(They will work in a 32-bit version of Windows running on 64-bit hardware.) That’s significant from a historical point of view–for the first time, we have Windows operating systems that won’t run the original, IBM-PC version of VisiCalc. More and more utilities today are getting rewritten to work properly in Windows 圆4.Īnother problem: Early, 16-bit Windows (and DOS) programs, written to be compatible with pre-Windows 95 Microsoft operating systems, will not work at all in the 64-bit environment. For instance, a program that inserts itself into Windows Explorer’s context menu has to be rewritten to work with the 圆4 version of Explorer. While most 32-bit applications have no problem in a 64-bit environment, utilities–which tend to work close to the OS’s core–are seldom as versatile. It does not matter if your windows installation is 64 bit. With that said, you can edit a 32 bit version of an access db if your office installation is 32 bit.
RUNNING 32 BIT ON 64 BIT COMPUTER INSTALL
In fact I believe it is the recommended practice to install 32 bit office. In fact, although Microsoft Office 2010 comes with 32- and 64-bit versions on the same DVD, Microsoft recommends you install only the 32-bit version.Īnd, of course, 64-bit Windows has its disadvantages: First note that 64 bit machines can (and quite often do) run 32 bit Office. But as I write this, very few native 64-bit applications exist, and they’re not necessarily improvements (most 32-bit applications run just fine in Windows 圆4).
Speaking of things that aren’t quite there yet, 64-bit applications should run faster than their 32-bit equivalents. While you won’t be able to actually install that much RAM (or afford it) for a long time to come, you can buy a 64-bit computer today with 12GB installed. My new system has: CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K and I have a 64 bit Windows 10 operating system with 16 GB Ram. While the 32-bit version is limited to 4GB of RAM–and can’t really make use of all that–the 64-bit version can address up to 8TB. System type: 32-bit operating system x-64 based processor. The 64-bit version of Windows has certain advantages.