so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

So I just got a sweet new vostro 1700, it's all of 3 days old and I just discovered that the version of vista on it (home basic) is a 32-bit os, and that it might not recognize the full amt of ram (2gb sticks) i'm going to put in it.

This kind of sucks - what are my options? Is it feasible/ necessary to upg to a 64-bit version? I'm wishing I did my homework a bit more thoroughly now b/c I could have gotten vista premium when I bought the thing.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Surf

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

Do you run any software that is 64-bit? No? Then don't worry about it.

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

How much memory are you putting in that you feel you actually need 64bit?

4GB is the upper limit of what 32bit can normally address.

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

Also, why do you think you will actually need 4gb of RAM.

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

[ QUOTE ]
So I just got a sweet new vostro 1700, it's all of 3 days old and I just discovered that the version of vista on it (home basic) is a 32-bit os, and that it might not recognize the full amt of ram (2gb sticks) i'm going to put in it.

This kind of sucks - what are my options? Is it feasible/ necessary to upg to a 64-bit version? I'm wishing I did my homework a bit more thoroughly now b/c I could have gotten vista premium when I bought the thing.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Surf

[/ QUOTE ]

You can't upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit vista. You have to do a reinstall.

If you think you really need 64-bit, it may be easier to return the entire computer and order a new one with it pre-installed.

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Do you run any software that is 64-bit? No? Then don't worry about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

What type of software is 64-bit? I'm not a hardcore gamer or anything, but I want this machine to last me at least 1.5-2yrs.

I checked dell's website and vista premium (is that it?) is $100 more. What are the benefits to it besides a higher RAM limit? I can't imagine needing more than 4gb.

Thanks for the help,

Surf

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

He will only be able to use 3.2-3.5GB of RAM with the 32-bit OS.

But I dont think it is anywhere near +ROI to buy and install an 64-bit OS for the extra RAM that you will never use anyway.

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

just did a little googling and found this faq, no idea how reliable/accurate it is:

http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/1426/...ion_x64_vs_x86

Going to hunt a bit more.

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

Unless you know you need a 64-bit OS, just go with a 32-bit OS. You will likely have many fewer headaches.

You may need a 64-bit OS if you have software that is 64-bit (if you don't know, it's probably not).

You may need a 64-bit OS if you are going to address more than 4GB of RAM for the OS, or 2GB of ram for a single process. In actuality, you'll usually only get 3GB & change addressed by a 32-bit windows OS.

I would almost bet money that you don't need a 64-bit OS. I consider myself a power-user and only have XP-64 on one of my systems. I have x64 on that one system because I do virtualization with it and need full 4GB of RAM, plus the ability to have 2-3GB dedicated to a single process. Running x64 has been a HUGE pain in the ass as far as drivers for older devices go (new ones have been ok).
32-bit is fine for all the rest of my systems.

Re: so i just found out my vista is 32-bit, my options are?
 

Okay after sifting through a couple other articles, I've decided to stick with what I've got. I'm only putting 3gb of RAM in my system, and I can't imagine needing more than 4 in the next 2 years. Also, it seems the performance benefits from the x64 architecture wont mature for another year or two since all the developers / software / drivers etc need to come up to speed.

Whew, now I don't have to send my computer back and spend another $100, sweet.

Surf