Yes A28 has the ability to switch to a Legacy BIOS.
Note however that a UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot Disabled and Legacy ROMS Enabled is preferable for a Windows 7 64 Bit Clean Installation. For a cleaner installation you should also use the Dell Skylake Windows 7 Professional .iso to make a Bootable USB opposed to any older Dell Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation DVDs. More details here:
You are correct, but speaking from my own humble experience I have worked on Acer (I know) with windows 8.1. Owner wanted to downgrade OS to 7. Acer decided to have a BIOS upgrade to support UEFI only.
Only windows 7 64 bit retail will support installation with UEFI. I trust Dell would not do a thing like that, but when one gets to certain age trust diminishes. I now have an Acer with win 10 as UEFI supports this. Did not want to purchase Retail win 7 for that machine. Just letting everyone know my reasoning. There is more to that story, But this is a Dell Forum.
I recently purchased Optiplex 7010 with W7 BIOS A13. I usually update BIOS before a clean OS install but before I do that, I need to know if latest BIOS A28 still supports Legacy Bios, rather then only UEFI ?
Thank You
Up to A28 huh? Does speak to the attention that Dell gives the business/enterprise systems (as they should).
Maybe someone knows, but I've ever seen that kind of functionality added or removed by a firmware update.
All I would be grateful for, if any of you kind people out there have Optiplex 7010 with Bios 28, If you could hit F2 during start up, go to “General>Boot Sequence” and please let me know if the radio buttons still give options for UEFI and Legacy.
Dr Yip - thanks for your info above, which just helped me fix a different problem in a dual-booting Optiplex 7010 MT (Win 10 + 7, both Pro 64-bit), purchased in 2014, in which my original installations were from Dell (the 7) or a Dell OEM install disk (8, which I later updated/upgraded to 8.1 and then to the 10). I also have somewhere the Dell OEM re-install disk for the 7 but don't know where it is.
Just the last week, I was wishing I had a retail re-install disk for the 7, but then solved my problem by re-enabling Enable Option ROMs in the Bios. So no problem now.
HOWEVER, if I ever need it, where could I find what you suggest: "For a cleaner installation you should also use the Dell Skylake Windows 7 Professional .iso to make a Bootable USB" ?
As you know, MS no longer offers Win 7 ,isos; not even Heidoc.net has them.
Would be nice to have just in case I need it one day to repair my existing 7.(which I hardly ever use, but who knows).
Microsoft removed their Windows 7 Images from their server but Dell did not. The Dell Linux Recovery Image with an OptiPlex 7040 still offers the Dell Windows 7 Pro ISO Download:
If running Windows it redirects to the Dell OS Recovery Tool which still offers the Windows 7 Professional ISO. The Windows ISO Download Tool from HeiDoc has Windows 7 and a Dell option, the Windows 7 option no longer works but the Dell option does.
At this stage Windows 7 has been at end of life for 3 years and its probably better to install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on the system opposed to attempting a Windows 7 repair.
My Dell Optiplex 7010 has a hard drive issue. I was able to run a diagnostic test of the system and everything but the hard drive came up as working fine. The issue is it will not boot up the Win10 OS. If the hard drive is damaged I was going to purchase another hard drive from Ebay with Win11. Should I stay with Win10? That seller asked if the computer had a 'Legacy Bios' (option). Can anyone instruct me to a guide to configure the computer to accept a new hard drive (with Win 10 or 11)? Or would the new drive (from another DEll Optiplex 7010) be already compatible with my computer? From what I'm reading here in this thread the Dell does have a Legacy Bios mode. I would just need a guide to installing a new hard drive with Win 10 or 11. Thanks.
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
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16.1K Posts
0
March 31st, 2018 04:00
Yes A28 has the ability to switch to a Legacy BIOS.
Note however that a UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot Disabled and Legacy ROMS Enabled is preferable for a Windows 7 64 Bit Clean Installation. For a cleaner installation you should also use the Dell Skylake Windows 7 Professional .iso to make a Bootable USB opposed to any older Dell Windows 7 Professional Reinstallation DVDs. More details here:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/download-dell-skylake-windows-7/
Ratz
2 Intern
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283 Posts
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March 28th, 2018 20:00
You are correct, but speaking from my own humble experience I have worked on Acer (I know) with windows 8.1. Owner wanted to downgrade OS to 7. Acer decided to have a BIOS upgrade to support UEFI only.
Only windows 7 64 bit retail will support installation with UEFI. I trust Dell would not do a thing like that, but when one gets to certain age trust diminishes. I now have an Acer with win 10 as UEFI supports this. Did not want to purchase Retail win 7 for that machine. Just letting everyone know my reasoning. There is more to that story, But this is a Dell Forum.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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17.4K Posts
0
March 28th, 2018 20:00
Up to A28 huh? Does speak to the attention that Dell gives the business/enterprise systems (as they should).
Maybe someone knows, but I've ever seen that kind of functionality added or removed by a firmware update.
Ratz
2 Intern
•
283 Posts
0
March 28th, 2018 21:00
All I would be grateful for, if any of you kind people out there have Optiplex 7010 with Bios 28, If you could hit F2 during start up, go to “General>Boot Sequence” and please let me know if the radio buttons still give options for UEFI and Legacy.
Cheers,
Ratz
Ratz
2 Intern
•
283 Posts
1
March 29th, 2018 18:00
For anyone interested, BIOS was successfully upgraded to A28. Via DOS environment using bootable flash drive.
It appears the UEFI and Legacy are as they were.
Only Dell for me :smileyhappy:
Cheers
glnz
2 Intern
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310 Posts
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January 26th, 2023 09:00
Dr Yip - thanks for your info above, which just helped me fix a different problem in a dual-booting Optiplex 7010 MT (Win 10 + 7, both Pro 64-bit), purchased in 2014, in which my original installations were from Dell (the 7) or a Dell OEM install disk (8, which I later updated/upgraded to 8.1 and then to the 10). I also have somewhere the Dell OEM re-install disk for the 7 but don't know where it is.
Just the last week, I was wishing I had a retail re-install disk for the 7, but then solved my problem by re-enabling Enable Option ROMs in the Bios. So no problem now.
HOWEVER, if I ever need it, where could I find what you suggest: "For a cleaner installation you should also use the Dell Skylake Windows 7 Professional .iso to make a Bootable USB" ?
As you know, MS no longer offers Win 7 ,isos; not even Heidoc.net has them.
Would be nice to have just in case I need it one day to repair my existing 7.(which I hardly ever use, but who knows).
Thanks.
Chino de Oro
9 Legend
•
8.3K Posts
0
January 26th, 2023 12:00
You can get Ultimate, Professional, and Home Premium from here.
Philip_Yip
9 Legend
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16.1K Posts
0
January 27th, 2023 00:00
Microsoft removed their Windows 7 Images from their server but Dell did not. The Dell Linux Recovery Image with an OptiPlex 7040 still offers the Dell Windows 7 Pro ISO Download:
https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-uk/drivers/osiso/download?OSISOToken=enErSUtHamdYMENEYkJJTm9FUW92SVdNTFduV1JsZWY2ditZRVJjZ3JJU3FQZFdmaXZmbmZWQU1zNnNOTXVFNFNxSnZCakJsd3FHa1lseFl6bXlHaWI2c0kvbHBkeVFlWjVSdHdEc21rOHM90&DriverId=G13K9_W764,GDXKK_W764,7W0M0_WT64A,9H42N_WT64A,9N7FH_WT64A,9R3N1_WT64A,VJMDP_WT64A,W05X5_WT64A&OSCode=linux
If running Windows it redirects to the Dell OS Recovery Tool which still offers the Windows 7 Professional ISO. The Windows ISO Download Tool from HeiDoc has Windows 7 and a Dell option, the Windows 7 option no longer works but the Dell option does.
More details here:
https://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/windows-7/
At this stage Windows 7 has been at end of life for 3 years and its probably better to install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on the system opposed to attempting a Windows 7 repair.
Bob in the Dell
1 Rookie
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1 Message
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March 18th, 2025 00:20
My Dell Optiplex 7010 has a hard drive issue. I was able to run a diagnostic test of the system and everything but the hard drive came up as working fine. The issue is it will not boot up the Win10 OS. If the hard drive is damaged I was going to purchase another hard drive from Ebay with Win11. Should I stay with Win10? That seller asked if the computer had a 'Legacy Bios' (option). Can anyone instruct me to a guide to configure the computer to accept a new hard drive (with Win 10 or 11)? Or would the new drive (from another DEll Optiplex 7010) be already compatible with my computer? From what I'm reading here in this thread the Dell does have a Legacy Bios mode. I would just need a guide to installing a new hard drive with Win 10 or 11. Thanks.