Nearly half of Windows 7 installations are 64-bit

Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast

    Nearly half of Windows 7 installations are 64-bit


    Posted: 09 Jul 2010

    The transition to 64-bit computing has accelerated with the release of Windows 7. Figures published by Microsoft today claim that nearly half of Windows 7 installations—46 percent—are using 64-bit versions of the operating system. This represents a huge upswing in 64-bit adoption; Windows Vista, in comparison, had only 11 percent of its users running the 64-bit version.

    The benefits of 64-bit Windows vary; for some users they will be substantial, for others, nonexistent. The 64-bit versions of the operating system have reliable access to larger amounts of physical memory than their 32-bit counterparts. 64-bit software similarly has easy access to more system resources. These factors can provide a substantial performance boost to heavy workloads like databases, but for other workloads—including common desktop tasks such as word processing or Web browsing—there is little advantage to be had.

    64-bit Windows software is potentially more secure than 32-bit software. 64-bit Windows can make systems such as ASLR stronger, as known ASLR-defeating techniques depend on the relatively small amount of memory that 32-bit programs have available.

    It's these security benefits which prompted Intel's migration to 64-bit Windows 7; the chipmaker, which famously skipped Windows Vista, has expressed no concerns over migration to Redmond's latest platform.

    More -
    Nearly half of Windows 7 installations are 64-bit
    Posted By: JMH
    09 Jul 2010



  1. NoN
    Posts : 4,166
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 - x64 [Non-UEFI Boot]
       #1

    Manufacturers give quite the push to x64bits for most of their new computers, now...Only netbooks staying on x32bits and are not as popular. Looks manies had changed their hardware an computers over the past 6 months....
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 4,925
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #2

    Microsoft: Nearly Half of Windows 7 installations are 64 bit


    Today Microsoft announced on the Windows Team Blog that Windows 7 is starting the migration to 64 bit ubiquity. The OS which recently hit the 150 million milestone mark has a 46% market share when it comes to its 64 bit variant.

    As of June 2010, we see that 46% of all PCs worldwide running Windows 7 are running a 64-bit edition of Windows 7. That is, nearly half of all PCs running Windows 7 are running 64-bit. Compared to Windows Vista at 3 and a half years after launch, only 11% of PCs running Windows Vista worldwide are running 64-bit. With Windows 7, running a 64-bit OS is becoming the norm.

    Read more here

    My migration to 64 bit started in April 2005 when Microsoft introduced Windows XP Professional x64. It was surprisingly a smooth experience even back then, although I didn't see the immediate benefits since 64 bit at the time was more of a technically targeted solution for engineers, scientist, large SQL databases and gamers who needed the unique benefits such as the ability address larger amounts of memory than its 32 bit counterpart (Windows 7 64 bit supports up to 192 GBs of RAM while Windows 7 32 bit supports 3.2 GBs). 64 bit Windows Server has seen great successes so much so that its most recent release of Windows Server, 2008 R2 is exclusively 64 bit. Some of the early pain points of running 64 bit Windows have vanished over the past 4 years, I remember basic functionality like contextual menu extensions, or programs that needed to access low levels of the OS such as Anti-virus utilities were initially big blockers for main stream adoption. Back then you still had a lot of applications that were developed to work specifically on older operating systems such as Windows 95, even some programs that were considered 32 bit used 16 bit installers could not work on 64 bit Windows. I remember participating in the Microsoft Windows 64 bit Public Community back in 2005 too along with a fun group of eager enthusiast, really an exciting time.

    A lot of credit goes to AMD who in the fall of 2003 introduced the first x86-x64 micro-processor that allowed users to transition smoothly to this new architecture. You could still run your 32 bit applications without having them re-written to work. Unlike previous efforts to bring 64 bit computing to the mainstream such as the Alpha and Itanium for which Microsoft released variants of the Windows OS the x86-x64 extensions really proved to be a way better approach. The mainstream for 64 bit Windows never really started until Windows Vista's introduction in January 2007. I started testing early 64 bit builds of the OS on my system back in February 2006 when build 5308 was made available. A year later I got a system with 64 bit Windows Vista preinstalled and used it exclusively ever since, I later on got a desktop PC in 2008 with Windows Vista 64 bit which I have since upgraded to 64 bit versions Windows 7. I have never encountered any of the early compatibility issues that some might have experienced when Windows XP Professional x64 came to market in 2005. I still have my main desktop running Windows 7 32 bit, but this a limitation of the processor which can only run x86 instructions, but its running great.

    64 bit Windows has pretty much been mainstream for me. I also notice the performance benefits too, the stability and performance of running lots of applications at the same time, such as running a AV scan in the background, watching YouTube, working on documents, chatting, playing music, even gaming (although I am not much of a gamer) or searching across my home network. It opens up so many new possibilities, and the industry is slowly but surely going there. Microsoft recently brought its family of Office applications to full 64 bit compatibility, for an intensive app such as Outlook, you can expect an even higher level of stability and compatibility, number crunchers who work in Excel can also see major benefits when working on larger workbooks. I even notice key benefits when working with the new PowerPoint 2010 and video, especially when reordering a lot of slides, 64 bit came in very handy. Most of the third party applications that are 64 bit still remain in the technical realm, I am hoping Office 2010 will change this and encourage more support from third party ISVs although the majority of 32 bit programs work just fine on 64 bit Windows. Still there are some industry favorites users can find 64 bit versions for, these include Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Premier CS5, Adobe After Effects CS5, AutoDesk AutoCAD to name a few. There are also some key technical benefits when using 64 bit Windows too that were first introduced with Windows XP Professional x64 and Vista 64 bit:

    Data Execution Prevention (DEP) - when combined with 64 bit capable processors, it protects your computer against buffer overflow attacks, this additional layer of security used with effective security solutions such as Antivirus utility provides a confident PC experience.

    Kernel patch protection - This helps protect against programs that attempt patch the Windows Kernel. It improves the reliability of Windows by helping to disable undocumented and unsupported kernel hooks. Undocumented kernel hooks can cause reliability and performance issues and can add potential security issues to the system as well.

    Driver Signing - All kernel mode drivers must be signed on 64 bit Windows 7 systems. Digital signing provides identity as well as integrity for code. A kernel module that is corrupt or has been subject to tampering will not load. Any driver that is not properly signed cannot enter the kernel space and will fail to load.

    Certainly, there is no better time to be using 64 bit Windows, even if you are still running legacy applications that work on 32 bit versions of Windows only, then you can start evaluating solutions such as Windows Virtual PC with Windows XP Mode, which allow you to seamlessly run applications designed for earlier versions of Windows on Windows 7 while taking advantage of the current and next generation benefits and transitioning at your own pace.

    Are you running 64 bit Windows, if so, what are your thoughts?
    more
      My Computer


  3. NoN
    Posts : 4,166
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 - x64 [Non-UEFI Boot]
       #3

    Yeah, love that x64bits. That's my though!
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 84
    W7PRO
       #4

    swarfega said:
    Are you running 64 bit Windows, if so, what are your thoughts?
    Was running W7PRO/ULT32, but I read I could run JASC Paint Shop Pro 9 with W764. Tried it and it was so. So I switched over.

    No really advanages - 32 vs 64. Had to find some other software that was 64bit compatible.

    But it was worth it to me to have PSP9 back!
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 7,781
    Win 7 32 Home Premium, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1, Win 10
       #5

    Of course, 64-bit operating systems still pose some challenges. The 64-bit flavors of Windows 7 and Vista need specific hardware drivers written for them--their 32-bit counterparts won't work. And though manufacturers have been developing 64-bit drivers for their newer peripherals, users with older printers, scanners, and other hardware face a tougher time trying to dig up 64-bit drivers. Microsoft's Windows 7 Compatibility page lets you browse or search for different hardware and software to determine whether it will run under 64-bit Windows.
    Microsoft: Windows 7 makes 64-bit headway | Microsoft - CNET News
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 202
    Windows 8 Pro 64 bit
       #6

    i don't like 64bit myself, i think its slower, and my friends agree. I really notice slow downs, even something like 2 seconds, and 64 boots slower. Sure i loose 500megs of ram because i have 3.50 useable but i dont notice any perfomance increase at all, infact a decrease.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 1,663
    Windows 10 Tech Preview 9926 x64
       #7

    Good...hopefully we can finally start leaving x86 behind. Microsoft has to get corporations and small businesses on the x64 bandwagon (and off of XP) before we start to see a major migration though.
      My Computer


  8. OEM
    Posts : 617
    OS3.5
       #8

    I truly think the reason so many PC's are preloaded with 64-bit is that Software & Hardware manufactures want you to have by new products, as most older products don't have 64bit drivers. In fact, just was working in a thread about 64-bit, the member has programs that won't run on it and hopes that with his recovery disc's it offers the choice to install 32 or 64 flavors. He just bought it.

    I noticed this when shopping for a notebook PC for niece that many had 64-bit and I found this disturbing knowing and having read many horror stories about the troubles people where having getting software to load and hardware working. I mean really, if you have a perfectly good working 5 year old printer and the manufacture doesn't offer anymore updates as they consider it to be an outdated legacy model, the owner cannot get the 64-bit drivers for it to function.

    I tell ya, its a scam.

    When I bought Retail Se7en Ult. Upgrade, I made sure it had 32-bit and was glad it had both flavors. My notebook is 64-bit capable, but I don't need 8 gigs of ram (max is 2 anyway) and the benefits of 64-bit would hardly be utilized on this notebook.

    There's a lot of people I'm sure who can afford to always afford the latest and greatest, but for me, if works and works well, why bother. This is at least a 5 year old notebook, yet it runs and works great with XP, Se7en and even Vista.

    Vista was a bonus as at the time of purchase, Vista was promised to have been released, so at the time all I had to do was fill out the online form, pay 10$ us for shipping and had it installed on its own partition in a dual boot.

    Anyway, I think it's still too Early for all these 64-bit PC's. Maybe in another 5-8 years, but like I said many have good working software (that they prefer to any newer versions) and hardware, that to throw it out would be a complete waste. But I guess thats the cost of a Consumer driven Society/Economy that thats the way the cookie crumbles.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 872
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #9

    I see the biggest difference on 64-bit on my desktop with 9GB of RAM, and on my dad's laptop with 8GB of RAM. The one computer I maintain with 4GB of RAM doesn't see any noticeable performance increase.
      My Computer


 
Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 7 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 7" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:25.
Find Us