This issue has already elicited a lot of negative comments with many complainants suggesting that they are not prepared to buy a new computer just to get Windows 8. Microsoft has been quick to respond, posting an apology and explanation on the official forum.
Microsoft’s response suggests that the issue is related to CPU settings in BIOS:
“To install Windows 8 Release Preview on your PC, the processor (CPU) must support the following features: Physical Address Extension (PAE), NX, and SSE2. Most CPUs have support for these features, so if you receive this error, it is likely because the NX feature is not enabled on your system.
To resolve this error, follow manufacturer guidelines to enable NX (“No eXecute bit”), or the equivalent XD (“eXecute Disabled”) feature, within the BIOS security settings.
If the BIOS setting for the NX support option is not available on your system, you may need to contact the manufacturer for updating the BIOS. Note that some older processors may not contain these features and will be incompatible with Windows 8 Release Preview.”
The Microsoft rep goes on to say…
“there may be a bug here. We may contact a few of you if we need further information to track down the problem and make sure it is fixed before RTM completes.”
Hmm, considering Windows 8 is already looking like a tough sell, the last thing Microsoft needs at the moment is anything which precludes a multitude of users from even installing the new operating system. It elicits two important questions:
- 1. Why is the Release Preview affected when there were no such problems with the earlier Consumer Preview. Obviously something has changed, but what?
- 2. Could this issue also affect the final release – when consumers part with their hard-earned?
No doubt Microsoft will do its best to resolve these issues prior to the upcoming [RTM] release, but, at the moment anyway, it’s not looking good for those running older machines.
Read through the complaints and Microsoft’s response HERE.
Hi Jim:
Your articles are uncanny in timing as I was about to post on the forum about this very thing. I had Consumer Preview installed on a laptop, which is about 3 years old. In trying to load Release Preview I found you cannot upgrade over Consumer Preview it has to be over Win 7 or Vista or XP that was the first irritation. So I put Win 7 back on the laptop and try as I might it will not install, although it was fine with Consumer Preview. I got blue screens and messages to the effect that there was no “ntloader”. I found you that if you make a DVD iso you cannot load a clean install on a formated HDD because it doesn’t have the “ntloaderkernal” included in the iso. I did see the information about the CPU problem so tried to correct the BIOS setting on the laptop, but did not have that available so no such luck there.
So, long story short I have basically given up on the whole Windows 8 thing altogether. If Microsoft has this many problems with Windows 8 it is going to be a hard sell for anyone who even remotely thinks of trying it.
That’s just my “two cents worth” for what’s it’s worth.
Cheers
Gene – At this very moment I can imagine Apple execs and the Linux boys rubbing their hands together in joyful anticipation. Unless MS can pull a rabbit out of the hat, Windows 8 looks set to make the Vista fiasco seem like a non-event.
Thanks for your comments mate, always appreciated.
Cheers… Jim
Jim, that’s for the nice read with laughs and chuckles.
So is this the beginning of the down road for M$? Actually the handwriting (in pencil) has been there for some time now. M$ is not the only o/s, as users are quickly discovering. The ill hot shots from Richmond are cutting their own heads off with all this silliness (being nice). Did they do any research prior??? You might think so, but if they did, it was on the latest fastest machines that money can buy, so the test results would support their claims (prove me wrong). Could these tablets have faster CPU’s than a standalone or laptop? Blaming it on the BIOS, now that’s a nice touch. Only a small percentage of folks are brave enough to even attempt messing around there.
But if you remember back to the days when XP hit the market, it also forced many users to scrap their computers. Don’t believe users are going to fall for this a second time, now even when computers are selling really cheap in todays market. But, that’s also my nickles worth, Mindblower!
MB – Yes, it really is a ‘joke’. It appears that, wary of the hardware upgrades which Vista forced on users, MS has gone to great lengths to ensure that Win8 doesn’t follow down that same path. Now we discover that Win8 will not even install on older machines where the CPU doesn’t support certain protocols…. brilliant!!
And I agree, updating BIOS – or even accessing BIOS and changing settings – is not something the vast majority of ‘average’ users would be comfortable with. It’s also something which should definitely NOT be required for a supposedly professional OS.
Cheers mate… Jim
Another area where hacks may no longer work on Windows 8. See the next to last paragraph at http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/microsoft-windows-8-businesses-143238 . If this is accurate, it appears that Microsoft is ripping out a lot legacy code to prevent hacks like the Start button, Start Menu, etc. from being implemented (even by 3rd party software?). Interesting read, even if quite lengthy.