Datasheet
Chapter 1
Installing Windows 7
8
Microsoft could not just release a 64-bit version of Windows 7. This
would alienate many users with 32-bit computer systems, and it would
cost Microsoft a large share of the client-side software market. Users
already have to deal with the PC versus Mac commercials! So Windows 7
users have a choice of either 32-bit or 64-bit.
32-bit vs. 64-bit
When you hear the terms 32-bit and 64-bit, this is referring to
the CPU, or processor. The number represents how the data is
processed. It is processed either as 2^32 or as 2^64. The larger
the number, the larger the amount of data that can be processed
at any one time.
Think of a large highway that has 32 lanes. Vehicles can travel
on those 32 lanes only. When traffic gets backed up, they can
only use these lanes, and this can cause traffic delays. But now
think of a 64-lane highway and how many more vehicles can
travel on that highway. This is an easy way of thinking of how
32-bit and 64-bit processors operate.
The problem here is that if you have a 32-lane highway, you
can’t just set up 64 vehicles on this highway and let them go.
You need to have the infrastructure to allow for 64 vehicles
by having 64 lanes. This is the same with computers. Your
computer has to be configured to allow you to run a 64-bit
processor.
So what does all of this mean to the common user or adminis-
trator? Well, it’s all about RAM. A 32-bit operating system can
handle up to 4 GB of RAM and a 64-bit processor can handle up
to 16 exabytes of RAM. The problem here is that Windows and
most motherboards can’t handle this much RAM.
None of this is new—64-bit is just starting to become accepted
with Windows, but other operating systems, like Apple, have
been using 64-bit processors for many years.
So should you switch all of your users to 64 bit? The answer is
no. Most users do not need to have large amounts of RAM, and
the real problem here is that many manufacturers do not have
64 bit–compliant components.
For example, I am writing this book on a 64-bit computer, but if
I open Internet Explorer and go to any website that uses Adobe
Flash Player, it will not work. Currently, Adobe does not have a
64-bit Flash Player.
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