Windows 7 64 AND 32 bit

[Guest]

Hello,
I think that i have seen a couple threads on this, but i am still a little confused.
Is it possible to have both windows 7 64 bit AND 32 bit on the SAME computer? My thought is that i could use everything i could on the 64 bit, and the rest that isnt compatible could be used on the 32 bit.
If this is possible, can they be on the same harddrive or do they need to be on seperate drives? thanks in advance!

 

[jefe323]

yes, and you could have them on the same drive, but they have to be on seperate partitions

you also need two copies of win 7

 

[Scotteq]

Out of curiosity, what do you have that isn't compatible? Or are you just worried?

 

[Guest]

Out of curiosity, what do you have that isn't compatible? Or are you just worried?

I am just worried. I have heard that there are some programs that are only 32 bit version right now and wont work on the 64 bit version.
For instance, a fellow student says that some of the older programs used for labs in school wont run on the new windows 7 64 bit.

i am in the middle of trying to build a computer and was worried about putting one or the other. i am going to have 6gb of ram and 64bit capable hardware, but i dont want to lose the accessability of the programs that i will be using in school.

As for jefe323, I will have access to both through my school, i think... but i dont know what the partitions are. i have not really done anything like this before.

 

[megamanx00]

If you use Win 7 Professional you can download XP mode which is essential a Windows XP virtual machine. You can use XP mode to run any programs that don't work with Win 7 64-bit and that includes USB devices. No such luck with system devices though . The only thing is, if you are trying to use a wireless USB adapter make sure you use one that works with the host OS you buy, unless you want to be restricted to the XP virtual machine as far as network access goes :-/

 

[jefe323]

I am just worried. I have heard that there are some programs that are only 32 bit version right now and wont work on the 64 bit version.
For instance, a fellow student says that some of the older programs used for labs in school wont run on the new windows 7 64 bit.

i am in the middle of trying to build a computer and was worried about putting one or the other. i am going to have 6gb of ram and 64bit capable hardware, but i dont want to lose the accessability of the programs that i will be using in school.

As for jefe323, I will have access to both through my school, i think... but i dont know what the partitions are. i have not really done anything like this before.

i was in a similar position for school. CodeWarrior wouldn't work for me on Win 7 x64, so i ran in it XP mode and it worked like a champ, it even ran the usb devices i was writing code for.

as for paritioning and dual booting if you don't want ot use XP mode, use the following guide:

http://lifehacker.com/179906/windows-vista-beta--how-to-dual+boot-windows-xp-and-windows-vista

it says xp and vista, but the principles are the same

 

[Scotteq]

I am just worried. I have heard that there are some programs that are only 32 bit version right now and wont work on the 64 bit version.
For instance, a fellow student says that some of the older programs used for labs in school wont run on the new windows 7 64 bit.

i am in the middle of trying to build a computer and was worried about putting one or the other. i am going to have 6gb of ram and 64bit capable hardware, but i dont want to lose the accessability of the programs that i will be using in school.

As for jefe323, I will have access to both through my school, i think... but i dont know what the partitions are. i have not really done anything like this before.

KK - Two ways to get around that: One is to use a Virtual Machine: XP Mode is mentioned frequently, and is a basic Virtual machine which happens to come with a licenced copy of Windows XP SP3. You can acheve the same (and sometimes better) results with 3rd party products like VM Ware.

The other way is to set up a Dual Boot: 2 separate drives, or two partitions on the same physical drive, each of which are running different operating systems. At startup you choose which you wish to boot to, and go from there.


A Virtual machine will be slower than a dual boot setup, but you don't have to restart to go from one environment to the other.

 

[Guest]

WOW, you guys are FAST and VERY helpful, thanks to all who replied. I guess my next question would be if anyone has tried it one way or the other?
Are there any opinions as to which way would be better? virtual xp vs. dual boot of win 7?
Also, if i have the option to do it on two seperate hard drives, would that be better than partitioning? which, by the way, awesome link jefe323. That dosent seem nearly as complicated as i was expecting. this will be a new build so i dont have to really worry about files either...

 

[jefe323]

I would recommend using XP mode as most applications i have used are compatible with x64 and the only one that wasn't worked well in XP mode. Plus it is a cheaper option then getting 2 copies of the same OS. You also don't have to reboot your computer to switch between the two OS.

 

[Guest]

Well cool deal folks. You guys made this really easy to understand. I think the virtual xp is the way to go then. Thanks a bunch!

 

[Guest]

Best answer selected by kopaka12.

 

[leon2006]

Go to Win-7 64 Bit and run what ever you can run on this new OS.

For old programs that you can leave without... The best way is create a separate partition and install Windows XP 32 Bit. You can have both worlds without issues. No question about compability issues or restrictions.

I have softwares that don't support Vista or W7. Even Win-7 XP mode is not supported. I just created a separate partition for XP. When i need the old software for whatever reason i just boot the pc on XP.

If you still have on OLD Copy of XP-32 then you don't need to purchase a new one. You only need to purchase the 64 Bit W-7.

You can use Acronis to setup DUAL boot for you to select w/c OS to boot. There are other free tools that you can use if you don't want to spend money for acronis software.