Guest (PeteCresswell) Posted August 7, 2007 Posted August 7, 2007 I'm shopping for a beater PC that I will install Windows XP Pro on. I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. Have I got it right? -- PeteCresswell
Guest Uncle Grumpy Posted August 7, 2007 Posted August 7, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote: >I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit >machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. > >Have I got it right? Don't think so.
Guest Patrick Keenan Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote in message news:bp0ib35n8o143ks8c38noultb6v1i9j7j7@4ax.com... > I'm shopping for a beater PC that I will install Windows XP Pro > on. > > I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit > machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. > > Have I got it right? Not really. > -- > PeteCresswell Most machines now are capable of runnng 64-bit code. But that only matters if you buy a 64-bit OS. If you buy a specifically 64-bit processor, you're not going to
Guest Patrick Keenan Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote in message news:bp0ib35n8o143ks8c38noultb6v1i9j7j7@4ax.com... > I'm shopping for a beater PC that I will install Windows XP Pro > on. > > I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit > machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. > > Have I got it right? Probably not quite. > -- > PeteCresswell Most machines now are capable of runnng 64-bit code via extensions. But that only really matters if you buy a 64-bit OS, and for XP, that's only available from system builders with a hardware to run it on. That means you've bought a package, and *you* won't be installing XP on it. It will have a motherboard specifically designed for that processor. But, buying a new system with a specifically 64-bit processor won't happen "by some chance". You will likely have paid a significant amount more, and you will have sought out a vendor who supplies such things, and your specific needs will have been discussed. You'll probably notice yourself going out of your way to get this. On the other hand, many 64-bit processors from AMD are fairly easy to get and are designed to run 32-bit XP just fine, because they also support the 32-bit instructions. It is *possible* - assuming the term "beater" isn't a typo for "better" - that you can buy a used 64-bit system without OS. In that case, you'll need to do some research into what the system is and what its capabilities and compatibilites are. For example, if it's a SPARC system, yes, you may have major issues getting a standard XP release to run on it. That can be, by some definitions of the word, a "fun" project. HTH -pk
Guest (PeteCresswell) Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? Per Patrick Keenan: >Most machines now are capable of runnng 64-bit code. But that only >matters if you buy a 64-bit OS. I meant the other way around. Assuming that Windows XP is inherently 32-bit (bad assumption on my part?), my question is whether it will run on a 64-bit PC. -- PeteCresswell
Guest Uncle Grumpy Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote: >Assuming that Windows XP is inherently 32-bit (bad assumption on >my part?), my question is whether it will run on a 64-bit PC. Of course it will.
Guest Ken Blake, MVP Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? On Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:42:37 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote: > I'm shopping for a beater PC that I will install Windows XP Pro > on. > > I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit > machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. > > Have I got it right? > -- No. 32-bit Windows (XP or any other flavor) runs just fine on 64-bit hardware. The problem is the other way around. 64-bit Windows won't run on 32-bit hardware. -- Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User Please Reply to the Newsgroup
Guest Jon Scott Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "Ken Blake, MVP" wrote... >> I'm shopping for a beater PC that I will install Windows XP Pro >> on. >> >> I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit >> machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. >> >> Have I got it right? >> -- > > > No. 32-bit Windows (XP or any other flavor) runs just fine on 64-bit > hardware. > > The problem is the other way around. 64-bit Windows won't run on > 32-bit hardware. Correct. 32/64-bit OS on 64-bit hardware, but 32-bit only OS on 32-bit hardware. You can get Windows XP x64 Edition if you're interested: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx Jon.
Guest Tim Slattery Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote: >I'm shopping for a beater PC that I will install Windows XP Pro >on. > >I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit >machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. > >Have I got it right? No. I think it was the Intel Itanium chip that would run *only* 64-bit code, but 64-bit processors since then have been capable of running both 32-bit and 64-bit code. That means that you can install a 32-bit operating system on such a machine, and it will work fine. You may not be able do everything the machine is capable of when you run in 32-bit mode, but it will work. And XP Professional comes in a 64-bit flavor. It's OEM only, and IIRC it doesn't have some of the goodies that the 32-bit version does. Every version of Vista comes in both 32- and 64-bit versions. -- Tim Slattery MS MVP(DTS) Slattery_T@bls.gov http://members.cox.net/slatteryt
Guest Patrick Keenan Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid> wrote in message news:7v2ib3d7vjkolminor1i66gne4tpnpoac8@4ax.com... > Per Patrick Keenan: >>Most machines now are capable of runnng 64-bit code. But that only >>matters if you buy a 64-bit OS. > > I meant the other way around. And I answered that, too. > > Assuming that Windows XP is inherently 32-bit It is. > (bad assumption on > my part?), my question is whether it will run on a 64-bit PC. > -- > PeteCresswell Please see the rest of my reply. It depends on the processor architecture, but most Intel and AMD 64-bit processors have standard 32-bit instruction compatibility. 64-bit processors from other companies, like Sun or DEC, may not run retail versions of XP at all. But again, you aren't likely to "just happen to get" a 64-bit processor. HTH -pk
Guest (PeteCresswell) Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? Per Patrick Keenan: >It is *possible* - assuming the term "beater" isn't a typo for "better" - >that you can buy a used 64-bit system without OS. I meant "beater" in the sense of the most el-cheapo, low-end machine I could find that would run XP Pro and let the user do webmail and maybe render YouTube videos. My benchmark is currently a 1.1 ghz Compaq that I rescued from the dumpster a couple of years ago and added a half-gig of RAM to. It's no flash, but serves well as a backup PC. In fact, I might be tempted to give that one to the person in need and get something faster for my backup machine.... Started thinking I'd build my own, but some comments on "the unspoken lifetime support covenant" rang true to me and I started looking at low-end Dells. Seems tb about six bills there.... and maybe dumpster diving would be a realistic alternative in that case (figuring about $250 for a decent digital monitor and fifty bucks for memory added to whatever I could get for free). OTOH, time is money and it's tempting to just place an order.... -- PeteCresswell
Guest Archimedez Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 RE: XP On 64-Bit PC? My experience is that WinXp Pro x86 runs BETTER than x64 on a 64-bit machine. I built an Athlon 64 machine about a year ago; installed XP Home 32-bit (and linux) to avoid paying Microsoft yet another license fee: EVERYTHING ran great. All my hardware answered up, all my games run great, I have no problem with dirvers, etc. Then, on a whim, I decided to try Win XP Pro x64. My cable modem won't connect via USB anymore; MANY hi-end games can't find my DirectX 9.c installation - so they refuse to run: some refuse to even install. My Microsoft .Net Visual Studio has SIGNIFICANT difficulties with the way XP x64 handles the Program Files directories. Even simple stuff like Microsoft's Solitaire, argueabley the most thoroughly "tested" software in the world - exhibits memory-mapping erros in XP x64 that don't exist in the 32-bit version. In short, I've experienced not a littel bit of pain for absolutely NO GAIN in system performance since 32-bit XP maps up to 4 gig of RAM with no problem. I have since unloaded XP x64 and gone back to the 32-bit XP Pro. "(PeteCresswell)" wrote: > I'm shopping for a beater PC that I will install Windows XP Pro > on. > > I'm guessing that if, by some chance, I purchase a 64-bit > machine, there's no way Windows XP is going to run on it. > > Have I got it right? > -- > PeteCresswell >
Guest dobey Posted August 9, 2007 Posted August 9, 2007 Re: XP On 64-Bit PC? "Archimedez" <Archimedez@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:1F134A86-4E0C-4D0F-8ADA-F69E8C4B5107@microsoft.com... > My experience is that WinXp Pro x86 runs BETTER than x64 on a 64-bit > machine. > I built an Athlon 64 machine about a year ago; installed XP Home 32-bit > (and > linux) to avoid paying Microsoft yet another license fee: EVERYTHING ran > great. All my hardware answered up, all my games run great, I have no > problem > with dirvers, etc. Then, on a whim, I decided to try Win XP Pro x64. My > cable > modem won't connect via USB anymore; MANY hi-end games can't find my > DirectX > 9.c installation - so they refuse to run: some refuse to even install. My > Microsoft .Net Visual Studio has SIGNIFICANT difficulties with the way XP > x64 > handles the Program Files directories. Even simple stuff like Microsoft's > Solitaire, argueabley the most thoroughly "tested" software in the world - > exhibits memory-mapping erros in XP x64 that don't exist in the 32-bit > version. In short, I've experienced not a littel bit of pain for > absolutely > NO GAIN in system performance since 32-bit XP maps up to 4 gig of RAM with > no > problem. I have since unloaded XP x64 and gone back to the 32-bit XP Pro. > Well I've had no problems with items I can find drivers for, and the very occasional program that won't run properly. Some games/programs won't install, but that is usually because the installer doesn't recognise the OS. Some installers are just poorly written and assume a certain directory structure, and in the case of XP64, 32 bit programs are installed to a different directory. I've played Quake 4, Stalker, BF2142, Far-Cry, (including 64 bit patch), Unreal Tournament 200x, (again including 64 bit patch) and others can't recall any DirectX issues. I might have had one or two games that did install and not run, but I can't think of them off-hand. The problem is, not a lot of driver support and not many 64 bit programs to take advantage of the hardware. For the moment stick with 32 bit XP and maybe in a year ot two Vista 64 bit might encourage some more apps to be written. I wouldn't hold my breath for XP pro 64 bit drivers coming out in a rush, except with new hardware.
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