Let's do this: [64-bit Vista] Time

1ddqd

So Windows Vista comes in a variety of flavors, most notably 32- or 64-bit. This is uncharted territory for me, but I think I'm going to just take the plunge.

Here are the system specs:

Intel Q6700
4GB Geil Evo-One DDR2-8500
Asus P5E-VM HDMI
BFG 8800GTX OC 768MB
Seagate 500GB 32MB Cache SATA
Razer Barracuda AC-1

I'm almost positive there are available 64 bit drivers for these (I know I can get 64-bit for Nvidia and Razer) but I'm wondering about the motherboard. Asus, I figure, would at least provide Intel 64-bit chipset drivers, but the rest of the onboard hardware I'm unsure about. has anyone gone from 32-bit to 64-bit without *any* issues?

wunderbar

unless you have a really old camera/printer/scanner you should have little to no issues with 64bit vista at all. There are lots of people running it now.

Mmmm... Cocks...

wunderbar wrote: »

unless you have a really old camera/printer/scanner you should have little to no issues with 64bit vista at all. There are lots of people running it now.

It's, IMHO, the best OS I've ever used.
Thought honestly it's the only time I've built a computer from scratch, so it could be that.
But really, I've not had a single problem at all. It's fantastic.

TheColonel

I've been running my Vista64 machine for coming up on one year now. I'm a huge fan.

Rock Hard Stable: I've had one game lockup on me hard enough to force a full system reboot.

1ddqd

Mmmm... Cocks... wrote: »

wunderbar wrote: »

unless you have a really old camera/printer/scanner you should have little to no issues with 64bit vista at all. There are lots of people running it now.

It's, IMHO, the best OS I've ever used.
Thought honestly it's the only time I've built a computer from scratch, so it could be that.
But really, I've not had a single problem at all. It's fantastic.

Good to know. I know Vista is good about giving you working generic drivers when you can't find specific ones, but I was worried I'd have something really obscure. Good to know. Does Vista-64 have any other stability issues than 32-bit does when overclocking? I'm going to push past the 3.5ghz mark when I get my CPU block.

kegghead

I like Vista64 as well. No problems except for the lack of wireless NICs. I've gotten used the network cable running across my hall now. However I've heard that some manufacturers are finally starting to finally get 64bit compatible wireless cards. But I'm lazy and I only trip over that darned cable every second month, so can't be bothered to purchase a piece of hardware that might or might not work on my system. Other than that, I like my > 3GB of RAM.

Loafgoat

Installed 64 bit vista about a month and a half ago. Had no real problems since then. Everything runs smooth and no real problems.

Ego

I'm running a machine with 64-bit ultimate and two others with 64-bit home premium and haven't had issues with them. I figure it's worth it to ditch the memory cap.

BTW the Intel Wifi 5100-ish NIC's seem to work well in 64-bit vista and only run around 20-25$ if you decide you want WiFi again kegghead.

1ddqd

Yeah but gamers like fast, packet-losing-less adapters!

Idoliside

Running Vista Ultimate 64, runs like a dream. But i do have 4gb of 1066Mgz RAM, it helps. The only game i had problems with is Oblivion, and then it just crashed to desktop randomly, when it did run it ran fine.
Even small programs that never get updated like WinStick still work.

If your thinking of upgrading and can't wait till Win7, def go 64 Vista.

Silvoculous

I, too, am running Vista 64 and it is truly awesome. Occasionally I get a blue screen during startup (like, maybe once every two weeks or so) but all it does is force a reset. Other than that it's rock-solid. The only problem I've had hardware-wise is getting my scanner working (which I never did).

Ego

1ddqd wrote: »

Yeah but gamers like fast, packet-losing-less adapters!

Does it have a reputation for dropping packets? I haven't really had issues with mine.

Darmak

Idoliside wrote: »

Running Vista Ultimate 64, runs like a dream. But i do have 4gb of 1066Mgz RAM, it helps. The only game i had problems with is Oblivion, and then it just crashed to desktop randomly, when it did run it ran fine.
Even small programs that never get updated like WinStick still work.

If your thinking of upgrading and can't wait till Win7, def go 64 Vista.

I'm thinking of upgrading from XP to Win7 but if you don't want to wait and see if it's any good then Vista 64 is great. My roommate uses it and he says it's wonderful. Of course he has like 8 gigs of RAM but still.

Idoliside

Darmak wrote: »

Idoliside wrote: »

Running Vista Ultimate 64, runs like a dream. But i do have 4gb of 1066Mgz RAM, it helps. The only game i had problems with is Oblivion, and then it just crashed to desktop randomly, when it did run it ran fine.
Even small programs that never get updated like WinStick still work.

If your thinking of upgrading and can't wait till Win7, def go 64 Vista.

I'm thinking of upgrading from XP to Win7 but if you don't want to wait and see if it's any good then Vista 64 is great. My roommate uses it and he says it's wonderful. Of course he has like 8 gigs of RAM but still.

I did have 2Gb 800Mghz not long ago and was still running Crysis on high, the 64bit helps especially if you have a good core that supports it.

initiatefailure

i have no idea how to even tell what i was using but when i got my last video card and updated the drivers it said i didn't have x64... what's the difference?

Lucky Cynic

I highly recommend dressing up vista. It's gotten a lot easier plus it looks really clean and sophisticated. Here's my set up right now.

GrimReaper

Lucky Cynic wrote: »

I highly recommend dressing up vista. It's gotten a lot easier plus it looks really clean and sophisticated. Here's my set up right now.

I once tried Second Life, whilst it reminded me a little of 3D Construction Kit which I loved as a kid I think the furries to people ratio kind of turned it off for me.


Also, I use Vista x64 Business on my work machine. Frankly the only way to run Vista is with 4GB or more. Using VMWare Workstation is pretty nice, frankly I'm considering sticking 8 or 16 gig in there. Since I often need to do some virtual machine network testing and will need multiple vm's running at the same time. (think of it as say sbs 2003, another server running say sql and one or two vm's running XP... eats memory like mad)

Nakatomi2010

I've been running a 64-bit operating system on my gaming computer since 2004, from 64-bit XP to 64-bit Vista Ultimate, I must say, 64-bit computing is awesome, the jump from XP to Vista granted so much more stability, and now that the bulk of AV software and such now work flawlessly with it, there's really no issues. Hell even the bulk of computers being sold in stores are running a 64-bit version.

I figure the bulk of computers being sold on the market will be 64-bit by January, by July they'll all be 64-bit except by special request.


No game crashes for me though. I only run into the occsaional driver issue, like for my Microsoft Fingerprint reader.

Ayulin

Another 64-bit user here. I've only had issues trying to run Marble Drop (incredibly old 16-bit game; 16-bit support is dropped in 64-bit Windows), and my scanner doesn't have 64-bit drivers (also a pretty old Canon scanner, but to be fair it doesn't even have 32-bit drivers for Vista: I had to use the XP ones before making the jump.)

I'd definitely agree that 64-bit computing is great, since the ability to just throw in more RAM in the future is greatly appealing to me. I have 4GB in my current desktop, and have managed to hit that limit several times (ripping multiple DVDs in Handbrake at once using 2 instances is the main one that comes to mind.) For the most part, everything runs really smoothly, and loads quickly as well, thanks to SuperFetch.

My only "gripe" is it takes a bit longer to go to Sleep, since Hybrid Sleep will write the contents of RAM to the Hibernate file before going to standby, in case the power goes out. That's not really an issue, though, since it's not like it takes ages to Sleep, and I'm not using it at that point anyway :P

(Oh, and memory usage in 64-bit Windows as compared to 32-bit on the same system is "higher", due to the larger word size. That's not really an issue either, but it's something someone might notice if they were to upgrade. It's well made up for by the ability to have lots more RAM.)

Lucky Cynic

GrimReaper wrote: »

Lucky Cynic wrote: »

I highly recommend dressing up vista. It's gotten a lot easier plus it looks really clean and sophisticated. Here's my set up right now.

I once tried Second Life, whilst it reminded me a little of 3D Construction Kit which I loved as a kid I think the furries to people ratio kind of turned it off for me.

Um, that's a really lame excuse not to like SL. That's like saying "I can't like counter strike because it has cheaters." And trust me, you probably won't see many furries unless you go looking for them. To this day I come across people who have never heard of furries before and have been in SL for 3 years.

Lucky Cynic

Oh and I wouldn't pick up the Barracuda. I'd recommend the Piranah or the upcoming megalodon which has 7.1 surround sound apparently

Daemonion

So, I'm running 32bit XP.

What is the best way for my to install Vista 64? Back-up what I need, then go for a format and clean install?

Pheezer

Lucky Cynic wrote: »

GrimReaper wrote: »

Lucky Cynic wrote: »

I highly recommend dressing up vista. It's gotten a lot easier plus it looks really clean and sophisticated. Here's my set up right now.

I once tried Second Life, whilst it reminded me a little of 3D Construction Kit which I loved as a kid I think the furries to people ratio kind of turned it off for me.

Um, that's a really lame excuse not to like SL. That's like saying "I can't like counter strike because it has cheaters." And trust me, you probably won't see many furries unless you go looking for them. To this day I come across people who have never heard of furries before and have been in SL for 3 years.

Disliking a multiplayer game because of the proliferation of cheating on the part of your opponents is actually pretty reasonable. Disliking a multiplayer game because the behaviour of other players tends to weird you out or make you feel uncomfortable is again, a pretty reasonable thing and a good reason to not play said game.

And that you insist that you know people who don't know what furries are, despite being in SL, implies that you just know people that haven't had someone tell them that the guy who looks like an anthropomorphic wolf is into looking that way for sexual purposes, not that this would be a rare sighting in SL.

Rohan

Lucky Cynic wrote: »

GrimReaper wrote: »

Lucky Cynic wrote: »

I highly recommend dressing up vista. It's gotten a lot easier plus it looks really clean and sophisticated. Here's my set up right now.

I once tried Second Life, whilst it reminded me a little of 3D Construction Kit which I loved as a kid I think the furries to people ratio kind of turned it off for me.

Um, that's a really lame excuse not to like SL. That's like saying "I can't like counter strike because it has cheaters." And trust me, you probably won't see many furries unless you go looking for them. To this day I come across people who have never heard of furries before and have been in SL for 3 years.

How about he doesn't like SL simply because it doesn't grab him in any way? There's no need to get so defensive. For myself, I tried it several times and didn't like it due to a) the interface, and b) ...yep, the side of the game that everybody talks about.

wunderbar

Daemonion wrote: »

So, I'm running 32bit XP.

What is the best way for my to install Vista 64? Back-up what I need, then go for a format and clean install?

yes.

Rohan

A friend of mine does a lot of renders with Daz, and he recently upped his RAM to 4GB. Of course, he's using 32-bit Windows, so he can't see or use all of it. He's thinking of moving to 64-bit. I'm right in thinking he can use his 32-bit key, aren't I?

Ayulin

Yeah, the Vista keys work on both editions for the most part, IIRC.

I had a Home Premium OEM key on my laptop, with 32-bit restore media. I just used the 64-bit disk from my Ultimate retail box to install Home Premium using the key, but it failed activation. I just had to go through the automated phone system and enter in another code to get it working; took about 5 minutes total.

Daemonion

Alright, buying Vista 64 today!

DarkWarrior

Flash won't install on my IE in 64 bit vista but using 32bit IE. Anyone have any idea why?

Ayulin

There's no 64-bit Flash plugin.

Daemonion

Godfuckingdamnit, I purchased my copy of Home Premium and was told the 64-bit disc was in the case by the assistant.

When I open it, I am greeted by a DVD that clearly states: "Does not contain 64-bit software."

After shaking the case violently, I leaflet drops in front of my that says at the top, "Need 64-bit?" I then end up having to order (and pay for shipping) the 64-bit DVD. Should be here in a week.

Idoliside

Daemonion wrote: »

Godfuckingdamnit, I purchased my copy of Home Premium and was told the 64-bit disc was in the case by the assistant.

When I open it, I am greeted by a DVD that clearly states: "Does not contain 64-bit software."

After shaking the case violently, I leaflet drops in front of my that says at the top, "Need 64-bit?" I then end up having to order (and pay for shipping) the 64-bit DVD. Should be here in a week.

If he told you 64bit was in the case, take it back and get the right disc. You shouldn't have to pay extra if he told you it was there.

Malkor

Lucky Cynic wrote: »

Oh and I wouldn't pick up the Barracuda. I'd recommend the Piranah or the upcoming megalodon which has 7.1 surround sound apparently

Does it work with 64-bit Vista SP1? I was bitten in the ass because for some reason the first service pack broke compatibility with my sound card drivers and now I can't use my microphone. But I have onboard sound from a laptop, so I'm guessing that a drop-in card would have better support.

TwistedJester

I hate to thread hijack, but this is sort of relevant. I'd very much like to install a 64-bit Vista OS. What I have at my disposal is an Ultimate 32-bit Upgrade disc and key from my university and access to an Ultimate 64-bit disc. I've heard that it's possible to do a clean install with upgrade discs, and that it's possible to use a 32-bit key to do a 64-bit install. So, is it possible for me to to a clean install of Ultimate 64-bit with this crap? If so, what hoops am I going to be jumping through to get this to work?

GrimReaper

All Vista discs are identical, there are a few different ones. 32bit, 64bit and OEM versions.

What is the key for? If it's not an upgrade key then you can install Vista without doing an upgrade install.

If it is an upgrade key then you do a clean install without entering a key but selecting the version you'll use, once installed reinstall but select the upgrade option and enter your key.

I hate that choice though, before all you needed was the previous versions disc rather than having to install windows twice.

1ddqd

It should be very clearly stated that:

the version of Vista you install (full/upgrade) is determined by the KEY, not the disc. If you have a Home Premium Upgrade key, you must have a version of windows installed and upgrade from it (to either 32- or 64-bit.)

The keys work for EITHER 32-bit OR 64-bit, as long as you have the disc. The KEY TYPE must match the install (upgrade should be upgrade, full can be full, etc).

Ego

Just pointing out you don't actually need the earlier version of windows installed (unless MS has just recently changed their SOP,) but if you don't, you WILL need the installation media of the OS to be upgraded from (will ask for it to be inserted when you do a fresh install) to verify ownership thereof.

TwistedJester

Ok, so then I should just be able to clean install Vista, not register it, and then choose to upgrade it and use the key to end up with a clean install of Ultimate 64-bit? What I'm worried about is that my disc won't have the 64-bit version of Ultimate on it.

Is there any sort of activation limit on Vista? I was hoping to do a test install on a brand new hard drive to see if I could actually get this to work, instead of wiping my current XP install drive.

wunderbar

Ego wrote: »

Just pointing out you don't actually need the earlier version of windows installed (unless MS has just recently changed their SOP,) but if you don't, you WILL need the installation media of the OS to be upgraded from (will ask for it to be inserted when you do a fresh install) to verify ownership thereof.

yes, that changed with Vista.

Ego

Ugh, that's annoying, an upgrade is never as good as a clean install in my experience...

The Dude With Herpes

wunderbar wrote: »

Ego wrote: »

Just pointing out you don't actually need the earlier version of windows installed (unless MS has just recently changed their SOP,) but if you don't, you WILL need the installation media of the OS to be upgraded from (will ask for it to be inserted when you do a fresh install) to verify ownership thereof.

yes, that changed with Vista.

What did it change to?

If I have XP Pro, but it's a dell system disk and not a MS OS disk, can I use it to get a vista upgrade? Or will it not fly.

Also to the above poster, upgrade disks contain the same install as normal disks, but in a sense you're right, if you do an upgrade install it tends to be not quite as clean; but unless they've changed Vista you can always do a clean install from an upgrade disk assuming you do it correctly.