in biosalternative coreboot. That bug could cause a buffer overflow that caused Management Engine to restart again and again. System76 says it has now fixed this, but it does not yet work properly for models with eleventh generation Tiger Lake U CPUs from Intel. The bug fix should also be available by now have been implemented in the upstream of coreboot.

In the firmware update, System76 hardware also receives support for Secure Boot. This is necessary for laptops that run Windows 11. The support also applies to current, thirteenth generation Intel CPUs and System76 says that support will also be available for future Intel CPUs. System76 also wants to work on support for Secure Boot keys for Pop!_OS, the company’s own Linux operating system.

System76 also says that in the firmware update, the maximum power limit for Raptor Lake CPUs has increased to 45W, up from 28W. Modern laptops also receive support for Nvidia’s Dynamic Boost and security updates have been added to the system.