Performance Daddy: Windows

64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="The Lifehacker Guide to 64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems" class="transform-ku-medium js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18ixc2kk5zxndjpg/ku-medium.jpg" data-chomp-id="18ixc2kk5zxndjpg" height="130" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18ixc2kk5zxndjpg/ku-medium.jpg" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; cursor: crosshair; display: block; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;" width="300" /> <div class="row post-content js_text-annotatable" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px -18px; max-width: none; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><div class="has-media media-300" data-textannotation-id="338a026adcb003218e44bcba7a87a14e" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; float: left; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-right: 18px; margin-top: 5px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; width: 336px; word-break: break-word;"></div><div class="first-text" data-textannotation-id="5b79d3924fd801bc41d915439f676d1c" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">You're probably aware that 64-bit and 32-bit versions of your operating system exist, but apart from ascribing to a bigger-is-better philosophy, you may have no idea what separates the two. The question: Should you use a 64-bit version of Windows, and why?<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="5f86964239b73e2c3092891a1403b5ec" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">More and more frequently, users are installing the 64-bit version of their operating system of choice over the less capable 32-bit version. But most people don't really have a full understanding of what the difference really is. Below, we're taking a look at the most important differences so you can better understand what you gain (and potentially lose) if you upgrade to the 64-bit version of your OS. (The post focuses on Windows.)<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div> <div data-textannotation-id="e566f7707938f1edcbc54dffe017ed6d" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">We've already explained <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5415355/do-you-really-need-more-than-4gb-of-ram" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;">whether you really need 4 GB of RAM</a>, a question that touches on the 64-bit issue, but now let's tackle it in more detail. <a name="more"></a><span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><h3 data-textannotation-id="92d74bbe28d76bd1a32052d51273cb73" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 16px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Which Version Do I Have?<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal !important; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</h3><div data-textannotation-id="1152d926190d20bd90f43aee08ebee12" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">To figure out which version of Windows you are running, just head into the System properties in Control Panel, or you can take the easy route and right-click on your Computer icon in the start menu or desktop, and choose Properties from the menu. Windows 7 or Vista users will be able to check the System type in the list, while the few XP users with 64-bit will see it on the dialog.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div class="has-media media-300" data-textannotation-id="1df46cb2dd809201005587ae1386f227" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; float: left; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-right: 18px; margin-top: 5px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; width: 336px; word-break: break-word;"><img alt="The Lifehacker Guide to 64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems" class="transform-ku-medium js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18iy2j4paefncjpg/ku-medium.jpg" data-chomp-id="18iy2j4paefncjpg" height="117" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18iy2j4paefncjpg/ku-medium.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: crosshair; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;" width="300" /></div><div data-textannotation-id="ff36d707595bdd51007aa8759d92775b" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">Keep in mind that your CPU must support 64-bit in order to be running a 64-bit operating system—if you're running a modern CPU you should be fine, but some of the budget PCs don't include a 64-bit processor.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><h3 data-textannotation-id="e1d7a625ed5668ecc70b99022b8d34a5" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 16px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Does 32-bit Really Have a Memory Limit?<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal !important; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</h3><div class="has-media media-300" data-textannotation-id="a3c446f7730d13a3f21346971d667adc" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; float: left; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-right: 18px; margin-top: 5px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; width: 336px; word-break: break-word;"><img alt="The Lifehacker Guide to 64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems" class="transform-ku-medium js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18iy2j4pe56ixjpg/ku-medium.jpg" data-chomp-id="18iy2j4pe56ixjpg" height="55" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18iy2j4pe56ixjpg/ku-medium.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: crosshair; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;" width="300" /></div><div data-textannotation-id="e76badff88424a9b8bcb5adf950e3cf5" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">In any 32-bit operating system, you are<a href="http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000811.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">limited to 4096 MB of RAM</a> simply because the size of a 32-bit value will not allow any more. On a 32-bit system, each process is given 4 GB of virtual memory to play with, which is separated into 2 GB of user space that the application can actually use at a time.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="9c3af552547e385fc262f8e0f2350767" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">Savvy readers might point out that modern chips support <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">PAE</a>, a processor technology that allows the operating system to use a little bit more memory—up to 64 GB, but it also requires special application support that most applications don't have or necessarily need.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="4b4e4bb3264b71ca6c6ce3154a6967c7" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">A common misconception is that this is a Windows-specific problem, when in fact 32-bit Linux and Mac OS X have the same limitations and the same workarounds. 32-bit Linux <a href="http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/119287" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">uses a mapping table</a> to allow access to the extra memory, and OS X Snow Leopard actually ships by default with a <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10320314-37.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">32-bit kernel that can't access all the memory</a> on older systems, even though most of the rest of the OS runs 64-bit processes.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="d226b6fe3038c56aadddd1af92a68b1f" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">The 4 GB limit for Windows, at least, is also a factor of licensing—the home versions of 32-bit Windows, while technically being able to support PAE, have a hard limit of 4 GB for licensing and driver compatibility reasons.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><h3 data-textannotation-id="16ead979ea9fdabbefbb9fc0c3993673" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 16px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">More Problems with 32-Bit<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal !important; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</h3><div data-textannotation-id="a077a5b18eb0aa750ca0f7e6a0cf0198" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">Not only does 32-bit have a hard limit for the amount of memory it can address, there's also another problem: your devices, like your video card and motherboard BIOS take up room in that same 4 GB space, which means the underlying operating system gets access to even less of your RAM.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div class="has-media media-300" data-textannotation-id="99d1bbeee0b7a9859cc5ed9061d8856c" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; float: left; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-right: 18px; margin-top: 5px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; width: 336px; word-break: break-word;"><img alt="The Lifehacker Guide to 64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems" class="transform-ku-medium js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" data-asset-url="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18iy2j6of57b5jpg/ku-medium.jpg" data-chomp-id="18iy2j6of57b5jpg" height="119" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18iy2j6of57b5jpg/ku-medium.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: crosshair; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 300px;" width="300" /></div><div data-textannotation-id="92399ba8703f4d80d08a0f26f897efe2" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">Windows expert Mark Russinovich found that a desktop running 32-bit Windows with 4 GB of RAM and two 1 GB video cards <a href="http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2008/07/21/3092070.aspx" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">only had 2.2 GB of RAM available for the operating system</a>—so the bigger and better your video cards get, the less of that 4 GB will be accessible on a 32-bit system.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><h3 class="" data-textannotation-id="be1f8af2f60a9e1cb23749096baecd35" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 16px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">What's Different About 64-Bit?<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal !important; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</h3><div data-textannotation-id="c2c7a51449a6facd12de87a2bd7fe17b" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">While 32 bits of information can only access 4 GB of RAM, a 64-bit machine <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">can access 17.2 BILLION gigabytes</a> of system memory, banishing any limits far into the future. This also means that your video cards and other devices will not be stealing usable memory space from the operating system. Windows 64-bit Home editions are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension#Microsoft_Windows" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">still limited to 16 GB of RAM</a> for licensing reasons, but the Professional and Ultimate versions can use up to 192 GB of RAM, so keep that in mind when building that killer system.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="2ad5dbd158b8ad3ec4fd67a7a53457c2" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">The per-process limit is also greatly increased—on 64-bit Windows, instead of a 2 GB limit, each application has access to 8 TB of virtual memory without any special API, a huge factor when you consider applications like video editing or virtual machines that may need to use enormous amounts of RAM.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="023d067c75dce93219c6ab8a9447c41b" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">On Windows, the 64-bit versions also come with a technology to prevent hijacking the kernel, support for hardware-enabled data execution protection, and mandatory digitally signed 64-bit device drivers. You also won't be able to use your 16-bit apps anymore, which hardly seems like a loss.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><h3 data-textannotation-id="ffd13ad326936311d91a329ca321f0df" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 16px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Do 32-bit Applications Work on 64-Bit?<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal !important; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</h3><div data-textannotation-id="54fec554391e74e7c88ca1995948fe59" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">The vast majority of your 32-bit applications will continue to work just fine on 64-bit Windows, which includes a compatibility layer called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WoW64" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0093ec; line-height: inherit; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">WoW64</a>, which actually switches the processor back and forth between 32-bit and 64-bit modes depending on which thread needs to execute—making 32-bit software run smoothly even in the 64-bit environment.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="374c000f0a1a4eb45c49cd65e30e4acd" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">There are some exceptions to that rule, however: 32-bit device drivers and low-level system applications like Antivirus, shell extensions that plug into Windows, and some media applications simply won't work without a 64-bit equivalent.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="45977188f30872dde78ab6b10cd43524" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">In practice, the vast majority of your favorite applications will either continue to work, or provide a 64-bit version you can use instead—but you should check to make sure.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><h3 data-textannotation-id="3139c116fcb7f65cd0a1fb6f6492813f" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 16px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Does 64-Bit Use Double the RAM?<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal !important; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</h3><div data-textannotation-id="1199262f4a45e2aa238843a504f78b80" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">A common misconception about 64-bit Windows is the amount of RAM that is actually used—some people seem to think it will use double the RAM, while others incorrectly assume a 64-bit system will be twice as fast as 32-bit.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="e5d704a943bd8398921ab1c9308b2b53" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">While it's true that 64-bit processes will take a little extra memory, that is a result of the memory pointers being a little bigger to address the larger amount of RAM, and not an actual double in size. Imagine, if you will, an ancient library filing system that has a card to tell you where to find the book in the library—if you got a bigger box to hold the cards, the library would not double in size, you'd just be able to find the book you were looking for more easily.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="0933ac4f9e28112e22b7e839411710a3" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">What will increase with 64-bit Windows is the amount of drive space needed for the operating system—with a compatibility layer in place, the base OS will take up a few extra GBs of space, though with today's massive hard drives that should hardly be a concern.<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><h3 data-textannotation-id="0b37b4abda8e02a6ffaf145d72a95498" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; direction: ltr; font-family: ProximaNovaCond, serif; font-size: 25px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 16px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">The Bottom Line, Which Should I Use?<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal !important; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</h3><div data-textannotation-id="cf7006a30b6c5c130f552c6026a4ee86" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">If you are ordering a new PC with 4 GB or more of RAM, you should probably be running a 64-bit version of Windows so you can use all of the available memory, especially if you want a rig with a large video card—just keep in mind that the Home versions only support 16 GB of RAM (for most people a 16GB limit won't be a problem, but it's worth keeping in mind).<span class="annotateButton js_text-annotate text-annotation-button icon notranslate" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.1s linear; -webkit-user-select: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: KinjaIcons; font-size: 16px; height: 16px; left: auto; line-height: 16px; margin-left: 7px; margin-top: 1px; opacity: 0; position: relative; text-align: center; top: 4px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;">P</div><div data-textannotation-id="90f80be52c80aebfc331c6d508714284" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.6; margin-bottom: 19px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px 18px; word-break: break-word;">If you're running Mac OS X, you don't need to worry about 32-bit vs 64-bit, and if you're running Linux, you probably know this stuff already.</div></div></div>

64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems

You're probably aware that 64-bit and 32-bit versions of your operating system exist, but apart from ascribing to a bigger-is-better phi...

Windows 7 GOD MODE

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. make empty folder and rename it as above

Windows Shortcut Keys.

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Run Commands: Quote: compmgmt.msc - Computer management devmgmt.msc - Device manager diskmgmt.msc - Disk management dfrg.msc - Disk defrag eventvwr.msc - Event viewer fsmgmt.msc - Shared folders <a name="more"></a> gpedit.msc - Group policies lusrmgr.msc - Local users and groups perfmon.msc - Performance monitor rsop.msc - Resultant set of policies secpol.msc - Local security settings services.msc - Various Services msconfig - System Configuration Utility regedit - Registry Editor msinfo32 _ System Information sysedit _ System Edit win.ini _ windows loading information(also system.ini) winver _ Shows current version of windows mailto: _ Opens default email client command _ Opens command prompt Run Commands to access the control panel: Quote: Add/Remove Programs control appwiz.cpl Date/Time Properties control timedate.cpl Display Properties control desk.cpl FindFast control findfast.cpl Fonts Folder control fonts Internet Properties control inetcpl.cpl Keyboard Properties control main.cpl keyboard Mouse Properties control main.cpl Multimedia Properties control mmsys.cpl Network Properties control netcpl.cpl Password Properties control password.cpl Printers Folder control printers Sound Properties control mmsys.cpl sounds System Properties control sysdm.cpl Command Prompt: Quote: ANSI.SYS Defines functions that change display graphics, control cursor movement, and reassign keys. APPEND Causes MS-DOS to look in other directories when editing a file or running a command. ARP Displays, adds, and removes arp information from network devices. ASSIGN Assign a drive letter to an alternate letter. ASSOC View the file associations. AT Schedule a time to execute commands or programs. ATMADM Lists connections and addresses seen by Windows ATM call manager. ATTRIB Display and change file attributes. BATCH Recovery console command that executes a series of commands in a file. BOOTCFG Recovery console command that allows a user to view, modify, and rebuild the boot.ini BREAK Enable / disable CTRL + C feature. CACLS View and modify file ACL's. CALL Calls a batch file from another batch file. CD Changes directories. CHCP Supplement the International keyboard and character set information. CHDIR Changes directories. CHKDSK Check the hard disk drive running FAT for errors. CHKNTFS Check the hard disk drive running NTFS for errors. CHOICE Specify a listing of multiple options within a batch file. CLS Clears the screen. CMD Opens the command interpreter. COLOR Easily change the foreground and background color of the MS-DOS window. COMP Compares files. COMPACT Compresses and uncompress files. CONTROL Open control panel icons from the MS-DOS prompt. CONVERT Convert FAT to NTFS. COPY Copy one or more files to an alternate location. CTTY Change the computers input/output devices. DATE View or change the systems date. DEBUG Debug utility to create assembly programs to modify hardware settings. DEFRAG Re-arrange the hard disk drive to help with loading programs. DEL Deletes one or more files. DELETE Recovery console command that deletes a file. DELTREE Deletes one or more files and/or directories. DIR List the contents of one or more directory. DISABLE Recovery console command that disables Windows system services or drivers. DISKCOMP Compare a disk with another disk. DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one disk and place them on another disk. DOSKEY Command to view and execute commands that have been run in the past. DOSSHELL A GUI to help with early MS-DOS users. DRIVPARM Enables overwrite of original device drivers. ECHO Displays messages and enables and disables echo. EDIT View and edit files. EDLIN View and edit files. EMM386 Load extended Memory Manager. ENABLE Recovery console command to enable a disable service or driver. ENDLOCAL Stops the localization of the environment changes enabled by the setlocal command. ERASE Erase files from computer. EXIT Exit from the command interpreter. EXPAND Expand a M*cros*ft Windows file back to it's original format. EXTRACT Extract files from the M*cros*ft Windows cabinets. FASTHELP Displays a listing of MS-DOS commands and information about them. FC Compare files. FDISK Utility used to create partitions on the hard disk drive. FIND Search for text within a file. FINDSTR Searches for a string of text within a file. FIXBOOT Writes a new boot sector. FIXMBR Writes a new boot record to a disk drive. FOR Boolean used in batch files. FORMAT Command to erase and prepare a disk drive. FTP Command to connect and operate on a FTP server. FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations. GOTO Moves a batch file to a specific label or location. GRAFTABL Show extended characters in graphics mode. HELP Display a listing of commands and brief explanation. IF Allows for batch files to perform conditional processing. IFSHLP.SYS 32-bit file manager. IPCONFIG Network command to view network adapter settings and assigned values. KEYB Change layout of keyboard. LABEL Change the label of a disk drive. LH Load a device driver in to high memory. LISTSVC Recovery console command that displays the services and drivers. LOADFIX Load a program above the first 64k. LOADHIGH Load a device driver in to high memory. LOCK Lock the hard disk drive. LOGON Recovery console command to list installations and enable administrator login. MAP Displays the device name of a drive. MD Command to create a new directory. MEM Display memory on system. MKDIR Command to create a new directory. MODE Modify the port or display settings. MORE Display one page at a time. MOVE Move one or more files from one directory to another directory. MSAV Early M*cros*ft Virus scanner. MSD Diagnostics utility. MSCDEX Utility used to load and provide access to the CD-ROM. NBTSTAT Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT NET Update, fix, or view the network or network settings NETSH Configure dynamic and static network information from MS-DOS. NETSTAT Display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information. NLSFUNC Load country specific information. NSLOOKUP Look up an IP address of a domain or host on a network. PATH View and modify the computers path location. PATHPING View and locate locations of network latency. PAUSE Command used in batch files to stop the processing of a command. PING Test / send information to another network computer or network device. POPD Changes to the directory or network path stored by the pushd command. POWER Conserve power with computer portables. PRINT Prints data to a printer port. PROMPT View and change the MS-DOS prompt. PUSHD Stores a directory or network path in memory so it can be returned to at any time. QBASIC Open the QBasic. RD Removes an empty directory. REN Renames a file or directory. RENAME Renames a file or directory. RMDIR Removes an empty directory. ROUTE View and configure windows network route tables. RUNAS Enables a user to execute a program on another computer. SCANDISK Run the scandisk utility. SCANREG Scan registry and recover registry from errors. SET Change one variable or string to another. SETLOCAL Enables local environments to be changed without affecting anything else. SETVER Change MS-DOS version to trick older MS-DOS programs. SHARE Installs support for file sharing and locking capabilities. SHIFT Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch program. SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer from the MS-DOS prompt. SMARTDRV Create a disk cache in conventional memory or extended memory. SORT Sorts the input and displays the output to the screen. START Start a separate window in Windows from the MS-DOS prompt. SUBST Substitute a folder on your computer for another drive letter. SWITCHES Remove add functions from MS-DOS. SYS Transfer system files to disk drive. TELNET Telnet to another computer / device from the prompt. TIME View or modify the system time. TITLE Change the title of their MS-DOS window. TRACERT Visually view a network packets route across a network. TREE View a visual tree of the hard disk drive. TYPE Display the contents of a file. UNDELETE Undelete a file that has been deleted. UNFORMAT Unformat a hard disk drive. UNLOCK Unlock a disk drive. VER Display the version information. VERIFY Enables or disables the feature to determine if files have been written properly. VOL Displays the volume information about the designated drive. XCOPY Copy multiple files, directories, and/or drives from one location to another. TRUENAME When placed before a file, will display the whole directory in which it exists TASKKILL It allows you to kill those unneeded or locked up applications Windows XP Shortcuts: Quote: ALT+- (ALT+hyphen) Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu ALT+ENTER View properties for the selected item ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order they were opened ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program ALT+SPACEBAR Display the System menu for the active window ALT+TAB Switch between open items ALT+Underlined letter Display the corresponding menu BACKSPACE View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer CTRL+A Select all CTRL+B Bold CTRL+C Copy CTRL+I Italics CTRL+O Open an item CTRL+U Underline CTRL+V Paste CTRL+X Cut CTRL+Z Undo CTRL+F4 Close the active document CTRL while dragging Copy selected item CTRL+SHIFT while dragging Create shortcut to selected iteM CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph CTRL+UP ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph SHIFT+DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin ESC Cancel the current task F1 Displays Help F2 Rename selected item F3 Search for a file or folder F4 Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer F5 Refresh the active window F6 Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop F10 Activate the menu bar in the active program SHIFT+F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu SHIFT+CTRL+ESC Launches Task Manager SHIFT when you insert a CD Prevent the CD from automatically playing WIN Display or hide the Start menu WIN+BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box WIN+D Minimizes all Windows and shows the Desktop WIN+E Open Windows Explorer WIN+F Search for a file or folder WIN+F+CTRL Search for computers WIN+L Locks the desktop WIN+M Minimize or restore all windows WIN+R Open the Run dialog box WIN+TAB Switch between open items Windows Explorer Shortcuts: Quote: ALT+SPACEBAR - Display the current window’s system menu SHIFT+F10 - Display the item's context menu CTRL+ESC - Display the Start menu ALT+TAB - Switch to the window you last used ALT+F4 - Close the current window or quit CTRL+A - Select all items CTRL+X - Cut selected item(s) CTRL+C - Copy selected item(s) CTRL+V - Paste item(s) CTRL+Z - Undo last action CTRL+(+) - Automatically resize the columns in the right hand pane TAB - Move forward through options ALT+RIGHT ARROW - Move forward to a previous view ALT+LEFT ARROW - Move backward to a previous view SHIFT+DELETE - Delete an item immediately BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up ALT+ENTER - View an item’s properties F10 - Activate the menu bar in programs F6 - Switch between left and right panes F5 - Refresh window contents F3 - Display Find application F2 - Rename selected item Internet Explorer Shortcuts: Quote: CTRL+A - Select all items on the current page CTRL+D - Add the current page to your Favorites CTRL+E - Open the Search bar CTRL+F - Find on this page CTRL+H - Open the History bar CTRL+I - Open the Favorites bar CTRL+N - Open a new window CTRL+O - Go to a new location CTRL+P - Print the current page or active frame CTRL+S - Save the current page CTRL+W - Close current browser window CTRL+ENTER - Adds the http://www. (url) .com SHIFT+CLICK - Open link in new window BACKSPACE - Go to the previous page ALT+HOME - Go to your Home page HOME - Move to the beginning of a document TAB - Move forward through items on a page END - Move to the end of a document ESC - Stop downloading a page F11 - Toggle full-screen view F5 - Refresh the current page F4 - Display list of typed addresses F6 - Change Address bar and page focus ALT+RIGHT ARROW - Go to the next page SHIFT+CTRL+TAB - Move back between frames SHIFT+F10 - Display a shortcut menu for a link SHIFT+TAB - Move back through the items on a page CTRL+TAB - Move forward between frames CTRL+C - Copy selected items to the clipboard CTRL+V - Insert contents of the clipboard ENTER - Activate a selected link HOME - Move to the beginning of a document END - Move to the end of a document F1 - Display Internet Explorer Help</div>

Windows Shortcut Keys.

Run Commands: Quote: compmgmt.msc - Computer management devmgmt.msc - Device manager diskmgmt.msc - Disk management dfrg.msc - Disk defrag e...

Performance Daddy

64-bit vs. 32-bit Operating Systems

Windows 7 GOD MODE

Windows Shortcut Keys.

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