How do I research Vista 64 ?

[Warren]

I'm thinking of purchasing the HP Pavilion HDX "Dragon" with Vista Ultimate
64 installed to realize the maximum potential of the hardware. I'm assumimg
the computer itself will work well, but how do I research comptability with
software applications and peripheral hardware like routers, printers,
scanners ? How well does 32 bit software run on a 64 bit operating system,
or is it trial and error ?

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I'm thinking of purchasing the HP Pavilion HDX "Dragon" with Vista
Ultimate
64 installed to realize the maximum potential of the hardware. I'm
assumimg
the computer itself will work well, but how do I research comptability
with
software applications and peripheral hardware like routers, printers,
scanners ? How well does 32 bit software run on a 64 bit operating
system,
or is it trial and error ?

The best way to research it is to go to manufacturer websites and look for
Vista 64 drivers and compatible software.

Vista 32 runs fine and is eminently more compatible with everything.

An example of a hidden brickbat.. Outlook 2007 has the ability to send items
to OneNote, a useful feature for archiving mail. I use it a great deal.
Unfortunately, there is no 64bit driver for this function. It only works in
32bit, and Microsoft have no plans to change it until the next release of MS
Office. Personally, I would rather have the function than maybe a bit more
speed while booting up. Who cares about a few seconds extra anyway.

You may well find other functions are not available in 64bit guise.
Generally, installing 64bit is not a problem re the hardware in the case. It
is the bits that are installed after which become a problem.

If you are intending to run a 64bit mission critical application, you have
little choice, but if the computer is for general use, stay with 32bit for
now..

 

[Warren]

Thanks for the advice.

The best way to research it is to go to manufacturer websites and look for
Vista 64 drivers and compatible software.

Vista 32 runs fine and is eminently more compatible with everything.

An example of a hidden brickbat.. Outlook 2007 has the ability to send items
to OneNote, a useful feature for archiving mail. I use it a great deal.
Unfortunately, there is no 64bit driver for this function. It only works in
32bit, and Microsoft have no plans to change it until the next release of MS
Office. Personally, I would rather have the function than maybe a bit more
speed while booting up. Who cares about a few seconds extra anyway.

You may well find other functions are not available in 64bit guise.
Generally, installing 64bit is not a problem re the hardware in the case. It
is the bits that are installed after which become a problem.

If you are intending to run a 64bit mission critical application, you have
little choice, but if the computer is for general use, stay with 32bit for
now..

 

[Richard G. Harper]

Frankly, unless you need 64-bit support (for 64-bit programs, or to support
more than 4gb of RAM) you are better off sticking with 32-bit Windows for
now. Not all hardware manufacturers are rolling out 64-bit drivers yet. HP
is one of the better OEMs for 64-bit support but you could wind up limiting
your choices of peripheral devices like printers, scanners, and so on.

 

[Warren]

Thanks for the advice.