5060, possible to run Windows 10 Pro 32-bit?

No, I do not see any 32bit drivers available for OptiPlex 5060.

Just FYI ... Windows-10 64bit runs 32bit applications and programs with no problems.

I suggest you talk to the developer of these troublesome apps you are running.

LEGACY CSM mode does not exist in CLASS 3 UEFI systems.

INTEL and Microsoft also stopped supporting WINDOWS 7 on newer and newer processors.

This is Microsoft enforcing this not Dell.

NVIDIA and ATI etc are also going this route.

Starting with the Nvidia drivers version 396.24 there will be no more 32 bit support.

Open Computing Language (OpenCL) 1.2 for NVIDIA® Kepler+ TM GPUs
OpenGL®  4.6
Vulkan®  1.1
DirectX 11
DirectX 12 (Windows 10)

 CLASS 3 UEFI

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@Tesla1856 wrote:

No, I do not see any 32bit drivers available for OptiPlex 5060.

Just FYI ... Windows-10 64bit runs 32bit applications and programs with no problems.

I suggest you talk to the developer of these troublesome apps you are running.

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The problem is -- I *am* the developer of these troublesome apps.  I would agree many 32-bit applications will work with Windows 10 64-bit.  But not all hardware drivers do, and not all programs that depend on having these hardware drivers installed, which is the boat that I am in.  

When I used the Dell OptiPlex 5050 with Windows 10 32-bit, I didn't even use Dell drivers for it.  I used the drivers found on the Windows 10 Professional 32-bit install disk.

There are only 2 real solutions, as I've been in the same boat:

1) Buy a lot of older systems and refurbs for backups when current systems die.

2) Recompile your 32-bit apps to either work in 64-bit environments or redo them in 64-bit.

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@littaum wrote:

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1. The problem is -- I *am* the developer of these troublesome apps.  I would agree many 32-bit applications will work with Windows 10 64-bit. 

2. But not all hardware drivers do, and not all programs that depend on having these hardware drivers installed, which is the boat that I am in.  

3. When I used the Dell OptiPlex 5050 with Windows 10 32-bit, I didn't even use Dell drivers for it.  I used the drivers found on the Windows 10 Professional 32-bit install disk.

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1. Well, I guess you can't blame it on anyone else then. :Smile:

2. It's my understanding that device drivers need to be 64bit to run on a 64bit OS.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/kernel/porting-your-driver-to-64-bit-windows

But if these are just apps, why are you worried about device drivers?

3. When I Nuke-and-Pave systems, I hardly ever load a Dell driver. Same with HP and Lenovo. Especially with desktops.

Its not just Microsoft or NVIDIA or ATI.

Everyone is being forced in that direction.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT208436

NO MORE 32 BIT

Starting with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4, apps that have not been updated to use 64-bit processes produce a one-time alert when opened. This gives users advance notice that they are running 32-bit software, which will not be compatible with macOS in the future.

This has nothing whatsoever to do with Dell. Going to another vendor is not going to help in any way.  It has to do with Microsoft and INTEL and AMD and NVIDIA etc as well as with UEFI Class 3 BIOS.

There is no CSM and no 32 bit support. BIOS goes back to 1981 MSDOS INT 13 8 bit computing.

In 2016 Microsoft announced Windows would be only 10 and only 64 bit on newer chips from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm.

• Windows 7 will continue to be supported for security, reliability, and compatibility through January 14, 2020 on previous generation silicon. Windows 8.1 will receive the same support through January 10, 2023. This includes most of the devices available for purchase today by consumers or enterprises.
• Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support. This enables us to focus on deep integration between Windows and the silicon, while maintaining maximum reliability and compatibility with previous generations of platform and silicon. For example, Windows 10 will be the only supported Windows platform on Intel’s upcoming “Kaby Lake” silicon, Qualcomm’s upcoming “8996” silicon, and AMD’s upcoming “Bristol Ridge” silicon.
• Through July 17, 2017, Skylake devices on the supported list will also be supported with Windows 7 and 8.1. During the 18-month support period, these systems should be upgraded to Windows 10 to continue receiving support after the period ends. After July 2017, the most critical Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 security updates will be addressed for these configurations, and will be released if the update does not risk the reliability or compatibility of the Windows 7/8.1 platform on other devices.

Machines will REQUIRE 64 bit Windows 10 to ensure continued support will be those running on processors based on Intel's Skylake ,Kabylake , AMD's Bristol Ridge and Qualcomm's 8996/Snapdragon 820 architecture.

Windows 7 was designed well over 10 years ago before any x86/x64 SOCs existed. For Windows 7 to run on any modern silicon, device drivers and firmware need to emulate Windows 7’s expectations for interrupt processing, bus support, and power states- which is challenging for WiFi, graphics, security, and more. As INTEL/AMD/NVIDIA/QUALCOMM make customizations to legacy device drivers, services, and firmware settings, customers are likely to see problems with 32 bit Windows 7 ongoing servicing.

CLASS 3 GAME OVER 32 Bit

UEFI

UEFI BIOS VS CSM

ELAM

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@littaum wrote:

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1. It's not the ethernet, display, hard drive, etc drivers that I'm worried about. 

2. It is 3rd party specialty scientific and engineering drivers which the software I support uses which don't always have a 32 and 64 bit version. 

3. And recompiling our software for 64-bit mode can be a major undertaking, since 32-bit and 64-bit calls to special functions can be different.

4. From the replies I'm getting on this board it sounds like Dell no longer can meet my needs, and I will have to look elsewhere.

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1. Well, those are the only pieces that need to be 64bit (to run on Windows 64bit).

2. Not sure what you are talking about. 

3. That is not required. Again, Windows Pro 64bit runs (properly written) 32bit applications just fine. For example, even now, most people run 32bit Microsoft Office 2016.

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/choose-between-the-64-bit-or-32-bit-version-of-office-2dee7807-8f95-4d0c-b5fe-6c6f49b8d261

4. It's not Dell, it's the Industry as a whole. Unless you want to spend good-money on old/refurbished (slower and less capable)  computers, you will have to more forward. As @Von_Zipper mentioned, this shift started about 8 years ago when Windows-7 was released.

One of the main things you are missing out on is ... 32bit Windows can only access a max of 3.5gb ram-memory.

No, Windows wasn't waiting. There was Windows-XP 64bit (around 2004) but it wasn't very popular due to required 64bit drivers.

Vista 64bit was fairly popular (especially on systems shipping with 4gb or more of memory).

But the time Windows-7 was released, driver support was really rounded out. My guess is that 80% shipped with 64bit. It was mainstream.

Earlier in 2009 90 percent shipped with 32 bit.  Even office was 32 bit until 2010.

Developers were very slow to embrace 64 bit drivers and applications.  This was mainly due to people having Windows 7 with 1 or 2 gigs of ram.  The horrible Atom based netbooks had this which is why they were never upgraded to 8 or 10.

Intel Started shipping 64 bit processors in 2004 but Vista in 2007 even Vista Business was 32 bit in 2007 by default because they had downgrade rights to XP which was 32 bit by default for the most part.  You could special order 64 bit version and have no drivers or software for printers etc.

2006 Core Duo was 32 bit. It wasn't until Core 2 Duo that 64 bit computing became mainstream.

That's why earlier models also Don't work with Windows 8 or 10 because EMT64 and NX and the ability to address more than 4 gigs of ram was very limited due to ram price.

Things started shifting the other way with the introduction of windows 7 in 2009 and became mainstream by 2011.

Even Apples Mac Pro Towers for 2006 and 2007 have a 32 bit UEFI.  Which is why it requires 2008 or later for 64 bit versions.  This is also why there is a utility called SFOTT (Sixity Four On Thirty Two) to allow newer versions of the OS to be installed on these ancient machines.

By 2012 with the Release of Windows 8.0 EMT 64 was mainstream. HOWEVER upgrade versions of Windows 8.0 included 32 bit and 64 bit disks.

Most Dells past this point ship with 64 bit disk or no disk at all.

Hi there,

We ran into the same problem. Our flagship application requires a 16 bit environment to run. I took it for granted that Windows 10 32 bit would have support until at least 2024 but Dell proved me wrong. I'm the process of sourcing some Dell Optiplex 3050s and 5050s to hold us over until the application can be rewritten in a new language.

It's a massive undertaking and unfortunately it rest on my shoulders. I was hoping to retire before this happened.

I feel your pain!  Since my post 3 years ago, this is what we ended up doing (all of this is for scientific equipment which uses a lot of custom hardware/custom drivers):

1.   Modified 2 of our software platforms to be able to run under 64-bit OS.  That allowed us to keep using the latest Dell OptiPlex's for those systems.  It was not without pain and effort.

2.   Switched another systems to an older Intel processor generation industrial motherboards which allowed us to keep running Windows 10 32-bit.  When those motherboards become obsolete we will run into the same problems again, but at least the can is kicked down the road and/or buy us enough time to modernize the part of the software that requires a 32-bit OS.

3.   We had a very ancient system we offered PC upgrades for that we had to stop offering upgrades on, because we no longer had the ancient system in house to test out new PC solutions.