32-Bit OS on 64-Bit CPU????

A 64bit CPU, check and a 64bit OS, check. I've got two of 'em and you are halfway to one by the sounds of it.

so is it possible compaq just gave me a 32 bit OS for it to be cheaper? i'm thinking of trying to install 64bit Linux to see if it really does work.

I run 32bit Vista Home Premium btw

Unless you asked for Vista 64 they will always give you the cheaper option.

hmm well i've shrunk my vista 32 partition to test ubuntu 64, i'll keep you guys updated

sweet, Ubuntu 64 works fine (except i cant install Skype   ) i guess i should try Win7 then just to see if it works with Microsoft's version of 64 bit support. Do you guys think it is worth upgrading to a 64bit OS, possibly Windows 7 when it's released?

W7 does run well actually, why not try the freebie from MS?

Windows 7 is a good OS right now, even the RC version.

You will see a performance increase from switching to a 64 bit OS if you use programs collectively need more than ~ 3.6 GB of RAM or 64 bit programs such as Photoshop CS4.

I'm not sure if 64 bit OS's are more expensive. Most of the time when I visit HP or Dell, they are the same price. Isn't a 64 bit OS not that much different from a 32 bit one? Is it just a few lines of code to change the memory limit and word size?

well actually....things are kinda weird now. i dont really have space on my pc for Win7RC and i dont want to mess up my bootloader. also i'm kinda annoyed by microsoft's support for upgrading to 64 bit.

this is what m$ says:

Can I upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows?


No. If you are currently running a 32-bit version of Windows, you can only perform an upgrade to another 32-bit version of Windows. Similarly, if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, you can only perform an upgrade to another 64-bit version of Windows Vista.

If you want to move from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, you'll need to back up your files and then perform a custom installation of the 64-bit version of Windows Vista. For more information, see Installing and reinstalling Windows.

For detailed information about installing and upgrading 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, go to Installation choices for Windows Vista (32-bit) or Installation choices for Windows Vista (64-bit) online.



and i really was hoping when Win7 came out i could directly upgrade...

There's a lot more to it than"just changing a few lines of code" the way most hardware is referenced will be different too, hence the inability to upgrade install. It would be like saying you wanted to do an "upgrade install" from your ubuntu to Windows (OK, a silly example, but you get the idea). There's just not enough similar between them for it to work.

hmm oc. i was kinda thinking that it would leave prog. files and stuff and just change the windows files but that also wouldn't work bcuz i'd need 64bit versions of the apps. Do you guys know if Windows7's bootloader leaves an option to load vista? if it does i might just wipe my Ubuntu partition and go for Win7

Yes, Win 7's bootloader can be configured to multi boot whichever OS you choose to also have.

does it do it automatically because i'm paranoid about editing things that deal with booting because i mess everything up

How do that work then?, and am I drunk again?

The simplest, and most foolproof way is to use a 2nd hard drive, so you don't risk playing with your existing installation and data. Only slightly more difficult is using a product like Partition Magic to set up a spare partition.

Boot to the installation DVD and Install Win 7 to the new drive/partition

When the system reboots it will recognize only Win7 - Don't worry about it just yet: let Win 7 update itself, make sure you ahve the latest drivers, etc etc etc.

When you're done: Boot to the Win 7 installation disc again. Select Install - On the Second screen, in the lower left is an option to "Repair". Select that, and let it do it's thing. It'll tell you it found a problem. Tell it to fix the problem.

When it restarts, you will be presented with a screen to select which OS you want to boot to.

One of the features of X86/X87 is backward compatability. On the processor level, a 64Bit X86/X87 CPU can still execute in 32, 16, or even 8-bit modes. As such, a 32-bit OS can be installed without issue on a 64-bit complaint X86/X87 CPU.

That being said, that does NOT mean the OS supports different modes. For instance, all versions of Vista/Windows 7 do not support 16-bit applications, even though the proceesor itself is capable of running in 16-bit mode.

one last (i hope) question about multi-booting with Win7. Will it ignore my Linux installation? MS has the reputation of doing stuff like that so should i just clean off Ubuntu, install Win7 and then reinstall ubuntu so i can use GRUB again?