Vista 64 compatibility

[jimzzzak]

I'm considering getting a new computer with Vista 64 installed on it.

Are there any known issues with Vista 64 and dBpoweramp, particularly the CD ripper?

Thank you.

[Spoon]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

Only some slight issues with the Shell integration, nothing with CD Ripper.

[MBlue72]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

FYI, I am using dBpoweramp with Vista Home Premium 64-bit without problems.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[jimzzzak]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

Thanks for your replies.

However, I just read an article about many, many problems with Vista 64-bit compatibility.

I'll be going with Windows XP Pro.

[MBlue72]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

Jim:

Obviously, you will do what you think is best for your situation. However, in late July I went through the same decision and I think you need to look at Vista vs. XP very closely. This is an emotional issue with many people and there seems to be many "fan boys" on this topic. And I do believe there was a real problem during the first year after Vista's release -- specifically with lack of drivers from other developers and peripheral manufacturers. But I thought I would take a minute to describe my experience.

I purchased a HP d5000t desktop computer with Vista Home Premium (64-bit) in late July and have been very, very pleased. I went with the 64-bit Vista OS to allow me to have 8Gb of RAM for several photography programs and other graphics-intensive applications. I spent August loading the machine with more than 65 applications and 8-10 peripherals. I have also networked it to our home network with two other (XP) computers and three shared printers. In addition to photography, I am very involved with Genealogy, Audio Technology and several other computer-centric hobbies. I am also using the Vista machine to drive my stereo system using a Squeezebox system.

Through the installation process for all these programs, peripherals and networking setups, I have had only a tiny handful of problems, such as a ten-year old scanner that can be made to work generically with Vista-64 but whose software is no longer being updated by the manufacturer.

I just thought I'd let you know I've been pretty thrilled with Vista and would never consider going back to Windows XP. And I'm really happy with 8Gb of RAM.



Hope this helps,

Dave

[jimzzzak]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

Thanks for the input.

The quad core processor is ready for the 64-bit upgrade when the time is right.

If I need the 64-bit OS, I can always get a copy and add some RAM.

Thanks again.

Heres an excerpt of the article:

Vista boosters say that the 64-bit edition of the operating system runs applications faster and can address a lot more system memory than its 32-bit counterpart.

Just don't tell that to Vince Heiker, a retired IT executive in the Dallas area who has used 64-bit Vista for some time — and hates the OS.

All versions of Vista have serious compatibility glitches, including problems with Office 2007, but the 64-bit release also suffers from a lack of applications written to take advantage of that version's ability to address more than 4GB of RAM.

In fact, Heiker and several other Windows Secrets readers begged to differ with my Sept. 25 story, which discussed the transition of desktop computing to 64-bit hardware and software.

"Plain, simple, and clear: Vista-64 is junkware. It is absolutely the worst, the buggiest software Microsoft has ever released," Heiker tells Windows Secrets.

What's worse, he said, is that Microsoft has no fixes for the vast majority of Vista's problems.

Early adopters vent their Vista-64 frustration

Many potential users of the 64-bit version of Vista are reluctant to make any OS changes after getting burned previously by 32-bit Vista.

"We're not using 64-bit Vista due to all the problems we've had with 32-bit Vista," says J.C. Warren, a systems engineer at a Seattle-based asset-management company.

Other users' complaints include what they view as important software that doesn't run under 64-bit Vista.

"ACT, a fairly popular contact-management program, will not work in 64-bit, and currently Sage has no plans to support it," reader Frank Boecherer said in an e-mail.

Also on the list of software that readers say is missing in action is a 64-bit version of Adobe's popular Flash player. And don't forget Office 2007, which comes only in a 32-bit edition.

To be sure, many 32-bit applications that were not written specifically to run on Vista-64 will in fact run on that OS. Microsoft maintains a listing of applications and hardware that are "compatible" with Vista, including 64-bit Vista. This listing consists primarily of 32-bit programs that Vista-64 runs in a 32-bit window.

Many 32-bit Microsoft apps, including Office 2007, are listed as working with 64-bit Windows, but some readers who run Vista-64 complain that bugs and incompatibilities abound. In addition, many popular third-party applications, such as Yahoo Music Jukebox Plus, are labeled with a big red "X," meaning they have problems with 64-bit Vista.

Heiker's list of Vista-64 bugs and application incompatibilities is a long one.

Among the problems Heiker cites is "a jerky mouse cursor" that interprets mouse clicks in one spot on the screen as an action on a different spot.

That's not OK, particularly if you're a day trader like those Heiker supports for TradeStation.com, where a click on the wrong spot can cost serious money. Heiker says he's experienced the mouse-location problem with three different mice, all relatively new purchases.

Heiker finally isolated the cause: the 64-bit version of Vista Ultimate failed to remove old device drivers. He discussed the problem with Microsoft support staff, but he says they could provide no solution. Heiker finally resorted to his time-tested standby.

"The only way to get rid of the hardware drivers was to reinstall Vista," Heiker said.

A second problem Heiker points out involves Outlook 2007, which fails to shut down properly. Other Outlook 2007 problems include unexplained freezes and the mysterious disappearance of the preview pane.

Did you say 'millions' of Registry entries?

Another glitch Heiker continues to confront is a real doozy: with no explanation in sight, his 64-bit Vista PC has accumulated some 23 million Registry entries. No, that's not a typo — 23 million.

"I brought this to Microsoft's attention and there's no solution to it," he said. "Apparently, a Registry entry is made each time a 32-bit application tries to update the Vista-64 Registry ... duplicating Registry entries a huge number of times."

Despite Heiker's long list of complaints and multiple contacts with Microsoft support, little has changed. "They haven't fixed a single problem that I've reported," he adds.

Complaints such as those of early Vista-64 users don't bode well for the OS in general or 64-bit editions specifically. Still, 64-bit PCs are in the cards for many current Windows users a year or two down the road. By then, the smattering of 64-bit PCs now appearing on the market will likely become a groundswell.

Today, there are 64-bit editions of both Windows XP and Vista — and there will also be 64-bit editions of Windows 7 when it ships in 2009 or 2010. The question is: When 64-bit computers become the norm for desktops, will all the software pieces be in place?

[jimzzzak]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

P.S. Do a google search for "vista 64 compatibility".

Everyone is not so happy with this OS.

Maybe I'll wait a couple of years for this "upgrade."

[MarkDee]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

Good question and a hard choice for anyone who's been reading about this OS for years.

I've finally "bit the bullet."

Technical staff at my local hardware supplier (TigerDirect in Canada) made me comfortable -- the fact that:

1. they'd been running 64Bit Vista for over a year with no significant problems
2. (new to me) Vista 64B installs 32 bit applications in a separate directory and memory space
3. applications that ARE available and coded to take advantage of huge memory and/or multiple CPUs SING in this OS
4. it's pretty...

OK, the last point is lame.

However, I'm doing a "whole house renovation" which includes moving all my machines to QCore processors and (for the time being) 8 Gigs of RAM. I've had no problems whatsoever with a wide variety of software (MS OFFICE 2007, multiple audio/video packages, multiple browsers, multiple programming environments, multiple blah blah blah...) -- nothing DOESN'T work so far and the things that can take advantage of the high end system features simply work better (!)

/ Just another opinion-observation
/ Mark

PS -- incidentally, JIMZZZAK, what was the date of the article you referenced?

[jimzzzak]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

The article is from Windows Secrets, October 2008:

http://windowssecrets.com/2008/10/09/02-Bugs-and-lack-of-apps-plague-64-bit-users

I may try Vista 64 out on a separate, non-mission-critical machine.

[sjmac]

Re: Vista 64 compatibility

Vista x64 is fine for me on two of the 4 PCs that I use (the others are 32 bit XP and 32 bit Vista). As others have pointed out you can make use of more than 4GB (in practice, more than 3 GB) of RAM in a PC with a 64-bit OS. That's useful for me because I want to run virtual machines , and memory used by a virtual machine is not available to the main machine.

Even 32-bit applications benefit from the extra memory because having lots of RAM lets me run more big applications together than I could if I was using a 32-bit version of Windows (XP or Vista), and the RAM is available in larger contiguous blocks (although this will not usually be relevant).

If you look for problems caused by lack of 64-bit apps or plug-ins then you will find them, but in general it is a complete non-issue for me whether or not an application is compiled as 32-bit or 64-bit. Some applications are installed in two versions, for example Windows Media Player is installed as 32-bit and 64-bit. The 32-bit version is the default because most of the plug-ins for it are still not available for 64-bit. The same deal for IE (though I use the 32-bit Firefox browser instead.)

I've only seen a couple of problems in 64-bit Vista that I didn't also have in the 32-bit version before I upgraded: My TV tuner card stops working after the machine is brought out of stand-by, and the dbPowerAmp "audio properties" tab problem. Application compatibility has improved a lot since Vista was released.

The situation of the guy in the article you reference sounds a bit odd to me. If I had a mission critical application that would not run on Vista (or any other OS), then I would stop using that OS. I've not had any problems with the USB and PS2 mice that I've used.

I just exported my registry and it looks like I have less than 2 million lines (but I'm not sure if that is more or less "normal" than the 23 million that the guy was complaining about, or how much it changes over time).