4 ms·
AFAIK on Intel it's not possible to load a microcode update over the top of one already loaded by your firmware, so if the firmware shipped an older update, the
by _wmd 9y ago
AFAIK on Intel it's not possible to load a microcode update over the top of one already loaded by your firmware, so if the firmware shipped an older update, the firmware really needs to be updated. (Please someone correct me if this isn't the case -- I can't even remember where I read this)
- wilun 9y agoI don't think this is correct at all. I've personally seen the contrary happening. EDIT: however for some rare features, it is preferable to have them loaded by the firmware. I don't know if this is the case here.
- amluto 9y agoNope, the OS or hypervisor (but not a guest) can freely update whenever they like, as long as all the updates are to newer versions. For updates that modify visible CPU features, like these, it's helpful to apply them before boot. Linux has a mechanism to apply "early" updates from initramfs that effectively function before the kernel boots. I don't think other OSes can do that.