Windows 7 x64


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I'm thinking about upgrading my current system and running x64 due to the increased RAM it supports. What type of problems could I run into running a 64bit OS as far as programs/drivers?

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Frankly, if your system already supports a 64-bit OS, you're unlikely to encounter many problems. x64 Windows runs 32 bit apps well, and I have yet to encounter driver issues.

Given that you didn't list any of your system specs (or what upgrades you're planning), it's impossible to say for sure, but I'd be surprised if you hit any serious roadblocks.

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Here's what I'm looking at for a CPU:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processo

Possibly this board, depending on what case I go with:

Intel BOXDG45ID LGA 775 Intel G45 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

and 6GB of RAM

As for apps:

Canon DPP

Canon ZoomBrowser

Photoshop CS4

IE8/Fx

Notepad++

FileZilla

Office 2010 (x64 version)

Misc little apps for troubleshooting

Edited by Ogden2k
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I'm thinking about upgrading my current system and running x64 due to the increased RAM it supports. What type of problems could I run into running a 64bit OS as far as programs/drivers?

I ran into Zero problems-0-. With 8 GB of ram, It rocks.

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Im Running Windows 7 x64 alongside Photoshop CS4 & Office 2010 without any hiccups.

BTW Adobe installs both x64 & x86 versions of the software in Win 7. so go ahead an give it a spin.

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I just installed Windows 7 x64 and have had no problems. I like you was a bit hesitant but so far its been running great!!

I had a game that for whatever reason wouldn't run in Windows 7 x86 but it does run in Win 7 x64, so it actually helped in that respect. BTW it was a gameguard-protected game, Shaiya.

The only thing that is really significantly different is the fact that drivers must be signed. So far for me it runs most all 32bit apps I have installed just fine.

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One possible issue, though it's not x64-specific, is that if I recall correctly, the E8400 is one of the quad-cores that does NOT have hardware virtualization support.

That's only an issue if you plan to run virtual machines or the new XP Mode, so it may not be any kind of biggie for you.

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Here's what I'm looking at for a CPU:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processo

Possibly this board, depending on what case I go with:

Intel BOXDG45ID LGA 775 Intel G45 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

and 6GB of RAM

As for apps:

Canon DPP

Canon ZoomBrowser

Photoshop CS4

IE8/Fx

Notepad++

FileZilla

Office 2010 (x64 version)

Misc little apps for troubleshooting

Don't know the Canon apps, but the other soft- and hardware will run fine on Win7 x64 :cool:

One possible issue, though it's not x64-specific, is that if I recall correctly, the E8400 is one of the quad-cores

The E8400 is a dual core, not a quad core :no:

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As far as software goes, if you are in the habit of using very old games and programs you will run into some problems because 64-bit OSes cannot run 16-bit software at all; a lot of early programs were 16-bit (including everything that runs on DOS or Windows 3.x), and even in the Windows 9x era quite a few 32-bit programs used 16-bit installers (meaning you can't install them even though the programs themselves would work). Most of these can be run in Windows Virtual PC's XP Mode without any problems (for pure DOS programs, use DOSBox instead). 32-bit programs that have 16-bit installers can be installed in the VM and then moved out into the real OS if required. Very, very few fully 32-bit programs do not work on 64-bit, and in many cases this is due to overall Vista incompatibility or 32-bit-only DRM drivers or other such issues; it's not really something to worry about.

Driver support is really strong now. For very old hardware you may have to use the generic drivers (which won't always work correctly, and sometimes not at all) because no Vista and/or Vista x64 drivers exist, but any new device will work without any problems. While few hardware manufacturers have proper 7 drivers as yet, in most cases you can install the Vista drivers for a device without any problems (although you may need to set a Vista compatibility mode on the installer in order to do so), and this can be preferable to using the Windows 7 compatibility drivers found by Windows Update.

Any software or device that bears the "Certified for Windows Vista" logo is fully compatible with both architectures and will work identically on either; this includes any drivers (if applicable) and all functionality. If something has that logo you're all set.

EDIT: if you happen to use GameTap or Metaboli, be warned: 64-bit OSes are not supported. Their new DRM system does support 64-bit so compatibility is being experimented with on selected titles, but the work has only just begun and it will probably take them many months to make their entire catalogues compatible.

Edited by Arkose
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One possible issue, though it's not x64-specific, is that if I recall correctly, the E8400 is one of the quad-cores that does NOT have hardware virtualization support.

That's only an issue if you plan to run virtual machines or the new XP Mode, so it may not be any kind of biggie for you.

No and No !

E8400 is dual core and has Intel VT

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No and No !

E8400 is dual core and has Intel VT

Indeed it does. Note that VT must be enabled in the BIOS in order to function and be correctly detected by VMs; "enthusiast"-targeted motherboards will probably have it enabled by default (mine did), but this won't necessarily apply in all cases.

The E8200 has the same feature set, by the way, if you're looking to save a small bit of cash.

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using the E8400 @ 3.0-3.906 + 8GB ram on 7127 x64 and 7100 x64 on a different hdd.

quite stable - some minor issues when installing some software but otherwise trouble free.

disabled the M$ firewall, Bitdefender, Security center and useless services, using MPC home cinema instead of WMP.

using third party x64 software for security - after all Black Hats love to use Windows as worm farms.... (Hackeurs sans Frontieres)

dumped the XP mode, using Vmware with Ram machines.

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I have been running x64 Vista since Vista's launch, and now I'm running x64 7 on a notebook and desktop. I have never had a driver issue.

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