Just a few questions

[attacus]

Windiws 7 Pro 64 bit. Sapphire Vapour X HD 5850. 1GB DDr2 667 (temporary).

1. Steam kept crashing whenever I start a download of a game from my library. Is there a 64 bit version of Steam as this never happened on my 32 bit laptop? It crashed loads of times when it was updatig my drivers.

2. The display driver kept crashing. It seems to be stable now but it kept crashing and saying 'AMD driver has crashed but recovered'. Is this a RAM or 64 bit limitation? Does Windows Aero run off the GPU? I have all the latest drivers.

3. Do 32 bit programs work with Win 7 64 bit? I noticed a folder 'program files (x86)'. Is this where 32 bit programs go? Should there be compatibility problems with Windows 64 bit and 32 bit software?

4. My laptop will no longer boot into its operating system. I get the message to do a system repair, but the screen just resets. When I choose 'boot normally' I get the sartup screen and a black screen afterwards. This was directly after a Win 7 HP SP1 update.

5. How do I put my rig in my signature? How do I search for the posts I've written on this website?

 

[Outlander_04]

32 bit programs run fine on 64 bit operating systems .

That wont be the problem
Your easiest fix is probably a clean instal of windows, and then install the drivers for the motherboard , which [ if its an older board ] you should download from the manufacturers web site .

In the right hand column at the top is the indicator box that you are signed in . Click the profile tab . Manage my profile

 

[attacus]

I already did a clean install when I upgraded from XP to 7. There's still folders from my XP OS left behind.

 

[WR2]

My guess is the problem you were having is a hardware/-driver-/OS issue.
As Outlander mentions it's probably not 32bit/64bit related.

I think the 'driver kept crashing' is why he's suggesting a clean install. It's possible the registry isn't as clean as you'd want it to be.

Check the HP website for updates for your laptop. Also check the HP forums and see if others with the same laptop had the same SP1 upgrade issue.
If you're lucky, there might be a solution or work around posted that's already worked for others.

 

[attacus]

I ran CCleaner which seemed to fix the GPU issues, at least for now. And I understand the 32/64 bit thing now. I still don't understand why Steam doesn't work. And my laptop is still malfunctioning.