Vista 32-bit vs. 64 bit

[Guest]

Thanks to you and Dana.

My only doubt with that option is:
May I buy a laptop "free" of OS? Seems impossible from internet and in usual
big retailers, like Best Buy or Circuit City (they just give you a package,
have no clue what is inside). Are there really "person to person", laptop
retailers?

 

[Guest]

"> I am assuming that are in the USA if so I have just had a look at

www.sony.com and both the FZ models are discontinued. I do however agree with
you that the CPU is 64 bit as I just looked it up on my dealers price list.
There is something strange going on with the people you are dealing with."

Yes and yes: I am in the USA, and I am dealing with strange people

Do not pay attention to the "discontinued". The computer was just released
a week ago or so. I was told by them that the "model no longer available"
display in the webpage is a mistake they will have fixed by tomorrow. They
even proposed me to call me tomorrow if I was interested in going ahead with
the purchase.

But regarding the 32/64bit issue with the processor, that was incredible.
That's when I get depressed, because then you realize that, basically, you
are in who knows whose hands and that it doesn't matter how hard you try to
get informed about what you are purchasing and what you need or don't need,
you are just talking to human voice machines. They stick to some sort of
"answer manual" and there is no way you may "interact".

 

[Guest]

Hi Catenccio,

If you must buy online have you tried Dell yet. They have a pretty good name
out here ( Australia ) for their computers. Standby I will try to get some
more info for you.

 

[Guest]

Maybe you should send thses clowns that call themselves dealers this link.
it might help them if they knew what they were selling.

http://www.intel.com/distributed/modules/sitelets/centrinoduo_spec.htm

 

[DanS]

It was, Bob, thank you again.

What it was not helpful at all was talking to Sony over the phone. I
called them to know what I could expect to get with my computer
(Recovery CDs? Original OS?), and if there was a difference buying a
computer with a version of Vista or the other. The guy who talked to
me on the phone ("Paul") told me that you get only the pre-installed
OS (you may create your own recovery CD).

But then it came the annoying thing: I explained to him that, since
the computer came with a 64-bit processor, I would like to have a
64-bit OS and if there was something that they could do about it. The
guy then tells me that the computers comes with a 32-bit processor. I
tell him: "No, it's a 64bit", and he, again, says: "No sir, it's a
32-bit processor, I am 100% sure about it". I thought he was looking
at the wrong model, so I clarified him that I was interested in a Vaio
FZ190, with a Intel Cetrino Core 2 Duo T 7300, that was a Santa Rosa
Intel, and that was a 64-bit (I have been reading about this god damn
Santa Rosa thing for months and now the guy says to me that it's a
32-bit processor???). But the guy just laughed at me and insisted that
it was a 32-bit processor, that they did not produce Vaios with 64-bit
processors and that they were not planning to do so in this year.

But if you go to google and try Vaio FZ190, the first thing you read
is that Sony has released its first 64-bit laptop... It's all over the
web.

I am really disappointed by such a poor sales service. At the end of
the day, you cannot never be sure what the heck you are buying.

I'd probably rate that sales 'service' as typical.

I do remember a thread, not sure if it was in this group or in an XP
group, where a Linux user was able to get a refund from Dell for the cost
of the MS OS that they were forced to buy, which was immediately wiped
and had whatever disro installed on it.

(I know you're NOT looking at Dell, but here's some links anyway. Maybe
they can do some good for other people.))

http://www.thealternative.ch/tiki-index.php?page=Software-Refund-en
http://community.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/01/03/227237&from=rss

This should be an option anyway.

 

[DanS]

=?Utf-8?B?Q2F0ZW5hY2Npbw==?= <[email protected]>
wrote in
Please note that in my first response to you post, I was thinking that if
you could get a refund for the version of Vista you don't want but were
forced to buy, depending on the amount, you could apply that to purchasing
the retail version of Vista x64.

I was in no way advocating switching to any 'alternative' OS.

The one article in the links I posted said his refund was $43 euro, which
roughly jive's to $86 US.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

"I assume that if I order it with a Ultimate,..."
That assumption can lead to disappointment since there is no
requirement that OEMs do so.

There is no correlation what so ever between what is included in OEM
and retail.
OEM are completely different.
Think of OEM as manufacturer, sold and supported by the seller with
Microsoft having no part of it.

And assuming a sales rep tells you 64 bit is included, verify you
actually have the media for 32 bit and 64 bit immediately upon receipt
to verify you get what expected.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar
http://www.dts-l.org

 

[Guest]

Hi Catenaccio Once Again lolol

I have just had a look at the Dell ( Australia ) site and even though they
don't have the T7300 chip as yet I'm sure they would have in the USA. I also
noticed that they sell the genuine Vista ( Basic, Home premium or Ultimate )
and not the OEM version. Like Dan said I think you should at least give dell
a tryout and see what they are like. You haven't parted with you hard earned
yet so you have nothing to lose.
Anyway, if you would like to continue this topic or ask other questions I
might be able to help you with my email addy is (e-mail address removed)

 

[Kevin]

HP DV9225US, more bang for the buck than I ever expected. It came pre
loaded with 64Bit Vista Ultimate. I've been running problem free since
February. It's an AWESOME machine.

 

[Harvested]

It doesn't matter which provider I choose (Sony, HP, Acer, etc.), when it
comes down to the selection of a Vista Version, no matter which one (Basic,
Home Premium, even Ultimate, according to HP), they are all 32-bit, which I
find a little bit silly, since the processor and accessories are 64-bit.

I thought this same thing, when I bought my HP dv9000. I custom
configured it with all the goodies. In Feb. when I pre-ordered it, HP
wasn't saying anything about which OS they would include. I assumed
it would be the 32-bit. I was wrong.

At first I was thrilled to get the 64-bit version. Now I'm not so
sure. There was no 32-bit version included. I have no OS discs, only
restore discs.

HP did ensure that all the components on the laptop worked and had
appropriate 64-bit drivers. No complaints there.

The same cannot be said for the rest of my equipment and software -
printer, external hard drives, etc. 64-bit support is very slow in
coming. The manufacturers and developers of a lot of my stuff do
*not* plan to support 64-bit, due to the extra work and low number of
users.

The manufacturers and developers of a lot of my stuff do *not* plan
to support 64-bit, due to the extra work and low number of users. Yes,
I repeated that sentence. It's very important.

I've written all of the them pleading for 64-bit support. I hope
others do the same, so that they see there is a 64-bit user base out
there

That said, most things work with existing software and drivers, but
there are an annoying number of things that do not: Retrospect Backup,
DiskMon are a couple off the top of my head. Others aren't fully
functional.

The real benefits of 64-bit computing have turned out to be things
that I may or may not benefit from. For sure I won't be able to take
advantage of the support for the larger amount of memory, as my laptop
doesn't support it.

For me the disadvantages of 64-bit computing far excel the benefits of
it. If I had it to do over again and had the choice, I'd go for
32-bit. This may change down the road. However, I expect by the time
there is full 64-bit support, I'll be looking for a new laptop.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

"I've written all of the them pleading..."
One more thing you should do.
If you do replace any of your hardware or software with 64 bit
compatible, write to the same manufacturers that ignored you before.
Explain what you bought and why you bought from a competitor.
$ slowly trickling away may get some of their attention.
While this does not help you directly now, it may help others and
possibly you in the future.

 

[Dana Cline - MVP]

Not that I've ever seen, but supposedly you can pressure the manufacturers
to give you a discount since you won't be using their version of the OS.
I've heard of it happening once or twice. And supposedly Dell will be
shipping systems with Linux, but I have no ida if it'll be a laptop or
desktop.

Dana Cline - MCE MVP

 

[Dana Cline - MVP]

I doubt you could get major OEMs to install your new Vista for you, but at
local places like Circuit City or Best Buy they would, for a fee. You'd be
better off doing it yourself - it's pretty easy and you'll learn more that
way <g>. Just make sure you burn a set of the OEM's "recovery discs" before
you start.

One thing to do for research - once you've picked a laptop, visit the
manufacturer's web site and make sure you can get all the Vista drivers (32
or 64) for the included hardware. Download them, copy to a USB flash drive.
Then once you install Vista, stick the flash drive in, install all the
device drivers, and you're good to go...

Dana Cline - MCE MVP

 

[Dana Cline - MVP]

From what I hear, this is typical of Sony, and one more reason I'll not buy
their products of any kind...

Plus, for a Windows compatible computer, Sonys are about as incompatible as
you can get...

Dana Cline - MCE MVP

 

[Guest]

Hi Jupiter,

That's a good point you make there. My favourite line I email to people
companies that don't support something I have whether it be for computers or
something else is "So you guys are making so much money that you don't want
mine or anyone elses with the same needs?"

 

[Guest]

I agree with you Dana. I wiped my HP9200 PAVILION and installed 64 bit
Ultimate. I have not had a single problem and have the drivers I need. Funny
enough, the only program I had on my computer that has a conflict is MS's own
OneCare.

Glad I chaged to 64bit.

JERRY

 

[Guest]

I would say that's too much work, just go to your local computer parts store
and ask them to make a rig for you.
It will be made for you, you always get the cd, and they give you a
warranty, plus you get the actual manufacturer's warranty for each individual
part.

 

[Guest]

this is absolutely the case.
i am in warranty support.
the only os supported is that which shipped, or was upgraded by the
manufacturor.

 

[Guest]

I am about to by a new laptop. It will be equipped with the new Intel Santa
Rosa, 2GB RAM, the new Nvidia 8400 and so on. But then I run into the
following problem:

It doesn't matter which provider I choose (Sony, HP, Acer, etc.), when it
comes down to the selection of a Vista Version, no matter which one (Basic,
Home Premium, even Ultimate, according to HP), they are all 32-bit, which I
find a little bit silly, since the processor and accessories are 64-bit.

I thought that if I bought a Vista, both versions would be anyway available,
the 32-bit and the 64-bit. But then I found out that, apparently, that's not
the case. I surfed the Vista site, and I am still confused. It seems that
maybe the Ultimate version has a DVD available (64-bit media), but I am not
sure if that means that the Ultimate comes with the two Windows versions, or
just that it comes with a media DVD of 64-bit.

So, my question would be:

If I really want to have my new laptop with a 64-bit Vista, do I have to
wait until the computer manufacturers decide to put a 64-bit Vista on it, or
if I buy one of the 32-bit options (Home Premium or Ultimate) then I would be
able to upgrade the OS without having to re-purchase a new Vista?

 

[huwyngr]

the only os supported is that which shipped, or was upgraded by the 
manufacturor.

I'm sure that may be true for the company you work for but it is not
generally true and of course it depends on what you mean by "supported".

HP for example make it quite clear that changing the OS will not invalidate
the warranty on a computer (nor will using non-HP inks on one of their
printers except to the extent that you ask them to repair damage caused by
this).

What they say about the warranty on a PC is that it is still valid, eg they
will replace the hard drive, but they will return it to you in factory
condition ie with the shipped OS and applications on it.

Tiberius was writing in the context:

make sure that IF you decide to install the 64 bit version, your warrantee 
will not be VOID!

and his caution is correct but the warranty may well be perfectly valid.