Watch out for 64-bit Vista on that new PC
If you are buying a new PC this holiday season, be aware that many systems are apparently being sold with the 64-bit version of Vista. I haven’t been out checking the stores to see if it is a widespread practice but PCMag says:
If you’re buying a computer this holiday season, you’re very likely to end up with Windows Vista. Not just any version of Vista, a 64-bit version. For most people, that’s actually good news because of better memory use and potentially improved performance. But it can cause a problem with certain applications.
The article goes on:
When Vista first came out, nearly every retail system on the market ran the 32-bit version. But that’s changed in recent months, and walking through a few retail stores in the last few days, I saw mostly 64-bit versions, especially on systems with 4GB of memory. Why? Because the 32-bit version only supports a maximum of 4GB of addressable memory, and some of that space needs to go to the system BIOS and the memory for your graphics card. So on a 32-bit system, much of the memory above 3GB doesn’t get used. Since the price of memory has fallen dramatically – the wholesale price of a Gigabyte of memory has fallen to under $10, less than half of what it was a year ago – system builders are now including more memory. I’ve seen 4, 6, and even 8 GB systems on the retail shelves.
I have a 64-bit version of Vista and for the most part, I have had no trouble with software. The 64-bit system handles most 32-bit software just fine. I did have to buy a new version of Adobe Dreamweaver and my Taxcut tax program had a little trouble getting installed. Also, I haven’t tried using any older peripherals except one old HP 5550 printer that wouldn’t work and I suspect some other old peripherals might be a problem. But then, some older peripherals won’t work in any version of Vista.
From my personal experience and from what I read, most average home PC users should probably be OK with a 64-bit system. And it is a very stable and safer operating system. However, you should be aware that some older software and hardware may not work. Even some new software that works in 32-bit Vista can’t run in 64-bit versions. When buying software for a 64-bit system, be sure to check if it is compatible with 64-bit Vista. Also make sure there are 64-bit drivers for any hardware you want to add.
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