Will there be a Windows 7 32bit?

[2Cold Scorpio]

I'm not.

Reasons? Plenty of 32bit-only machines around, plenty of PC's with 2gb of RAM (and 64bit will eat into that unecessarily) and W7 is well suited to such systems. For example, my atom netbook and my media centre will remain 32bit, whilst my other systems will go 64bit.

The truth is that 64bit is no longer an outsider - MS enforce 64bit support for drivers and if you're building 64bit software then there's really no hit in putting out a 32bit as well. The pain (as a developer) comes in creating the 64bit build in the first place, thenafter it's trivial to set the compiler to produce a 32bit build.

QFT; you hit the nail right on the head. While 64-bit is what many, if not most of us here will likely be using, that doesn't mean it is well suited for everyone out there. There's a lot of ancient machines still online.

[McPhee]

I'm not saying that 32bit systems are bad - far from it. Those Atom's are hardly terrible, nor is any modern processor on a 32bit operating system. My point is more along the lines of holding back for no other reason than monetary. Same problems that actually caused the Millennium Bug in the first place "year 2000? Noone will be using our hardware/software by then"
then go back a bit more for the classic:
"640k will be enough for anyone."

It really, really grates me to see heels being dragged in such a manner. It REALLY got on my left nipple when I commissioned 40 brand new workstations the other day to find they were still shipped with PS2 keyboards and mice yet had done away with serial ports and parallel ports. In the same way it annoys me that programmers still think floppy drives a) should still exist and b) when they do they are always a:.

Little things that we shouldn't have to deal with. These changes should be transparent as far as the public are concerned, they shouldn't have to fuss with 32 or 64bits of whatever. They might only know the basics, have bought a PC, installed a new OS then a couple of months down the line get into photo chopping and to speed things up slap in another couple of gig of ram. Why shouldn't it just have worked? Because, dear sir, through no fault of your own you've fallen victim of someone else's heel dragging.

I'd have to agree with you there. My motherboard comes up with an alert every time i boot the PC because there's no floppy drive connected. This isn't an old board, it was released 18-months ago, so i really don't get why the manufacturers thought it would be a good feature to put in to the bios. I have to hit a key to get rid of the alert so that the PC can carry on booting. Even updating to the latest bios hasn't removed the alerts, leading me to believe that Biostar still think it's a good feature to have...

[aidanjt]

You've just proved his point about floppies.

[Blaineoliver]

You know that if you select no disk under the floppy section on the bios instead of 3.5" floppy or wahtever it is, then the message doesnt show up.

[lodore]

Hello,
The problem is that as long as 32bit operating systems excist alot of oem's will default to giving out 32bit OS as standard and offer 64bit as option.
most users wont know the difference and keep with the default.
Since 32bit OS's are used alot more that is the priority when creating drivers and software.
Some companies wont even bother to create a 64bit version of their software.

Microsoft have to create 32bit versions of windows 7 since not all applications work on 64bit OS.
So if microsoft released 64bit only windows 7 there would be alot of application incomptiblity again which would mean once again people would most likely stick with windows xp.

I hope 64bit windows 7 is the most shipped version of windows 7 so devolopers are forced to create applications that work on 64bit OS.
im also hoping since server 2008R2 is 64bit only it will help to force devlopers to create 64bit drivers and software.

I am wondering what kind of replys I am going to get.

[sammie377]

I'm not.

Reasons? Plenty of 32bit-only machines around, plenty of PC's with 2gb of RAM (and 64bit will eat into that unecessarily) and W7 is well suited to such systems. For example, my atom netbook and my media centre will remain 32bit, whilst my other systems will go 64bit.

The truth is that 64bit is no longer an outsider - MS enforce 64bit support for drivers and if you're building 64bit software then there's really no hit in putting out a 32bit as well. The pain (as a developer) comes in creating the 64bit build in the first place, thenafter it's trivial to set the compiler to produce a 32bit build.

I had a hell of a jon trying to get Grid to work with my Logitech wheel, after 2 weeks of every patch I could find and various reg edits I had to give up and go back to 32 bit, to be honest I think it's disgraceful, and I fully agree everything should be 64 by now.

[sammie377]

Hello,
The problem is that as long as 32bit operating systems excist alot of oem's will default to giving out 32bit OS as standard and offer 64bit as option.
most users wont know the difference and keep with the default.
Since 32bit OS's are used alot more that is the priority when creating drivers and software.
Some companies wont even bother to create a 64bit version of their software.

Microsoft have to create 32bit versions of windows 7 since not all applications work on 64bit OS.
So if microsoft released 64bit only windows 7 there would be alot of application incomptiblity again which would mean once again people would most likely stick with windows xp.

I hope 64bit windows 7 is the most shipped version of windows 7 so devolopers are forced to create applications that work on 64bit OS.
im also hoping since server 2008R2 is 64bit only it will help to force devlopers to create 64bit drivers and software.

I am wondering what kind of replys I am going to get.

A good one from me, I think that's well thught out and I agree with you, (saved my laziness typing it) thanks.

[sammie377]

I'd have to agree with you there. My motherboard comes up with an alert every time i boot the PC because there's no floppy drive connected. This isn't an old board, it was released 18-months ago, so i really don't get why the manufacturers thought it would be a good feature to put in to the bios. I have to hit a key to get rid of the alert so that the PC can carry on booting. Even updating to the latest bios hasn't removed the alerts, leading me to believe that Biostar still think it's a good feature to have...

Go into BIOS BOOT options and where floppy is selected either select a different drive or disable it, that should do the trick.

[Agent]

then go back a bit more for the classic:
"640k will be enough for anyone."

Which works great, until you find out it's a myth

[synaesthesia]

Cheers Agent - I'd vaguely heard that was the case, but never found an article to back it up - but like everything in the world of computing it's all taken with pinches of salt

Sammie337 : Had a similar issue with Vista and my old but still very very good Logitech Formula Force wheel, which is heading to the tip today - it worked in Vista 32 with some messing about but not in x64, apparently down it it being a serial connected wheel with USB emulation via the converter thingybob, which according to Logitech wasn't something that would work in Vista. They never did answer me back as to why it'd work in x86 but not in x64 though. If anything, the technically correct answer would be something along the lines of "throw the old one away and spend more of your hard earned money on a new Logitech product". Trouble being, the ONLY wheel better than a 10 year old Logitech Formula Force in quality and feel is the rather expensive G25, with exceptions to rotation amounts and the likes. In the end plumped for a driving force pro, bit playstationy and not even close to the FF in feel and build quality but it works well enough for £30.

[Sputnik]

I hate the slow slow slow moves away from legacy hardware just because some people might still use it. Only recently have I seen Serial ports removed from mobos.

Abit were the first manufacturer to go legacy free with the AT7 Max. in 2002(ish) That board only had USB,Firewire,Sound ports and a LAN port. Then for some strange reason they went back to putting all the legacy stuff back on later boards.

It's a shame they don't work on forward compatibility as much as they do looking backwards.