64 bit Windows?
 

Will buying a PC running 64 Bit Vista give me any extra problems from buying a PC running 32 Bit Vista, it has 6 Gig of ram and the new Intel Processor.

I'm no expert but i'm pretty sure 32bit windows won't recognise ram over 4gig, so stick with 64bit.

64 bit drivers are pretty stable now, so while there may be some more problems you should not have major issues.

what about the software i have already which runs on vista lap top etc will that run ok with 64 bit especialy as it links to things like GPS units and camera's etc.

I'm not running a laptop, but i'm on a desktop 64bit vista and have had no issues since sp1 was released. I mainly use photoshop and all is fine.

No point having 6gig of ram with 32bit windows.

So either have 4gig and 32bit

or

6gig and 64bit.

With what will and won't work, depends on how old the software your trying to use is:

Generally speaking, there are very few thing that don't work. Namely old versions of Nero (tells you to purchase the upgrade as the "solution" :rolleyes: ). Yet I have photoshop v7.0 which is very old and that works perfectly.

Biggest issue I've have is getting a OLD Xerox Docuprint C20 A3 printer at work. But the problem still exists in 32bit Vista (even when sharing via an XP machine), annoying thing is the printer understands postscript, yet it won't let me use a generic postscript driver :mad:

this is in the home environment but i have a number of gadgets that i use connected to the PC like walking GPS unit and memory map software to up load walks etc plus speed trap detectors etc.

thanks for the advice

as said above 4 gig is the max amount for 32 bit.

I'm running 64 bit XP and have had zero problems and everything i've thrown at it has worked even some of my clients OLD software like Lotus 97!!.

I too was reluctant to run on 64bit, but had to for GPD disks.

I've got to say, I've not had a single problem with Vista 64, and would recommend it to everyone.

I'm playing new & old games - old ones being Warcraft 3, 1942 & Quake 3.

I've been running on 64 bit for over a year and have had very little problems, most programs have a fix out now ..

any program that tries to access the Kernel will not work

tbh this is mainly AV programs -- you will need the 64bit versions

Oh so i better check if my copy of Norton 360 will run on it.

yep -- actually I wrote a white paper regarding 64 bit Architecture a few years ago for a large corporate here are some extracts

Better memory management in the x64 architecture means less chance of Windows being forced into a constrained address space, which in turn means less chance of the non-page pool being exhausted when there are outstanding I/O requests. When the operating system has to operate in this state for extended periods of time it can result in system instability and eventual system crashes.

Patch Guard is a new technology employed by Microsoft to “ring fence” the kernel. It was first incorporated in the x64 bit versions of Windows Server 2003 and is also included in Vista and the latest Server OS (codenamed Longhorn).

Note: The term patching in this context refers to a programming technique and not technology surrounding the Microsoft Update Service.

Essentially Patch Guard is there to protect the operating system kernel from any “unauthorised” changes, this could be from a malicious external attack or a badly written piece of software code. The term “badly written” refers to Microsoft’s definition of an attempt by software to bypass how it controls access to the kernel. Essentially, kernel patching bypasses actual Windows kernel code to invoke unknown third-party code. The third-party code might be attempting to provide some valid extension to Windows functionality, or it might be malicious. However, the end result is the same, the system generates a bug check and then shuts down. To most users this is termed the “blue screen of death” to Microsoft programmers it is know as the “blue screen of protection”.

and

All 32-bit applications run in the WOW64 subsystem (Windows on Windows 64, discussed in detail later in this document), and when running in this subsystem applications have access to the full 4Gb of virtual memory space (subject to being compiled with the /LARGEADDRESSAWARE switch). Moreover, because of the underlying hardware compatibility between 64-bit and 32-bit systems, 32-bit applications are able to run at full speed in the WOW64 subsystem. A slight word of caution here is that on the Intel Itanium processor, more software is involved in the WOW64 emulation, and performance suffers as a result. The 32-bit application automatically detects whether it is running on a 64-bit by calling the IsWoW64process function no user intervention is required.

Note: Microsoft Exchange 2000/3 is not supported on Windows x63 Server. In fact, Exchange 2003 does not even install properly under the WOW64 subsystem. There are several reasons for this, some are related to Exchange 2003 IIS dependency but the biggest problem is that Exchange Setup installs the IFS (Installable File System) driver (exifs.sys) which is a 32 bit driver. On x64 editions of Windows, all of the Kernel mode components (which includes drivers) have to be native 64 bit components, while the User mode applications can be run under WOW64. This problem cannot be addressed in future Exchange 2003 Service Packs either.


Microsoft insist that x64 versions of Windows can take advantage of over 10,000 commercially available applications due to the inherent compatibility between 32-bit and 64-bit technologies.

However, care still needs to be exercised when migrating to x64 platforms. Although Microsoft is keen to promote the interoperability between 64-bit and 32-bit software pitfalls and “gotchas” still exist.

Windows x64 does not support 16-bit software. Although this should not pose a problem in today’s enterprise environments, other incompatibilities might. The WOW64 subsystem can not call 64-bit dynamic link libraries (DLL’s) and conversely 64-bit applications cannot load 32-bit dll’s. This causes problems when running the X64 version of Internet Explorer (IE), if the x64 IE needs to load 32-bit Active X controls or indeed, load 32-bit dll’s that extend the functionality of Internet Explorer they will need to be re-written. This includes utilities such as Google Toolbar, Yahoo toolbar etc.

Note: Some 16-bit installer programs that support 32-bit applications can be supported by Windows x64 because it seamlessly substitutes a 32-bit version of the installer.


In response to this problem, indeed, partly one of Microsoft’s own making by promoting such widespread use of Active X controls in the first place, Windows x64 2003 editions ships with both 64-bit and a 32-bit versions of IE. The 32-bit version is the default version and will be launched when any of the following are activated.

• The Quick Launch toolbar
• The desktop
• The Start menu
• A hyperlink or a file type that is associated with Internet Explorer

Microsoft best practice advice is to use the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer when using x64 versions of Windows. Although it is advisable not to use any version of internet explorer to access external services from a production server.

Note: The lack of support for 32-bit Active X controls and 32-bit code could be seen as a safe guard when browsing the internet with the 64-bit version of IE, however, this should not be seen as a substitute for a well designed and robust Anti-Virus/AdWare policy.

Drivers also HAVE to be digitally signed to run on 64bit so you won't be able to just put any old crap driver on it just so you are aware!