32bit apps with 64bit vista?

**travistee** · September 16th, 2008, 02:21 PM

Can I install 32bit applications with 64bit Vista or do I have to use only vista 64 compatible applications?

**slgrieb** · September 16th, 2008, 08:18 PM

Most 32 bit apps run just fine, but when in doubt check the support info for the software in quesation.

**Ferrit** · September 16th, 2008, 11:49 PM

I haven't found anything that wont install in vista 64 yet and i have had it up and running since vista was released.

**travistee** · September 17th, 2008, 09:41 AM

I read something about the 32bit apps using only 2G of memory.

If the system has 4G will the OS and other 64bit apps use the remaining 2G while the 32bit apps use their limit of 2G?

**Ferrit** · September 17th, 2008, 10:07 AM

Just to clarify this
It is the windows system which uses the memory or the app working in the system
Windows 32 bit (XP or Vista) has a limitation of 3.2 gigs of "useable" memory.
Vista SP1 allowed vista 32 bit to "see" 4 gigs but 3.2 is whats useable as i understand the explanation.
Vista or XP 64 bit can see a lot more memory and use a lot more. Exactly how much more ,some have said up to 128 gigs. Not that many of us will go there but 8 gigs is fully usable and available to many.
So it is the windows system which is likely more what allows or doesnt allow the use of the memory. Some software mayu have limitations but i an not aware of them.

**-Vampyre-** · September 17th, 2008, 02:03 PM

Yes Just make sure it installs into C:\Program Files(x86)

**Platypus** · September 17th, 2008, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by travistee

I read something about the 32bit apps using only 2G of memory.

If the system has 4G will the OS and other 64bit apps use the remaining 2G while the 32bit apps use their limit of 2G?

All varieties of Windows provide 2GB of address space for a 32bit application to run in (unless the /3GB switch is used in boot.ini). 64bit Windows runs 32bit applications in an environment that behaves in almost every way like the 32bit environment (WOW64 - Windows On Windows64). So a 32bit application will have the same 2GB address space available on 64bit Windows, as it would on 32bit Windows.

All memory allocations are provided transparently by the Windows Memory Manager from the combined pool of real memory and virtual memory (hard drive space mapped in as memory). Applications are unaware of how this memory is being provided to them.

If the system has a contiguous block of 4GB of physical RAM, 64bit has to work the same as 32bit, in that a greater or lesser portion of the upper 1GB (and sometimes into the 2nd GB) of addresses are reserved for hardware devices, virtual memory page addresses etc. RAM that would occupy these addresses is not accessible as system memory to either 32bit or 64bit Windows. Other Windows system requirements are supplied out of the remainder of the upper 2GB of address space.

If the system has a motherboard chipset that can address at least 8GB of RAM, and an option to relocate memory above the 4GB barrier is available in the BIOS, the upper 1GB of RAM can be moved above the 4GB point. This will then all be available to 64bit Windows to add to its pool of memory, from which it supplies the 2GB that a 32bit application sees.

**Ferrit** · September 18th, 2008, 12:32 AM

Originally Posted by -Vampyre-

Yes Just make sure it installs into C:\Program Files(x86)

I have never had to watch where it installs in nearly 2.5 years of 64 bit computing.

**BOB IROC** · September 18th, 2008, 07:58 AM

I have been running 64bit Vista on 3 out of the 4 computers I use regularly. I have only come across a couple 32bit applications that are not Vista64 friendly and those programs are not really mainstream apps. One of them that comes to mind is the TrackIt desktop client by Numera. It took a bit of tweaking to get it to install and there are a couple minor features that don't work. Other than that the only issue I have come across is the slowness of some vendors to release drivers. These devices again are not really mainstream. For example I have a Cisco VT Webcam that is designed to work with my phone. Even though the core hardware is logitech they must change something because it will only use the Cisco drivers and they do not have 64bit drivers. So I just got a nice logitech webcam to replace it.

Other than that I have had good luck and a good experience with Vista64 and the only issue I have at home is for some reason I cannot get my AIM or AIM Pro to play nicely. AIM just glitches out a lot and I tried AIM Pro and that is stable but it has a small issue where text does not always show up in the IM window. For that I blame AOL.

**-Vampyre-** · September 18th, 2008, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by Ferrit

I have never had to watch where it installs in nearly 2.5 years of 64 bit computing.

I just do because I work for a software company that can't make their installer tell the difference.

**travistee** · September 18th, 2008, 11:09 AM

This gives a good explaination of 32bit and 64 bit vista

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5709

**travistee** · September 19th, 2008, 01:50 PM

CA security suite doesn't install with WOW64

**Ferrit** · September 19th, 2008, 03:53 PM

What version is it?
Must be pretty old if it isnt 64 bit compatible

**BOB IROC** · September 19th, 2008, 06:56 PM

[QUOTE=travistee]CA security suite doesn't install with WOW64[/QUOTE

Drivers and certain programs like Antivirus must be 64bit compatible.

**travistee** · September 21st, 2008, 08:07 AM

It looks like most apps that are compatible with Vista32 will work with Vista64.

Pynaccle studio 10 installs but it doesn't work.
( But then alot of their stuff doesn't work in XP either )
I have to upgrade to their version 12 that has a vista64 version.

Nero version 6 doesn't install. ( its says it has known incompatibilities )
Their version 8 is compatible.

The CA antivirus is new.

Outlook 2000 installed but did not work.

Explorer 64 doesn't work with flash since adobe doesn't have a 64 version of their flash player. So really Explorer64 is useless, since there is so much flash out there.