32 or 64-bit?

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My Windows 7 is coming! Oh goodie! But should I install 32 or 64-bit?

My hardware all checks out, as does (seemingly) my software. But can I install the 64-bit, see if it runs OK with everything, and if it does not, backtrack to the 32-bit?

Or is it a “one bit from the apple” type of deal?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

Chuck Billow

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If you have less than 4GB of memory then you should install the 32 bit version. The only advantage of 64 bit is the ability to address more memory.

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If you have less than 4GB of memory then you should install the 32 bit version. The only advantage of 64 bit is the ability to address more memory.

Ah…okay, thanks Stuart.

Regards,
Chuck

Chuck Billow

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Stick with 32 bit, you find enough issues as it is.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Stick with 32 bit, you find enough issues as it is.

Now be nice Dave….I was thinking it might get me outa you guyses hair, not into it!

Regards,
Chuck

Chuck Billow

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This depends on your long-term plans and your present setup, but I am for 64-bit. First, you will find that 64-bit will comfortably perform with 3 GB of memory, unlike the resource-hungry Vista. Second, there is already an increasing number of familiar programs that offer 64-bit versions. Third, Office 10 will be arriving, when it arrives, with both 32 and 64-bit versions, which tells you the direction things are headed. Fourth, Dave is running 64-bit Windows 7, as his signature has told us all from very early in the game and in spite of what he says about 32-bit, and so am I on two computers, so far. In the short run updated drivers may be hard to get, but in the long run it is too important to ignore.

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This depends on your long-term plans and your present setup, but I am for 64-bit. First, you will find that 64-bit will comfortably perform with 3 GB of memory, unlike the resource-hungry Vista. Second, there is already an increasing number of familiar programs that offer 64-bit versions. Third, Office 10 will be arriving, when it arrives, with both 32 and 64-bit versions, which tells you the direction things are headed. Fourth, Dave is running 64-bit Windows 7, as his signature has told us all from very early in the game and in spite of what he says about 32-bit, and so am I on two computers, so far. In the short run updated drivers may be hard to get, but in the long run it is too important to ignore.

Peter:

But being on just one machine, suffering a lack of drivers could be serious. Which leads me around to what I was initially wondering: If I install 64-bit, and then change my mind, can I switch and go back to 32-bit, OD is it just one install, one time?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

Chuck Billow

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But being on just one machine, suffering a lack of drivers could be serious. Which leads me around to what I was initially wondering: If I install 64-bit, and then change my mind, can I switch and go back to 32-bit, OD is it just one install, one time?

I’ve installed a test Windows Server 2008 64-bit (~= Windows 7) on a 4 GB, Intel Core 2 Quad, PC, and found that my three HP printers (two Laserjets, one A3 (~=Legal) inkjet) were supported by the operating system. I had to find the 64-bit drivers for a large Canon photocopier/printer and install, but that was v. easy. I did find that with ‘only’ 4 GB, it occasionally took a couple of seconds to bring up the logon box from doing Ctrl+Alt+Del… (Fortunately the real server is having 24 GB of memory!)

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Peter:

But being on just one machine, suffering a lack of drivers could be serious. Which leads me around to what I was initially wondering: If I install 64-bit, and then change my mind, can I switch and go back to 32-bit, OD is it just one install, one time?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

Many more devices are supported “out of the box” by 64-bit Windows 7 than prior OSes. The drivers supplied with the OS are often just basic drivers to allow the device to work and do not take advantage of advanced features. I’m running a 64-bit Windows 7 at work without any driver problems. You should run the latest Windows Upgrade Advisor to check for problems.

If you change the “bitness” of the OS you are required to do a CLEAN install. An inplace upgrade is NOT allowed.

Joe

--Joe

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Peter:

But being on just one machine, suffering a lack of drivers could be serious. Which leads me around to what I was initially wondering: If I install 64-bit, and then change my mind, can I switch and go back to 32-bit, OD is it just one install, one time?

Regards,
Chuck Billow

You could install the 64bit version first but do not activate/register it (you have a time limit for activation). If you find you have driver issues that can’t be resolved in windows update then you could do a clean install of the 32 bit. As long as you haven’t activated it you haven’t used your license limit. Once you have decided which version is for you then you can activate it through ‘System’ folder.
I had no problems with drivers at all on my 64 bit install but if you still have some older hardware connected there may be problems.

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Most of our hardware I have found drivers for, but my older Epson scanner which I can not even find Vista 32 bit drivers let alone Windows 7 64 bit drivers.

One thing to REALLY watch for, is some of the AV and disk programs do not have 64 bit versions, or if they do, the 32 bit will not work. You need to check almost all downloaded programs to see if they will run on 64 bit or not.

The wife’s new laptop is a Sony AVIO 64 bit Windows 7 machine and she has not had any issues with any of her hardware.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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I said that I was running 3 GB of RAM. If I need more I can add it at any time, memory is getting cheaper all the time, and I am in no hurry so long as it is running as well as it is.

Something that does worry me, especially with a clean install, is that I am effectively breaking the link with the manufacturer. As nearly as I can tell I am voiding the warranty, which matters a lot to me with one 4GB laptop that I purchased in the late spring as a desktop replacement, and I may be cutting myself off from my most important source of drivers and OEM utility program updates. Intel, for example, has a device detection service on its web site to see if your drivers for their devices are up-to-date, and it took one look at my Intel devices and reported that these were built to spec and the drivers would have to come from the computer manufacturer, which in this case is HP. For thirty bucks per computer I can subscribe to one of the driver supply services, but I don’t know whether they will be able to provide such specialized stuff.

Yesterday I checked again for a 64-bit Win 7 driver for a LaserJet 1020, and HP has said that it will be available in Mid-November. That was their original story; they changed to offering a driver that didn’t ‘take’ so now it’s back to ‘it’s coming’. The reason I report that is that new drivers for old devices are coming from the manufacturers all the time, but there is a delay in their availability. You may have to get by with a generic driver or a dead peripheral in the short run, but eventually you may have the full shot if you keep checking.

One point I failed to make is that 64-bit is inherently safer than 32-bit. As I understand it, anti-malware programs don’t cover the territory because malware itself can’t run there.

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Something that does worry me, especially with a clean install, is that I am effectively breaking the link with the manufacturer. As nearly as I can tell I am voiding the warranty, which matters a lot to me with one 4GB laptop that I purchased in the late spring as a desktop replacement, and I may be cutting myself off from my most important source of drivers and OEM utility program updates.

May I ask a silly question — why are you updating to Windows 7? By which I mean, if the machine you are using does what you need it to do, is still under warranty, and is your only tool for the functionality you require, I do not see any understand why you are considering the change.

Might I suggest that your situation warrants maintaining the status quo with your current OS, software and drivers, as they appear to be meeting your needs? It strikes me that you are best served by holding out, and if you do find a compelling reason to upgrade [eg, discovering a need to install and address more than 3Gb of memory], doing so when Windows 7 SP1 comes out in 6-12 months, as that seems to be a standard Microsoft practice when most of the significant issues are ironed out, and the platform is entering a more stable phase…

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May I ask a silly question — why are you updating to Windows 7? By which I mean, if the machine you are using does what you need it to do, is still under warranty, and is your only tool for the functionality you require, I do not see any understand why you are considering the change.

That is a standard argument with new releases, and I will not refute it, at least not directly. As I pointed out in one thread, businesses are often the last to adopt a new system because of budget concerns and adoption costs. Now that everyone has a home computer and new computers are sold with Windows 7 pre-installed, they can let employees learn on their own time and at their own expense before adopting the new system in their place of business. My own reason for upgrading is that I already have it available to me, prepaid, in any flavour, and I consider it to be superior to Vista and definitely stable.

I had thought that upgrading would void the warranty, but in my case at least (with one computer purchased two weeks before I would have qualified for the free upgrade) HP is offering me full support and so far is treating it as if it will not affect the warranty. Virtually all of the requirements are available online, but it can be a fussy business.

If you have a computer that you do not want to change in any way I will not argue against it. I will, with a twinkle in my eye, suggest a course that might interest any number of readers at this time of year. Buy a netbook with Windows 7 pre-installed. Depending on the size of the family, you may find you want more than one. Mine was three hundred bucks, and with one GB it will comfortably run Office 2007 and numerous other programs. If you think it’s a toy and give it to the kids, you may discover what Microsoft was a bit slow to discover, and that is that it will deliver what most users use, and you can learn Win 7 in the bargain.

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Guys, the one thing I don’t believe I saw any response for was:

If I install the 64-bit, and decide it’s not working, can I go back and install the 32-bit instead, or is it locked out on the install DVD?

Regards,
Chuck

Chuck Billow

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Guys, the one thing I don’t believe I saw any response for was:

If I install the 64-bit, and decide it’s not working, can I go back and install the 32-bit instead, or is it locked out on the install DVD?

Regards,
Chuck

You are now asking a slightly different question that your original about switching from 64-bit to 32-bit. You can do that. Whenever you change the “bitness” you must do a clean install.

Joe

--Joe

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Guys, the one thing I don’t believe I saw any response for was:

If I install the 64-bit, and decide it’s not working, can I go back and install the 32-bit instead, or is it locked out on the install DVD?

Regards,
Chuck

That is correct. You did not receive an answer to that question.

If you asked it, it seems long forgotten, but it’s a fun sort of forum.

My personal best answer is that no, you are certainly not ‘somehow locked out’ on the DVD, as many of us who have had to perform many re-installs can attest. It will be tied to that particular computer, but you may have to perform any number of clean installs over the life of the computer.

I may be going out on a limb with this, and I may be corrected by Dave, but I think I read in one ‘official’ place that the 25-character installation code would be the same for both the 32-bit version and for the 64-bit version (which makes sense if you realize that either can be tied to that computer, and if you have a multiboot setup then both can co-exist on the same machine). You might even like to try that to make the comparison you are asking us to make for you.

I have just downloaded the latest full-featured 64-bit software with driver for Wacom Bamboo Fun, which was released on November 12. Maybe we should start tracking new drivers.

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My personal best answer is that no, you are certainly not ‘somehow locked out’ on the DVD, as many of us who have had to perform many re-installs can attest. It will be tied to that particular computer, but you may have to perform any number of clean installs over the life of the computer.

Ah, this is an interesting point that I hadn’t considered–that a key is tied to a particular PC. I would have guessed that, as a retail purchaser of Win7 Home Premium, if I buy a new PC, I could install the retail OS on the new PC. After all, I bought it fair and square.

But I guess that wouldn’t make sense, since Microsoft can’t distinguish between a new PC I buy and someone else’s PC.

I guess I won’t worry about it too much, since the PC I installed Win7 on is less than one year old. But I can see how someone who owns a PC that is 3+ years old might not want to bother installing a new OS on a PC that might not be around too much longer.

If I buy a new PC, it will come with Win7 and a bunch of other bloatware. I would have liked to do a clean install from my retail version of Win7, but I guess I wouldn’t bother with that. Instead, I would simply uninstall the bloatware manually.

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Ah, this is an interesting point that I hadn’t considered–that a key is tied to a particular PC. I would have guessed that, as a retail purchaser of Win7 Home Premium, if I buy a new PC, I could install the retail OS on the new PC. After all, I bought it fair and square.

But I guess that wouldn’t make sense, since Microsoft can’t distinguish between a new PC I buy and someone else’s PC.

I guess I won’t worry about it too much, since the PC I installed Win7 on is less than one year old. But I can see how someone who owns a PC that is 3+ years old might not want to bother installing a new OS on a PC that might not be around too much longer.

If I buy a new PC, it will come with Win7 and a bunch of other bloatware. I would have liked to do a clean install from my retail version of Win7, but I guess I wouldn’t bother with that. Instead, I would simply uninstall the bloatware manually.

Don’t underestimate the efficiency of Windows 7. All those little netbooks you see are being sold with a minumum RAM of 1 GB, precisely because that is all it takes to run Windows 7 x32, which comfortably runs Office 2007.

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Ah, this is an interesting point that I hadn’t considered–that a key is tied to a particular PC. I would have guessed that, as a retail purchaser of Win7 Home Premium, if I buy a new PC, I could install the retail OS on the new PC. After all, I bought it fair and square.

But I guess that wouldn’t make sense, since Microsoft can’t distinguish between a new PC I buy and someone else’s PC.

I guess I won’t worry about it too much, since the PC I installed Win7 on is less than one year old. But I can see how someone who owns a PC that is 3+ years old might not want to bother installing a new OS on a PC that might not be around too much longer.

If I buy a new PC, it will come with Win7 and a bunch of other bloatware. I would have liked to do a clean install from my retail version of Win7, but I guess I wouldn’t bother with that. Instead, I would simply uninstall the bloatware manually.

If you bought the retail full version you can install it on a new PC. If you bought the upgrade version and installed it, the upgrade version takes over the license on the machine on which it was installed.

Joe

--Joe

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If you bought the retail full version you can install it on a new PC. If you bought the upgrade version and installed it, the upgrade version takes over the license on the machine on which it was installed.

Joe

I’ll have to keep that in mind, the next time I’m purchasing an OS.

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I received a key code that was good for both 32 and 64 bit for my RTM copy, I then had the choice to installed one version. But, once I used the key code and activated it, the key code is LOCKED to that version (32 or 64)of the OS. I did download BOTH version, I just need to buy another license for the other (32 bit) version if I wish to install it, or I can use it make a 32 bit DVD to do repairs and other installs using a provided key code.

It is the same with the Vista RETAIL that have BOTH 32 and 64 bit DVDs, and only one key code. I assume that the Windows 7 retail is the same. Once installed the key code can be used as required on the same machine as many things as needed using the same bit type.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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I received a key code that was good for both 32 and 64 bit for my RTM copy, I then had the choice to installed one version. But, once I used the key code and activated it, the key code is LOCKED to that version (32 or 64)of the OS. I did download BOTH version, I just need to buy another license for the other (32 bit) version if I wish to install it, or I can use it make a 32 bit DVD to do repairs and other installs using a provided key code.

It is the same with the Vista RETAIL that have BOTH 32 and 64 bit DVDs, and only one key code. I assume that the Windows 7 retail is the same. Once installed the key code can be used as required on the same machine as many things as needed using the same bit type.

SO then Dave, could I install the 64, NOT activate it (yet), and set it all up to see if it all runs OK, and if not, then start over, install the 32, and THEN activate it?

Chuck

Chuck Billow

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SO then Dave, could I install the 64, NOT activate it (yet), and set it all up to see if it all runs OK, and if not, then start over, install the 32, and THEN activate it?

As you (probably) remember from past issues of Windows Secrets (such as that for 15-Mar-07), you can have up to ~120 days of un-activated use. That is: the techniques that were described in that issue of WinS for Vista work just the same for Win7…..

HTH

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As you (probably) remember from past issues of Windows Secrets (such as that for 15-Mar-07), you can have up to ~120 days of un-activated use. That is: the techniques that were described in that issue of WinS for Vista work just the same for Win7…..

HTH

That’s what I had hoped was the case.

Thanks,
Chuck

Chuck Billow

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That’s what I had hoped was the case.

Thanks,
Chuck

If you check THIS PAGE http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/faq.asp you may find some interesting details (including a timeline of what happened and when). Unfortunately, it still doesn’t offer a reply to my suggestion that you could indeed switch back and forth between 64- and 32-bit, or for that matter run them both, using the same 25-character code, as a dual-boot setup on the same computer. My guess is that you can, because I believe that the keys are the same for both x32 and x64 (for a given version).

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If you check THIS PAGE http://www.winsupers…om/win7/faq.asp you may find some interesting details (including a timeline of what happened and when). Unfortunately, it still doesn’t offer a reply to my suggestion that you could indeed switch back and forth between 64- and 32-bit, or for that matter run them both, using the same 25-character code, as a dual-boot setup on the same computer. My guess is that you can, because I believe that the keys are the same for both x32 and x64 (for a given version).

Thanks Peter.

Regards,
Chuck

Chuck Billow

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Thanks Peter.

Regards,
Chuck

I’m trying to find were I read it, but I do remember that it stated that yes you can install either 32 or 64 bit, interchangeably. The activation code will work for either as long as it’s on the same PC. I installed 64-bit once and, because some of my legacy hardware wouldn’t work properly, I reverted to 32bit and the activation code worked without any problems.

Alex

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At http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/useterms/default.aspx one can select Windows 7 and down load a pdf file.

I found the following:

1. OVERVIEW.
a. Software. The software includes desktop operating system software. This software does not include Windows Live services. Windows Live is a service available from Microsoft under a separate agreement.
b. License Model. The software is licensed on a per copy per computer basis. A computer is a physical hardware system with an internal storage device capable of running the software. A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate computer.
2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS.
a. One Copy per Computer. You may install one copy of the software on one computer. That computer is the “licensed computer.”
b. Licensed Computer. You may use the software on up to two processors on the licensed computer at one time. Unless otherwise provided in these license terms, you may not use the software on any other computer.
c. Number of Users. Unless otherwise provided in these license terms, only one user may use the software at a time.
d. Alternative Versions. The software may include more than one version, such as 32-bit and 64-bit. You may install and use only one version at one time.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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At http://www.microsoft…ms/default.aspx one can select Windows 7 and down load a pdf file.

I found the following:

Dandy. That means that you can indeed alternate between 32-bit and 64-bit to your heart’s content, so long as you perform a clean install for the system of your choice and use it exclusively at any given time. If you don’t like 64-bit then you can go back and clean install the 32-bit, or vice-versa. Yes, it excludes the unlikely desire to have dual boot setup, but it answers the original question bang-on. Congratulations for unearthing that bit of boilerplate, and I expect that it is the sort of thing that may be of great interest to any number of users. Well done!

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Peter / Dave:

I got so freaked out in all this that I decided to install the 32-bit first, since I know what to expect there. Then I can image that, and then try the 64-bit to see what happens.

Thanks,
Chuck

Chuck Billow

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Peter / Dave:

I got so freaked out in all this that I decided to install the 32-bit first, since I know what to expect there. Then I can image that, and then try the 64-bit to see what happens.

Thanks,
Chuck

If I understand it correctly, the change in The Lounge includes a free 6-month subscription to the Windows Secrets newsletter, and if you have received the latest edition (Nov 19) you will find an excellent article by Ian ‘Gizmo’ Richards titled Should you move to 64-bit Windows 7?. That will tell you more than I possibly can, although I think it may leave one thing out, which is the matter of security. (As I understand it, 64-bit is far more secure than 32-bit.) As the article points out, there is an increasing number of, but still very few, 64-bit applications, especially for ordinary use. Office 2007, including Visio and Project, is entirely 32-bit, and as Gizmo explains it, you may actually take a small performance hit when running 32-bit programs under 64-bit Windows. Office 10, which has just gone from preview to beta, will definitely be available in both 64- and 32-bit versions, but it may be some time in coming.

If you are looking for an inexpensive (but minor) performance aid, ReadyBoost (I can hear the groans as I write the word) seems to work better with Windows 7 than it did with Vista, although that may have been a matter of luck in my getting the right combination. Certain USB drives are labelled as being suitable, and they are a better bet than others, as this is a specialized application.

NOTE: The free newsletter subscription offer is item #6 in the message from Woody that is at the top of all messages at the home page in The Lounge. There is a tab for the unpaid version of it among the new tabs on the toolbar, but in order to get the full content, including the article I recommended, requires specific action on your part, so read what Woody has to say in detail. I am already a paid subscriber, but you apparently have to jump through some hoops to get it, and for this article alone it is worth the trouble.

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I tried flipping from 32 to 64 and I noticed there was no advantage in memory use for me since I only have 4GB of RAM and the video card uses 1 leaving 3 behind for the OS. However, when I copied files back to the C: drive from my backup drive it seemed that the large file copies were much faster than with the 32bit version. Anyone who actually has “scientifically” tested I/O performance between the 32 and 64 bit versions willing to chime in?

No issues with drivers and everything works like a champ. Maybe I’ll add some more memory to get the improvements there.

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This thread might have died down but I just found it. I’ll offer my 2 bits, 32 bits and 64 bits. I received Windows 7 and upgraded 32 bit Vista to 32 bit Windows 7. The process went smoothly and I used it that way for a couple of weeks. I then decided to go for the 64 bit. I had to do a clean install but the Files and Settings Transfer utility is a fantastic tool and really helps you with the change over. I re-activated the 64 bit version and it went through without a hitch.

Now, a word of advice on deciding whether to go to 64 bit. The best thing to do is ask yourself what you really, really want to use on your computer that requires a driver. What printer, scanner, web cam or device will you not be able to do without? For each one, go to the manufacture’s web site and see if they have 64 bit drivers for Windows 7 or at least for Vista. If you find them you are good to go. If you cannot find them, then you will not be able to run that device under 64 bit Windows 7.

Everything I wanted to use had drivers except one older printer at work. I considered if I wanted to go without printing to that one, said yes and haven’t looked back.

Having both versions in the box is a great opportunity to give 64 bit a try. Just do your homework on the devices you really want to have and make sure the drivers are available.

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I know I’m a little off topic at this point, but as far as the 32 vs 64 bit debate is concerned, all you have to do is look at the history of computing…4bit to 8bit to 16bit to 32bit and now 64bit. For me, anyway, 64bit’s a no brainer…on a new machine please, Santa!

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I installed W7-64 and it told me to buy new Hauppage TV drivers, It configured Samsung 300 printer and Xerox scanner under the XP mantle. When I ran into HDD problems I removed W7-64 and made a clean install of W7-32 using the same key. No problem. In fact the Hauppage TV drivers now work. I plan to install VirtualBox and put W7-64 into that until I am assured that the bugs have been ironed out. e.g. W7-32 with Virtualbox containing W7-64. As both versions of W7 will be on the same Desktop I expect to use the same key for both.

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I installed W7-64 and it told me to buy new Hauppage TV drivers, It configured Samsung 300 printer and Xerox scanner under the XP mantle. When I ran into HDD problems I removed W7-64 and made a clean install of W7-32 using the same key. No problem. In fact the Hauppage TV drivers now work. I plan to install VirtualBox and put W7-64 into that until I am assured that the bugs have been ironed out. e.g. W7-32 with Virtualbox containing W7-64. As both versions of W7 will be on the same Desktop I expect to use the same key for both.

Unless you have the family version of Win7 home premium or a volume license, it is a licensing violation to have more than one copy of win7 installed using the same key.

Joe

--Joe

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I got so freaked out in all this that I decided to install the 32-bit first, since I know what to expect there. Then I can image that, and then try the 64-bit to see what happens.

That’s a good compromise, but I hope you’ll try 64-bit.

if you have received the latest edition (Nov 19) you will find an excellent article by Ian ‘Gizmo’ Richards titled Should you move to 64-bit Windows 7?.

I read that article and found it unhelpful because it was inaccurate–at least for me.

I have a homebuilt 64-bit capable machine that was running 32-bit XP. I had tried x64 XP and found no drivers, so gave it up. In spite of that experience and Richards’ misleading article, when I upgraded to Win7 I tried x64. I expected at least some of my peripherals to quit working. After all, they were 3 years old from when I put the machine together, and why would Brother or Canon or Logitech develop x64 Win7 drivers for old hardware??

Turns out they did! And the drivers all installed right from Win7, I didn’t have to go to their website. OK, I did have to download the x64 drivers for my wireless keyboard and mouse…both from Microsoft! Oh, and an old USBSerial Port connector doesn’t have drivers…a $10 replacement.

That was with 2GB of RAM. After a week or two I added another 2GB for 4GB total, but don’t notice a difference. I’m really happy with both Win7 and x64 and won’t go back to 32-bit except when the hardware requires it. At work we’re going to be buying new computers with Win7 x64; we run memory-hungry numerical models which we’ll recompile to be true 64-bit and will start to take advantage of it.

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And the drivers all installed right from Win7, I didn’t have to go to their website. OK, I did have to download the x64 drivers for my wireless keyboard and mouse…both from Microsoft! Oh, and an old USBSerial Port connector doesn’t have drivers…a $10 replacement.

Glad to hear it was a success, but I think you will find that the drivers that came from Win 7 are generic drivers, which are welcome when available, but which may not have all the features of dedicated drivers that are supplied by the manufacturer. I suggest you check each manufacturer’s website to see if they have a Win 7 x64-specific driver for your equipment, and if so then give preference to that over the generic driver. In some cases there may be no difference, but some may have additional features that are welcome.

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Glad to hear it was a success, but I think you will find that the drivers that came from Win 7 are generic drivers, which are welcome when available, but which may not have all the features of dedicated drivers that are supplied by the manufacturer. I suggest you check each manufacturer’s website to see if they have a Win 7 x64-specific driver for your equipment, and if so then give preference to that over the generic driver. In some cases there may be no difference, but some may have additional features that are welcome.

Don’t you think it says a lot about the over-hyping of unique features when the generic driver works good enough for most people? I’m looking for discussion of the ‘new improved’ Paint. It has ticked me off one time too many. Bye-bye Paint!
It will join Internet Explorer, the Office Suite, just to name a few of the applications to join the scrap heap of over improved and now hard to use commercial software.
Look at Eclipse as IBM’s silent revenge.

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A couple of interesting articles on the subject from PC Pro, probably the only adequate UK PC monthly publication which still remains:

From May 2007 – “Microsoft has announced that Windows Server 2008 will be the last 32-bit system it releases, for servers or clients”

From August 2009 – Why bother with 64-bit Windows?

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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A couple of interesting articles on the subject from PC Pro, probably the only adequate UK PC monthly publication which still remains:

From May 2007 – “Microsoft has announced that Windows Server 2008 will be the last 32-bit system it releases, for servers or clients”

From August 2009 – Why bother with 64-bit Windows?

Thanks for the links to these articles. The second, of course, is most relevant to 99% of the members here. What I read confirms my decision to avoid opting for a 64-bit OS for several reasons:

[*]There is currently and doesn’t appear to be on the horizon anytime soon, software that is written specifically for 64-bit that I would personally use, i.e., “must have”. Consider also that such would run just fine on a 32-bit system.[*]The ability to utilize gobs of RAM isn’t all that it is touted to be. The vast majority of people would not see much, if any, difference in performance between running a 32-bit system with 4 gigs of RAM vs. a 64-bit system with 8 or 16 gigs of RAM. Really, who can detect a 15-20 nano second difference in a program launch? [*]The author failed to mention that many brand-name, off-the-shelf PC’s are built with basic components, i.e., many of the motherboards used in these units are not capable of handling large amounts of RAM.[*]Currently, there is a gap involved with hardware manufacturers upgrading drivers for their respective peripherals which means that some models are going to be unusable. Ironically, when Vista came out the vocal contingency decried Microsoft (not the peripheral manufacturers) because their favorite printer, scanner, etc., wasn’t compatible due to a lack of upgraded drivers. But now, it’s okay that the same is true with 64-bit?? [*]And lastly, I am estimating that by the time the rest of the PC world’s software and hardware manufacturers start offering products that can really take advantage of 64-bit architecture, either a) the majority of people are going to be looking to replace their current machine(s), and/or b) 128-bit architecture will be introduced thus creating this same situation.

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I’m using Win7 64bit Eval_Enterprise on 2G’s ram with a 1G readyboost and works fine even before adding the 1G drive, with the exception of XP mode had some hickups. Even my Lotus SmartSuite 9.7 works.

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I’m running Win 7 64bit and haven’t had any problem with drivers. One problem, the 32 bit version will run 8 bit applications, but there is no provision for this in the 64 bit version. I have the Pro with the XP on the virtual machine so it’s not really a problem for me but a nuisance.

I have noticed though, that almost all computers advertised by Office Max, Best Buy, etc are mostly offered with the 64 bit windows even if they only have 4G. We don’t have many suppliers here (Honolulu) so maybe it’s a local problem, but it look’s like if you want 32 bit Win 7, it may be hard to find on a new machine.

Bud

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I’m running with the 64 bit version and have no plans to ever go back to a 32 bit os.
Driver and software support for 64 bit has never been better now and will only improve as time goes on.

Drivers for peripherals like printers and scanners were hard to comebye when I first upgraded
a few months ago, but that could start to change realy fast, if it hasn’t started already.

Any apps that are less than 32 bit should rightfully die off and have no place as 64 bit becomes mainstream.

If you have 4 GBs of ram then you’ll likely be able to run just fine, but 6 to 8 is the sweet spot. Anything less than
4 GB would not be worth installing 64 bit imo. Likewise, anything much over 8 GB, for the average user would probably be a waste of
money as far as purchasing the extra memory goes. Not sure of the benefit just yet for the 12 to 24 GB memory range, other
than the bragging rights of some PC gamers.

If anyone has experience with 12-24 GBs of ram I’d like to hear about it.

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If you have the ability, the hardware and the Win 7 s/w, why would you limit yourself to 32 Bit? The wave of the future is 64 Bit. As time goes on 32 Bit will go the way of 16 Bit. Lets say you do install 32 Bit, then in 6 months want to switch to 64 Bit. You now have to clean install to 64 Bit and redo 6 months worth of customizing. What a drag. I have clean installed 5 different PC with Win 7. 2 were 32 Bit since the CPU did not support 64 Bit. The other 3 are 64 Bit. All 5 are working very well. The 64 Bit machines are churning along, running both 32 Bit and 64 Bit apps very well. Check ahead of time to ensure, and perhaps download all the drivers you will need for Win 7 onto a flash drive, then just go for it. Once you have loaded 64 Bit Win 7 check How to Geekto customize to your heart’s conrent.

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Wanna know whats funny about all this. Buy an OEM, same key activates 32 or 64. In fact there are not but 5 keys say like for a dell. Activation comes from a slic 2.1 bios, oem certificate and the product key. If you have an OEM you’ll find that certificate in System32OEM named similar to this OEM.xrm-ms

Paying for driver updates why? Thats what Google and lately I been using that Bing which may give Google a run for the money, seems fast here. Set Windows update to check for optional updates also and sometimes it will say it has some driver updates. Oem you can always download drivers and bios updates regardless

I’m running 64 with 6gb ram and won’t go back, every program I have runs on it. I’d expect if you using something that isn’t that popular then no there may not be updates.

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BTW: remember that if you are switching from 32 to 64, or viceversa, a clean install needs to be done. Can’t upgrade/downgrade from one to the other.

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