64 bit windows

[jbee]

HI

I am thinking of running a 64 bit version of windows on my next PC to take advantage of it's ability to use more RAM and hopefully run a bit smoother and faster plus I will be running CS5 which can take advantage of it, and as i will probably keep it for a good few years i want to be cutting edge ( NOt Bleeding edge though) when i buy it.

Is anyone out there running 64bit Windows 7 and what issues have you faced - ie. finding printers etc that will work with it. Is it worth the effort or do you wish you had just gone with a 32 bit OS?

cheers - jb

[JM Tran]

hey there, the only downside for me running 64 bit on Mac and Windows is that lack of 3rd party plugins available for CS5, Aperture 3 and LR3 that I am running on the laptop and work comp. Slowly the companies are releasing 64 bit versions of the plugins I require for photo work, but I keep finding myself using Windows XP and CS4 on 32 bit on another comp just to carry out things I need to do.

I reckon another 6 months or so everything will translate into 64 bit anyway.

[Rattus79]

I've (well my missus has) got win 7 64 bit running on a core i5 with 4 gig and a 1 gig vid card.

Problems??
Well, there is a big problem with her Iphone/Ipod.
Once she plugs it in, nothing else works! (USB related)
No Hard Drive, No Scanner, no printer. Yet the mouse works... go figure.

If you reboot they start to work again (at a USB 1.1 standard)

The fix? Shut down, remove battery, restart. Works untill she puts the damn Iphone back in again.

[brindyman]

I've (well my missus has) got win 7 64 bit running on a core i5 with 4 gig and a 1 gig vid card.

Problems??
Well, there is a big problem with her Iphone/Ipod.
Once she plugs it in, nothing else works! (USB related)
No Hard Drive, No Scanner, no printer. Yet the mouse works... go figure.

If you reboot they start to work again (at a USB 1.1 standard)

The fix? Shut down, remove battery, restart. Works untill she puts the damn Iphone back in again.

make sure chipset drivers are up to date and bios update as well as this could be a firmware bug that was resolved in a later release of the firmware.

if your not sure how get someone that knows what they are doing (not what they think they know what they are doing )

[Kym]

I'm only using Win7/64 now. It is the new SOE here at work.

[maccaroneski]

Got it at home (desktop) and at work (laptop) and have no issues. LR3, PS5, Nik plugins, printers, tablet etc are all fine. No regrets here, obviously. Core i5, 6GB ram on the desktop,

[jbee]

Hi Kevin

Yes i avoided Vista and still run XP. So yours runs stable now, and that makes 3 with no more issues.
My will be a new system which i have decided will have a quad core I7, 8gb ram, and a good Video card with 1Mb on board, prices are coming in around 2.5K at the moment custom built, i can't be bothered building my own again though.

Cheers

[Cage]

Hi jb,

I'm running the 64bit version of Windows 7.

I'd suggest 6 or better still 8Gb of RAM. I'm running 4Gbs and feel that at times it is not enough.

There was a huge problem initially with system hangs and screen freezes. MS denied a problem with the O/S, however googling 'Windows 7 freezing' got about 16 million hits. My system would freeze 5 or 6 times a day then go a week without a problem. MS troubleshooting forums provided no joy.

However, 6 months ago, miraculously, the problem stopped occurring. Being rather cynical I suspect MS slipped a 'fix' into one of the updates. I did nothing to my set-up.

Anyway all good now for more than 6 months. Most of my programs work without problems. MS do have an Upgrade checker that reads your system and advises you of possible compatibility issues. Windows 7 is now much more stable than Vista ever was.

When I get my GAS under control I'll put another 4gbs of RAM in.

Cheers

Kevin

[Tannin]

There was a huge problem initially with system hangs and screen freezes. MS denied a problem with the O/S, however googling 'Windows 7 freezing' got about 16 million hits. My system would freeze 5 or 6 times a day then go a week without a problem. MS troubleshooting forums provided no joy.

This sort of trouble is almost never a Windows issue. 99 times out of 100 it is either bad hardware (by far the most common cause), spyware infection, or (least often of the three) a bad device driver. Yours appears to have been (1) or (2). Win7 had a few issues with graphics drivers early on. That's a possibility.

[jbee]

Hmmm so that's JM and Greg with issues and Kym and Tony with none.
One of the perennial problems with Windows is the way hardware drivers fail to work with system peculiarities, it's so easy to see why some people just go for a Mac. Trouble is I know my way around Windows but not the Mac OS. but I know if i go for the 32bit version, the moment I do 64 bit will become the norm and i will be struggling to upgrade. Why MS did not include a way for 32 bit drivers to run under a 64 bit OS is a mystery, or is it , what do Microsoft really care
Do Kym or Tony run Iphones and have any issues, and did you have to hunt around for 64 bit compatible printers and scanners ?
All the computer shops say "oh yes you'll have no problems there" of course.

[chris_m]

I've been running Windows 7 on a 2 year old HP notebook for about 1 year now, with no issues at all. Using Office Pro 2007 32 bit. Not worth even looking at 64bit Office yet.
Also have Win 7 running on a MacBook Pro with no issues as well, its a good combination, getting the best of both as required.

[tcdev]

Why MS did not include a way for 32 bit drivers to run under a 64 bit OS is a mystery

Windows device drivers - by definition - for the most part run "unhindered" by the operating system and are at the mercy of the architecture of the underlying hardware. So there's no easy way Microsoft can "include a way" for 32-bit drivers to run on a 64-bit processor. The 32-bit code simply doesn't "expect" to be running on a 64-bit processor and (sometimes) breaks. There's not a lot anyone can do with a 64-bit-unfriendly 32-bit driver. For once, you can't blame Microsoft...

[jbee]

Thanks Chris - I had a feeling the 32 bit version would be fine. out of interest what do you prefer the Mac or the PC ?

[TOM]

i'm on 64bit with Windows 7 and 8gb ram. the only major issue that I have faced is software for my Canon 8800f. I like Vuescan, but it does not work with 7 and that particular scanner. It works fine with my Nikon Coolscan 5000, just not the Canon. I had to purchase Silverfast just to use with the Canon, and it's CRAP.

[MajickStudio]

Hi ,
Tom - I have the same setup - PC, 64 bit OS, Win7, 8GB RAM & I did have a few issues with the Canon 8800f with the new drivers released for Win 7 but they did update them soon after the initial release - I'd try downloading the latest drivers & it should be fine.

Other than a few hiccups just as Win 7 was released with drivers etc. most manufacturers & 3rd parties have caught up now - no regrets or major issues (IMO Vista was appalling) Oh, BTW I have a Sony VAIO & it's brilliant - it was the best value : processing power ratio I found at the time, & most importantly IMO with a lower level of issues reported overall, than some brands - about 1yr ago

Goodluck

[maccaroneski]

I have an iPhone and an iPod - all good. I also have an Epson all in one printer scanner - the 710 maybe? - and that goes without a hitch too.

[etherial]

I have a pretty old desktop PC, it is around 5-6 years old. I threw a bit of RAM at it (4GB in total) and upgraded the hard drives and that is all since new. I have installed W7 64 bit version earlier this year and have not had any problems at all. It has been brilliant!

[chris_m]

I like the build of the MacBook over the offerings from Hp & Dell.
The only drawback is you are missing are few keys from the Mac keyboard. You will need to learn a few alternatives, not to hard, but an issue if others use your notebook.
As long as you read the instructions on loading win7 onto a MacBook you will have no problems. Unlike myself who wasted 3-4 hours rather than looking on the CD that came with MacOS.

[Cheach]

I like the build of the MacBook over the offerings from Hp & Dell.
The only drawback is you are missing are few keys from the Mac keyboard. You will need to learn a few alternatives, not to hard, but an issue if others use your notebook.
As long as you read the instructions on loading win7 onto a MacBook you will have no problems. Unlike myself who wasted 3-4 hours rather than looking on the CD that came with MacOS.

Loading Win7 on a Mac is really a waste. You are swapping to an inferior OS. (no I am not a Mac fanboi ).

I have the best of both world. Run VMs on the Mac and load Win7 and XP as virtual machines when I need to run apps that are only available on Windows and no Mac equivalent.

Cheers
Rob

[ameerat42]

I've installed Win7/64 on one of the machines, still with only 2GB of RAM, but no issues. With the lack of 3rd party plug-ins I'm wondering if CS5 is not advanced enough to make them less useful than they were in earlier (and my CS2) versions. I'd say go 4 it. Am.