64-bit Vs 32-bit

Despite the fact that Widows XP had a 64 bit version it was not been so reliable to the user for it's instability. Later Microsoft released Vista 64-bit version. But this time Vista was having a few problems with its usability.

Windows 7 with 64-bit version seems to be more equipped and people are really eager to give it a try. But the 64-bit operating system only runs in supportable hardware. It is highly recommended that you should have latest hardware configuration to use 64-bit Windows 7. It does give you better scope to utilise your computer usage.

To elaborate the fact clearly, you should know the following things!

• What does differ 64-bit from 32-bit?

Generally we can say that 64-bit system handles the big amount of physical memory (RAM ) more effectively than the 32-bit. The 64-bit system provides a larger space for your computing. Logically 64-bit system has the capabilities of utilising a huge amount of RAM. But, Windows 7 can support up to 192 GB of physical memory, where the Windows 7 32-bit is only capable to use 3 GB RAM. That means if you install RAM more than 3 GB, it does not works in 32-bit system and the the rest of the RAM just goes wasted.In the case of 64-bit system, as it handles a huge amount of physical memory length, the time of swapping the processes in the RAM is minimised. Which means that your 64-bit Windows 7 performs faster than its 32-bit version.

Kernel Patch Protection is another feature of 64-bit version which adds a better security in Windows. It prevents the malicious programs from updating or patching the Windows 7 kernel. That means any third party tool can not modify the kernel services. This feature is not available in the 32-bit version of Windows 7. Where security is a mandatory requirement for the system, 64-bit version of Windows 7 is more preferable.

• Is Windows 7 64-bit version better in performance comparing to 32-bit?

As I stated earlier that the 64-bit version utilises an enormous amount of RAM, obviously it performs faster than the 32-bit counterpart. You can run a number of complex applications simultaneously without any inconvenience.

• 32-bit applications are ready to run in a 64-bit OS .

Basically the 64-bit windows 7 operating system supports all the 32-bit applications. But all the 32-bit applications you generally use are not optimized for a 64-bit processor. Therefore, you may go disappointed with some 32-bit application in the 64-bit system.

In the other hand the 32-bit version Windows does not support 64-bit applications at all. The 64-bit applications require a well equipped system and latest hardware configuration.

• How can you find if your system is of 64-bit architecture?

Go to Control Panel\System and Security\System from the control panel. You can see the following window where you can discover your system version.



Eventually, if you are running the 64-bit Windows 7 in your computer then you can see two folders in the Program files location. 1. Program files 2. Program Files (x86). All the programs that are compatible with 32-bit will go to the later one.

• Can you upgrade your 32-bit Windows 7 to 64-bit?

No, you can not.  If your hardware manufactured with the 64-bit architecture support then you are able to install freshly a 64-bit Windows 7.

Still now majority of the applications have not the capability of taking the advantages of 64-bit architecture. Meanwhile as Windows 7 is settling in the mainstream, it is quite obvious that majority of applications will turn to 64-bit version. You can expect more people to use this version of Windows 7.

 A few editions of 64-bit Windows 7 provide a Windows XP Mode that solves some backward-compatibility problems, but it isn't a universal solution .

• Can I use a 32-bit device driver under 64-bit Windows 7?

No. A device driver is privileged code that runs in the same address space as the Windows kernel.  However, while 32-bit drivers are not directly supported in 64-bit Windows 7, 64-bit Windows 7 users can install 32-bit drivers in Windows XP Mode and use USB-based printers and other USB-based legacy devices with the Windows XP virtual machine.

• What exactly is Windows XP Mode, and how do I get it?

The simple answer is that Windows XP Mode is a virtual machine containing Windows XP SP3 that runs under Windows Virtual PC 7. It is available as a free download to users of Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions.

Courtesy: http://www.infoworld.com