On Tuesday 20 March 2018 01:52:03 Felix Miata wrote: > William Morder composed on 2018-03-19 23:12 (UTC-0700): > > Bios: American Megatrends v: 0407 date: 09/22/2008 > > William Morder composed on 2018-03-20 00:42 (UTC-0700): > > Felix Miata wrote: > > > > Curiouser and curiouser. I feel like I have gone down the rabbit hole. > > Sounds like it to me. > > >> Maybe that model motherboard was released with a BIOS too old to > >> properly support the E2200 CPU, and needs a BIOS update. You can find > >> the installed BIOS version via BIOS setup, or from the POST screen, or > >> use dmidecode. > > # dmidecode bios-release-date > # dmidecode bios-version > > https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5GCVM/HelpDesk_BIOS/ shows latest is > v408 dated 2010-06-08, almost 2 years newer than yours. > > >> Testing for 64-bit support shouldn't be hard or need "techie" help. > >> Fetch and burn a 64-bit network install .iso instead of a DVD, a small > >> fraction of download size and time, and see what happens in clean / > >> install mode. > >> > >> Verifying 64-bit support would be another use for the Knoppix DVD or CD > >> I previously mentioned that a Gparted CD wouldn't likely be designed to > >> do. > > > > One thing at a time ... > > Jumping out of one hole into another isn't an answer. Exactly what were you > trying to install when your techie determined it didn't support 64-bit? He lives right here in my apartment building, although he is more reclusive than J.D. Salinger, and only steps outside his door when there is a full moon. At the time, we were working on this machine together. Of course, it is yet possible that he could also be wrong here, but over all he has been very reliable for what he knows; it's just that he seldom ventures farther than the ice machine in our lobby. (For what it's worth, he finds pretty regular work as a free-lance consultant, and I get lots of freebies.) Be that as it may, when I did try to install 64-bit packages, and to use the Debian 64-bit live DVD, my machine rejected it as the wrong architecture. So I am a little confused, since I see the details that you point out, yet it doesn't explain why my machine will not accept 64-bit installation discs or software packages. Bill