Strike911 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Okay, so I have the capability to upgrade my system to a 64 bit OS. (I have more RAM than I know what to do with and my 32bit system won't be able to see more than 2.5-3 GB of it.) I currently have Windows XP 32-bit installed. My question is can I merely upgrade/update my 32 bit system to the 64 bit system (is this possible?), or should I back up everything, wipe the drives, and reinstall the operating system cleanly? My gut feeling is to back up everything, wipe the drives, and install it freshly, but I wasn't sure if it would just be a waste of time, or if Windows even required that. Is just installing a 64 bit XP over the 32 bit XP enough, or will I have issues? I know I need to download 64-bit drivers and could possibly get a few driver incompatibilities, but it isn't too big of a problem, I think. Anyway, your help is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phill Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 It should be noted that 64-bit XP is garbage and you should be considering 64-bit Vista or waiting till Win7 is release (rtm late july, retail mid Oct). If you are, however, dead set on this, back up and do a fresh install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike911 Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Oh yeah? I'd been reading up on things but I hadn't hit any of the grievances on 64-bit XP except for a few driver incompatibilities. I'm not exactly dead set on making the switch; heck, it'd be easier for me just to keep what I have now. I could easily wait for Windows 7, and I might do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phill Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 64-bit XP was a place holder, Vista was still not ready but there was still an interest in a 64-bit OS from Microsoft. The 64-bit version of XP was released to fill what was still a small niche and really wasn't a...mainstream? OS. It was/is treated as a placeholder by both Microsoft and soft/hardware vendors which is why you still see a lack of hardware drivers or software intended for an 64-bit XP environment. Personally, I am waiting for the 64-bit Windows 7 to RTM at which point I will backup my computer, download and install the 120 day demo to make sure I can install it as I wish (C = windows install, D = program files, E = My Documents) and it runs the way I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 there is a lot of software that should run on 32-bit windows but doesn't, for some reason. i don't really know why the manufacturers (melodyne comes to mind) haven't taken the time to do it. you should wipe and start over on your install drive. the reason for this is because xp64 isn't an enhanced version of xp32 - if it was there'd be way more support for it. it's a complete architecture and coding paradigm shift over 32, meaning that code has to be written specifically for it (in most instances). that's why no one actually writes for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared Hudson Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Did you mention exactly how much RAM you have? I know that 32-bit should see a solid 3.5GB as a norm. However, if you are making the 64-bit jump.....Windows 7 can't get here fast enough. WinXP 64-bit as others said isn't exactly practical, and Vista in itself is very bloated. Windows 7 is supposed to fill that gap. I always recommend erase installs for any new OS. Your performance will be its best when doing that. I don't know how daring you are, but you could download the Windows 7 64-bit Release Candidate (very stable) for free, and at least use it until the Retail version comes out. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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