Wednesday, December 23, 2009

‘Windows 7:  What Flavor?‘
  Computers piece by Doug Edelman

Well, Windows 7 is now on the streets, and new PCs are being sold with WIN7 Preloaded.  So, as you make your decisions about which nice new laptop or desktop to pick up, or as you contemplate an Operating System Upgrade - there is more to consider than one might think.

Windows 7 comes in 3 “flavors”:  Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate.

Unless you operate in a multi-lingual environment or will need to take advantage of “BitLocker” whole disk encryption which comes as part of WIN7 Ultimate, your real choice is between Home and Pro.  Home Premium will probably be adequate for most homes and small business environments of less than 5 networked computers operating as a workgroup.  If you need to be capable of joining a domain, or if you intend to network more than 5 machines sharing resources, you’ll need Professional.  (If you need to network more than 10 machines to shared resources, you will need a Windows Server, rather than any version of workstation Operating Systems, whether networked as a workgroup or a domain.)

There is yet another decision to be made, and most folks are completely unaware of this one!  Each of the Windows “flavors” comes in 2 types:  32 bit or 64 bit!

If you plan to put Windows 7 on an older PC where your CPU is more than a few years old, you may only be capable of running the 32 bit version of Windows 7.  If you get a new machine with a modern processor you may have to decide between 32 bit or 64 bit versions.

The 32 or 64 bit operating system determines the memory limit that can be addressed by the processor.  The maximum addressable RAM is 4GB in a 32 bit environment.  With 64 bit processing, this logical limitation jumps into the multiple EXABYTES theoretically allowing memory expansion way beyond the limitations of cost and space today!

But is 64 bit “Better”?

That’s not as straightforward a question as it might appear!  Having a 64 bit Operating System won’t necessarily speed up your applications… as most software available today was written to operate on 32 bit architecture.  (An exception might be some games which are written and optimized to take advantage of 64 bit processing.)

More importantly, though; you must consider whether moving to 64 bit will cause compatibility and driver problems that aren’t an issue with a 32 bit version.  If you have older peripherals like printers or scanners which do not have 64 bit drivers available, you may not be able to get them running under a 64 bit OS.

In addition, unsigned kernel-mode drivers will no longer work – which will cause operability issues for some older hardware.

Old 16 bit programs will not run at all.  While most of these have gone by the wayside anyway, if you’re running any very old software (like from the floppy era) it’s not going to work under a 64 bit operating system.

So why WOULD you want a 64 bit system?

If you’re buying all new equipment: PC, Printer/Scanner, etc., and have 64 bit compatible drivers… and are not planning to use any older software but will only install the latest and greatest of everything, going 64 bit may make sense.  Gamers, CAD operators, Video Editors and the like, who will want to take advantage of the ability to exceed 4 GB of RAM will find the choice of a 64 bit OS to be rewarding.

Bear in mind that you cannot UPGRADE from a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit OS.  It requires a clean install of the OS, fresh installation of the programs, and restoring your data from backup.  Down the road, 64 bit will become the standard as more programs are written to take advantage of the capabilities.  IF you are not saddled with legacy hardware or software – it might be worth considering 64 bit now to ease future migration.

It’s perhaps a bit more to think about than price and color… but in the long run, making an informed choice of operating system will help prevent potential potholes on your information superhighway.

Copyright © 2009 by Doug Edelman

Posted by Doug Edelman on 12/23/09

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