Let us finalize this.....

Mainly for AW-James and AW-Armando....

since the topic has appeared several times, and is obviuosly vague to potential buyers and even current owners...i ask the following:

why does AW not post the actual OS in bit terms on thier site?
when will AW offer 64bit as an option?

several people need, i guess for lack of a better word, AW to tell them what OS they are getting because they are too lazy or lack the initiative to ask themselves...
but in all fairness to the consumer, and as other vendors have done, many offer a better decription of the OS they will be getting or can choose when looking into a unit from said vendor.

so...whats up with AW in this regard?

 

x86 is the home/consumer standard for Windows operating systems. x64 operating systems, while taking advantage of 64-bit processing, are aimed more towards proprietary development and productivity software used by different organizations/corporations.

At this time, we do not have plans to release the x64 operating system. Driver support still remains widely popular for x86 platforms over x64, especially on the mobile line.

 

thx AW-James for the response....

but i again ask, as it has come up in the thread here....

why can AW not just post on the site that the OS is a 32bit version and not 64bit?

and maybe you can please address the 2G showing issue in thier for them as well...

thx.

 

with 64bit, you can utilize all the ram, so with bigger and "SLI" video cards taking up to 1gb of the "accessible memory" 64bit just makes sense... ya know?!?!? and its not just for proprietary development. 64bit IS the new 32.

 

Well if it's only aimed at businesses etc, why do other companies like hp, acer, rock and countless more offer it then James!??

Tom

 

I will forward this information to the appropriate representatives so we may avoid any confusion in the future.

Thanks, Ryujin

 

Hey James,

Any chance you (or someone from Alienware) could wade into this discussion here and comment on why the current m17x as supplied only sees exactly 50% of its installed RAM?

Obviously, I'm also interested in hearing from the 'appropriate representatives' what the ongoing AW policy will be, on delivering a system that can not see more than 2GB from an advertised 4GB system.

Many thanks,
Ben

 

James,

This is the very first time I am interacting with you. I am a proud owner of a m15x. Yeah the machine rocks but I have to disagree with you.

Saying that x64 is only for enterprise and not for enthus and gamers then think AGAIN. This is just a way to cover your as*. can you name me single hardware you are using and they dont have 64 bit drivers available from manufacturer??? Oooppss I guessed it right "Alienware". That is correct all the hardware used on Alienware comes with their 64 bit drivers from hardware manufacturer. It's only OSD and Command Center which creates problem running on 64bit. And let me tell you the reason WHY so that may be if developers at your end facing trouble in finding a resolution can fix the issue in no more than a single minute.

First problem with OSD... not really a problem but a design change in Windows 64 bit (any windows 64bit).. they have seperate directory "C:\windows\syswow64" for 32bit dll/exe running on 64 bit platform. (under Windows On Windows aka. WoW emulation). So instead of hardcoding your OSD installer to put dll's under System32 let it get the default system directory on current architecture... and we fixed the OSD

Coming to Command Center.. this is even more simpler if you dont plan to have seperate versions of Command Center for 32bit and 64bit. Recompile the command center project and make it to target 'x86 only' other than 'Any CPU' which is default for .Net

Your command center runs fine on x64 but problem comes when it tries to load a x86 dll into memory (alienfxhook.dll) while it was running under 64bit.

Please pass on this information to the devs at your company if you can and we can have a 'official' fix very soon, for unofficial fix check my signature.

 

Go vikas tell him what you really think!

 

Just to add... if Vista 64bit was *only* for enterprises then Microsoft would have never came up with
- Vista Home Premium (64 Bit)
- Vista Ultimate (64 Bit)

Do you think people like CEO and Developers will use Home Premium at enterprises ??? or do they record their movies using Vista Ultimate (x64) Media Center while they are attending official meetings ??? uhmmm uhmm... I can hear silence......shhhhhh

 

He's right James and you know it.
We know it's nothing to do with you but Alienware as a whole are supposed to be catering for all of the gamers needs. You people need to listen to the consumers more

Tom

 

James, please don't take all this personally. This is not, and never has been, personal for me.

This is about Alienware and its parent company, DELL, fast-tracking a 64-bit build for the m17x with 4GB RAM. 2GB from 4GB is not good enough.

Please just do what ever you and your colleagues need to do, to get a 64-bit build out for your existing customers. Personally I don't care if I can't change the colours of my keyboard. I bought this machine to push through the 2GB limit of my last laptop. Get a basic 64-bit build out there to your customers and you'll be surprised how quickly your customer base will respect the Alienware brand again. It's not easy to change a corporate policy from within but please be aware that anything less than retrofitting an approved, supported 64-bit build for the m17x is just NOT ACCEPTABLE and will have a long-term, negative effect on the Alienware brand.

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help justify the policy change.

And I'm sure there are enough m17x users out there that will back me on this.

Cheers,
Ben

 

64 bit computing is hardly for enthusiasts only. 20% of Vista PC's connecting to Windows update are x64. Get to work Alienware so I can buy my m17x. I've been through putting Vista on an Area51m that shipped with XP and it wasn't pleasant.

http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/07/30/windows-vista-64-bit-today.aspx

-SigX

 

^ well said benem! I agree with you in wanting more than 32bit OS.

 

I was mistaken in my earlier post. Options for 64-bit operating systems are in the works, but we do not have a planned launch date at this time. As you know, Alienware runs all new software through a rigorous validation process to ensure full compatibility with our systems. Once we are confident there is sufficient driver availability to support 64-bit with maximum stability, you will see these operating systems roll out on Alienware desktops and notebooks.

 

Thanks AW James.

I also just noticed that next to the 4gb option on the m15x configuration page, there is a little cross symbol, and if you scroll down to the bottom of the screen it indicates that all 4gb may not be utilized in the system depending on configuration.

 

Thanks James and It was nothing personal at all. The only reason I bought an Alienware is so obvious "It's Alienware" ohh that tag line is taken by Sony...

 

This is good news. Thanks for not just shrugging everyone off and listening. Cheers to AW!

 

I was one of the first to order your notebook in June. Will you be offering this option to people who already got the m17X?

 

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!

I wish everyone would take it easy on AW-James... he's just doing his job... I'd like to thank AW-James for all the information he's given forum members! I havn't had much interaction with James personally, but he's been a great help to a great number of people!

I'd like to express, for everyone's information, I understand AW's position on x64. 90% of games DON'T support or play any better under x64. In fact, it's liable to cause more problems, than improvements; especially nearly a year ago when this product was first launched (referring to the m15x). Now, the times are slowly changing and eventually everyone will have to ride the x64 gravy train. Personally, I'm hoping the next windows (Windows 7?) doesn't have a 32-bit variation... or if it does, it's the option, not the default. So much so that IF your computer supports x64, that's what's installed, only if you have a 32-bit only machine would it even bother. but I digress.

x64 IS the future. It's happening, and will continue to happen. Just like 32 overtook 16 before it, and 16 overtook 8 before that... We need to keep moving. With users like Vikas, proving to everyone that x64 is not the end of the world (thanks for the guides, research and work by the way), and anyone, and everyone should be able to use x64. (if only someone would do the same for the m17x... or has it been done? I havn't checked.)

I know this solution from AW will not come quickly, and noone should expect it to. Considering how long it takes to test, approve and release video drivers for existing, supported OS's, noone should expect this to move quickly. Remember, they'll have to perform the same process for every driver on the system now, in order to get this release going; and we all know how long it takes to test just one.

For now, many of us can take refuge in Vikas' solutions. I know I will.

Godspeed AW, and good luck!

 

Eh, not really. 64 bit is quickly becoming mainstream as I type this. A lot of other PC manufacturers are moving to 64 bit vista as the default O.S. for new notebooks/desktops.

 

That's good news James.

Will you be offering a free upgrade for those owners who already have m15x or m17x systems?

I know some other manufactuers offer this with the system already

OB

 

Oh yes, please let us know if the upgrade will be free. I just ordered my m15x.

 

At this moment we are unable to say yes or no a free upgrade from 32 to 64bit OS will be available however in the event this is offered, we will make sure to notify our customers. Please check back with us.

 

I agree to you and can expect it to take some more time. Guys if you need your machine to work 64 Vista, PM me for any hardware from AW and together we will make it work.

I dont think so, read it here

You can use AW patched version and OSD fix from my GUIDE for m17x or even ALX desktops.. see my FAQ. SATA and SLI drivers are not available in my guide which you can find from net easily. The only challenge was AW softwares.

 

Any update to this issue?

Can I get a free upgrade to vista 64 for an early m17x adopter (one of the first)?