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Resolved Question

Win 7, 64-bit or 32-bit?

Nov 19, 2014 8:27PM PST

This may seem a bit strange, but I think it's well worth asking. I have a 64-bit machine that was (I guess) built with 32-bit OSes in mind, so it is hardware limited to 4GB.

If I load Win7/32 I don't get all 4GB, but the machine will function adequately. Is it worth loading the Win7/64 to gain access to that little extra piece of memory or does the extra overhead make this unjustified?

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TreknologyNet has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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let it be
Nov 25, 2014 4:43AM PST

not worth the expense of upgrading your win7 ot 64bit unless you are doing something that requires it. Nothing you said in this or your other post indicates the upgrade is needed.

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It's not an "upgrade".
Nov 30, 2014 11:06PM PST

The keys I have support 64 or 32-bit. Having held out to the bitter end with XP, I'm still fumbling my way through 7 (why they have to move the steering wheel from the dash into the trunk is way beyond me). Is there a utility that turns the extra memory into a virtual drive like we used to do in the DOS days?

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Answer
32 vs 64 bit.
Nov 19, 2014 10:08PM PST

If the machine does everything you need and the page file is staying quiet with the 32 bit OS.....leave it alone.

If the page file is going active it might be of value to use the 64 bit OS to get that extra 1GB +/- of ram.

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Answer
32/64
Nov 19, 2014 11:07PM PST

Short answer, nope..as Mr. Proffitt said, IF you decide to go 64, jack the ram up at least 1gb, preferably 2 or more, otherwise, leave it alone.

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More RAM?
Nov 20, 2014 11:47PM PST

As stated, the hardware maxes out at 4GB and additional RAM is not an option. The reason I posed this question in the first place is that the machine is a little old, intended to be an over-powered "media center", but not a server. I'm setting up a tiny netbook as the household server to save on energy costs. The big machine will only power up by itself to record pre-programmed material, or manually when viewing. So, I lean toward Bob B, because most software (for the TV card etc.) will still be 32-bit biased.

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Answer
Nov 30, 2014 2:04PM PST

if all the functions u required are working fine in the 32 bit leave it
if at all any problems or any function is available that u need or want to use then change to 64 bit

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32 will probably do
Nov 30, 2014 11:08PM PST

The machine is only going to be a glorified VCR and DVD player, so 32 will probably do. As above, I'ld love to hear of a utility that turns the unusable memory into a virtual drive.