Windows 7 64 bit vs 32 bit

Yes, I am talking about the Revo uninstaller. If you use it in X64, you may have noticed that it only works on the x86 program files and not on the x64 program files.

Chances are usually a program isn't compatible with 7 altogether, not just x64.

Since have both Win7s (x64 and x86), I can compare.

You are getting advise from both points view, and they are all good, albeit there is really only one way to go and that is 64 bit. Get another 2 gigs of ram (run 4 gigs or more, more is better) then upgrade to a 64 bit Win 7. If for some reason you really need to run a legacy 32 bit program and for some reason it doesn't work within the 64 bit environment then download one of the free VM applications (Virtual PC, or Virtual Box) and set up whatever OS you want (XP, Vista, Win 7) then you will always have a way to run your 32 bit applications. Good luck and good computing. :)

Product FRED said:

Absolute Uninstaller has a 64-bit edition that is just as good as Revo Uninstaller and will uninstall programs in
bulk. But that's not my point. My point is you need to adapt to changing times. It was like going from 16-bit DOS to 32-bit 9x. Companies will start making 64-bit native apps. Just wait and see. It's all for the better.

Hi Fred, you are funny. I have been adapting since over 50 years (I wrote my first program in 1958 on a Zuse11) and spent my whole carreer (35years) in operating system development. So I don't think that is the point.
My argument was different. Comparing x64 and x86 at this moment, I would opt for x86 with RAM up to 4GBs. But for the future you are certainly right. Once everybody caught up with x64, that will be the way to go. I appreciate the virtues of x64, but in my mind it is early days to plunge into it unless you have a real need.

whs, with a great many companies now starting to put out 64 bit applications (Photoshop, MS Office 2010, etc) it is a good time to make the move. The future is here now for 64 programing. Photoshop in the 64 bit mode is extremely smooth and much faster than 32 bit mode. Office 2010 beta in 64 bit is great. When working with 300 to 1000 page documents in Word there is no slow down or waiting for a document to refresh (it just happens quite rapidly).

Yes for some people 64 bit may be over kill, albeit there are those of us who would not want to go back to 32 bit OS's. After running 64 bit Win 7 in Boot Camp on my iMac 27" and working in the field of publishing there is no way I would ever go back to 32 bit systems. Abobe is going to be putting out CS5 in April, and the cost though high will benefit the work I do just because all the suite will be 64 bit.

Also photographers are moving more and more to the 64 bit applications that Adobe is putting out (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.)

So 64 bit is the true way to go in today's world of computing, and as I stated in an earlier post (on this topic) you can always go with a VM to support any 32 bit legacy programs or applications you wan to run.

Lee, I hear you. For your kind of applications, it certainly makes sense. But for the little $500 laptop I just bought which will be used for simple vanilla applications by my wife (surfing, mail, Word, etc.), it seems like an overkill. But don't get me wrong, I am NOT saying that x64 is bad or anything like that. They just should give us choices. But if you walk into BestBuy these days, you will not find a single system with x86 Win7 - and that is not what I call "choices".

Oh and what you said about 4GB of RAM in a 32-bit system? A 32-bit version of Windows will only see and be able to use about 3.5GB of RAM

I know that, but so what? And again, nothing wrong with x64 - where it makes sense.

Product FRED said:

I'm not doubting your computer knowledge at all, just saying 64-bit is becoming the new standard.

I know that Fred. But the point was about "going with the times". In my long life I have learned that it is not always to your advantage if you jump on every new bandwagon. Sometimes it is wise to wait and see. Like a never buy a brand new car model. I always wait a couple of years to see how it is performing.