Windows 10 support for i3-2100

[goombawaho]

Link
I see from that web page, the processor & family of processors I mentioned is not listed as being supported (Sandy Bridge).

I'm just wondering if the PC my customer has would be able to upgrade to Windows 10 because it has an Nvidia graphics card. Or is it purely not supported due to the processor model?

Wondering what would happen if I attempt to run the upgrade from within Windows. I don't want it to upgrade and then fail. I'd rather see it throw an error and say "No Way Pal!

 

[edfair]

So be brave and attempt an upgrade. And if it fails try an upgrade to an earlier version.

On a couple of i3 upgrades I ended up with video issues and since the computers were activated in 10 I took the liberty of doing an install to a resurfaced drive and the video problem went away.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

And if it fails try an upgrade to an earlier version.

You mean an earlier version of Windows 10, I assume. Versus trying to upgrade straight to 1909.

Not so easy to be brave if I have to explain to the customer that I had to start from scratch and reload their PC, re-join the domain, etc. I'm not worried about a video issue (so much) because they have the separate pci-e video card installed which SHOULD disable the onboard video.

 

[edfair]

Based on history I would try 1909 first. Had one, at least, that failed 1909 but installed at 1903. Didn't try 1909 on top of it.
Had a couple that failed earlier on 1903 that installed on 1909 after 1909 was released.
These were mostly Dell optiplex but I don't recall which particular ones gave issues or which way they upchucked.
If the customer has a bunch of stuff at risk you could always put in a temporary drive for a test. A 7 install and 10 upgrade shouldn't be that time consuming and you will have a better idea of the possibilities. Had to do that on one where the system reserved partition was corrupt. Put the minimal 7 on and 10 didn't have to work to upgrade. Had to go that route to be valid.


Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[goombawaho]

It worked just fine. Interestingly, two of the same model PCs, one had zero unknown devices in device manager after the upgrade and the other had one. Couldn't figure it out, but everything critical seemed to work. So for anyone else searching - HP Compaq 6200 Pro SFF PC could be upgraded to Windows 10.

 

[rclarke250]

hmmm, weird...I have never had an issue, I have 5 machines running various 2nd gen. Core procs, 3 are I5's, 1 Pentium dual core, and 1 I3 and all have Windows 10 1909. To be fair, they were brought along through upgrades from Windows 10 release. I have had Windows 10 running on a Core 2 Duo E4400 with 4GB ram.

 

[goombawaho]

I also got a computer that used to be their server upgraded to Windows 10 - no problems. It had Windows 7 on it after being their server. Even though Microsoft says the processor is NOT supported. That one was:
Intel Xeon CPU X3440 @ 2.53GHz

Microsoft should really post correct information on what can be upgraded and what cannot. Though I suppose that:
A. They really don't want you upgrading old junk to run Windows 10
B. PC manufacturers really don't want you to know that the upgrade is still free after it was supposed to end on July 29, 2016 because they want to sell NEW computers
C. Their is an ultimate lower end on which Windows 10 may be installed, but run very badly.

 

[Beilstwh]

They are not saying that other processors or configurations will not work, they are saying that they have a list of processors and configurations that they have tested and certify that they will work. Try upgrading and it will almost always work. If it doesn't you not any worse off. You can always rebuild the machine into a linux workstation

Bill
Lead Application Developer
New York State, USA

 

[goombawaho]

Well one point you're missing is if the upgrade fails and I end up with an operating system that won't boot. Yes, that's generally not what happens, but I don't want to be causing damage to my customers which I then have to fix. And I either bill them for my mistake or eat the cost. I don't like either one of those options. So, it would be nice to know exactly what machines you could upgrade vs. NOT. Right now it appears to be like rolling dice on older machines, which to be honest, should already be retired!

My problems are all over with the upgrades though. The rest of my customers either have Windows 10, have could enough computers to upgrade with no problem or have agreed to replace their decrepit machines.

 

[cdogg]

Not sure why that support page wasn't updated to reflect Win10 support for Sandy Bridge, but it should have been, seeing that it was last reviewed on 2/14/20.

Microsoft added Intel microcode updates for the entire Sandy Bridge line last month:
[ul]
[li]

https://www.zdnet.com/article/windo...chip-security-updates-for-zombieload-attacks/

[/li]
[li]

https://wccftech.com/intel-microcode-updates-released-windows-10/

[/li]
[/ul]

Note: These updates are not installed automatically by Windows Update. They have to be manually downloaded.


Where I work, we have quite a few from the Sandy Bridge line running Windows 10 without issue. Of course, a lot of those are Xeon E processors that don't have graphics embedded (HP Z800 workstations).

-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[goombawaho]

Thanks for mentioning the micro code updates. I had not heard about that. Wonder why they are not automatically installed. "Great" that it will slow down already old computers, including my own Ivy Bridge clunker.

 

[goombawaho]

Wondering why not ALL processors are covered in this update. It says to only install if you have listed processors. The listed processors is a big list but exclude a couple processors that I own. Why are some not included? Not affected by the vulnerability or no fix found yet? Example: i7-4600M

 

[strongm]

Guess you'd have to ask Intel

 

[goombawaho]

Are those updates to the actual Intel processor micro-code (which would be permanent) or are they just a software fix that runs within Windows and thus would NOT survive an OS reload?

The reason I ask is that I don't see a way from Intel to do the update.

 

[cdogg]

Microcode updates can be applied at either the BIOS/UEFI level or within the OS. Every processor has a particular microcode baked into its local ROM. This area cannot be modified or updated. However, during initialization, the CPU has instructions to apply the latest microcode update if a newer revision exists in either the BIOS or OS. When the system is powered off or rebooted, the process repeats itself.

The reason Microsoft provides these via Windows Update, is so it will reach consumers faster than if they had to wait for the same update from the motherboard manufacturer through a BIOS update. This is nothing new and has been happening routinely since 2007 in older versions of Windows.

This article explains that in greater detail:
Demystifying Microcode Updates for Intel and AMD Processors


So yes, if you move the processor to another system or if you reinstall the OS, you would need to reapply the microcode update in Windows. The only time that doesn't have to happen is when the BIOS firmware already contains the same update.


-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[goombawaho]

That's all what I had thought, but thanks for nailing it down. So, bottom line - because the update is not received automatically and because it disappears upon on OS reload, a lot of people are going to be running without these updates!

And if it WAS available as a BIOS update from the motherboard manufacturer (which end a few years after a board has come out), most non-technical people would never know to look for it or dare to try to install it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it applies as well. Lots of unprotected computers!!

 

[semidotinfotech]

Don't worry & update your window.

 

[mariah1902]

Never have I ever heard a factor that Nvedia card will fail due to windows update. I do not think so. Please you can try it out or watch some tutorials. Search your video card online and see what other people are doing to make an upgrade.

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