32-Bit vs. 64-Bit Windows
You are maybe aware that 64-bit and 32-bit versions of your
operating system exist, but apart from assigning to a bigger-is-better idea,
you may have no idea what separates the two. Have you use a 64-bit version of
Windows, and why?
Nowadays users frequently installing the 64-bit version of
their OS of choice over the less capable 32-bit version. But most users don't have
a full understanding of what the difference really is.
Check your windows version you have in your PC.
Which version of Windows you are using, you can check from
the System properties in Control Panel, or you can take the easy way and
right-click on Computer or my computer icon in the start menu or desktop, and
choose Properties from the menu. Windows 7 or Vista users will be able to check
the System type in the list, while XP users with 64-bit will see it on the
dialog.
First think remember that you’re CPU must support 64-bit in
order to be running a 64-bit operating system—if you're running a modern CPU
you should be fine, but some of the low budget PCs don't contain a 64-bit
processor
Does 32-bit really have a memory limit?
In any 32-bit operating system, you are restricted to 4GB of
RAM just because the size of a 32-bit value will not permit any more. On a
32-bit system, every process is given 4 GB of virtual memory to performance
with, which is separated into 2 GB of user space that the application can really
use at a time.
Additional Difficulties with 32-Bit
It’s not have a hard limit for the amount of memory it can
address, there's also one more problem: your devices, like your motherboard
BIOS take up area in that similar 4 GB space, which means the basic operating
system gets access to even less of your RAM.
What's benefits of 64-Bit?
While 32 bits of information can only access 4 GB of RAM, a
64-bit machine can access 17.2 BILLION gigabytes of system memory, banishing
any limits far into the future. Windows 64-bit Home editions are still limited
to 16 GB of RAM for licensing reasons, but the Professional and Ultimate
versions can use up to 192 GB of RAM, so keep that in mind when building that
killer system.
The per-process limit is also seriously increased—on 64-bit
Windows, instead of a 2 GB limit, each application has access to 8 TB of
virtual memory without any special API, a huge factor when you consider
applications like video editing or virtual machines that may need to use
enormous amounts of RAM.
The common rule is that 32-bit will run on a lower level
64-bit component but
64-bit does not run on a lower level 32-bit component:
- A 32-bit OS will run on a 32-bit or 64-bit processor without any problem.
- A 32-bit application will run on a 32-bit or 64-bit OS without any problem.
- But a 64-bit application will only run on a 64-bit OS and a 64-bit OS will only run on a 64-bit processor.
Some general queries about 32-bit and 64-bit systems
Q. Will a 64-bit CPU run a 32-bit program on a 64-bit
version of an OS?
A. Yes it will. 64-bit systems are backward-compatible with
their 32-bit counterparts.
Q. Will a 64-bit OS run a 32-bit application on a 64-bit
processor?
A. Yes it will. Again, this is because of backward
compatibility.
Q. Can 64-bit applications contain 32-bit code?
A. Yes, many times 64-bit software will contain portions of
32-bit code.
Q. Can 16-bit applications or code run on 64-bit systems?
A. No, as we said previously. 16-bit code will NOT run on
64-bit OS because the designers did not provide backward-compatibility. This is
one reason why some 32-bit programs will not work on 64-bit operating systems.
Q. Can a 64-bit CPU with a 32-bit host OS run a virtual
machine (VM) for a 64-bit guest OS?
A. Yes. It all depends upon the level of virtualization.
32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions
Q. Can I run Windows 2000 and Windows XP on a 64-bit CPU,
and use old software?
A. Yes, a 32-bit OS (Windows 2000 or XP) will run on a
64-bit processor. You should also be able to run older 32-bit software on a
64-bit OS.
Q. Is a Windows Vista or Windows 7 license key valid for
both 32-bit and 64-bit versions?
A. Yes, unless you have an OEM version.
Q. How do find out if my system is 64-bit?
A. Microsoft provide resources to help you find out such as
FAQ on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Taking the mystery our of 64-bit Windows.
Q. How do I migrate my 32-bit system to 64-bit Windows?
A. There is no upgrade path from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows only
from 64-bit Windows. You will almost certainly have to do a clean install of
your 64-bit operating system, copy back your data files, and reinstall your
32-bit applications.
Posted By Prashant K Neelratan
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