XP Pro x64 recommendations?

[***** charles]

Hi all,

I would like to upgrade an old computer and put XP Pro x64
in the new machine. Does anyone have a good "shortblock"
(cpu/fan, mb and ram) recommendation that is stable and
has a lot of headroom for expansion?

thanks,
charles.....

 

[Alyssa]

Put xp Pro 32bit and XP 64 in the new machine and dual boot.

Not alot works on 64bit os.

 

[***** charles]

Put xp Pro 32bit and XP 64 in the new machine and dual boot.

Not alot works on 64bit os.

Does the OEM XP Pro x64 cdrom have only 64 bit software on
it or does it have 32 bit routines mixed in?

Is there a list of stuff that doesn't work somewhere?

thanks....

 

[Bill]

Actually I've found the vast majority of recent software works just fine
on x64. Some older stuff (3+ years) doesn't run, but most will. There
are some exceptions, like antivirus programs from the big names are
still in the testing phase, and a few oddballs, but I'd guess about
95-98% of what I want to run works just fine.

Does the OEM XP Pro x64 cdrom have only 64 bit software on
it or does it have 32 bit routines mixed in?

Windows x64 is a mix of both.

Is there a list of stuff that doesn't work somewhere?

This list, while not comprehensive, gives you some idea:

http://www.3dvelocity.com/articles/win64compatibility/win64softlist.htm

The ones that show as "not working" are usually programs that are
specific to XP 32-bit or low-level software that has to access the OS
with certain hooks.

I'm not that well versed in the various hardware available, but I've
found that you need a good power supply unit to drive these new systems.
I don't recommend a no-name brand - get something well respected like
Antec, Zalman, etc.

 

[BillL]

Actually I've found the vast majority of recent software works just fine
on x64. Some older stuff (3+ years) doesn't run, but most will. There
are some exceptions, like antivirus programs from the big names are
still in the testing phase, and a few oddballs, but I'd guess about
95-98% of what I want to run works just fine.


Windows x64 is a mix of both.


This list, while not comprehensive, gives you some idea:

http://www.3dvelocity.com/articles/win64compatibility/win64softlist.htm

The ones that show as "not working" are usually programs that are
specific to XP 32-bit or low-level software that has to access the OS
with certain hooks.


I'm not that well versed in the various hardware available, but I've
found that you need a good power supply unit to drive these new systems.
I don't recommend a no-name brand - get something well respected like
Antec, Zalman, etc.

Not really to answer any questions but just to ask another ;o) How easy
would XP Pro64 be easy to retro-install to a machine with XP Home. My last
attempt at setting up a Dual Boot XP Pro & Win98SE) PC failed miserably.

BillL

 

[Bill]

Not really to answer any questions but just to ask another ;o) How easy
would XP Pro64 be easy to retro-install to a machine with XP Home. My last
attempt at setting up a Dual Boot XP Pro & Win98SE) PC failed miserably.

As long as you install the newest operating system, in this case x64,
last in the process it shouldn't be a problem.

But, if you intend to dual-boot, you really should create a seperate
partition for each version of Windows XP. Installing XP with 98 was
possible, but I wouldn't install XP and x64 on the same partition.

I'm running x64 with a clean install and had only one issue - the serial
ATA drivers for my motherboard that I was told to use are NOT needed
with x64 (that one drove me nuts for about an hour).

Windows XP 64-bit edition has full SATA support, and it can access
drives over 137gig just fine as well. Drivers can be installed AFTER x64
is setup, but from my own informal testing with HD Tach, they're not
needed and they offer no performance boost at all. In fact, using the
nVidia SATA drivers for my system SLOWED things down a bit - both
sustained and burst speeds were lower, and NCQ was the biggest factor.

NCQ has a purpose, for something like a defrag or running a file server
where the heads are jumping all over the place, NCQ is a definite
benefit. But if you're on a workstation, and you defrag regularly (once
a month or more) then most of the files are in large sequential chunks
and NCQ doesn't really help.

I learned all this while pulling my hair out over the SATA drivers.

;-)

 

[BillL]

As long as you install the newest operating system, in this case x64,
last in the process it shouldn't be a problem.

But, if you intend to dual-boot, you really should create a seperate
partition for each version of Windows XP. Installing XP with 98 was
possible, but I wouldn't install XP and x64 on the same partition.

I'm running x64 with a clean install and had only one issue - the serial
ATA drivers for my motherboard that I was told to use are NOT needed
with x64 (that one drove me nuts for about an hour).

Windows XP 64-bit edition has full SATA support, and it can access
drives over 137gig just fine as well. Drivers can be installed AFTER x64
is setup, but from my own informal testing with HD Tach, they're not
needed and they offer no performance boost at all. In fact, using the
nVidia SATA drivers for my system SLOWED things down a bit - both
sustained and burst speeds were lower, and NCQ was the biggest factor.

NCQ has a purpose, for something like a defrag or running a file server
where the heads are jumping all over the place, NCQ is a definite
benefit. But if you're on a workstation, and you defrag regularly (once
a month or more) then most of the files are in large sequential chunks
and NCQ doesn't really help.

I learned all this while pulling my hair out over the SATA drivers.

;-)

Thanks for the info. I use Partition Magic so it shouldn't be too much
hassle to create another partition to install - I think I'll make a final
back-up before I take the plunge though! ;o)

BillL