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But if you run the ninite installer again, it will automatically update those programs if they are behind.

Also, there is allmyapps.com that will install and keep your apps up to date. It really doesn’t work too well under Windows 8, which is what I’m running (and if I get my butt in gear, for not too much longer…), constantly stalling on my system for some updates. It also scans your other installed programs (although it doesn’t find them ALL, curiously, it never saw my text editor UltraEdit) and works to keep them updated, although some I disabled it from looking for scans, the programs themselves were sufficient (CDBurnerXP for instance).

When I get Windows 7 reinstalled on this machine, I will definitely be giving it another try.

the x64 version has proven very unstable in my experience.

It’s not been my experience. It’s been quite the solid performer.

As Woody pointed out, the scanner was the deal-breaker. It would not work under x64. All my problems, including hangs while the x32 programs tried to figure out the difference between Program Files and Program Files (x86), resulted from the 64-bit OS.

I haven’t had an issue with any 32-bit program dealing with which subdirectory it’s in. Considering that some installers allow you to place the program directory anywhere you want it, it sounds like if they are having issues, they’re hard coded and poorly written then. But I also understand if it’s one of those must have programs.

The only issues I’ve run into are the fact that Palm refuses to release a 64-bit USB driver for their old Palm PDAs, a real pain in the butt. It can be got around by using a BlueTooth connection, but if you change much on your memory card, instead of taking five minutes to sync, you’re looking at an hour. And you can’t charge via USB any more, Windows refuses to just ignore the connection. It’s minor, but I don’t like Palm giving me the big Frak You! on this. I love my Palm, but I really hate the company nowadays. The other problem is that the environment changes when you start cmd.exe from Explorer, and when a 32-bit program (a portable menu program) starts cmd.exe, all in using batch files. Which is rather weird because of course cmd.exe will run a 64-bit program in either case, but finding that 64-bit program practically makes you hard code it. Which works, because even running it under 32-bit, as long as it’s installed in the default place, it will find it.

Windows 7 Home, Pro and Ultimate actually support 4GB of RAM out of the box with a 32bit installation. Hence there is no need to purchase a 64bit version unless you need more than 4GB RAM

For more http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_7

Somebody needs to define “support”. My laptop that had 4GB (that I bricked right before RTM came out…) only was showing 3.5 GB available (and actually more like 3.25) with the RC 32-bit. 4GB is all you get with 32-bit since you other peripherals use some of that memory as well (video…), although you can use PAE if supported on the hardware and do bank switching, which was used in 2003 32-bit, but that is certainly not true for Windows 7 32-bit. But in this case, I would say that it supports 82% of your memory. It’s better than just running 3GB, but you’re wasting over half of that added gig for nothing.

I build my own computers, getting exactly what I want. My Quad core system is a bit old, three years old. I really can’t complain about it. Then again, I’ve upgraded it to six gigs of memory, and 3 TB of disk space. The 20″ CRT crapped out two years ago, so now I’ve got a 20″ 1600×1200 screen, and another smaller screen has become my second monitor. The only thing I’m even remotely thinking about upgrading is my video card, and that’s only so that I can run the @home programs on it. I had no idea that 256 megs would be considered too small for running them three years ago, but then they weren’t something that was on the horizon anyway.

A new computer would be using those same monitors. The same hard drives as well. I would use the same keyboard, a Microsoft 4000 (already on the fourth iteration with it, the cats can’t seem to be able to avoid throwing up on them!) and the same trackball, a Microsoft Trackball Explorer (selling for more used on Ebay than they were available new…). I’ve been pounding the trackball or one like it for over 15 years know, and Microsoft curved keyboards for even longer. I know what I like. And I’m already doing good to keep under the 250GB cap that Comcast has, so upgrading the speed on that is worthless.

My next desktop will be at least a Sandy Bridge. I expect to have USB 3, SATA 3 (to go with the SSD that I’ll probably be booting off of), and possibly even PCI 3.0. So I’m probably not even looking at a new one next year, but 2012 at the earliest.

Tablets?

I’m not convinced. The walled garden otherwise known as Apple turns me off. Capricious, and I really don’t want anybody telling me what I can or can’t run on my hardware. Lack of a decent keyboard is an issue. I’m using a Garmin Nuviphone now, and I’ve had it with it’s pitiful on screen keyboard. Getting something that runs Android just so that I can use Graffiti sounds better to me. I’m a Palm III and TX user (my wife convinced me to upgrade after she’d been using her TX for years, and they would most likely be disappearing after Web OS was announced…) and am proficient with it. Keyboards are still the fastest for me. Better ways for input have to be found. Graffiti isn’t it, it’s still too steep of a learning curve for most people.

All I really expect my laptop to do is browse the Internet, and if I need to do anything much more strenuous, I just need to be able to connect to my desktop with RDP and still do what I want on my laptop.

Then there’s the issue of whether to trust the cloud or not. My biggest use of the cloud is using Gmail for all my email. Which is problematic when it goes down, which has happened on more than one occasion. But I can check mail at a friends, the library or any thing else with a browser.

I’ve had this happen to me. And my machine certainly wasn’t compromised. It’s a pain, but it will stop at some point. I’ve seen spam addressed to an address that I lost over a decade ago (because they didn’t BCC, you could see the whole list it was sending to, it was in alpha order, and my user name was the same, just different domain), so once an email address is in the system, it’s in the system.

On that you can rely, of this you can be sure: new operating systems are bedlam in the driver department.

I refuse to buy HP printers today, especially the multifunciton printers. I installed drivers for a wireless HP all-in-one. On a laptop that wasn’t too fast either (mostly in the HD department…). I wasn’t happy after 15 minutes it finally uncompressed what it was trying to install, then the 3 minutes it took to install, and then another 15 minutes to decompress the next part. About an hour later, it had finally finished! It takes me 10 minutes to install everything for my Epson Artisan 800.