Aspire 4520 32-bit or 64-bit

For that particular laptop, if it were me, I would stay with 32 bit.
If you do decide to go with the 64 bit you will need to upgrade it to 4 GB ram if you don't have that already.
In fact, I wouldn't even put Win 7 on it. Why spend the money? Keep the XP that came with it.
There is not, to my thinking, enough benefit to justify the cost.

oh yeah i forgot to mention...currently using w7 32-bit with 2GB ram... (~.^)

Hello yui and welcome to Seven Forums.

First thing I'd do is install the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor on your 4520 and see what it says. You're biggest issue will probably be with the graphics. Successfully running all the eye-candy offered by 7 may be a problem.

Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

This Microsoft article offers some more general information, including "Which version of Windows 7 should I install: the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version?"

32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions

Most 32-bit programs run just fine on a 64-bit machine. You may have some issues with antivirus programs (not very common any more as most major players have come over to the 64-bit side) and hardware drivers. Here's where it could be sticky as Microsoft can't force hardware manufacturers to upgrade their drivers. But you can usually find an older Vista driver that will work in compatibility mode. Hope this helps.

EDIT: Sorry. Just saw your added comment about using Windows 7 with 2GB RAM. Obviously, you know7 will work. But going to 64-bit really won't help and might hurt because of drivers. If you were using or planning on using 4GB or more then 64-bit could helps you squeeze out every GB.

marsmimar said:

Hello yui and welcome to Seven Forums.

First thing I'd do is install the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor on your 4520 and see what it says. You're biggest issue will probably be with the graphics. Successfully running all the eye-candy offered by 7 may be a problem.

Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

This Microsoft article offers some more general information, including "Which version of Windows 7 should I install: the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version?"

32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions

Most 32-bit programs run just fine on a 64-bit machine. You may have some issues with antivirus programs (not very common any more as most major players have come over to the 64-bit side) and hardware drivers. Here's where it could be sticky as Microsoft can't force hardware manufacturers to upgrade their drivers. But you can usually find an older Vista driver that will work in compatibility mode. Hope this helps.

EDIT: Sorry. Just saw your added comment about using Windows 7 with 2GB RAM. Obviously, you know7 will work. But going to 64-bit really won't help and might hurt because of drivers. If you were using or planning on using 4GB or more then 64-bit could helps you squeeze out every GB.

I'm running an old Aspire One D150 netbook and with 2GB of RAM it actually runs better on Windows 7 than Windows XP. I rarely touch more than 2.5GB of RAM usage and have no issues with that. The only advice I give is to change the display settings to performance, although it works fine even with the special effects on.