Travel Technology - Vista 64 bit

We are looking into getting a $500 dollar, or so, PC. While looking at Dell's site, it seem that most of the desktops I saw only offered Vista 64 bit. Is 64 bit now gaining in popularity? Do more programs work with it? More drivers available? etc... Just wondering if we should go for it, or look elsewhere? This is not about Dell. Dell is just the first placxe we looked.

You won't have driver issues with the hardware in the box. Everything else is still a crap shoot, though things are getting better in general.

My guess is that they are pushing x64 because of more RAM in the systems.

Unless you have some non-mainstream gear, Vista x64 shouldn't be an issue. I've been running it for nearly a year on my PC at home.

We are looking into getting a $500 dollar, or so, PC. While looking at Dell's site, it seem that most of the desktops I saw only offered Vista 64 bit. Is 64 bit now gaining in popularity? Do more programs work with it? More drivers available? etc... Just wondering if we should go for it, or look elsewhere? This is not about Dell. Dell is just the first placxe we looked.

Unless you have some non-mainstream gear, Vista x64 shouldn't be an issue.

like older printers, scanners and cameras?

Also the cisco vpn client doesn't work on 64-bit vista, if that's something you need. (that's what the poster above me was saying, in case you were wondering.)

Check the devices you have for compatibility. there will be no problem with any usb disk, etc.

When I was at Costco last week, I looked at the computers. They all had 64-bit vista installed. With a 64-bit OS, you'll get full use of the 4GB of memory that most of them had installed. With a 32-bit OS, some of the 32-bit memory address space gets used for i/o devices and the firmware, so you won't get full use of the 4GB of memory, if that's how much is installed. Some of the address space is reserved.

-David

With a 32-bit OS, some of the 32-bit memory address space gets used for i/o devices and the firmware, so you won't get full use of the 4GB of memory, if that's how much is installed. Some of the address space is reserved.


Prior to installing Vista x64, I was able to access ~3.3 of my 4GB

There is another Cisco product called AnyConnect that runs on Vista 64. Works great, I've been using it for almost a year now.

I haven't had any hardware problems with my system, but certain software programs won't install. Vista 64 has a compatibility mode feature that is supposed to allow "problem" programs to run, but a few of them just won't install, so it becomes a moot point. A few others fuss about not being compatible with V64, but then seem to run OK.

You need to be cautious if you are using any specialty programs as these likely won't be revised to run on V64 as quickly as other flavors of Vista.

We went ahead and ordered one with Vista 64. It won't be running any special programs right now as we have two other computers for that. We will also get a new printer that will work with it. Thanks for the comments.

One important thing about Vista 64 is that all drivers must be signed by Microsoft, which may ensure a more stable hardware experience. Vista 64 runs fine for me here - can't remember the last time it took a nosedive. Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on your hardware, but this signing requirement may prove to be an advantage.

There are generic printer drivers for most old printers, but advanced features won't be available. Older scanners are just not supported in x64, though you can use a program like VueScan which works in x64.

The Cisco VPN drivers are a big problem, as noted. Since they're generally provided by corporate IT departments, it can be very hard to get them to upgrade to AnyConnect. "We don't support 64 bit" is easier.

The Cisco VPN drivers are a big problem, as noted. Since they're generally provided by corporate IT departments, it can be very hard to get them to upgrade to AnyConnect. "We don't support 64 bit" is easier.Heard that line from our IT department yesterday. I can use our VPN access our internal web pages, but can't use it for my email, so I'm stuck using our webmail rather than Thunderbird when I'm on the road.

Aside from those issues, the big thing is older software. At least two specialized software packages I use won't run on my 64-bit system, and my old versions of Adobe software (e.g., Illustrator 10) also won't run.

I had to download a new version of the software for my cellular modem, which now works fine.

Hubby tried Vista 64-bit for almost 6 months before finally giving up. There is way too much stuff out there that says it is compatible with Vista that won't work with 64-bit. We finally purchased a new 32-bit and I think hubby will have all his hair back soon.

It arrived yesterday, and so far so good. Our old printer worked without issue. The only software to give me fits was iTunes. It said it would only work on 32 bit. Googled up a solution that worked fine. The other issue was a Netgear WG111v2 wireless adapter. I downloaded the Vista 64 driver, but it refused to install. Found a different way to do wireless and all is okay.

I got tired of using the netbook (with external mouse, kbd, monitory) as my replacement machine until my normal notebook is repaired, so I ended up getting a Sony FW notebook at Costco, and it also came with 64-bit vista.

The only thing I'd like to use but can't on this system is the cisco vpn client.

itunes? Use the 64-bit vista version:

http://support.apple.com/downloads/iTunes_8_0_2_for_Windows_64_bit

I think I downloaded the normal one first, and the installer told me not to use it. I hope that was the solution you found with google. That's what I found.

-David

Hubby tried Vista 64-bit for almost 6 months before finally giving up. There is way too much stuff out there that says it is compatible with Vista that won't work with 64-bit. We finally purchased a new 32-bit and I think hubby will have all his hair back soon.Anything that has the "certified for Vista" logo will have 64-bit drivers.

Pretty much anything can say they are "compatible" with Vista, and many vendors make up their own pretty logos.

You can search here to see if your devices have 64-bit drivers: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compatibility/

And the logo on the right of this page is the one you want to look for: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/logoprogram/default.mspx

Those are the easiest ways I know of to make sure that there are 64-bit drivers for your devices.

I got tired of using the netbook (with external mouse, kbd, monitory) as my replacement machine until my normal notebook is repaired, so I ended up getting a Sony FW notebook at Costco, and it also came with 64-bit vista.

The only thing I'd like to use but can't on this system is the cisco vpn client.

itunes? Use the 64-bit vista version:

http://support.apple.com/downloads/iTunes_8_0_2_for_Windows_64_bit

I think I downloaded the normal one first, and the installer told me not to use it. I hope that was the solution you found with google. That's what I found.

-David

No, that wasn't what I found but thanks for the link. I looked everywhere on Apple.com and could not find it.