Disable-CFG-Lock-Dell-Machines

This repository will guide you how to disable CFG Lock on Dell Machines (mostly Sandy Bridge & Ivy Bridge). Useful for those who can't find CFG Lock or MSR Lock Unicode text in their extracted BIOS file that Fixing CFG Lock from Dortania's OpenCore Post Install Guide and dreamwhite's bios extraction guide covered.

Preparation

• modGRUBShell.efi
• UEFITool 0.28.0 & UEFIPatch 0.28.0
• IFRExtract
• Intel ME System Tools

Important

It is crutial to choose the right Intel ME System Tools for your motherboard. You can check what kind of chipset/southbridge using CPU-Z

For example, Intel ME System Tools v8 r3 (7-Series systems which come with ME firmware v8) is the right version for my motherboard since the southbridge is QM77

• Windows operating system-duh!
• Turn off Hide extensions for known file types on File Explorer Options ~> View

I. Dump your BIOS

Dump your BIOS

• Extract Intel ME System Tools (Assuming all downloaded files are in %userprofile%\Downloads)
• Go to %userprofile%\Downloads\Intel ME System Tools\Flash Programming Tool\Windows64 and create a new text document

• Edit the new text document, type/copy these command line and save it.

cd /d %~dp0
fptw64.exe -bios -d backup.fd

• Rename New Text Document.txt to backupbios.bat. Run backupbios.bat as Administrator to create backup.fd file

II. Patch the BIOS file

Patch the BIOS file

• Extract UEFIPatch
• Copy backup.fd file from section I to %userprofile%\Downloads (same folder with UEFIPatch)
• Open Command Promt and type cd %userprofile%\Downloads then press Enter
• Type UEFIPatch.exe backup.fd then press Enter to patch the backup.fd file

• UEFIPatch will generate backup.fd.patched file. Rename backup.fd.patched to flash.fd
• Copy the flash.fd file to %userprofile%\Downloads\Intel ME System Tools\Flash Programming Tool\Windows64

III. Unlock the BIOS

Unlock the BIOS

• Extract UEFITool
• Open backup.fd file using UEFITool.exe and find BIOS Lock in the Text tab ~> Press Enter

• Select what the search returned. Right click and select Extract as is...

• Name the .sct file as BIOSLock and save.

• Extract IFRExtract, then open Command Prompt and type ifrextractor.exe BIOSLock.sct

• Open BIOSLock.sct.0.0.en-US.uefi.ifr.txt file generated from IFRExtract and find BIOS Lock. Check for VarOffset, VarStoreInfo or Varname value 0xYY and write it down a note or something (in my case it is 0x40)

• Boot from modGRUBShell.efi:
  • Through a UEFI shell (navigate the FS with cd and ls basic UNIX navigation commands). Find the EFI partition where the modGRUBShell.efi file is located
  • Or through OpenCore Bootloader (by adding it to config.plist under Misc/Tools context)

• Type setup_var 0xYY (YY corressponds to the VarOffset, VarStoreInfo or Varname you found earlier) and hit Enter. The value usually returns 0x01 (which means BIOS Lock is enabled)

• Type setup_var 0xYY 0x00 and press Enter to unlock the BIOS

• After that, type exit and reboot back to Windows

IV. Disable CFG Lock

Disable CFG Lock

• Go to %userprofile%\Downloads\Intel ME System Tools\Flash Programming Tool\Windows64 and create a new text document
• Edit the new text document, type/copy these command line and save it.

cd /d %~dp0
fptw64.exe -bios -f flash.fd

• Rename New Text Document.txt to flashbiot.bat. Run flashbios.bat as Administrator

• The CFG Lock should be disabled after the Command Prompt finished patching. Checking via ControlMsrE2.efi should provide:

This firmware has UNLOCKED MSR 0xE2 register!

• Which means CFG Lock is disabled. Now MacOS should boot without enabling AppleCpuPmCfgLock or AppleXcpmCfgLock in Kernel -> Quirks

Credit

• acidanthera for OpenCore Bootloader
• Dotarnia for Fixing CFG Lock
• dreamwhite for bios extraction guide
• platomav for Intel ME System Tools
• LongSoft for UEFITool, UEFIPatch and IRFExtractor
• datasone for modGRUBShell.efi
• xdnuos for DELL-CFG-Unlock
• xCuri0 for Using UEFIPatch