[DM-MUG] DMMUG Digest, Vol 71, Issue 5

[Matt Stanton]

All versions of windows that are 64bit are able to run 32bit programs.  
There is no emulation involved in the process, only some clever memory 
management whereby the 32bit program thinks there is only 2GB of ram 
available to address.  The process is called PAE, or Physical Address 
Extension.  Technically even 32bit versions of windows were able to 
address more than 4GB of memory, but Microsoft nerfed every version of 
32bit Windows except for some of the more expensive 32bit versions of 
Windows Server.  It appears to be an excuse to force people who want to 
buy more expensive computers with more RAM to also have to upgrade to a 
new version of Windows.  The vast majority of windows programs are still 
just 32bit.  I've seen some VoIP programs, Adobe Products, Internet 
Explorer, and a variety of open-source programs that are natively 64bit, 
but that is about it so far.  About 1/5th of the programs installed on 
my Windows 7 Ultimate x64 gaming computer are 64bit... the rest are 32bit.

You can upgrade Vista from Home to the higher versions.  I upgraded mine 
from Home Premium to Ultimate.  Unfortunately, He's right about going 
from 32-bit to 64bit... there is no upgrade path for that.  When I 
upgraded to 4GB of ram, I had to reinstall Windows Vista Ultimate x64 
from scratch.  At least the upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate x64 was able 
to be done without a full reinstall.  Most of the complaints about Vista 
upgrades were when going from XP to Vista... Vista introduced the need 
for all drivers to be digitally signed after going through a program 
Microsoft put in place for testing drivers.  It took a long time and a 
lot of money to go through the driver signature process, so many 
companies decided that they weren't going to support older hardware in 
Vista, forcing people to stay with XP or to give up on their old 
hardware.  Leaving hardware people shelled out a lot of money only a 
couple of years ago unsupported left a very sour taste in people's 
mouths on Vista.  Windows 7 requires the same driver signing that Vista 
does, but by the time 7 came out people weren't using that 'old' 
hardware anymore.

-- Matt

On 03/13/2011 12:42 PM, William Schoenenberger wrote:
> Ray,
>
> Basically, 32 bit operating is more or less what XP is. One 
> characteristic is that there is a limit of 4G for RAM that can be 
> recognized by the XP.
>
> 64 bit version allows the operating system to see and use RAM larger 
> than 4G which means a lot for video and speed (there is a definite 
> speed uptick with 64bit even with 4G of RAM.
>
> Windows 7 unlike its predecessor, Vista, can be upgraded from Home, to 
> Professional and beyond by adding or upgrading  what you need instead 
> of doing a complete reinstall but, if I recall correctly, you cannot 
> go from 32bit to 64bit without a new install.  You need Professional 
> and above to work in an Active Directory environment (usually at an 
> office) or add what is needed.
>
> One other factor is to get most impact out of 64bit Windows 7, the 
> applications (Office, etc.) should also be 64bit. It is not necessary 
> but it makes a difference. 64bit W7 has a 32bit emulator (I am not 
> sure if the Home 64bit has this, but the Professional and above does).
>
> Microsoft will state on their site that all you need is 1G of RAM for 
> XP, Vista, or W7. I could use a barnyard epitaph here, but if you want 
> a functioning computer it should have 4g, you can get by with 2G. But 
> there is a performance difference between 2 and 4. Anything less than 
> 2G is a waste of computer and your time.
>
> I have Windows 7 running under VMWare on a MacBook Pro with 4G. I 
> allocate 2G to Windows 7 (Prof, 32Bit). It is ok for those tasks I 
> need it for, i.e. verifying created web pages using IE. Before I 
> retired, I ran Windows XP and 7 on an iMac under VMWare in an active 
> directory shop.
>
> William Schoenenberger
> Des Moines, IA
> wschoenenberger at gmail.com <mailto:wschoenenberger at gmail.com>
> Skype: schoenenwill
>

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