Hi,

I am thinking of getting a new netbook which comes with Windows 7 home 32bit.

Can someone please tell me what is the difference between 32bit and 64bit Windows 7.

Many Thanks

Bridge

One answer is here:

windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions

The windows 7 retail version comes with installation discs for 32 bit and 64 bit.

I loaded the 64 bit Professional version onto my Acer Aspire 4736 which has a processor with 64 bit capability, and it is working fine.

I guess if you buy it pre-installed you don't have much choice.

Some legacy hardware may not work with 64 bit, such as printers. My understanding is that people using applications like Photoshop should definitely go for 64 bit, but on the other hand, things are moving in the direction of 64 bit so that fairly soon it will become more of the standard.

Edited March 25, 201016 yr by Jingthing

Some legacy hardware may not work with 64 bit, such as printers. My understanding is that people using applications like Photoshop should definitely go for 64 bit, but on the other hand, things are moving in the direction of 64 bit so that fairly soon it will become more of the standard.

It's pretty rare these days to find anything that has no 64 bit drivers. We install 64 bit Windows 7 on everything our shops sell. It's faster and appears more stable, one thing that we are waiting for is a 64 bit flash player, which is in the pipeline.

A major difference is that with 32 bit you are limited to 4GB (effectively 3) of RAM.

Whereas 64 bit allows you to use up to 192GB.