Ok i'm currently running windows XP 64-bit eddition and i'm basicly fed up with it's non-compatibility with programs i want to run on it. I was woundering if i slicked my hardrive could i install just regular Windows XP 32-bit version? I'm using a AMD Athlon 64 processor, if that helps at all with the answer..

thanks,
Mitchell

OK I am new to this forum but I think I can help.
I my self have been using the 64 bit xp for only a few days and have found only a few flaws.
When your installing a 32 bit app you must use WOW.
How to do this: Right click on the program installer and go to properties and you will see a tab called compatibility..click on it and you will get a list of modes going back to win 95 (not that you will need to go back that far) and be sure to click apply.
Now run the install and TADA!

Yes you could use a 32bit operating system with a 64bit processor. But I would recommend you check you have all the neccessary drivers for your system before you reinstall the OS.

There is a limit to the amount of RAM you can have with a 32-bit Windows OS. I forget if the limit is 4 gigs or 8 gigs.

The limit is generally 4GB, until you change to a 64bit system.

yeah you can run a 32 bit OS

Vista x64 is a lot better than xp x64 with drivers

The limit is not "generally 4GB", it is 4GB, plain and simple. A 32-bit OS can only address a maximum of 4GB of RAM, and you will actually find 32-bit Windows (either XP or Vista) may have some issues if you install the full 4GB. For 3GB or more, 32-bit is fine. If you want to install 4GB or more, that you need to move to a 64-bit OS.

I would highly recommend you keep your 64-bit version you already have, and figure out the problems you are experiencing rather than move back in time to 32-bit. Despite it's limited acceptance by home users, 64-bit is the future just as 32-bit overtook 16-bit.

Read what TEC DRAGON posted, that answer is right on the money. You can run any prog in compatibility mode, and thus far I have found virtually every program behaves perfectly when run in this mode. The only exception is my TV card software. The drivers are most definitely 32-bit, even though they run fine on 64-bit Vista. When I upgraded from 2 GB to 4GB, suddenly I had a lot of TV problems. They were resolved by backing off the memory Windows can see by 256 MBs. (Start - run - msconfig - Boot tab - Advanced Options - Set Maximum Memory to 3840MBs). Yes, I am not using 256 of my 4GB of memory, but it was a very small price to pay to get the TV card working again while Hauppauge work on new drivers.

R.

Hi,

Can someone please clarify this issue a little more???

I want to build a "modern machine" with 8 or 16GB RAM and have learned that only 64 bit systems can address that much. I want to run things like the Adobe CS-3 suite, browsers, OpenOffice, etc. Is it going to take trickery to get these programs to work properly? Are there compromises in software performance getting them to work on a 64bit OS? Any other important issues?

Thanks guys!

Hello,

Let me clarify.
if you wish to use 4+ GB memory, you must use a 64 bit operating system.

I personally prefer vista 64 bit.
I had small compatibility issues with programs at the beginning but nothing major.
I found all the drivers and programs that work with 64bit and I work with adobe cs3 with no compatibility issues.

your can read more about it here:
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5709#toc0
http://start64.com/

and about performance here :
http://64-bit-computers.com/windows-...benchmark.html

Thank you. That is what I was looking for!