Win 7 x86 v/s 64 bit? And Taskmanager question.

[Demmi_Shaihi]

Control panel shows my windows is a 64 bit OS. What exactly does this
mean? It processes data in 64 bit chunks instead of 32 bit? Does it
make a system faster? Do you have to have a different processor for
it to run a 64 bit OS? I have a computer with Vista that I'd like
to upgrade to Win 7. Does it matter if I buy a 64 bit version - or do
you just by Windows 7 and it is all the same xxBit?

Also my hard drive show 2 directories -< Program Files> and
<Program Files (x86)>. Do I have duplicate files of most of my
programs in both 32 bit and 64 bit just wasting space?

I really don't understand XX BIT terms everyone throws around.
For example one encryption program touts 64 bit encryption. What
advantage does that give me?

I do have a basic understanding of bits making up bytes and serial vs
parallel processing. So if anyone can help me get a better handle on
this - an understanding, no just what I can read on Wikipedia - I
would be very happy and thankful.


QUESTION 2:
In the past when I ran TASK MANAGER, I could choose from several tabs
at the top of the screen. I could see graphs and a whole lot of
other info. Now all I get is one screen on the TASK MANAGER and no
chooses or other tabs to select.
All that is displayed is one screen showing
Image Name: User Name : CPU : Memory : Description
and at that bottom of the Window is a button to SHOW PROCESSES FROM
ALL USERS or END PROCESSES.
If the program was broken - corrupted or whatever, I would think that
it wouldn't run at all or it would just crash when I tried to run it.
So I'm thinking maybe I made a selection that keeps the other data
from showing or keeps me from being able to select other data. I
have no idea. I don't know when the problem first occurred or if
installed/deleted anything that may have caused the problem.
If someone can help me with this, I would be very happy.
Maybe I can copy the Task Manager program from another one of my
computers and just copy over the "broken" program? That seems too
easy. Help.


Thank you in advance.


Demmi Shaihi

 

[Man-wai Chang]

<Program Files (x86)>. Do I have duplicate files of most of my
programs in both 32 bit and 64 bit just wasting space?

If you want more than 4G RAM, then you need 64-bit Window$. YOu can
still run 32-bit programs! You can't run 16-bit programs directly
with 64-bit Win 7.

QUESTION 2:
In the past when I ran TASK MANAGER, I could choose from several tabs
at the top of the screen. I could see graphs and a whole lot of
other info. Now all I get is one screen on the TASK MANAGER and no
chooses or other tabs to select.
All that is displayed is one screen showing
Image Name: User Name : CPU : Memory : Description
and at that bottom of the Window is a button to SHOW PROCESSES FROM
ALL USERS or END PROCESSES.

Are you using a legitimate version of Win 7? Or one from torrent?

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[Yousuf Khan]

Control panel shows my windows is a 64 bit OS. What exactly does this
mean? It processes data in 64 bit chunks instead of 32 bit? Does it
make a system faster? Do you have to have a different processor for
it to run a 64 bit OS? I have a computer with Vista that I'd like
to upgrade to Win 7. Does it matter if I buy a 64 bit version - or do
you just by Windows 7 and it is all the same xxBit?

Yes, basically data is processed in 64-bit chunks rather than 32-bit.
The main advantage of 64-bit over 32-bit the ability to use more memory.
A 32-bit computer can only access upto 4GB of memory normally, while a
64-bit computer is theoretically able to access upto 16 Exabytes, which
is over 4 billion times larger!

Does it make the system faster? Sometimes, not always. Most systems are
limited by the speed of their hard disks, and hard disks don't care if
you have 32-bit or 64-bit, they will go along as slowly as they like no
matter what.

Do you have to have a different processor for it to run a 64 bit OS? No,
most processors are capable of running both 32-bit and 64-bit at the
same time these days. You'd have to have a really old processor
(pre-2003 vintage) to not be able to run 64-bit programs.

If you want to upgrade your 64-bit Vista to Windows 7, then you will
need a 64-bit Windows 7. If you had a 32-bit Vista, then you'd have
needed a 32-bit Win 7 too. You can also upgrade from a 32-bit to a
64-bit version, but you will have to reinstall all of you applications
from scratch, and backup your data, as the boot partition gets erased
during this type of install.

Also my hard drive show 2 directories -< Program Files> and
<Program Files (x86)>. Do I have duplicate files of most of my
programs in both 32 bit and 64 bit just wasting space?

No, a 64-bit OS is able to run all of its 64-bit programs and also the
32-bit programs (without requiring a separate 32-bit OS). It just keeps
the 32-bit programs in the "program files (x86)" while it keeps its own
64-bit programs in the "program files" directory. The two program files
folders hold different types of programs. There should be no duplication
between them.

I really don't understand XX BIT terms everyone throws around.
For example one encryption program touts 64 bit encryption. What
advantage does that give me?

Don't know, just go with it. No reason to worry about it.

QUESTION 2:
In the past when I ran TASK MANAGER, I could choose from several tabs
at the top of the screen. I could see graphs and a whole lot of
other info. Now all I get is one screen on the TASK MANAGER and no
chooses or other tabs to select.
All that is displayed is one screen showing
Image Name: User Name : CPU : Memory : Description
and at that bottom of the Window is a button to SHOW PROCESSES FROM
ALL USERS or END PROCESSES.
If the program was broken - corrupted or whatever, I would think that
it wouldn't run at all or it would just crash when I tried to run it.
So I'm thinking maybe I made a selection that keeps the other data
from showing or keeps me from being able to select other data. I
have no idea. I don't know when the problem first occurred or if
installed/deleted anything that may have caused the problem.
If someone can help me with this, I would be very happy.
Maybe I can copy the Task Manager program from another one of my
computers and just copy over the "broken" program? That seems too
easy. Help.

You're probably running in "small footprint" mode on the task manager.
Just double-click somewhere along its border to get it back to normal.

Task Manager tabs and menu are missing?
http://www.winxptutor.com/taskmgr.htm

Yousuf Khan

 

[DK]

Control panel shows my windows is a 64 bit OS. What exactly does this
mean? It processes data in 64 bit chunks instead of 32 bit?

It's internal architechture is 64-bit "wide" (uses 2^64 arrays).
Just different way of building things and the one that allows
for things bigger than 32- or 16-bit. Unfortunately, it also
means there is an downward incompatibility - if you natively
see a 49 colors, describing the world to someone who only
sees 7 colors will take special effort.

Does it
make a system faster?

Other things being equal - no. But in the long run things
become large and 64-bit can work better for many large
things.

Do you have to have a different processor for
it to run a 64 bit OS?

To an extent. The processor has to understand 64-bit world.
Which does not mean that it cannot understand 32-bits
equally well.

I have a computer with Vista that I'd like
to upgrade to Win 7. Does it matter if I buy a 64 bit version - or do
you just by Windows 7 and it is all the same xxBit?

It matters for the kind of programs you can easily run and
hardware you can use. If your Vista was 64-bit and you are
happy, definitely buiy 64-bit Win7. Otherwise, do research
and see where your priorities are.

Also my hard drive show 2 directories -< Program Files> and
<Program Files (x86)>. Do I have duplicate files of most of my
programs in both 32 bit and 64 bit just wasting space?

No. x86 is for backward compatibility, not duplication.

I really don't understand XX BIT terms everyone throws around.
For example one encryption program touts 64 bit encryption. What
advantage does that give me?

That's completely different from the OS question you asked above.
64 encription is a size of encryption key. 2^64 (2 to the power of 64)
is a large number of possibilities - much larger than, say, 2^32. Today,
anything below 128-bit encryption is not considered "safe".

QUESTION 2:
In the past when I ran TASK MANAGER, I could choose from several tabs
at the top of the screen. I could see graphs and a whole lot of
other info. Now all I get is one screen on the TASK MANAGER and no
chooses or other tabs to select.

Double click on the Task Manager's "window frame" and tabs will come back.

Dk

 

[John Doe]

You're probably running in "small footprint" mode on the task
manager. Just double-click somewhere along its border to get it
back to normal.

I didn't know that, works in XP too.

Then again, until recently learning this here, I didn't know that
control + alt + escape shows Task Manager.

 

[Demmi_Shaihi]

If you want more than 4G RAM, then you need 64-bit Window$. YOu can

still run 32-bit programs! You can't run 16-bit programs directly
with 64-bit Win 7.

Thanks, but can a 64 bit version be installed on any computer or does
it have to (i don't know) be a 64 bit computer?

Are you using a legitimate version of Win 7? Or one from torrent?

It is an OEM version and since it gets frequent updates and has passed
that version check program I once downloaded, I assume it is legit.

However in the interm, while pondering over the problem, I thought,
"What will these people tell me to do?" and so thinking I clicked on
the top of the Task manager window and bam! back to normal. I'm still
trying to figure out how I minimized it.
No doubt one of the posted messages will tell me what I did and how to
fix it.

(e-mail address removed)

 

[Demmi_Shaihi]

If you want to upgrade your 64-bit Vista to Windows 7, then you will

need a 64-bit Windows 7. If you had a 32-bit Vista, then you'd have
needed a 32-bit Win 7 too. You can also upgrade from a 32-bit to a
64-bit version, but you will have to reinstall all of you applications
from scratch, and backup your data, as the boot partition gets erased
during this type of install.

Thanks for the help.
It shouldn't matter as for reinstalling stuff as the system I plan to
update is running crippled due to a virus/malware attack and my
repair.

You're probably running in "small footprint" mode on the task manager.
Just double-click somewhere along its border to get it back to normal.

Thank you, right on the mark. I don't know how I put it into the
small ft prn but that did seem to be the case. Thanks for the help
and the reply.

(e-mail address removed)

 

[Demmi_Shaihi]

I didn't know that, works in XP too.

Then again, until recently learning this here, I didn't know that
control + alt + escape shows Task Manager.

I didn't know that. I'm use to hitting CTRL ALT DEL and just
selecting TASK MANAGER. I'll have to remember the KB Shortcut.

(e-mail address removed)

 

[Demmi_Shaihi]

You're at a stop light in traffic. To move forward, when obviously
the light is green, there's also a conveyor belt underneath the
highway to move all the cars forward all at once. New highway
construction projects call for 64-car belts whereas the older models
have belts for 32 cars.

You speak two languages. One language has twice as many words and
each word is twice as long as the other language. What exactly, it
is, that needs to be said, such that conveyed information may be
interpreted in the same sense between the two languages, is factoring
two languages models for expressive validity. Will a truer condition
exist if the longer of the two languages is able to contain equanimous
import at precisely half the number of words, thus stated, in the
shorter language?

Wow. Glad I didn't ask about MMX and RISK (Reduced Instruction
Set..) Or a 386 CPU vs a 386SX - wait, no, the highway thing would
have helped with that. Anyway, I got the road analogy, but not the
other. However, I do think you for replying and attempting to clarify
the question. (The resulting obfuscation not withstanding.)

 

[Demmi_Shaihi]

It matters for the kind of programs you can easily run and
hardware you can use. If your Vista was 64-bit and you are
happy, definitely buiy 64-bit Win7. Otherwise, do research
and see where your priorities are.

The computer in question is running Vista apparently 32 bit.
I was wondering if I could upgrade that to a 64 Bit version of Win 7
or if I needed a processor SPECIFIC to 64 Bit processing.
But from what I'm reading it seems to be, that if I don't need over 4
Gig ram, then it really doesn't matter yet. Unless I'm
not reading this correctly.

That's completely different from the OS question you asked above.
64 encription is a size of encryption key. 2^64 (2 to the power of 64)
is a large number of possibilities - much larger than, say, 2^32. Today,
anything below 128-bit encryption is not considered "safe".

Sorry for switching gears then. But at least you were able to help me
out a bit. Ok, I get the 2^32 or 2^64 or I think I do. Each "slot"
being either a ZERO or ONE, right? But, 2^32 or 2^64 give me that
number of WHAT? I'm trying to wrap my head around this and hope you
can help. If I have a 5 Character password composed of JUST
NUMBERS, giving me 26^5 possibile combinations, then how does the 2^32
or 2^64 or 2^128/256/512.... Encryption fit in?? Will it be harder
to crack or guess the password B33R if it is encrypted with 256 bit
encryption vs 32 bit?
If you can help with some information, thanks, if not, thanks anyway,
I appreciate you replying to my message and helping with that.

Double click on the Task Manager's "window frame" and tabs will come back.

I stumbled across this while trying to figure out how to fix it. I
don't know how I made it smaller and I cannot believe that I seem to
be the only person who didn't know how to restore it to its original
form.
Thanks though.




(e-mail address removed)

 

[John Doe]

I didn't know that.
I'll have to remember the KB Shortcut.

Yup, it's very useful.

 

[Paul]

Thanks, but can a 64 bit version be installed on any computer or does
it have to (i don't know) be a 64 bit computer?

The processor controls this.

You need a 64 bit processor, to install a 64 bit OS.

*******

If I look up a relatively old processor here, a Pentium 4 Extreme Edition
from 2004, it lists 64 bit capability. This processor can have either
a 64 bit or a 32 bit OS installed.

http://ark.intel.com/products/27492...-HT-Technology-3_73-GHz-2M-Cache-1066-MHz-FSB

"Instruction Set 64-bit" [actually, 64-bit and 32-bit instructions...]

If I compare another Pentium 4, a more "ordinary" one, it's 32 bit only.
And this one is from the year 2004 as well. This processor can only
handle a 32 bit OS. So the 64 bit ones have been around for a while.

http://ark.intel.com/products/27503...g-HT-Technology-3_40-GHz-1M-Cache-800-MHz-FSB

"Instruction Set 32-bit"

AMD also provides this kind of information. This is relatively close
to when 64 bit capability appeared. Notice in this case, they
explicitly indicate the processor handles both 32 bit wide and
64 bit wide instructions.

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=107

"Operating Mode 32 Bit Yes
Operating Mode 64 Bit Yes"

This would be a processor that fits the same socket as the previous
one, and yet, this is a 32 bit only processor. So only a 32 bit OS
works with this Sempron.

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=153

"Operating Mode 32 Bit Yes
Operating Mode 64 Bit No"

For that last entry, I can also look those processors up on cpu-world.com.
And on this page, you can see how confusing the "transition generation" was.

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/AM...3300AIO2BA (SDA3300BABOX - SDA3300CVBOX).html

"# SDA3300BABOX doesn't support x86-64 (64-bit) mode
# SDA3300CVBOX supports x86-64 mode
# SDA3300AIO2BA may or may not support x86-64 mode"

That's why it took me a couple minutes to cook up some examples

HTH,
Paul

 

[Yousuf Khan]

The computer in question is running Vista apparently 32 bit.
I was wondering if I could upgrade that to a 64 Bit version of Win 7
or if I needed a processor SPECIFIC to 64 Bit processing.
But from what I'm reading it seems to be, that if I don't need over 4
Gig ram, then it really doesn't matter yet. Unless I'm
not reading this correctly.

All PC processors built since 2003 have been 64-bit capable already. You
don't need any special kind of processor, unless you have a processor
built before 2003.

As for when it is required to go 64-bit, actually if you have exactly
4GB, then you should go 64-bit. Even though 32-bit is supposed to be
able to address upto 4GB, some of that address space is reserved by
Windows for hardware interfacing. Usually somewhere between half to a
full 1GB of RAM is inaccessible in Windows due to the reserved
addresses. So in 32-bit, even if you have 4GB, you will see that only
3.0 to 3.5 GB is available. You need the 64-bit to access the entire 4GB.

Sorry for switching gears then. But at least you were able to help me
out a bit. Ok, I get the 2^32 or 2^64 or I think I do. Each "slot"
being either a ZERO or ONE, right? But, 2^32 or 2^64 give me that
number of WHAT? I'm trying to wrap my head around this and hope you
can help. If I have a 5 Character password composed of JUST
NUMBERS, giving me 26^5 possibile combinations, then how does the 2^32
or 2^64 or 2^128/256/512.... Encryption fit in?? Will it be harder
to crack or guess the password B33R if it is encrypted with 256 bit
encryption vs 32 bit?
If you can help with some information, thanks, if not, thanks anyway,
I appreciate you replying to my message and helping with that.

No, no, no, a 5 character password is actually 40-bits. Each ASCII
character occupies 8-bits, or 1-byte. So 5 x 8-bits = 40-bits. As for
how does encryption keys larger than 32- or 64-bit fit into a processor
limited to 32- or 64-bit? Simple, they split the operation into multiple
steps. So for an 128-bit encryption, you'd require either two 64-bit
operations or four 32-bit operations. For 256-bit, you'd need 8 steps of
32-bit or 4 steps of 64-bit, etc.

Yousuf Khan