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With Server 2000 we saw the release of a 64 bit version of that Operating System, and then soon there after a 64 bit version of XP and Server 2003.  These were for the Itanium Processors from Intel.  Later after the introduction of X86-64 instructions from AMD we would see non Itanium 64 bit versions of Windows released (Server 2003 and XP)  Theos early adopters would find hardware support to be buggy however.  It would not be until the release of Windows Vista that 64 Bit Windows would start to gain momentum.  Today we still have the option on installing 32 bit or 64 bit versions of Windows 7, but is 64 Bit always the best way to go?

I asked this question about my old laptop, a Compaq Presario C700 (C712NR)  It had an Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 running at 2.16 Ghz with 2 Gb of Ram.  It came with 32 bit Windows Vista Home Premium and I wanted to upgrade to Windows 7.  After a bit of research I decided to just try installing Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

Now this computer came with 32 bit Vista and I had also installed 32 bit Windows 7 to test, I had looked at which is faster Vista Vs 7 and XP Vs 7  which you can read here

For those interested here are the numbers for Windows Vista 32 bit on this machine.  The Pass Mark Performance Test got a score of 537.8  this is not bad at all for a laptop.  Below is the Windows Experience Index (in Vista scores range from 1.0 to 5.9)

Windows Exprierence Index from Vista

Now Windows 7 32 bit got a 590.4 out of the same Performance Test.  Below is the Windows Experience Index (in Windows 7 scores range from 1.0 to 7.9)

Windows Experience Index from 7

Now Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit gets results that are not what I expected.  The Pass Mark Performance Test score is a 528 This is slower than both the 32 bit version of Windows 7 and Vista. When you look at the test results Windows 7 64 bit actually does better in some areas but worse in others however this result is in every test category, there is not one category where Windows 7 64 bit does worse in comparison to its 32 bit counter part.    Below is the Windows Experience Index and note that these values are the same as the 32 bit version.

Windows Experience Index on Windows 7 64 Bit

It is odd that the Windows Experience Index is the same but the test results are different.  After using the computer I would suggest the 64 bit version as I felt is was improved over the 32 bit version.  As always your results may very, so in conclusion I would say if you have a slower system with less than 4 Gb of ram stick with 32 bit but if the system is faster and still under 4 Gb or ram go with 64 bit, and always go with 64 bit when you have more than 4 Gb of ram.  At least that is my opinion.

Windows Vista was given a bad rap because of the release candidates and because some software and hardware no longer worked with it.  Vista has matured a lot from its 2006 release and now after Service Pack 2 is a nice operating system to use.   It is not as good as Windows 7 I will admit but it’s not that bad either.

As with every Windows version starting with some releases of Windows 95, Internet Explorer has been included with Windows, but is it really the best to use, I will look at the five major browsers and see which one works the best in my opinion. For a look at the 64-bit version click here.  This time I am doing these tests on my Compaq Presario C700 (C712NR) laptop with a 2.16 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 Gb of ram, and a 7200 RPM hard drive.  This computer is running Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit.  All updates have been run for Windows, the internet browsers, Java, and Flash. All tests are ran unchashed.

1. Internet Explorer 8.0.6001.18828  If you have passed on the newest Internet Explorer, well it’s time to look again.  This is not the Internet Explorer from Window past, nor is it the one that shipped with Vista.  IE 8 is fast a loading normal web pages but is not as fast when it comes to Java or Flash.  This is supposed to be better in IE 9 however for now all we have is 8.  But 8 is nice, I love the new features like the Web Slices pictured below.  These give you a quick glance from Ebay auctions to the weather in your area.  There are is also new visual search, and accelerators.  IE is my main browser for a lot of things, and my daily browsing.  You should check it out at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=79154fb4-c610-4a1e-811d-dfe0f1dd84d1&displaylang=en

Internet Explorer 8 in Windows Vista

2.  Firefox 3.5.5 Firefox is not the fastest program to open but it renders pages faster than IE.  I use Firefox for work because of the built-in spell check which I wish IE had.  Firefox also supports a wide variety of plugins.  The interface is dated and cluttered but it still does a good job, I’m looking forward to see what comes out in version 3.6.  you can check it out at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ie.html?from=getfirefox

Firefox 3.5 in Windows Vista

3.  Opera 10.01  This browser has come a long way, Version 9 was just not that great but 10 is fast and slick.  The user interface is very good at staying out of your way.  I like the thumbnail previews on the tabs.  It also has a most used page like other browsers called Speed Dial.  It is actually a good alternative browser if you’re looking for something other than the leaders IE and Firefox or want something different from the hyped up ones Safari and Chrome.  You can get it at http://www.opera.com/

Opera 10.01 in Windows Vista

4.  Chrome 3.0  The newest version of Google Chrome is actually better than version 2.  I sure beats Safari in all but one thing, the user interface leaves much to be desired.  I prefer Safari’s user interface however Safari is a dog compared to Chrome, still does not have anything for me to want to switch and it is made by a company that makes money off advertising.  You can check it out at http://www.google.com/chrome?hl=en&brand=CHMI

Chrome 3 in Windows Vista

5. Safari 4.0.4 Looks better than any version before it, they have finally use the Windows interface instead of porting the ugly grey Mac interface.  Safari 4 looks better than Chrome too, however it is not as fast, the top sites take some time to load and the browser itself does not load webpages very quickly.  We will have to see what Apple does with Safari 5.  You can get it at http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

Safari 4 in Windows Vista

What will be interesting to see is how the browser makes will react to Windows 7, with the jump lists and such.  IE, Firefox, and Opera already are working on some things.  IE 8 currently uses the jump lists to their fullest in Windows 7.

Go back to Part 3 for Windows 2000

Go to Part 5 for Windows 7 32Bit

Windows Vista brought a lot of change, and a lot of new features.  Love it or hate it Vista changed the game. I could not decide on five so here are my pick of six new features that were introduced in Vista.  Let’s revisit them.

1. Windows Defender, spyware and adware have been a big problem for a while.  I was glad when Microsoft introduced Windows Defender into Windows, it offered an extra layer of protection.  It is not the best program out there for this purpose, I prefer to use Spybot and Ad-Aware to remove spyware but Windows Defender does active protection and does not use up much system resources doing it. Also it is updated through Microsoft Update making staying protected easy.  You can also download Windows Defender for Windows XP.  You can get it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/resultsForProduct.aspx?displaylang=en&productID=f8f1c499-e587-48a5-ac81-164e850dca48&nr=20&sortCriteria=Popularity&sortOrder=Ascending&stype=ss_sd

Windows Defender in Windows Vista

2. Windows Sidebar and Desktop Gadgets, This was an awesome upgrade to Windows allowing more customization to Windows by allowing anyone to make a gadget and being able to download them.  There are gadgets that do just about everything and they are all free. Pictured below are some of the gadgets I use every day. Yeah there is a gadget for that!  You can download more for Windows Vista here at http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx?mkt=en-us  Now those should work for Windows 7 but the official website is here at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/downloads/personalize?T1=desktopgadgets

Windows Sidebar and Desktop Gadgets

3. Instant Search, I hated having to use search to find anything in Windows because it took for ever, but in Vista is it ever easy.  Type a few letters and bam its there.  I love it and I can’t say enough about it.  You can update Windows XP with instant search too get it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=55C18CB3-C916-4298-ABA3-5B98904F7CDA&displaylang=en

Instant Search

4. The Network and Sharing Center, This is a little gem in Vista allowing networks to be managed more easily, it also saves Wireless Network information, so finally you did not have to retype in your security key every few days to reconnect to the wireless. Sharing was also simplified and made it easier to share information at home.

Network and Sharing Center

This just made networking easy and if you had a problem it could try to repair it for you, a much needed feature.

Windows Network Diagnostics

5.  Windows DVD Maker, a simple program so you can share your videos and pictures with family and friends on DVD.  Not to shabby, but it is simple.  Hey not bad for the first version of the program.

Windows DVD Maker

6.  Windows Update, this is not really a new feature but so improved it might as well be,  finally Windows Update and Microsoft Update did not have to be accessed from a browser.  This is hands down the best decision Microsoft made in Vista.  A program that did Windows Update, awesome!

Windows Update in Vista

It is nice to see new features when Windows is released.  Computing changes and it is good that Windows tries to keep up.  If you are running Vista or thinking about it I would suggest upgrading to Windows 7, it takes Vista strong points and makes them much better.

Check out my list of Five new features in Windows XP it is a blast from the past.

Or check out my list of five new features in Windows 7

Well Windows XP was released in 2001 and I did not know much about it at the time of its launch.  I admit when it was first released it felt like a glorified service pack for Windows 2000.  While Windows 2000 is its ancestor, Windows ME was its spiritual ancestor.  But it did feel like they simply took all the features of Windows ME and shoved them into 2000 and tweaked it a bit.  While it is true that Microsoft took and combined its home and professional lines to create one Windows desktop version, there was more to Windows XP.  It would become one of the most used operating systems of its day.  So I have gone back and created a list of the top five best new features that Windows XP introduced.  Let’s revisit them.

1.  The Luna theme, for the first time in a long time Windows was not a drab grey color.   The interface seemed more warm and welcoming, it was a nice change.  One that I wanted when I first saw it.  Now is was also nicknamed the Fisher-Price theme and Windows was even called Windows XP Fisher-Price Edition, but it was a nice improvement.  It started people skinning Windows by hacking files as well, It actually inspired and made people ask the question What If? Could I make Windows look like…?  I have to admit it, it really was a good change.

The Blue Luna Theme in Windows XP

2. Windows Media Center, while it was not released with Windows XP at first and was never offered as an update, it was a neat thing you could do.  Use your computer to record TV.  It offered a media driven hub for people and even was imitated in some forms so others that did not have the Media Center version of XP could enjoy it, and was also imitated on Linux.  For some their computer became their DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

Windows XP Media Center

3. Fast User Switching and Local Users, While local users were not exactly a new feature they were so greatly improved and finally brought to the home computer.  This changed a lot of things for home consumers.  Finally parents could have an account for their kids  to mess in while their background and icons never changed.  But the nice feature here was the fact that you did not have to log someone out to use your account, you could switch them.

Users Control panel Applet

Fast user switching made sharing the computer in a house hold very easy.  Remember too that Windows XP was released in a time where there was usually was only one computer in a house.  It would not be till years later that computers would come down in price and we would see almost as many computers in a house as TV’s.  The Fast User Switching was not only needed, it was a good move.

Fast User Switching Option

4. Windows Firewall was originally called the Internet Connection Firewall until Service Pack 2 was released with a revamped version of the firewall that was enabled by default unlike the previous version.   Microsoft did this after so many computers were getting infected with viruses and spyware.  the Windows Firewall helped a lot and provided those who could not afford to purchase a firewall for their computer some protection.

The Windows Firewall in Windows XP

5. The Compatibility Tab was a great help.  Most home users were using Windows 98 or Me which ran on top of DOS.  The programs made for these DOS based Windows versions often times were not compatible with Windows 2000.  In XP Microsoft fixed a lot of the problems with the Compatibility Tab.  Accessible by right clicking on the program and clicking on Properties, this would help the adoption of XP.

The Compatibility Tab

Windows XP was a good and logical evolution of the Windows product line.  It did have a few new features but it really improved on a lot of old ones.  It is almost 9 years old now and really is past its prime.  If your running XP I suggest looking at Windows 7, it runs better on slower computers than Vista.

You can also check out my list of Six new features in Windows Vista

Also for a blast from the past check out the Top Five New Features in Windows ME

Well I got the evaluation of Windows 7 Enterprise and I installed the 32bit version on my old Toshiba laptop.  It has 1Gb of ram and a 2 GHz Celeron processor and a 30 Gb hard drive, it is a Toshiba Satellite A15-S127.   It does not run too bad on there, it installed all drivers except for the video card, which is weird since Vista did install a driver for it but for some reason this is lacking from 7.  So while I can not run anything that requires graphic power I could not anyway in Vista, the laptop is not up to it so it’s not a deal breaker.  I admit it does seem faster than Vista and I like it over all.  I have a 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for my Compaq laptop coming in the next few days and I will install 7 on that and test it.  First I will be doing my review of  internet browsers in Vista 32bit (Which you can read Here) and in 2000 (Which you can read Here).