Readme file for Intel(R) Desktop Utilities v3.2.8
Date: January 10, 2014
Table of Contents:
1. Overview
2. Supported Intel(R) Desktop Boards and Intel(R) Chipsets
3. System Requirements
4. Compatibility Information
5. Known Issues
6. Notes and Tips
7. Legal Disclaimer
1. Overview
===========
Intel(R) Desktop Utilities (hereafter referred to as 'IDU') provides a
hardware monitoring capability that regularly interrogates the sensors on your
Intel(R) Desktop Board and provides support for displaying their current
readings and, if alerting is enabled, generating alerts if any sensors go
outside of their specified ranges. If an alert occurs, IDU can notify you a
number of different ways: a flashing red icon in the system tray, a pop-up
alert message on the primary console or an audible notification. The hardware
monitor retains a history of the previous alerts that have occurred. IDU also
provides you with easy access to system hardware and software information.
NOTE: Only one user at a time (with Administrator rights) can run IDU. If
other users try to open additional instances of IDU, no prompt or
activity will appear to these users.
This readme file contains information specific to this release and provides
information about the application that was discovered too late in the
development process to be included in the help file.
This version (3.2.8) of IDU includes:
- Various bug fixes for issues detected in internal validation and received
in customer reports.
- Support for execution on Windows 8.1.
IDU is only qualified to run on Intel(R) Desktop Boards with specific Intel(R)
chipsets. In addition, the specific heatsink/fan combination must have been
qualified for use with your Intel(R) Desktop Board (check your board's
installation instructions).
NOTE: Temperature readings displayed by IDU should be considered approximate
and should not be used for design or validation of thermal solutions.
2. Supported Intel(R) Desktop Boards and Intel(R) Chipsets
==========================================================
For updates to Intel Desktop Utilities and the most current information on
boards support, consult website http://www.intel.com/go/idu.
NOTE: On older Extreme Series Intel(R) Desktop Boards, the monitoring
and adjustment of system parameters can only be performed using
Intel(R) Desktop Control Center. Please use the guidance provided by
web site http://downloadcenter.intel.com to determine BIOS and
applications supported for your board.
NOTE: Users could create system issues if they run applications that are
inappropriate for their specific board.
3. System Requirements
======================
1. Supported operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows* 8.1 standard, Professional and Enterprise Editions
(32-bit and 64-bit)
- Microsoft Windows* 8 standard, Professional and Enterprise Editions
(32-bit and 64-bit)
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate, Professional and Home Premium
Editions (32-bit and 64-bit)
Note: Service Pack 1 required
- Microsoft Windows Vista* Ultimate, Enterprise and Home Premium
Editions (32-bit and 64-bit)
Note: Service Pack 2 required
- Microsoft Windows XP* Professional and Home Editions (32-bit)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition (64-bit)
Note: Service Pack 3 required
2. A minimum of 800x600 resolution with 16-bit color display configuration.
3. IDU has been qualified only with the heatsink, fan and processor
combinations listed for Intel(R) boxed processors. The heatsink must be
properly installed with adequate but not excessive thermal interface
material. For more information, check your Product Guide, Technical Product
Specification (TPS) or the installation instructions for your specific
Intel Desktop Board.
4. IDU requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or newer.
4. Compatibility Information
============================
While significant effort has been put into correcting interoperability issues
between IDU and third-party sensor monitoring software that access the same
hardware resources (Super I/O (SIO) devices, Monitoring ASICs, device drivers,
etc.), it is still possible to encounter situations where IDU will fail or act
unexpectedly with these types of applications present.
Here is the current compatibility status for some third-party applications:
FinalWire AIDA64 No known compatibility issues.
Almico SpeedFan Compatibility issues with latest release
(v4.46). Results in lockups, incorrect sensor
readings and fan control issues. We are in
contact with author and attempting to identify
solution...
CPUID HWMonitor No known compatibility issues.
CPUID PC Wizard 2013 No known compatibility issues.
If you encounter any issues, please post details to the Desktop Boards forum
on the Intel Communities website (http://communities.intel.com/).
NOTE: On older Extreme Series Intel(R) Desktop Boards, the monitoring and
adjustment of system parameters can only be performed using Intel(R)
Desktop Control Center (IDCC).
NOTE: Use web site http://downloadcenter.intel.com/ to obtain information
regarding what BIOS and Intel-provided applications are supported for
your board.
NOTE: Users could create system issues if they run applications that are
inappropriate for their specific board.
5. Known Issues
===============
ISSUE-1 -- If a fan's cable is moved from one fan connector to another that
======= was previously unused, IDU may continue to identify the fan by its
original connector position.
STATUS - Under investigation. Please use the workaround below.
WORKAROUND - Click on the "Fans Redetect" button in the "Set Sensor
Threshold" dialog, close the dialog and then restart the system.
The identification of fans should be corrected after the system
restart.
ISSUE-2 –- Unable to install an older version of IDU over the current version.
=======
STATUS - Overinstall using older versions is not supported. Please use
workaround below.
WORKAROUND - To install an older version of Intel Desktop Utilities, you
must manually uninstall the newer version, reboot the computer,
and then install the desired (older) version.
ISSUE-3 -- The speed of all memory devices plugged into the system may be
======= reported as the "current speed that the devices are running"
instead of the "rated speed of each device". This is shown under
the System Information page of Intel Desktop Utilities.
STATUS - Under investigation.
WORKAROUND - There is no workaround for this issue at this time.
ISSUE-4 -- Hard Drive Active Transfer Mode is only displayed as MWDMA2
======= (instead of UDMA) when Chipset-SATA mode is set as AHCI.
STATUS - Under investigation. The issue appears to be a problem within
the Microsoft AHCI driver; while it is reporting that UDMA modes
are supported, it is not reporting that any of these modes have
been selected/enabled.
WORKAROUND - If using either AHCI or RAID mode, this issue can be alleviated
by installing the Intel AHCI driver. If you are using IDE mode,
however, the driver cannot be uninstalled.
Go to web site http://downloadcenter.intel.com and search for
either AHCI or RAID, depending upon your computer configuration.
ISSUE-5 -- No temperature or health information is displayed for storage
======= devices connected to certain SATA/eSATA ports.
STATUS - Under investigation. The Marvell Storage driver does not provide
support for S.M.A.R.T. data extraction. We are working with Marvell
to remedy this issue.
WORKAROUND - If utilizing RAID support on these ports, no workaround is
possible at this time. If connecting simple volumes, however, you
can uninstall the Marvell driver (and then reboot); the default
Microsoft driver supports S.M.A.R.T. data extraction.
ISSUE-6 -- When starting the IDU program, the system-busy spinner appears on
======= the screen and never goes away.
STATUS - Under investigation.
WORKAROUND - Unfortunately, there are many issues that could result in this
symptom being seen. Here is information regarding some of these
issues:
1. Some BIOS releases have errata that result in problems if UEFI
mode is used in the BIOS. Make sure that you have the latest
BIOS for your Intel Desktop Board. If needed, disable the
"UEFI Boot" setting in the BIOS.
2. The application of some BIOS updates can result in the health
monitoring and fan speed control configuration being corrupted.
The causes for this are being investigated and addressed
separately. Workaround is to go into BIOS Setup and either use
F9 to Restore Defaults or navigate into the Fan Control and
Real-Time Monitoring scene and select to restore the default fan
control configuration. In BIOSs equipped with Visual BIOS, your
only choice will be to use F9 to Restore Defaults. After
rebooting, IDU should open properly. If it does not, manually
uninstall IDU, reboot and then install IDU again.
ISSUE-7 -- After all messages in the Alert History have been viewed and
======= deleted, the system tray icon continues to blink. A reboot is
necessary to stop this behaviour.
STATUS - Under investigation.
WORKAROUND - There is no workaround for this issue at this time.
6. Notes and Tips
=================
The following notes and tips provide additional information about IDU:
1. Temperatures differ between BIOS and IDU. In the Microsoft* Windows*
environment, most processor power management features are enabled. When the
processor has nothing to do (which typically occurs hundreds or thousands
of times per second), the processor will transition into one of its lower-
power states (called C-states). The longer that the processor remains at
idle, the lower the C-state that can be used and the higher the amount of
power saved. Since power usage roughly translates into heat generated, the
lower-power states allow the processor to run cooler.
When in BIOS Setup (or Intel(R) Visual BIOS), on the other hand, none of
the processor power management features are enabled. When the BIOS has
nothing to do, it sits in a loop waiting for something to happen. As a
result, the processor will be utilizing more power and the processor
temperature will be higher, even if it is just as idle as it was in
Windows. It must be noted that these higher temperatures are not extreme
and this is expected system behavior.
2. If the IDU Hardware Monitor screen does not display temperature information
for data storage devices (HDDs/SSDs), you should first check to ensure that
the latest Intel INF Update package is installed. If the problem persists,
note the following secondary possibilities:
- Some solid state drives (SSDs) and some rotating hard disk drives
(HDDs) do not provide temperature sensors. Temperatures will only be
shown for HDDs and SSDs that include physical temperature sensors and
expose a S.M.A.R.T. temperature attribute that will provide such
readings.
- Certain versions of Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology (RST) include
defects that can prevent S.M.A.R.T. data from being extracted. As a
workaround, try a later version of Intel(R) RST.
- Support for the extraction of HDD/SSD temperatures is only supported on
6-series and later Intel(R) Desktop Boards. Support is not provided for
extracting temperatures from HDDs/SSDs connected to 3rd-party RAID
controllers that utilize their own RAID/Acceleration device drivers.
This includes both add-in controller boards or those controllers
utilized on older Intel(R) Desktop Boards).
3. Temperature readings from some SSDs are invalid or do not change. A number
of SSDs on the market expose a S.M.A.R.T. temperature attribute but do not
actually have a physical temperature sensor that can provide (valid)
temperature readings. In some cases , the vendors have released updated
firmware that ensures that a valid, but static, temperature reading will
always be available (typically 30 degrees C).
4. If the name assigned to the processor's thermal sensor is "Processor
Thermal Margin", it means that the sensor is providing readings that are
relative to the Processor's Thermal Control Circuit (TCC) Assertion
Temperature but the processor is not identify what its TCC Assertion
Temperature actually is. Without this information, IDU cannot convert the
temperature readings to absolute values.
Note that this issue only occurs with older processors that mate with
certain 5-Series and older Intel(R) Desktop Boards.
In these cases, IDU can only expose the raw, relative readings that are
being provided by the sensor. What this means is that as the processor's
temperature increases, the reading values will actually decrease (and vice-
versa). We refer to these relative readings as being the processor's
thermal margin - essentially, the readings indicate the number of degrees
that the processor's temperature may rise before the situation reaches the
critical point where the TCC must begin throttling performance to protect
the processor from thermal damage.
When this issue is detected, the user will be prevented from changing this
name within IDU, as this is the only indicator of the situation occurring.
5. In the System Information's Detail scene, the External Clock value is the
speed of the bus' physical clock (133 MHz, for example), not the actual
programmed bus speed (533 MHz, for example).
6. For audible alerts, a Windows audio device must be correctly installed.
7. IDU does not support system monitoring from the Guest account.
8. IDU does not support keyboard navigation. The arrow and tab keys cannot be
used to move the cursor from one item to another.
9. Some of the gauge text has been shortened using acronyms so that titles
will fit within the description fields. Acronyms used include:
CPU = Central Processing Unit
GPU = Graphics Processing Unit
ICH = Input/Output Controller Hub
IOH = Input/Output Hub
MCH = Memory Controller Hub
PCH = Platform Controller Hub
PSU = Power Supply Unit
VR = Voltage Regulator
SIO = Super Input/Output device
7. Legal Disclaimer
===================
Intel is not responsible for any errors that may appear in the documentation
or the Software. Intel reserves the right to make changes to this document or
Software at any time, without notice. Intel may make changes to the Software,
or to items referenced therein, at any time without notice, but is not
obligated to support, update or provide training for the Software.
UNLESS OTHERWISE AGREED IN WRITING BY INTEL, THE INTEL PRODUCTS ARE NOT
DESIGNED NOR INTENDED FOR ANY APPLICATION IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF THE INTEL
PRODUCT COULD CREATE A SITUATION WHERE PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH MAY OCCUR.
Intel products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, life
sustaining, critical control or safety systems, or in nuclear facility
applications.
Intel may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any
time, without notice. Designers must not rely on the absence or
characteristics of any features or instructions marked "reserved" or
"undefined." Intel reserves these for future definition and shall have
no responsibility whatsoever for conflicts or incompatibilities arising
from future changes to them. The information here is subject to change
without notice. Do not finalize a design with this information.
The products described in this document may contain design defects or
errors known as errata which may cause the product to deviate from
published specifications. Current characterized errata are available on
request.
Intel, Intel Core, Pentium, Celeron and the Intel logo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United
States and other countries.
Additional Note: A component used in this software was based, in part, on a
previous work by Anders Melander.
Copyright (C) 2013, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
Readme ver-3.2.8 01/10/14
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