GX270 not installing windows 8

You are mad at Dell because you can't install Windows 8 on your 10 year old GX270?  Really?

If everything in my machine meets windows 8 requirements (mostly it betters it by quite a margin) then who's fault is it? In my opinion if something as major as a new windows os comes out and Dell can't do something as simple as write a new bios to meet the requirements of that os then it's their fault. I'm sure there are thousands of gx270 users that are happy with their machines that have the capabilities to run windows 8, 10 years old or not, but Dell can't be bothered sorting this out.

Most of the hardware in it is less than 2 years old and if you include my p4 extreme edition processor then it's not a bad machine. And yes i am mad at Dell for not doing anything about this. Why base a machine round a p4 processor with nx bit capabilites and not include any function for it in bios. Seems to me like putting a turbo in a car and not being able to use it. And like i said before this is a very easy fix for Dell, my view is that they want people to buy a new machine. Can the next responder try and answer my original question please, thanks.

I'm currently trying to install windows 8 on my GX270. My machine while old is well within windows 8 requirements because of various hardware upgrades. My problem is that i have no option in my BIOS to enable nx bit even though my cpu does support this feature. Apparently the GX520 does have the ability to enable nx bit in it's bios and i also read that the GX520 and GX270 have the same motherboard. If this is true am i able to use the 520 bios on my 270? I have a p4 extreme edition cpu with water cooling, 4gb ram, HD3560 1gb agp graphic card, 500gb hdd and a 500w psu so i'm guessing that this would meet w8 requirements.

Hi scottie41,

These are most definitely not the same motherboard. The GX270 uses an Intel 865G chipset, while the GX520 is an Intel 945 Express chipset. So, no, the BIOS is not interchangeable.

The NX Bit is not available in all processors as well.  Windows 7 would work but windows 8 wont ever work.

Requires NX Bit support in BIOS and CPU.    Newer Optiplex 320 and 620 towers are $99 and some even come pre installed with windows 7 for refinished computers.   Look for this Logo on a computer if you want to run WIN7 and check the Security section of the CMOS Set up for (NX aka Execute Disable Bit.)

No

My cpu definately has nx bit capabilities. Is there a workaround for this or anyway to mod the bios?

Good ol Dell. From what i've seen a lot of p4 cpus have the ability to enable/disable nx bit. They design their machines so that we can go out and spend our hard earned cash upgrading the hardware then when a major os gets released they leave us in the lurch. A lot of GX users out there are gonna be totally peeved at this. What's the point in putting functions in cpus and not making use of them?

GX620's Run Windows from XP to windows 8 with the Right CPU.  As long as you get one with PentiumD you are guaranteed to have NX capability.  There are many many P4 and Celeron that Do not support EMT 64 or NX or VT

etc.     The GX620 Tower has a 305W power supply so running a Radeon HD 7750 single slot version of the card is fine.

Dual Slot wide cards are the only thing that doesnt fit.  If you intend to upgrade power supply and add a Radeon 6870 then I suggest you Look for an XPS400, Precision 380, which I got a few the other day for $100 each.

XPS 410 or Precision 390 are ok also but they cost more.  Its not reasonable to think that you can use computers for more than 6 to 10 years and still run the latest and greatest.  Everyone is locked into a 5 year life cycle.  Even INTEL keeps changing the sockets and the ram etc.

" but i know a mod/patch for the GX270 to enable nx bit isn't a difficult thing to do. "

I disagree with this because BIOS is not free and updates are not free.

Phoenix and other companies charge quite a lot for these and after 5 years or more the cost goes UP substantially.

Features such as EM64T, EIST, XD , VT,  Hyper-threading etc are not just BIOS related but also CHIPSET related.

If something as major as a new windows os is released then Dell should release updates for their consumers that paid money for their machines. I am fully aware of the speed technology moves at and i myself have forked out good money trying to keep up with it. I'm no programmer but i know a mod/patch for the GX270 to enable nx bit isn't a difficult thing to do. Having looked into this further i know there are many other people in the same position as me. And there are many other people in the same position that have perfectly good machines that are well capable of running Win8 after spending good money on them. Why should i dump my machine and buy a new one?

I do realise that it costs money for Dell to produce BIOS updates. But i wonder how much consumers spent worldwide on gx270 and how much Dell spent on their updates for this machine? Maybe this kind of lack of support is why Dell's profits have taken a nose dive? It wouldn't take much for Dell to produce this update for the thousands of people that have spent money on this machine and want windows 8. Lenovo here i come.

INTEL and other motherboard manufacturers do not do this either.  I doubt you can find one manufacturer spending money on 5 year or older computers updating the bios.  But beyond that Like I said the bios is only 1/2 the equation.

Not all chipsets nor all CPUS support this. So for some there isn't a bios update to address this because that feature does not exist in the chipset.

 There are exceptions to the 5 year rule on newer systems with INTEL AMT SOL  (Serial Over Lan) aka VPRO/Telnet bla bla bla.

The updates were because hackers figured out a way to Back Door Break in to systems underneath the os.

You can DO Everything from VPRO even Write to the BIOS.  You can completely Erase the machine remotely.

And if they were issuing updates to stop hackers surely an ability to enable nx bit would be a bit of a sensible option seeing that a lot of p4s have this ability?