System compatibility can refer to the compatibility that particular software can run on a particular CPU with a specific Processor. when somebody tries to upgrade or install some new OS or feature, it is important to note that whether the computer supports it or not. when installing Windows 8 RP there appear such errors regarding the compatibility with the PC. users see such error messages when they install Windows 8 RP on their PC.
This PC cannot run Windows 8
Your PC’s CPU is not compatible with Windows 8
These errors appear due to the missing features like PAE/NX/SSE2. The company makes some changes after the release of the windows 8 CP version. Microsoft says that these files were important for the windows. The NX (Non-Execute) is a feature, which protects system from the attacks by malicious software. According to Microsoft, the windows 8 require such system in it so the processor must support it and the user should enable it. Similarly SSE2 (Streaming SIMD Extensions) and PAE (Physical Address Extension) both are processor features. SSE2 is a compatible feature with the NX so if a Pc supports NX feature will automatically support SSE2. The PAE is a feature that enables x86 processors to access more than 4 GB of physical memory on capable versions of Windows.
Checking Supports for NX or SSE2
Coreinfo is a tool that is used to check whether your PC is compatible with the windows 8 or not. Coreinfo is a command line utility and can be run in command prompt. f the computer supports the features there appears a “*” in front of the feature name. It is important that your PC supports all of these features if you want to install the Windows 8 RP version. The NX file if not supported can be set by the BIOS setting. They might be misconfigured for the support option. Therefore, that means you can change some settings in BIOS and make it enable if not supported.
Check the BIOS to enable NX; they can be in the advanced setting in BIOS. Check for it as they can be with different names such as Execute Memory Protect or Execute Disabled Memory Protection etc. if your processor is old then it might not include the feature and an error can be seen.
Error 0×0000260
There is a release by Microsoft regarding the requirements for windows 8, it is named as Whitepaper - PAE/NX/SSE2 Support Requirement Guide for Windows 8. In this, the user can find all the possible details regarding the product and possible errors in case of missing features. The company asked for the apology for the inconvenience and appreciates the trust of the users on the company. It is expected that the issue will be resolved before the RTM version.
Changes in Windows 8 RP, since CP
According to the company, the changes that they made in the CP are detection logic. the changes actually revolves around the installer and the CPU features to be in a working condition with the advanced technology. For some good reasons these changes are being made in the CP version of Windows 8 as for NX it is made for the security reasons, to enable the malware defense. It is quiet an important thing and the user should realize that the company should make the advancement accordingly so it was an important and necessary step. NX is the most important of all the features; PAE is a pre-requisite for NX on 32-bit processors. SSE2 instruction set detection based are made in the CP. the company did all this to make the computers more reliable for the users.
Workaround
A workaround is circumventing of a known trouble in a system. A workaround is typically a momentary fix that involve that an authentic key to the difficulty is needed. The user who is having a difficulty in doing something related to it can refer to workaround. Company explains the issue that has been discussed as well. The user should check the BIOS settings for NX before considering this workaround. This uses the ISO to install.
- Download the ISO and burn a DVD, make it a bootable device, and then boot from the device you created.
- Note that if a code 5D bluescreen appears then your system does not support NX. If this appears then you cannot run windows 8 on your current system.
This method may get successful as Windows contains two installers
- The end user installer
- The commercial installer
Both these helps in getting a way through the NX/SSE2 settings by either getting help to enable on supported system or other way round.
