Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit?

Hi,

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T61p laptop that came with XP and Vista Ultimate restore disks. To do a system restore requires 2-3 hours, after which I have to go on an expedition to cull all of the "extras" that Lenovo loads on these things, and they have everything including the kitchen sink. Even after this I have to run CCleaner a few times to clean up the registry. On a typical Vista install I run a 50% chance of the restore hitting the wall before SP2 gets applied.

I use the laptop for BibleWorks and Logos and not much else. I'm kind of hung up on whether to get the 32 bit or 64 bit version of Windows 7. The laptop has 4gb of ram and a T9300 Core 2 Duo processor.

What would you recommend getting - 32 bits or 64 bits?

Thanks,
Mike

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Originally Posted by MWMiles

What would you recommend getting - 32 bits or 64 bits?

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I'd go with the 32 bit. 64 bit still has hiccups on most computers, and also with various software programs. It's like a new edition of automobile - wait two or three years until they get the kinks worked out. And I seriously doubt that you'd even notice the difference between 32 and 64 bit on that computer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MWMiles

Hi,

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad T61p laptop that came with XP and Vista Ultimate restore disks. To do a system restore requires 2-3 hours, after which I have to go on an expedition to cull all of the "extras" that Lenovo loads on these things, and they have everything including the kitchen sink. Even after this I have to run CCleaner a few times to clean up the registry. On a typical Vista install I run a 50% chance of the restore hitting the wall before SP2 gets applied.

I use the laptop for BibleWorks and Logos and not much else. I'm kind of hung up on whether to get the 32 bit or 64 bit version of Windows 7. The laptop has 4gb of ram and a T9300 Core 2 Duo processor.

What would you recommend getting - 32 bits or 64 bits?

Thanks,
Mike

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Based on what I've read, a computer w 4GB RAM running 32bit Windows can't even use the full 4 GB of memory.

I say take the jump and go 64 bit. I am building a new computer for Christmas and plan on going 64 bit as well. I guess I'll find out soon enough if there are any problems, but this is one area where I think the rest of the world needs to catch up. 64 bit has been around for quite a while, there's no reason it will get more difficult to find compatible programs.

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Originally Posted by Adelphos

I'd go with the 32 bit. 64 bit still has hiccups on most computers, and also with various software programs. It's like a new edition of automobile - wait two or three years until they get the kinks worked out. And I seriously doubt that you'd even notice the difference between 32 and 64 bit on that computer.

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Earlier versions of Windows were the first attempts into 64 bit. I think those did have their fair share of problems. Windows 7 still might have some, but it's probably a lot better.

The only other issue would be old devices being incompatible. I'm not sure if there's a list somewhere of devices that are not compatible, but I'd imagine if one is using newer-ish stuff, this won't be a problem. But of course, when it comes to computers, there is no sure thing :)

And I think you're right, unless you were doing a lot of say graphic intensive projects or something else that really is demanding of your processor/resources, you probably wouldn't see a huge difference, but since when has that stopped anyone? Bigger is always better ;)

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Originally Posted by Michael Hanel

Earlier versions of Windows were the first attempts into 64 bit. I think those did have their fair share of problems. Windows 7 still might have some, but it's probably a lot better.

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I think the next big computer I buy will probably be 64 bit (i.e., contain 64 bit os and software), but I'm not sure any relatively older models are fit for it. I may be wrong, but I certainly wouldn't switch my current desktop (3-4 years old) over to 64 bit, nor my netbooks.

But 64 bit is inevitable, so if the computer can handle it, it's definitely the way to go, but if the computer can't really handle it, it can actually make things slower instead of faster.

I think all computers sold now, however, are geared for 64 bit.

Thanks guys!

I went ahead and ordered the 64 bit version of Windows 7 Professional. I've run 64 bit Linux on this thing w/o any problems and any old peripherals that I have here that will not work with Win7-64 will just get hooked up to one of the desktops.

I'm looking forward to seeing this NEW Windows and being able to install it in less time than it takes to watch Ben-Hur.

Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MWMiles

Thanks guys!

I went ahead and ordered the 64 bit version of Windows 7 Professional. I've run 64 bit Linux on this thing w/o any problems and any old peripherals that I have here that will not work with Win7-64 will just get hooked up to one of the desktops.

I'm looking forward to seeing this NEW Windows and being able to install it in less time than it takes to watch Ben-Hur.

Mike

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Well you didn't say that you had already been running 64 bit on that computer. Of course you should get the 64 bit Windows!

By the way, I've got my Commodore 64 souped up to the point to where I can run 1 Gig-a-BIT. Now all I gotta do is wait for the software to be developed. But when it is, I'm ready to go! :cool:

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Originally Posted by Adelphos

Well you didn't say that you had already been running 64 bit on that computer. Of course you should get the 64 bit Windows!

By the way, I've got my Commodore 64 souped up to the point to where I can run 1 Gig-a-BIT. Now all I gotta do is wait for the software to be developed. But when it is, I'm ready to go! :cool:

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Yeah... maybe if you're lucky they'll come out with a new version of CP/M to use for your operating system and then you can take up cobol programming.


Ahhhhh.. I actually remember having cp/m on my C128. The C64 was running the BBS. The VIC-20 was running some assembler program that kept writing my wife's name on the screen diagonally. It was a whopping 40 column screen.

Then I got an Amiga 1000 and got into ray tracing and C programming. Yow! Then it was the 10Mhz TURBO XT clone and TURBO PASCAL. It went all downhill after that. ;)

I have been doing BW development under Windows 7 64 bit for some time with no problems. The only harware I lost was an external modem for which I could not find drivers, but I was eventually able to find a way around that.

The main advantage to switching to 64 bit is that it allows you to address more memory. Under 32 bit it is limited to 4 gigabytes I believe and since the video memory and some other things come out of that address space, the practical limit is somewhere around gigabytes. Many of the new apps will work better with more than 2 gigs and memory is dirt cheap now. Under 64bit the 2 gig limitation is gone and you are just limited by what your motherboard supports. In short, if it doesn't cost you any bucks (and it shouldn't) there's no real reason any more not to go 64bit. IMHO. Remember that you can't just switch later without reinstalling everything.
Mike

I recently faced this decision, but I am a NotaBene user with 2 decades of research and teaching tied up in NotaBene, Ibidem and Orbis. NotaBene will only run under 32 bit Win7 or in the 32 bit xp compatibility mode if your cpu has VT technology. This only comes installed with 7pro or ultimate versions. I have to say I like 7. (I do have a recurring problem with a driver that I have not been able to isolate.) But the 3 gigs of memory I have available out of 4 installed on my laptop feels rather spacious to me. Of course, I spend 95 percent of my time in Bibleworks, NotaBene, and PowerPoint. (PowerPoint is the only presentation program with which I have been able to get really comfortable, I guess it is a work style thing). In making the move to 64 bits make sure you know the quirks and needs of your most important productivity tools before you commit.