Computers with CPUs that don't support SSE2 and Windows 7

MisterEd · 10 May 2022

I have a couple old computes that have CPUs that don't support SSE2. I have had problems with Windows updates that I think now relates to Windows switching to updates a few years ago that required SSE2 support. Microsoft knows about the problem and has no intention on supporting computers without SSE2. I realize I could revert these computers back to Windows XP but that would rule out using the Internet. Should I just accept the update problem and use the computers as is?

BTW, someone may suggest I run Linux on these computers. I ran dual-boot of Windows and Linux on my computers for over 10 years. About 10 years ago as I entered my senior years I decided to only work with computers with Windows on them. Still I may decide to switch to installing Linux on these old computers if it makes sense to do so.

SIW2 · 10 May 2022

Most linux distros have improved a lot over the past few years. You might be pleasantly surprised

file3456 · 10 May 2022

Have you ever used Zorin OS? System Requirements - Zorin Help

wither 2 · 11 May 2022

I'm kind of curious as to what are the actual problems with updates. I have two 10 year old Win 7 Pro systems that haven't experienced any issues with updates.As far as I know, I have all the updates up to EOL and have Windows Updates turned off.

Also, I noticed in My Computer in the OP's post, that he has ancient versions of IE and Firefox. I wonder if that's typical for all other updates, such as drivers, that are not Windows OS related.

MisterEd · 12 May 2022

wither 2 said:

I'm kind of curious as to what are the actual problems with updates. I have two 10 year old Win 7 Pro systems that haven't experienced any issues with updates.As far as I know, I have all the updates up to EOL and have Windows Updates turned off.

Also, I noticed in My Computer in the OP's post, that he has ancient versions of IE and Firefox. I wonder if that's typical for all other updates, such as drivers, that are not Windows OS related.

My two oldest computer with Windows 7 on them have the following CPUs:

AMD Athlon XP 2800+. CPU does not support SSE2. Computer 20 years old.
AMD Athlon 64 3400+. CPU does support SSE2. Computer 18 years old.

A few years Window 7 updates started requiring SSE2. The updates did not check if the CPU supported SSE2 but simply failed to install if the CPU didn't. Microsoft knew about the problem but decided to just ignore the problem and not even attempt to solve that problem.

Many applications like Firefox also starting requiring SSE2. Firefox 48.0.2 is the last version that did not require SSE2 support. Since Edge requires SSE2 support it will never be offered as an update to Internet Explorer unless the CPU supports SSE2.

That is why the computer I have with an AMD Athlon XP 2800+ CPU started having Windows 7 updates fail to install. It is also why Firefox 48.0.2 is the newest version I can run on it.

Windows 7 support dropped for CPUs without SSE2
Windows 7 support dropped for CPUs without SSE2 - gHacks Tech News

Firefox drops support for Non-SSE2 Processors
Firefox drops support for Non-SSE2 Processors \
VOGONS

BTW, the computer listed under My Computer is actually one of my newer computers. Apparently, I haven't updated the information there in a long time. Currently that computer is dual-boot for Windows 7 Home 64-bit and Windows 10 Pro 64-bit.

I have 5 desktop computers and 2 laptop computers. They have OSs from Windows XP to Windows 10. The newest desktop had Windows 11 on it but went back to Windows 10 because I didn't like Windows 11.

file3456 · 12 May 2022

...because I didn't like Windows 11.

I don't blame you. Interested in Windows 11 myself, I read about its features and whatnot and watched some YouStupid (YouTube) videos and in a nutshell - cockroach puke beyond exception. This isn't an OS. It seems from 8 onward the OS has gotten worse and worse.

To those that are interested in why I say this, please do your research and watch some YouTube videos on Windows 11. It's truly absolutely grotesque at what they did to the Microsoft OS. Especially the requirement for TPM and UEFI. Without getting into all the details, it's looking like Microsoft wants to only allow certain software that's signed by their approval. With a dash of a major privacy and security invasion. And to think a lot of hospitals, clinics and dentist's offices alike are using 10 now¹ and may need to go 11 due to "security litigation" purposes. Never mind how patient records in the digital universe aren't inherently secure by their very nature. Well, how things are done now needs to be fixed... But I digress, if hospitals, clinics and dentist's offices alike software could run in Linux I'd urge their IT hired hands to use Linux if at all possible. It may be a little bit of a learning curve for some things, but the overall simple point and click aesthetics is the same and that's pretty much all hospitals and whatnot do. It's not like your dentist or attending nurse need to code in C++ using Visual Studio or something that is Windows dependent. Their computer interaction all damn day long is point, click and type. And with that Linux would most certainly fit the bill in spades and save these companies a tremendous amount of money. All the while not only increasing their client's security and privacy, but their IT would be more thankful since the server infrastructure and client computers all run the same OS. Especially since most server infrastructure runs the Linux OS.

Now I'm not some major Linux fanboy or anything and my everyday driver as of today is still Windows 7. It's why I'm a member of this site. But I'm not a computer dummy and do know my fair share about cybersecurity. As well as psychology and how it pertains to marketing. Also science, computer science, history, law, radio communications, aviation, cosmology, math, you freaking name it. I'm also a part time inventor and philosopher. I'm certainty not an expert in any field, but know enough about the topic of "bull crap" as it pertains to the quest for sheer unadulterated profit and the human carbon based life form chimp need for power and control. People often ask why bad things happen? The philosopher in me can tell you the vector is ~90% low IQ or lack of simple common sense...

Anyway... Lambda Omicron Lambda.

^{1 Yes, it is said hospitals, clinics and dentist's offices alike have "custom" versions of Windows." I ran LTSC versions and saw a torrent of IP connections to many ASNs...}

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Computers with CPUs that don't support SSE2 and Windows 7-efrhrr.jpg

https://astronomy.com/-/media/Images...wow.jpg?mw=600

wither 2 · 12 May 2022

MisterEd said:

I have a couple old computes that have CPUs that don't support SSE2. I have had problems with Windows updates that I think now relates to Windows switching to updates a few years ago that required SSE2 support. Microsoft knows about the problem and has no intention on supporting computers without SSE2. I realize I could revert these computers back to Windows XP but that would rule out using the Internet. Should I just accept the update problem and use the computers as is?

BTW, someone may suggest I run Linux on these computers. I ran dual-boot of Windows and Linux on my computers for over 10 years. About 10 years ago as I entered my senior years I decided to only work with computers with Windows on them. Still I may decide to switch to installing Linux on these old computers if it makes sense to do so.

However, your latest post says one of them does support SSE2. If that's the case, you should be able to install all Win 7 updates and use Firefox 52.9. The other one should support updates until 2018 (based on what I could find).

erpster4 · 12 May 2022

MisterEd said:

I have a couple old computes that have CPUs that don't support SSE2. I have had problems with Windows updates that I think now relates to Windows switching to updates a few years ago that required SSE2 support. Microsoft knows about the problem and has no intention on supporting computers without SSE2. I realize I could revert these computers back to Windows XP but that would rule out using the Internet. Should I just accept the update problem and use the computers as is?

BTW, someone may suggest I run Linux on these computers. I ran dual-boot of Windows and Linux on my computers for over 10 years. About 10 years ago as I entered my senior years I decided to only work with computers with Windows on them. Still I may decide to switch to installing Linux on these old computers if it makes sense to do so.

are these old computers desktops or laptops/notebook PCs?

I completely gave up using non-SSE2 PCs around 2019 after overhauling an old HP/Compaq PC that used to have a motherboard (model A7V8X-LA Kelut) an AMD Athlon XP 3200 CPU, replaced that board with a different kind that used Intel Core 2 Duo E6x00 CPUs (the replacement motherboard was a P5LP-LE Leonite), and re-installed Win7 on that HP computer

so all of my PCs (old & new) have CPUs that not only have SSE2 support but also SSE3 - I also use a vast majority of apps/software that require SSE2/SSE3 - it was time to part ways with old PCs that have non-SSE2 processors

long term solution for me was to upgrade the hardware (or replace the motherboard with ones that use at least AMD Athlon 64 or Intel Core 2 Duo)

MisterEd · 13 May 2022

Computers with CPUs that don't support SSE2 and Windows 7-2022-05-13-17_29_49-new-microsoft-word-document.docx-word.jpg

wither 2 said:

However, your latest post says one of them does support SSE2. If that's the case, you should be able to install all Win 7 updates and use Firefox 52.9. The other one should support updates until 2018 (based on what I could find).

The 18 year old laptop has an Athlon 64 3400+ CPU with SSE2 support. It has Windows 7 Home. It still updates OK. It has the latest Firefox 100.0.

Desktop #4 with 2GB RAM updated fine until a few years ago. It is the one I have to decide whether to stay with Windows 7 Home or not.
Desktop #5 only has 512MB RAM. It has Windows XP Pro on it. That is the newest OS it will ever have.

erpster4 said:

are these old computers desktops or laptops/notebook PCs?
I completely gave up using non-SSE2 PCs around 2019 after overhauling an old HP/Compaq PC that used to have a motherboard (model A7V8X-LA Kelut) an AMD Athlon XP 3200 CPU, replaced that board with a different kind that used Intel Core 2 Duo E6x00 CPUs (the replacement motherboard was a P5LP-LE Leonite), and re-installed Win7 on that HP computer
so all of my PCs (old & new) have CPUs that not only have SSE2 support but also SSE3 - I also use a vast majority of apps/software that require SSE2/SSE3 - it was time to part ways with old PCs that have non-SSE2 processors
long term solution for me was to upgrade the hardware (or replace the motherboard with ones that use at least AMD Athlon 64 or Intel Core 2 Duo)

The oldest laptop has an Athlon 64 with SSE2. Windows 7 still updates OK.

The two oldest desktops have good GPUs for their time. I could use them for retro gaming. As you see from the list above I have enough other desktops so retiring the oldest ones would be no big loss.

The computers in the lists above are all the ones I have built or bought since 2002. As you can see I have upgraded hardware also but in my case I kept the old computers. BTW, I had several other desktop computers between 1995 and 2001. I discarded them years ago.

wither 2 · 13 May 2022

I was going to correct my comment about Firefox 52.9 but you already identified that it supports 100. Since you have 3 computers that support SSE2, why are you concerned about the ones that don't? You can only use one at a time (well, unless you're sitting there with more than one running).