Optiplex 990 - Windows 10 Supported?

WINDOWS 10 1809 1903 1909 does not work with EXFAT and the INSTALL.WIM file is too large for FAT32.

dism /Split-Image /ImageFile:"c:\temp\install.wim /SWMFile:"c:\temp\install.swm" /FileSize:3800

https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln313422/windows-10-iso-contains-wim-file-that-is-big-for-fat32-file-system?lang=en

The fix for this issue requires making custom usb installer or using OEM system builder DVD with DUAL LAYER compatible DVD drive.

Cannot be USB3 must be USB2 optical Drive to F12 boot from the OEM System builder DVD.

The components below work fine for installing 10 on any dell from 2006 to 2020.  Secure Boot Off  F12 boot from the DVD and install.

https://www.newegg.com/microsoft-windows-10-pro-64-bit-reinstall-recovery-disc-only-no-license-key-included/p/N82E16832350238

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-8x-external-usb-2-0-blu-ray-disc-double-layer-dvdrw-cd-rw-disc-rewriter-black/9243009.p?skuId=9243009

Thank you.

1). Windows 10 came with a usb key (blue so 0.3) and a Win10 dvd, so I'd use the dvd if that was required. Presume this means I don't need to access those urls?

2). I have a full key / alpha-numeric code number for Windows 10, but this thread says "You clean install 10
telling it you do *not* have a key if it asks for one." Is this still the case please?

3). If I can use the key / code number - would I still download 7zip and install the 7-Zip for 64-bit Windows x64?

4). Or do I ignore the key / code number & proceed with the download?

5). You say to go into device manager and install drivers for audio and video and sound by saying
'update driver and get the driver from my machine' aka not from the internet, which must mean these drivers are
contained within the 7zip? Is this so please?

6). I imagine I'm to do this because the drivers for a Windows 10 machine are wrong for a pre-Windows 10 machine such as the 990, is this correct?

7). Formatting the new SSD. Are you saying that the Windows 10 dvd disc will automatically format the SSD please? My optical reader will be USB2 era technology, so usb3 shouldn't be an issue here.

8). BIOS updated, so ready to go, with thanks.

Please advise further.

1). Windows 10 came with a usb key (blue so 0.3) and a Win10 dvd, so I'd use the dvd if that was required. Presume this means I don't need to access those urls?  Retail USB key will need to be plugged into USB2 port or it will crash prior to finishing install.

2). I have a full key / alpha-numeric code number for Windows 10, but this thread says "You clean install 10
telling it you do *not* have a key if it asks for one." Is this still the case please?

A full WINDOWS 10 key would come from the retail packaging.  So you give it that key when it asks for it.

The 990 did not come with windows 10 it came with vista or 7.

3). If I can use the key / code number - would I still download 7zip and install the 7-Zip for 64-bit Windows x64?

7zip is a program that you download and install.  This is required for windows 7 or 8 or 10.

4). Or do I ignore the key / code number & proceed with the download?

7zip DOES NOT have anything to do with download key.  Its free software.

https://www.7-zip.org/download.html

5). You say to go into device manager and install drivers for audio and video and sound by saying
'update driver and get the driver from my machine' aka not from the internet, which must mean these drivers are contained within the 7zip? Is this so please?

NO.  The CAB FILE has all of the drivers for the machine stored in a single file.

https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/how13802/optiplex-990-windows-7-driver-cab?lang=en

https://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER02161719M/1/990-win7-A10-5GWVN.CAB

6). I imagine I'm to do this because the drivers for a Windows 10 machine are wrong for a pre-Windows 10 machine such as the 990, is this correct?  No.  The only setting you need is to set the machine to have SATA OPERATION for the hard drive to be AHCI.  NOT ATA and NOT RAID

Windows 10 will install on a 990.  There are SPECIFIC drivers that are not included in windows 10 that are legacy.  There will NEVER BE windows 10 drivers for the audio and video and Intel Management and chipset.

7). Formatting the new SSD. Are you saying that the Windows 10 dvd disc will automatically format the SSD please? My optical reader will be USB2 era technology, so usb3 shouldn't be an issue here.

USB2 optical drives will have no issues with any dell.

https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln300564/dell-systems-with-the-intel-skylake-or-braswell-chipset-lack-usb-2-0-support-and-will-not-boot-to-dell-windows-7-media?lang=en

8). BIOS updated, so ready to go, with thanks.

So now all you have to do is set the bios for Secure boot OFF,  SATA AHCI,  then F12 boot the windows installer media and install windows 10.

Please advise further.

Ready to go - please update & advise.

Thank you.

Thank you,

Where do I select to set the bios for Secure boot OFF please - where will I see this option?

Currently the BIOS reads: optical drive [checked] and Hard Drive [checked].

Also 'Legacy' [selected].

Secure boot may not be there if you have older bios.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dr3Gyc2Cs

Some models were updated recently to have secure boot as an option for ACPI 2.0 bios.

If you do not see secure boot dont worry about it.

Secure boot off is required for newer models/bios in order to F12 Boot from USB or DVD.

older dells will have older BIOS, with what I called half baked, UEFI, v1 or 2 but not 3. class.

Or no UEFI features at all. (and may depend of what BIOS version you have now)

upgrade your BIOS.?

then in BIOS look for UEFI features,   Safeboot, secureboot, and fast boot, are all clues of UEFI. all 3

the safe boot  enabled keeps the USB boot and DVD boot blocked,  so turn that off.  IF THERE?

dell does not document all 20 versions of BIOS , oK> all we can do is LOOk,FIRST.

GOOD YOU ARE IN LEGACY MODE, NOW INSTALL WINDOWS. OR ?

990 OptiPlex. is 9 years old.  way before 2012 W8 graced the world.  October 26, 2012; 7 years ago

w8 is 2013 in the streets.

your 990 is GEN2, CPU, Q67chip set, and GEN is not well supported now. but,  may work. W10 ok.

W10-64bit may load ok but make sure  , sound driver works and iGPU, and ethernet but all those HW can be upgraded easy  on this PC and very low cost,

costs nothing to try,  the ISO is free to get at MS 24/7  even test it first on a spar test SSD, (ssd for speed)

answered another way, what is SUPPORTED? (what does that word mean) (also can mean now and in future)

DELL? (none it seems )

MS (lots) ever cruise the MS PnP servers,  ask.

Intel ( limited, some)

all three>?

if you had just braved up and stuff in a spare HDD or  SSD and installed w10 with ethernet connected !!! you'd see what works an not in 30 minutes work (ssd that)

doing THAT tells you what MS PnP supports.  I find it does work mostly, 99%

what will fail, is iGPU on very old PC. and so easy to fix

brave up do it and tell the helpers what fails and what fails in device manager.

(mostly this)

iGPU super old. (gen 0 CPU fail)

Sound

Try to learn that MS at any moment can drop chip support for W7 and that can also make w10 fail.

on OLD CHIPS, it is there CALL and they don't just send out warnings. on that. at MS.

MS knows some W7 drivers work on W10 and host them. but there are no Guarantees here, ever.

a tech ,knows all this and just TRIES< why not TRY !

The normal path or drivers are (chip maker to OEM then OEM to MS)

that is the flow. OEM is DELL.  (chip make can be intel, Realtek, nvidia or ATI, and more)

Dell makes them play as a TEAM, so DELL wins all arguments there.

REAL experience;

I installed w10  64bit on super OLD PCs as test

even as old as  . P4  HT 531 up, G1

and Athlon 64x2 F2+

even a dell 380, yah, (have huge box of CPU that 1/2 work and not)core 2 DUO

what you see is W10-64 loads and runs, ok,,  only things that fails are sound and iGPU

so go for broke with used $10 video card(ask) and new sound card, $4.   

I tried  and proved just how old you can go. MS does not even try, they are too mighty to try.

The MS PnP worked perfectly, as I expected and fails expected by me too.  and cured. in minutes all.

and forget Celerons, Celery(junk)  CPU.  for sure real gen0 i3 up, ok? 

Savvy2 - this was a clean install on a brand new SSD.

Speedstep,

Install mostly successful.

The Dell Assistant diagnostic reports no problems.

But I have an error message telling me 'Windows 10 is not activated' - have contacted the vendor. As far as I can see, Windows is activated & the 990 is up & running.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's what happened:

SSD inserted.

990 switched on - Win10 dvd inserted

No boot.

Boot sequence in BIOS experimented with multiple times - still no boot from disc.

USB key inserted - system boots, 10 loads then aborts.

USB boot run again, then USB key removed leaving dvd in optical reader. System follows previous load, but now copying files from disc. USB key-load allowed 10 to format the SSD.

Windows 10 successfully loaded but does not request a search for drivers, I load cab files to documents anyway.

Device Manager reports only one error, PCI driver not found. After numerous attempts manage to direct Windows 10 to the cab zip file, it cannot find it on its own. Drivers found by 10, PCI error message clears.

No idea why Windows thinks it is not activated - I had to enter the key-code at the beginning of the 10 installation process, which then went ahead.

Please advise.

Thanks.

Googled it ~ non-activation ~ it's a widespread issue, a Windows' glitch.

After about a dozen attempts to register my key, Windows 10 suddenly accepted it & activated. No explanation given as to why the software accepted the key-code to install, then threw it out for activation.

So far so good. Fingers crossed Windows has settled down when I boot again tomorrow.

do the activation last.

after PC OS  runs OK,  you get 30days, and on some PCs its free, .. with w7 up. (ask MS how)

so see , you did it all by your self.  (amazing no>>?)

always build a new boot USB stick from MS web site.  fresh with V1909 or newer.  or you will have problems.

Never use DVD way , it is slow and problematic for most, DVD folks burning them.

there are 8 versions of w10 do not run old versions, there is never a need to.  use fresh from MS. from them.

it will take a while to settle down,, it has to index files too. and more.  let it..... even leaving it on  24hours.

connected to internet with ethernet is best, wired direct.

Okay, I did not know about updating BIOS before upgrading to Windows 10. I was and am on BIOS A19. Upgrade to W10 went lickety split, just fine. Have been on W10 for a month or two now, with no problems, excepting only that I had to reselect default sounds in the Sounds Control Panel, if that was even related.

This was not a clean W10 install. So...

Should I leave well enough alone? Or should I now update to BIOS A24 now? Could it mess anything up, or would it be best to have everything up to date? Can one "downgrade" back to A19, if it messes things up? Could I kill the computer startup?

Further, I have 2 SSDs in use (1 as boot). I did no prep there. All is going swimmingly.

In the past I even upgraded the power supply, in order to install a GeForce GTX 750Ti graphics board (has recent software update). And, again, all is fine. It's a great and powerful computer. But, I'm going to be a little nervous for a while, still.

Anything I should know?

Hi @wally44,

You should be able to update to the latest BIOS for your PC without any trouble.  Be sure the PC doesn't lose power during updating so that the MB doesn't brick.

Though your PC is a bit older (I take it you also have a 990), having the latest BIOS for your PC also has the latest security features for it at the time the BIOS was made.

I've updated BIOS for one of my PC's, but never had to roll it back.