Edit: Sorry, I meant E7400

FYI: the Core 2 Duo E7400 also has NX/XD: http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_2/Intel-Core%202%20Duo%20E7400%20AT80571PH0723M%20-%20AT80571PH0723ML%20(BX80571E7400).html

Intel implemented NX bit support in the later generation Pentium 4. So any Intel Core processor will have support. However not all motherboards had this feature as standard. I have some older Core 2 systems that do have have the function to enable it in the BIOS. Even with their latest BIOS being released in 2009.

These processor features are also required for Windows 8.1.

CX16      	*	Supports CMPXCHG16B instruction
LAHF-SAHF 	*	Supports LAHF/SAHF instructions in 64-bit mode
PREFETCHW 	*	Supports PREFETCHW instruction

They can be checked with Microsoft Coreinfo tool. Using coreinfo -f from the command line.

Ah, I wasn't aware that motherboard support was an issue. Thanks!

microsoft.com/upgrade-to-windows-8
I have let run the WinVista/XP tool.

In latest (v1.3) BIOS of my ASRock G41M-GS motherboard & Intel Core2 Duo E7600 CPU:

No- Execute Memory Protection [enabled/disabled] (If disabled force the XD feature flag to always return 0.)

No- Execute Memory Protection [disabled]
- the tool say: no NX support (negative result/info).

No- Execute Memory Protection [enabled]
- the tool say: NX support (no negative result/info).


The tool say, "Secure Boot" not possible. (UEFI BIOS needed - just with newer motherboards)
Is this a feature which I should use nowadays?
New motherboard, CPU, RAM needed then ..

Thanks.

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microsoft.com/upgrade-to-windows-8
I have let run the WinVista/XP tool.

In latest (v1.3) BIOS of my ASRock G41M-GS motherboard & Intel Core2 Duo E7600 CPU:

No- Execute Memory Protection [enabled/disabled] (If disabled force the XD feature flag to always return 0.)

No- Execute Memory Protection [disabled]
- the tool say: no NX support (negative result/info).

No- Execute Memory Protection [enabled]
- the tool say: NX support (no negative result/info).

The tool say, "Secure Boot" not possible. (UEFI BIOS needed - just with newer motherboards)
Is this a feature which I should use nowadays?
New motherboard, CPU, RAM needed then ..

Thanks.

I do not use UEFI "Secure Boot" on any of my systems. I don't currently see a need for it. Maybe it will be a requirement for Windows 9 or whatever the next full version of Windows might be.

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I believe the NX bit is in the CPU and some type of NX bit support must be in the BIOS/UEFI also. Running the test will tell you.

I knew that support needed to be enabled in the BIOS, I was not aware that some BIOSes were not even offering the option even if the CPU supported it.

In latest (v1.3) BIOS of my ASRock G41M-GS motherboard & Intel Core2 Duo E7600 CPU:

A better place to look would be in your motherboard manual, which I found on this page. When I downloaded it, in section 3.4.1 it shows that your BIOS has the "No-Execute Memory Protection" option, which is what turns on and off NX/XD, and it is disabled by default. This tells me that the tool you ran only tells you if the option is enabled or not, not if your BIOS has it turned off, which would be more helpful.

The tool say, "Secure Boot" not possible. (UEFI BIOS needed - just with newer motherboards)
Is this a feature which I should use nowadays?
New motherboard, CPU, RAM needed then ..

Secure Boot is only required on Windows RT (for ARM processors). It is not required on x86 and x86-64 CPUs. I do not use it on my Windows 8 machines either.