Optiplex GX520/GX620 System BIOS

[Geek-9pm]

The Dell BIOS for these machines was released in 2006 and is called the A11. However, there seems to be a possible revision later.

I am having some trouble with this BIOS question. I downloaded what I thought was the new version, but it is still called A11 and it looks identical to the old BIOS. The problem PC is a Dell GX 520. I want to put Windows 10 preview on it. I get the error message for incompatible CPU.

Here is why I suspect the BIOS. Look at this  thing from Dell:
http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/Drivers/DriversDetails?driverId=P12HH

Release date
01 Nov 2006
Last Updated
21 Mar 2014
...
Format Description
This file format consists of a BIOS executable file. The Universal (Windows/MS DOS) format can be used to install from Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, NT, Windows 9X, Windows ME or a MS DOS environment.

For some reason Windows 7 would not let me flash the firmware in my GX520. So I have to boot DOS on a USB flash drive.
After the flash, I still get the error from Windows 10 preview install DVD.
The Windows preview works on my other Dell PC. (Optiplex 755.)

So my question is: Is this a BIOS problem or do I have a flaky CPU?
How to I find if it is the CPU? Why does it work on Windows 8.1 Enterprise?
Any ideas welcome

[BC_Programmer]

I don't understand why you suspect the CPU. The BIOS upgrade says "Added support for Cedar Mill/Presler D0 step processors" but it won't suddenly add missing instructions to the CPU if that is the cause of Win10 failing to install.

Window 10 failing to install does tend to tell you why it is failing beyond simply saying it is incompatible.

[camerongray]

What CPU does it have?  Chances are the CPU is simply too old to support the features that Windows 10 requires (SSE2, NX, PAE and probably more stuff that isn't mentioned).

[Salmon Trout]

Celeron D 326 has MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, NX and, as far as I can tell, PAE. Possibly NX is disabled in the BIOS.

[Geek-9pm]

Celeron D 326 has MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, NX and, as far as I can tell, PAE. Possibly NX is disabled in the BIOS.

Thanks for the replay. I am going to try and get more info. It may be that a very small number of Pentium D CPUs will fail the test. I did see a remark to the effect somewhere. Or it may be a quirk of the Windows 10 installer. Somewhere I saw something like that.

[patio]

With a 9 year old PC you cannot exactly expect Win10 to co-operate...just sayin...

[DaveLembke]

I've tested Windows 10 32-bit on both Pentium 4 and Pentium D CPU's. The Pentium 4 was a 3.0Ghz HT and the Pentium D was a 2.8Ghz. Only problems I had was with messing around in the command shell of Windows 10 32-bit in which I got error messages when using edit to edit batch files etc. Surprisingly performance wise, both the Pentium 4 and D ran windows 10 quite well. I was expecting them to lag badly but with 1GB RAM on the Pentium D and 2GB RAM on the Pentium 4 3.0Ghz HT it ran just fine.


Here was my issue with Win 10 related to edit in command shell http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=146636.10;wap2

[patio]

Are either of those Celerons ? ?

[DaveLembke]

Looking up his system model... I was surprised to see that Walmart now sells refurbs and his exact model.  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-Off-Lease-Refurbished-Black-GX520-Desktop-PC-with-Intel-Pentium-4-Processor-2GB-Memory-160GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-7-Home-Premium-Monitor-No/44461559?sourceid=csepg011393fce3e059459d93f17826cf063e70&wmlspartner=pricegrabber.com&affcmpid=4245030519&tmode=0000&bcfg=2a95af1552f72e739964dca99d2c823d&veh=cse


According to google search it looks like this model came in Pentium 4 , Pentium D, and Celeron D 326 as CPU options.


I have a Celeron D 335 2.8Ghz that I could test Windows 10 32 bit if needed to see if supported. I upgraded my second  eMachine that was given to me for free from a socket 478 Celeron D 335 2.8Ghz to a Pentium 4 3.0Ghz HT CPU for $12 off of ebay because the Celeron D was painfully slow. The extra Cache and HT (extra virtual core acting like a dual-core ) brought new live to that old system making it bearable to operate with old games.

[Computer_Commando]

I did a BIOS update on my old Dell Inspiron 530S & the the only noticeable difference was the splash screen logo.  Can't remember if updated from Windows or DOS boot disk, probably was the latter.  Probably was a flash drive.

Put in a spare hard drive to see if Win10-64bit would install.  Seems to work just the same as WinVista-32bit. Installed from a bootable flash drive, F12 at splash screen.

530S is Intel Pentium E2200 & has 3GB RAM.

BTW, wouldn't this thread be better relocated to Windows 10 sub-forum, since that really is the subject?

[Geek-9pm]

Rught, I thought it was a BIOS quirk. Bu it may well be a thing with the way Windows 10 is installed.
I will ask the moderator to move this to the Windows 10 area.

[Geek-9pm]

Oh, Oh. The build I was using is very old.   
And just now they did a new one 
Here is a video or slide show:
Gallery: Windows 10 build 10114, Start menu gets refined

The updated Start menu matches that of what was shown off at Build and Ignite with the File Explorer, Settings, and Power buttons moved to the bottom of the panel instead of being at the top. The button in the top right to make the Start menu full screen has been removed as well. For those of you who still want to be able to make the Start menu full screen, the option is in Settings panel.

OK, sounds good.
But I am hoping they also refined the installer. 

[BC_Programmer]

Oh, Oh. The build I was using is very old.   

It should auto-update if you have it setup to do so. I found that it seemed to take a few days after a new build was made available for my secondary desktop which I have running Win10 to update.

[Geek-9pm]

Found the video:
http://www.windowscentral.com/video-unreleased-windows-10-build-10114-shows-changes-start-menu-and-more
New version is build 10114 an d no download yet.
I won't get auto-update until I get installed, - Right?

[Geek-9pm]

Update. After going over my notes and doing things twice, I found some of my own errors. For one, I did not have enough memory. Do I stuck in another Ram stick and got memory up to 3 GB. But that was not the real  problem.

Found I had not correctly blabbed a win 8 DVD. It was the 32 bit.
Got the 64 bit Windsors 8.1 and got the same  message.
Got the new build 10114 of Windows 10 preview. Same error code.

However, the new build works fine on a Dell 745 I have on my other desk.
At this point I do believe the problem is with the CPU in the Dell GX 520.
I am going to do more research on this. More later.

MS says there are three instructions needed:
PAE/NX/SSE2 Support Requirement Guide for Windows 8
It also applies to 64 bit Windows 10 preview.

[BC_Programmer]

Got the new build 10114 of Windows 10 preview. Same error code.

No need to keep it a secret...

[Computer_Commando]

I don't see it yet.  Still Build 10074.  Same for both links.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso-update-1504

Don't understand why it won't install on the Dell Optiplex GX520.  Try the Windows 8.1 compatibility checker.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/CompatCenter/Home

Do you get this message?

[patio]

,

[Geek-9pm]

I stand corrected.   
The  build is 1074, not the new version MS is testing.
It runs well on My Dell Optiplex 745.
It does not on the GX 520, the PC of this topic. 
Apparently it is not BIOS bug.
It is a CPU shortcoming.  
(I mean it is for the 64 bit version, Using 32 bit there is no error reported. CPU-Z says  it is a 64 bit CPU and will run 64 bit stuff.)
I have been on this most of the day.
Tomorrow I will show pictures.   

[Geek-9pm]

First of all, thanks to all.
Next, I must apologize for my memory failure.
No, not the PC, my brain.
I should have remembered that I did this before.
But somehow I read something that made me thin it was BIOS.
Really, if you want to run modern OS and Apps on a PC, it has to be unit made in  the past few years. Specifically, 2007 onward.

However, Windows 8.1 32 bit will run on older systems. Photo attachment 1.
With regard to the Dell GX520:
But Windows 8.1 64 bit will five an error message.  Photo attachment 2.
(Windows 10 preview gives same error.)
Using the right Windows 8.1 adviser the detail shows. Photo attachment 3.

This is the end of this.   

[attachment deleted by admin to conserve space]

[patio]

With a 9 year old PC you cannot exactly expect Win10 to co-operate...just sayin...

[BC_Programmer]

I still don't understand why the actual CPU Model numbers on these systems has yet made an appearance.

Find out the CPU model and verify it has the necessary instructions for the OS you are running. You would have saved a lot of time.

[Geek-9pm]

You are right. I went down the wrong path.
The model is Dell GX 520
The Mobo is Dell  ORJ290
CPU is Intel Intel Pentium D 820
Codename      SmithField
Socket 775 LGA
Technology      90 nm

Northbridge         Intel i945P/PL/G/GZ rev. A2
Southbridge         Intel 82801GB (ICH7/R) rev. A1

The info  above is not clear to me. But it is the CPU not the BIOS.
Next year I will buy a better computer.

[BC_Programmer]

The Pentium D 820 doesn't support the PrefetchW instruction.


Furthermore, while it supports the LAHF/SAHF instructions, there is a bug in the CPUID instruction of some stepping which fails to report this capability in 64-bit mode. PrefetchW is also a 64-bit requirement. It is not a requirement for 32-bit.

The "5D" error is because the NX/No Execute instruction is not enabled... Salmon Trout mentioned this already.

The prefetchW error is odd given that prefetchW has been a No-op instruction on processors that support it for some time now.

[Geek-9pm]

Thanks to BC, Salmon trout and others who helped.
I should have remembered  this.  Because I was using the 64 bit Windows 7 with no problems, I found it hard to understand how something was missing.

But I am not the only one. In fact, Microsoft has a hard time explaining all the issues that have come up with other instructions that a missing. An the year of manufacturer is not a guarantee of qualification.
Looking  back,  more problems came up when MS went from Windows 8 to  8.1  with a new list of  requirements  for the CPU and the chip set.  This was documented earlier elsewhere, but I missed it.
Windows 8.1 and new woes.
It would have been easier to provide tools that would give more information about the issues. As BC mentioned, the CPU I have also has other things wrong.  IMHO this information, if widely know, would have started a riot in the PC marketplace.   (See PCWorld link above.),

Some quad-core CPU s were made and sold years after issues were know to exist in both Intel and AMD designs. There was never a product recall.

We are talking about the 64 bit system software starting with Windows 8.1. This is not a problem with the 32 bit version of Windows8.1 now available. Just Google it and find a sites  that offer the 32 bit version of Windows8.1 free trail.

So, I have been beating  a dead horse. 

[DaveLembke]

So, I have been beating  a dead horse. 

http://gifsoup.com/view/1767326/guy-punching-computer-screen.html

sorry feeling kind of funny today. 

[patio]

Solution Here...

[DaveLembke]

Poor Dell