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Poll: Microsoft Windows Vista - 32bit or 64bit ?

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  1. Hey all, can not decide between the two, mainly because I have heard about compatibility issues with 64bit and some of the programs used by many on this site. I use my PC mainly for video encoding and dvd burning. I already have the cpu and mobo -
    http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/desktop/details.aspx?opn=ADX6000IAA6CZ
    http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=1160&l1=3&l2=101&l3=301

    Here are my most commonly used programs. Have any of you had problems with them and 64bit Vista (or even 32bit Vista for that matter)? This will help me decide between 32bit and 64bit Vista. Thanks!

    AdAware2007_v7.0.2.5
    AnyDVD_v6.3.0.6beta
    AviSynth_v2.5.7
    Canopus Procoder 3 (may be purchasing)
    Cinema Craft Encoder Basic (not used lately)
    Cinema Craft Encoder SP (used often)
    Cinema Craft Encoder SP2 (may soon be purchasing)
    CloneCD_v5.3.1.0
    CloneDVD_v2.9.1.2
    CloneDVDMobile_v1.1.6.0
    CrapCleaner_v2.03.532
    DGMPGDec_v1.4.9
    DVD Rebuilder Pro_v1.26.6
    DVDDecrypter_v3.5.4.0
    DVDFabHDDecrypter_v4.0.3.6beta
    DVDIdentifier_v5.0.1
    DVDInfoPro_v4.76
    DvdReMakePro_v3.6.1
    DVDShrink_v3.2.0.15
    ExactAudioCopy_v0.99prebeta3
    Firefox_v2.0.0.11
    FixVTS_v1.603
    ImgBurn_v2.3.2.0
    ImgToolBurn_v1.2.1
    ImgToolClassic_v0.91.7
    iTunes_v7.5
    LAME_v3.98beta6
    MediaCodeSpeedEdit_v1.1.0.13
    MediaPlayerClassic_v6.4.9.1
    Memtest86_v3.4a
    MenuShrink_v2.41
    MultiShrink_v1.4
    PgcEdit_v8.5
    RipIt4Me_v1.7.1.0
    Roxio RecordNow Premiere 8
    SpybotSearchDestroy_v1.5
    Thunderbird_v2.0.0.9
    TMPGEnc DVD Author 2
    VobBlanker_v2.1.3.0
    Winamp_v5.51
    WinRAR_v3.71

    Oh, and if one program has not worked for you, what do you recommend using instead?
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  2. I can't address the specifics but I have been using Vista 32-bit extensively (almost exclusively) for nearly 14 months and have found it to be exceptionally reliable and stable. Certainly no less than XP on the same machine.

    I have also used 64-bit and found it to be stable. It was also more responsive as far as Windows bits go (opening files, exploring etc).

    But, if you only have 32-bit applications and have good, stable 32-bit hardware drivers, there's no point. You won't get any performance boost on 64-bit when running 32-bit apps. If fact, they run a tiny fraction slower (a couple of percent).

    Go with 32-bit. If you have the retail disc, you can always switch to 64-bit later (they are both on the disc). I don't know if you can dual boot and use one activated and the other unactivated so you can test it. (I have an MSDN subscription so can install as many as I like, hence I can't say anything about activation etc).
    John Miller
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  3. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    I stayed away from the Vista 64 bit version. I never had that much luck with drivers with XP 64, so I didn't want a repeat of those problems. But I've have Vista Home Premium 32 bit running on two machines with minimal problems for several months now. The programs you list that I have installed work fine. The others, I don't know.

    There is this Vista compatibility site that has quite a few programs listed: http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List

    It lists both Vista 64 and 32 bit programs and some hardware.
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  4. Member SanderMan's Avatar
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    If you don't have more than 4 gigs RAM stay away from vista 64bit.
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  5. Member edDV's Avatar
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    YOU not us will go through your list for 64bit support and user reviews that 64bit has advantage. You will find other unexpected things stop working so do the same research for every driver for each component of your PC.

    If this PC is dedicated to one specific purpose, you may be able to squeeze out a 20% advantage from all the work.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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  6. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by SanderMan
    If you don't have more than 4 gigs RAM stay away from vista 64bit.
    I think that would be the main reason to get 64. If you don't need gobs of ram stick with 32. I have 32 vista premium and it is just fine. The 64 vesion probably does have more issues like has already been mentioned.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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  7. I can verify that the following apps (latest versions) from your list work on my 64-bit Vista Ultimate system:

    AnyDVD_v6.3.0.6beta
    Canopus Procoder 3
    DVDDecrypter_v3.5.4.0
    DVDFabHDDecrypter_v4.0.3.6beta
    DVDInfoPro_v4.76
    DVDShrink_v3.2.0.15
    Firefox_v2.0.0.11
    ImgBurn_v2.3.2.0
    Thunderbird_v2.0.0.9
    WinRAR_v3.71

    Hope that helps at least some. I've had only a few problems with software and hardware on this PC. They are mainly what I would consider minimal and easy to work around if you have some app or hardware that you MUST use....I have this PC (XP Pro) and a laptop (Vista 32-bit/XP Pro) for those.

    It has been running 64-bit Vista since the last beta came out.

    L8r,
    Don
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  8. Banned
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    Only a fool installs a new OS from Microsoft before the first service pack comes out. My vote - NEITHER. Vista is for losers. Of course, if you enjoy having programs that work fine in XP not work at all for you in any version of Vista, if you enjoy upgrading your PC and having Vista give you a permanent Blue Screen Of Death for minor hardware changes and you can only fix it by reinstalling everything (this happened to a friend who only upgraded memory on a laptop running Vista), then by all means install it.

    I can tell you that 64 bit Windows sucks and things run better in the 32 bit versions. If I had to run Vista, and I would have to be forced at gunpoint to do so, I'd use the 32 bit version reluctantly.
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  9. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    Strange, I have no real problems with Vista and I plan to dump XP on all my newer computers. I guess experiences vary. I have also installed Vista SP1 pre-release on one of my Vista machines and no problems at all with it.
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  10. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Been running vista 64 for the last few months and all apps run great,never want to go back to xp or any 32bit os,never get tagged with viruses or pest programs.Guess i'm a fool.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  11. Originally Posted by jman98
    Only a fool installs a new OS from Microsoft before the first service pack comes out. My vote - NEITHER. Vista is for losers. Of course, if you enjoy having programs that work fine in XP not work at all for you in any version of Vista, if you enjoy upgrading your PC and having Vista give you a permanent Blue Screen Of Death for minor hardware changes and you can only fix it by reinstalling everything (this happened to a friend who only upgraded memory on a laptop running Vista), then by all means install it.

    I can tell you that 64 bit Windows sucks and things run better in the 32 bit versions. If I had to run Vista, and I would have to be forced at gunpoint to do so, I'd use the 32 bit version reluctantly.
    That is a very narrow-minded viewpoint. Vista has more of a focus on Security and has stopped some attacks dead in their tracks. There was even an article yesterday about a new rootkit that hides in the boot sector of your hard drive. It was designed for XP. Vista is not affected at all. The article said that even if you highly tweaked Vista, you would still have to give permission for the rootkit to install. I run Vista on several computers and have not had a problem with it whatsoever. I have even upgraded RAM in the Vista machines and they run like clockwork.
    Believing yourself to be secure only takes one cracker to dispel your belief.
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  12. Originally Posted by Dv8ted2
    The article said that even if you highly tweaked Vista, you would still have to give permission for the rootkit to install.
    And Vista pops up that dialog so often that everyone just says OK without even reading the message.
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  13. Member
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    If that motherboard will run XP, why even consider VISTA?

    My experience with VISTA (one new laptop....one year ago, and one new Desktop....last week) resulted in money back returns. Three days with each was too much.
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  14. Member edDV's Avatar
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    It all depends on your applications.

    You either need 64bit or you don't. As for Vista, some things run fine, some run better on XP. I now have three dual core machines on my daily desk, all 32bit versions. One is XP to run legacy apps that are not Vista ready. The laptop and internet-Vegas8 machine run fine on 32bit Vista but Vista still has first generation issues.

    My greatest difficulty with Vista relate to the new audio architecture. While I like the new approach, it has obsoleted many legacy XP audio programs. I keep one machine on XP so I can delay Vista audio/video upgrades until there is benefit.

    The only applications where 64bit may improve performance for me are encoding and effects rendering. If I see advantage, I would convert the side machine from 32bit XP to 64bit XP or 64bit Vista in time.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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  15. Originally Posted by jagabo
    Originally Posted by Dv8ted2
    The article said that even if you highly tweaked Vista, you would still have to give permission for the rootkit to install.
    And Vista pops up that dialog so often that everyone just says OK without even reading the message.
    I guess you have not heard of tweak-uac. It takes the annoyance out of the user account control function without turning the feature off.
    Believing yourself to be secure only takes one cracker to dispel your belief.
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  16. Originally Posted by SmokieStover
    If that motherboard will run XP, why even consider VISTA?
    1. Because the question for this thread is about Vista, not XP

    2. Because many people have a positive experience with Vista, no issues with stability etc.

    Jumping in with the worn-out Vista = crap remarks, especially from people who have not used Vista for more than a few days before having a hissy fit, does nothing to help answer the OP's question.

    FWIW, right now I am using a Dell laptop running XP in my living room but connected to my main box running Vista in the garage via Remote Desktop. i.e., I am using Vista remotely in preference to XP locally. And, as far as I am aware, I have not been certified insane nor committed to the local looney bin.
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  17. The main thing that you would need to consider is future upgrade ability. If you see yourself adding more RAM in the future, then I would definitely suggest going with the 64 bit version.
    Believing yourself to be secure only takes one cracker to dispel your belief.
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  18. Member
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    Originally Posted by JohnnyMalaria
    Originally Posted by SmokieStover
    If that motherboard will run XP, why even consider VISTA?
    1. Because the question for this thread is about Vista, not XP

    2. Because many people have a positive experience with Vista, no issues with stability etc.

    Jumping in with the worn-out Vista = crap remarks, especially from people who have not used Vista for more than a few days before having a hissy fit, does nothing to help answer the OP's question.

    FWIW, right now I am using a Dell laptop running XP in my living room but connected to my main box running Vista in the garage via Remote Desktop. i.e., I am using Vista remotely in preference to XP locally. And, as far as I am aware, I have not been certified insane nor committed to the local looney bin.
    Many times the best answer to a question is another question.

    My experience with VISTA is relevant in view of my question.......there's nothing VISTA can do for me that XP can't do as well or better. A PC with VISTA preinstalled can be returned. An OS purchased for a new build can't.

    If that bothers the OP or you, my apologies.
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  19. Originally Posted by SmokieStover
    there's nothing VISTA can do for me that XP can't do as well or better.
    except provide better security - see above post about boot sector rootkit. You are also hijacking the thread for your own amusement. Not everyone shares your viewpoint about clinging to an operating system that is almost seven years old. If you have nothing constructive to say about either 32 bit Vista or 64 bit Vista, I suggest you ignore this thread.
    Believing yourself to be secure only takes one cracker to dispel your belief.
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  20. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    Also to the op most of those programs will run in vista 64,some i havent tried.Out of all the programs i use only one(dvd2svcd)had to be set to winxp sp2 compatiblity mode to work right.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  21. Member
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    Originally Posted by Dv8ted2
    Originally Posted by SmokieStover
    there's nothing VISTA can do for me that XP can't do as well or better.
    except provide better security - see above post about boot sector rootkit. You are also hijacking the thread for your own amusement. Not everyone shares your viewpoint about clinging to an operating system that is almost seven years old. If you have nothing constructive to say about either 32 bit Vista or 64 bit Vista, I suggest you ignore this thread.
    I was tempted to report this post, but decided to deal with it directly.

    I assure you that my comments were not made for amusement, nor was I attempting to highjack this thread. All was intended to provoke thought, not rankor.

    My so-called view point of clinging to OS that is 7 years old is of your own making....not mine.

    Suggesting the limits of my thoughts and words on this subject, or any other, is uncalled for and unmannerly.
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  22. Originally Posted by SmokieStover
    Originally Posted by Dv8ted2
    Originally Posted by SmokieStover
    there's nothing VISTA can do for me that XP can't do as well or better.
    except provide better security - see above post about boot sector rootkit. You are also hijacking the thread for your own amusement. Not everyone shares your viewpoint about clinging to an operating system that is almost seven years old. If you have nothing constructive to say about either 32 bit Vista or 64 bit Vista, I suggest you ignore this thread.
    I was tempted to report this post, but decided to deal with it directly.

    I assure you that my comments were not made for amusement, nor was I attempting to highjack this thread. All was intended to provoke thought, not rankor.

    My so-called view point of clinging to OS that is 7 years old is of your own making....not mine.

    Suggesting the limits of my thoughts and words on this subject, or any other, is uncalled for and unmannerly.
    I assure you there was no malicious intent, but I was trying to show you that you are coming out of left field. There is nothing to report. The OP was asking about Vista. You cannot objectively post on the subject because you lost your cool and gave up on Vista after three days. I have used Vista every day for a year.


    Your reluctance to embrace change is your own doing, not mine. I neither work for Microsoft, nor was I telling you that you must give up on something after three days.

    If the question is about Vista and you talk about something that was not part of the original question, that is not helping the original poster.

    There are multiple benefits to using Vista. The most obvious is security. If you want to know more, I will provide details.
    Believing yourself to be secure only takes one cracker to dispel your belief.
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  23. Thank you for all of the feedback. I have been experiencing with my friends laptop running Vista Premium 32bit. So far PGC edit is really slow and MenuShrink will not preview the cells to shrink properly. Could this be because of DirectX 10? I have not played with MultiShrink since installing there, but did notice some sort of error in the Windows log saying it was not compatible. And then I installed Roxio 8, gave some sort of error of not being able to install DLA whatever that is, but so far it runs ok. Slysoft products run very well. I think I saw a post up there about trying both 32bit and 64bit. I have only seen the very expensive Vista Ultimate come with both versions.
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  24. Originally Posted by HatchetMan
    . I have only seen the very expensive Vista Ultimate come with both versions.
    You can get it off of ebay for a fraction of the cost. For the other versions, Microsoft will send you the 64 bit disc for ten dollars.
    Believing yourself to be secure only takes one cracker to dispel your belief.
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  25. Member Sartori's Avatar
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    I have a dual boot with 32 and 64 bit versions , they are both far superior to the old XP I ran , almost bullet proof for me , using small freeware applications that could give me xp-death-heebie-jeebies was a pain in the butt I dont suffer from now . To be objective about it , the 64 bit version has no drivers for my Canon scanner , for both - my wifi bits and bobs are ok for drivers and printer (an old epson) and my old Audigy mk1 soundcard .

    Off the top of my head from your list and others , running ok -

    VDub 64
    DVD Decrypter and HD version
    Winamp
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  26. Having probs with MPC, dvd movie audio (AC3) is an annoying clicking sound. Plays fine in windows media player. This happen to anybody else?
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  27. Member dcsos's Avatar
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    My experience with VISTA..don't upgrade or put it on an old machine
    purchase or build ( I used to reccomed build, but now I reccomend purchase) a new rig for it
    Running 64 bit is just for show as it will be later that it will come into use.
    I'd say order 64 when you get 32, load thirty-two and put 64 away till they make big ennuff ram
    to run in there cheap! (2gb strip are the max and at a premium now)
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  28. Originally Posted by HatchetMan
    Having probs with MPC, dvd movie audio (AC3) is an annoying clicking sound. Plays fine in windows media player. This happen to anybody else?
    Do you happen to have a Creative x-fi audio card?

    One of the known compatibility problems with Vista is Creative audio cards and sub par drivers
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  29. Originally Posted by dcsos
    My experience with VISTA..don't upgrade or put it on an old machine
    purchase or build ( I used to reccomed build, but now I reccomend purchase) a new rig for it
    Running 64 bit is just for show as it will be later that it will come into use.
    I'd say order 64 when you get 32, load thirty-two and put 64 away till they make big ennuff ram
    to run in there cheap! (2gb strip are the max and at a premium now)
    Actually 2x2GB DDR2 is the cheapest ever right now. DRAM spot prices have fallen tremendously.

    You can get 2x2GB of high quality PC8000 DDR2 for $115 shipped.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145&Tpk=F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ
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  30. Member Sartori's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by HatchetMan
    Having probs with MPC, dvd movie audio (AC3) is an annoying clicking sound. Plays fine in windows media player. This happen to anybody else?
    I did have this problem (on my audigy) , Ive installed the Goat Soup drivers and it still did it - it turned out it was my Network Lan thingy , I have two on my mobo and both were enabled , disabled the one and it stopped clicking .
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