Is the 64 bit REALLY worth all the hassle?

@Fountainhead: haha, nice. The second paragraph of yours post is...almost exactly mine. Well that just goes to show you we must be right.

 

I don't think people should think about why they should install x64, but rather why they shouldn't. I find no reason not to recommend it to any of my friends, if their system supports it.

 

Anyone have a favorite torrent site they may recommend?

 

I would recommend the 64 bit version. I have xps m1530, I upgraded the cpu to the t9300, and increased ram to 4 gig. I also added the intel 1 gig Turbo Cache Memory, I purchased new hard drive and did a clean install with 64 vista utimate. Everything works fine and all my hardware is working. Windows update even installed the drivers for my nvidia chipped video card.
I went to driveragent and did scan and says 100% good drivers. I have not come upon any problem or snag. The fingerprint software at dell is 32 bit and will not install. You can go to Upek and purchase software for 14.95. Now my fingerprint reader works better than the version on the 32 bit. I still have the 32 bit version of ultimate on oem hard drive, if everything continues to work flawlessly i will reformat the 200 gig momentus that came with the computer and use it as storage. I also have pre ordered the new WD Black Scorpion, 320 gig, 7200rpm, with freefall sensor, sata drive. I thought about dual boot with xp, but i see no reason to do that. Maybe i will give ubuntu a try. I like new stuff, and have not ever dealt with linux. Any thoughts on the matter.

 

You can get the 64 bit version of the fprint software if you look around...thought I saw it here in fact.

 

There's a link to it in the XPS M1530 Vista 64 bit compatible drivers thread on this forum, but I just checked and the link is now dead. Hmmmm. It was working as of a couple of weeks ago because I snagged it. Upek apparently has shut that down. Guess they want people to pay for the 64-bit "upfrade."

 

Im going to put 64 bit vista on later tonight
I am currently running XP.
Will 64 bit upgrade over vista or do i have to clean install ?
Thanks in advance

 

You will need a clean installation.

 

Huh? Isn't that the same one as here
http://upek.com/support/downloads/drivers/windows.asp
only using a direct link?

 

Yeah, that's the driver. But there's also a fingerprint suite utility that goes with it. That's the link (from the x64 thread) that's now dead. Now, whether that utility needs to be 64-bit or whether the utility that ships originally can be used, I don't know. I know I downloaded from the now dead link and it worked fine.

 

Got the install file still? You'll get some rep points if you upload it somewhere .

Edit: Haven't tried this yet cuz I don't have my XPS (should be at my door this week). But Google searching came up with this: http://drivers.dltube.net/download23226.html

Not sure if it'll work on the XPS, but you can try.

 

It is because ,for the vast majority of users, they will find no noticeable improvement in productivity moving from a x86 OS to a x64 OS. Practically, they'll find quit the opposite. They'll find more than enough quirks and incompatabilities to make a noticeable decline in their productivity. An x64 OS still remains a platform for at the very least, intermediate users.

I would not recommend to any of my friends that they get an x64 OS. And the ones that I would recommend that they get it already have their mind made up and got it.

While the hardware and software maybe be ready for a move to an exclusive x64 platform, the ecosystem clearly is not.

 

Have you ever actually used Vista 64-bit? The amount of "quirks and incompatibilities" that you refer to is extremely small. The only applications I have ever had a problem with are ones that require kernel access (such as support for an additional filesystem). Even at that I think I have had 1 program that wouldn't install because my computer was 64-bit. Give it a couple of months and a 64-bit version will be released.

Keep in mind that Vista 64-bit has a compatibility layer/emulator for 32-bit applications which run with no noticeable (if it is, it's quite negligible) decrease in performance.

 

I do have the install files, but I'm not likely committing public copyright violations by uploading it anywhere.

Looking at the package, it doesn't appear to be specifically 64-bit. In fact, it includes drivers for both 32 and 64 bit versions of XP, Vista, and Server 2003. The whole package is 45 MB. The downloadable utility from Dell is merely 7 MB. I wonder if the actual utility is the same but the Dell download only includes the drivers from 32-bit Vista, and that's why it won't install. The 64-bit drivers from the full package are the same as the driver-only download linked above. But since the Dell download is packed in an MSI file, I'm not sure how you'd incorporate it.

Seems to me that you ought to be able to install the 64-bit drivers and then the Dell utility, but the guy above claimed this didn't work, so I dunno.

As far as that download link...it's definitely an older version. The one I have is 5.8.2. You certainly could try it though.

 

I agree with you what quirks and incompatabilities that come up are small and and often a one step fix. I don't agree that this means an exclusive x64 platform is ready for mainstream.

I think about everyone I know that will be buying a new computer in the next 6 months and shudder to think if they had to deal with ven a SINGLE incompatible driver. The Sony Camcorder a friend just bought? They had to download a new quicktime update to use it with their Mac. That was enough of a headache for them. Keep in mind the vast majority of computer users find drivers to be a big pain in the rear. They want to insert a CD, plug it in and it start working. Any more than that, and it is a hassle. And they are right. A $2500 laptop and a $1200 camcorder and it took a full day for them to figure out how to get them to work. To a consumer, that IS a hassle.

 

Yes but as people (myself being one of them) have stated before, the reason it's more complicated than it should be is because nobody makes the switch. Software devs aren't going to spend money creating 64-bit software for the small niche of users that will be able to take advantage of it. If PC manufacturers pushed the switch by shipping 64-bit with the computers and supporting the development of 64-bit drivers, the problem would no longer exist and it'd be just like 32-bit. Telling people to stray away from 64-bit because of its incompatibility is exactly why it's incompatible. Correct me if you think I'm wrong, though.

 

Well, for the vast majority of users, they just won't see any kind of increase in productivity moving to a x64 OS. Even in the next year, the vast majority of users STILL won't see any improvement in their productivity. The x64 OS is just a novelty.

The market will determine when the time is right for the x64 OS to become mainstream. Plenty will argue it is ALREADY mainstream. So my opinion here may already be outdated.

 

I wouldn't say it's mainstream at all, and my intention of continuing this isn't so much to argue as it is to get a different view on this situation. I'm starting to see more and more where you're coming from. I personally made the upgrade from x86 to x64 on my desktop and I felt I noticed a difference. After a few days of working I realized what I was experiencing was more or less the placebo effect (thinking the performance was better when, in fact, it was almost the same). The differences between the OSes are negligible until people find a way to truly harness the power of 64-bit.

 

That was my point exactly. I'm with you. There are plenty of advantages underneath the hood to switch to a x64 OS. And I wish the market would make the switch sooner. People come to me for advice because I give answers based on their lifestyle.

IMO for me to tell people to switch to a x64 OS just to force the market to adopt x64 software faster isn't good advice.

For the record, I DON'T have an x64 OS installed as a host OS. I have a x64 Vista running on a VM on the laptop. Personally, I haven't experienced ANY quirks with it.

 

Well, I'd certainly have to agree with that. Randonly advising someone to make a move from which they'll not see a significant benefit (today) doesn't make sense. I'd never advise my mom to move to x64. She can play soduku just fine in 32-bit XP.

But I always encourage people who want to check out Vista x64 to do so, because I think it's a solid OS. They way I see it, if someone is savvy enough to be hanging out on a forum like this inquiring about x64, then they can handle rustling up a driver here and there.

 

Hard to disagree with that one. My software engineer friends constantly dog me for not running x64 Vista on my 4GB RAM laptop. I tell them I'm lazy and installed it in a VM. Soon, the x64 questions will start to swamp the forum and those threads will get their own forum.

 

I am an EE and I love the concept of 64bit. The real question to answer is can you get 64 bit drivers for all of your hardware and periphials (printers, scanners, etc..) Thats why I am running 32 for the time being. For VM enviroments, it is almost a must!