question about 32 and 64 bit??

im gonna buy a laptop with amd turion64 x2 processor it includes a free upgrade to vista home premium but i've heard that there are some software issues with vista on 64-bit so i heard is it possible to install a 32 bit vista on a 64 bit machine, will i have the option of choosing either 32 or 64bit when installing vista as i dont want to risk not having my software working?

Thanks for any help

 

Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. I don't think your software will cease to work in that environment. You just won't see an impact until you run software that is designed for 64 bit OS. Anything designed for a 32 bit OS will not benefit, but should still work fine. This is especially true with the heightened compatibility when Vista is consumerized (done and shipped).

 

oh ok i was reading and i read something about 32bit programs not being able to run on x64 vista and drivers and all that.. as long as i can pick a 32bit vista to choose when installing then im ok

 

Well, I would choose the 64 version. When apps do come out to support it, you'll see more benefit. It really takes advantage of your platform for future considerations.

During Beta testing and some of the RC's the drivers and apps were sketchy. I'm pretty sure most of that has been fixed. There should be no reason you can't run a 32 bit app in a 64 bit environment.

 

I have tried Vista 64 bit and it runs great. Most 32 bit apps will run fine on it. However, you don't take any advantage of 64-bit computing until 64 bit apps go mainstream, which, IMHO, not near.
I have slight performance decrease when running some 32-bit apps under Vista 64. My guess would be 64 bit device drivers are not as mature as their 32 bit counterpart.
To me, I'd pick to install 32 bit instead of 64. For today's performance and compatibility. Hopefully, the software industry will change my mind soon.