Windows XP Professional x64 Edition RC1 tested

[0iD]

For those already running, or are thinking od trying Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, ZDNet have just run a feature on the latest version, RC1.

Introduction
Installation & Driver Support
Performance
Driver Performance
3D Games Performance
Conclusion

So, if all that tickles your fancy, get your free copy here
and have a tinker.

[athlon_xp_2800]

That is quite interesting, I may just reinstall my copy of x64 Win XP, on another partition soon. I'll just run my games on that 64-bit to see how it goes. However, I believe that this review is about a newer build than my original, is there anything different with regards to stability/performance?

Ta,
Mach_4

[muddyfox470]

just to say i do believe that the free version is timelimited to 360 days!

[directhex]

free version? it's a beta. it's for finding & eliminating bugs - and it has an expiry date, as do all microsoft betas.

free doesnt' mean free, kids. unless it REALLY means free.

[shiato storm]

not if you look it up in the microsoft dictionary it doesn't

Free, or the products offered under this heading, in fact means 'limited use of' and therefore any further use requires payment to the company. Failure of payment will result in catastrophic cpu destruction and motherboard disembowelment or other such demise as seen fit by the company to exact upon the 'free-loader' for attempting to use such a 'free' product that clearly isn't 'cause we're not that nice. c'mon, its us here not some Linux distributor!

[aidanjt]

or in English for the rest of us, free in the sense that you and your system can use it but is limited in performance, stability, completion, period and modification of use. does that fit the bill?

[Ferral]

Interesting read, just hope they manage to get it sorted so its 100% compatible with all the 32 bit applications and games. It would be bloody annoying having to buy a 2nd copy of Farcry and loads of other top release games just for a 64 bit OS. Or would the games manufacturers release patches maybe ?

Have to wait and see how the transition is done as a good few people will go out and buy this that have 32 bit games etc and expecting them to just work as soon as installed.

Wonder what is happening with their Longhorn OS (Think thats what its called, its late ! ) Are they planning on launching 2 OS within months of each other ?

[aidanjt]

your games wouldn't have AMD64 code support (I wouldn't expect to see AMD64 programs ariving for at least a year yet in any volume other than dribbles).
But.. Microsoft has an 'emulator' built into XP64, which will run x86 binaries, I will be interested to see how the emulator in native mode will perform vs. running in x86 'legacy' mode.

[directhex]

or in English for the rest of us, free in the sense that you and your system can use it but is limited in performance, stability, completion, period and modification of use. does that fit the bill?

free in the sense that it's a time-limited beta, which won't work after a certain date, won't have any windowsupdate access after the full thing releases, and won't receive any final compatability/speed/stability fixes. microsoft have been handing out free betas for years, only the most foolish carry on running them past their sell-by date.

[0iD]

I only run it as a matter if interest & because I was nosey. I wouldn't run it as my main o/s tho because being a beta you just don't know how 'buggy' it really is. I still work with XP Pro, and Suse/Xandros.

[directhex]

I only run it as a matter if interest & because I was nosey. I wouldn't run it as my main o/s tho because being a beta you just don't know how 'buggy' it really is. I still work with XP Pro, and Suse/Xandros.

well that's sensible. i see too many people on irc who seem to think this is just a free os from microsoft, end of story.

[aidanjt]

OiD, meh, stick with SuSE, even better if you have the patience give Gentoo a whirl ;P

directhex, that doesn't supprise me in the least.. IRC is spilling over with idiocy, which saddens me.