XP 32-bit plus Vista Beta on 64-bit computer

Hello,

I have no experience with 64-bit computers, but I need to buy one soon to do
some software testing in Vista Beta 2. If I buy a Core 2 Duo E6300 with XP
Pro 32-bit pre-installed, can I expect all my software and peripherals I own
now (and which work in XP Pro on a Pentium 4) to work fine in XP Pro 32-bit?
Is there any trouble running 32-bit software in 32-bit Windows on a 64-bit
computer? Is there anything I need to be aware of before I commit the money
on a Core 2 Duo? (I do not want to ask my boss for money for a Core 2 Duo
and then find out it will not do what I must have it do.)

Can I then partition the drive and install Vista Beta 2 in the second
partition, and dual boot?

When Vista is released is there any reason I could not buy a retail copy and
install it in the second partition, replacing the Beta?

After Vista is released, and after I buy a retail copy, what do you think
about me reformatting the entire drive, installing Vista (64-bit) as the
only OS, and then using either Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual
Server, or VMWare Workstation to run older OS's? I need to do testing in
Vista, XP (32-bit), 2000, and 98. I even need to keep a Win 3.1 box around
for development of a certain driver. I used to use Connectix Virtual PC to
run Win 2000, NT, 98, and 3.1 on an old PIII. I just installed the free
Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 on my P4 2.8GHz Win XP Pro Toshiba laptop with 2
GB RAM, and just created a Vista virtual drive, which runs slowly on this
computer. It lets me test Vista, but it is only 32-bit. I would like to have
a Vista 64-bit computer and then use virtual hard drives for all my old
OS's, allowing me to start and stop them at will, instead of rebooting into
the other OS (dual booting).

If I do the above, is the Core 2 Duo E6300 powerful enough? It is the baby
CPU of the Core 2 Duo line, but it is so much more powerful than my P4 that
I anticipate it will seem like I am flying, compared to my P4. Is that
right? Or should I get one of the more powerful Core 2 Duos.

If I do what I described above (Vista as the only OS, then run Virtual PC
with the older OS's), how much RAM should I ask my boss to buy? Do you think
2 GB is enough to run Vista plus one virtual OS? I think I should get 4 GB
RAM, but I need some expert's help and advice to enable me to justify the
extra cost. (I know RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a computer, but this
is going to be the most expensive PC I have ever asked my boss to buy, and I
need some facts to back up my request. I am going to need to justify every
component.)

Thanks,
Gene

Charlie
Mon Aug 28 01:26:45 CDT 2006

Yes, you can dual boot. And yes, there will probably be driver problems -
Vista is, after all, a beta OS. But 64bit in general has driver issues
still. They're getting better, but they're not perfect. So do your homework
and make sure you order peripherals that are supported for 64 bit, and that
will work well with Vista.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/xperts64


Gene wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have no experience with 64-bit computers, but I need to buy one soon to
> do some software testing in Vista Beta 2. If I buy a Core 2 Duo E6300
> with XP Pro 32-bit pre-installed, can I expect all my software and
> peripherals I own now (and which work in XP Pro on a Pentium 4) to work
> fine in XP Pro 32-bit? Is there any trouble running 32-bit software in
> 32-bit Windows on a 64-bit computer? Is there anything I need to be aware
> of before I commit the money on a Core 2 Duo? (I do not want to ask my
> boss for money for a Core 2 Duo and then find out it will not do what I
> must have it do.)
> Can I then partition the drive and install Vista Beta 2 in the second
> partition, and dual boot?
>
> When Vista is released is there any reason I could not buy a retail copy
> and install it in the second partition, replacing the Beta?
>
> After Vista is released, and after I buy a retail copy, what do you think
> about me reformatting the entire drive, installing Vista (64-bit) as the
> only OS, and then using either Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual
> Server, or VMWare Workstation to run older OS's? I need to do testing in
> Vista, XP (32-bit), 2000, and 98. I even need to keep a Win 3.1 box around
> for development of a certain driver. I used to use Connectix Virtual PC to
> run Win 2000, NT, 98, and 3.1 on an old PIII. I just installed the free
> Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 on my P4 2.8GHz Win XP Pro Toshiba laptop with 2
> GB RAM, and just created a Vista virtual drive, which runs slowly on this
> computer. It lets me test Vista, but it is only 32-bit. I would like to
> have a Vista 64-bit computer and then use virtual hard drives for all my
> old OS's, allowing me to start and stop them at will, instead of
> rebooting into the other OS (dual booting).
>
> If I do the above, is the Core 2 Duo E6300 powerful enough? It is the baby
> CPU of the Core 2 Duo line, but it is so much more powerful than my P4
> that I anticipate it will seem like I am flying, compared to my P4. Is
> that right? Or should I get one of the more powerful Core 2 Duos.
>
> If I do what I described above (Vista as the only OS, then run Virtual PC
> with the older OS's), how much RAM should I ask my boss to buy? Do you
> think 2 GB is enough to run Vista plus one virtual OS? I think I should
> get 4 GB RAM, but I need some expert's help and advice to enable me to
> justify the extra cost. (I know RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a
> computer, but this is going to be the most expensive PC I have ever asked
> my boss to buy, and I need some facts to back up my request. I am going
> to need to justify every component.)
>
> Thanks,
> Gene

Benjamin
Mon Aug 28 07:27:46 CDT 2006

* Gene:

> I have no experience with 64-bit computers, but I need to buy one soon to do
> some software testing in Vista Beta 2. If I buy a Core 2 Duo E6300 with XP
> Pro 32-bit pre-installed, can I expect all my software and peripherals I own
> now (and which work in XP Pro on a Pentium 4) to work fine in XP Pro 32-bit?

yes.

> Is there any trouble running 32-bit software in 32-bit Windows on a 64-bit
> computer?

no. That's what probably 99% of all owners of x64 based computers
running Windows do...

> Is there anything I need to be aware of before I commit the money
> on a Core 2 Duo? (I do not want to ask my boss for money for a Core 2 Duo
> and then find out it will not do what I must have it do.)

If it's for business use be sure to get a solid system with good service
like a Dell (not Dimension) or HP (not Pavilion/Presario)...

> Can I then partition the drive and install Vista Beta 2 in the second
> partition, and dual boot?

yes.

> When Vista is released is there any reason I could not buy a retail copy and
> install it in the second partition, replacing the Beta?

no.

> After Vista is released, and after I buy a retail copy, what do you think
> about me reformatting the entire drive, installing Vista (64-bit) as the
> only OS, and then using either Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual
> Server, or VMWare Workstation to run older OS's?

if it fits your requirements, why not?

> I need to do testing in
> Vista, XP (32-bit), 2000, and 98. I even need to keep a Win 3.1 box around
> for development of a certain driver. I used to use Connectix Virtual PC to
> run Win 2000, NT, 98, and 3.1 on an old PIII. I just installed the free
> Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 on my P4 2.8GHz Win XP Pro Toshiba laptop with 2
> GB RAM, and just created a Vista virtual drive, which runs slowly on this
> computer.

Vista Beta 2 runs very slow in virtual environments. I guess RC1 and the
final version will be much better...

> It lets me test Vista, but it is only 32-bit. I would like to have
> a Vista 64-bit computer and then use virtual hard drives for all my old
> OS's, allowing me to start and stop them at will, instead of rebooting into
> the other OS (dual booting).

if it fits your requirements, why not?

> If I do the above, is the Core 2 Duo E6300 powerful enough?

depends on what you want to run on it (and of course what you want to
run on the virtual machines).

> It is the baby
> CPU of the Core 2 Duo line, but it is so much more powerful than my P4 that
> I anticipate it will seem like I am flying, compared to my P4. Is that
> right?

Since we don't know what P4 you have (which can be everywhere from
1.3GHz to 3.8GHz) it's hard to tell. But if the other components are
good then it probably will fly compared to any P4.

> Or should I get one of the more powerful Core 2 Duos.

depends on what you want to run on it (and of course what you want to
run on the virtual machines).

> If I do what I described above (Vista as the only OS, then run Virtual PC
> with the older OS's), how much RAM should I ask my boss to buy? Do you think
> 2 GB is enough to run Vista plus one virtual OS? I think I should get 4 GB
> RAM, but I need some expert's help and advice to enable me to justify the
> extra cost. (I know RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a computer, but this
> is going to be the most expensive PC I have ever asked my boss to buy, and I
> need some facts to back up my request. I am going to need to justify every
> component.)

depends on what you want to run on it (and of course what you want to
run on the virtual machines). But from your description I'd go for at
least 4GB...

Benjamin

Gene
Tue Aug 29 08:54:08 CDT 2006

Thank you Charlie and Benjamin, for your answers. It would have been
terrible to put in a request for a computer that did not end up doing what I
needed.

I forgot to tell you my current P4 is running at 2.8 GHz, and I have 2 GB
RAM in it. I run fairly typical office applications, but I need several
running at once. With antivirus and antispyware running it really gets
bogged down. Each time I must rebuild it from scratch I am always amazed to
see how fast it runs at the beginning, before I install antivirus and
antispyware. I am looking forward to dual cores, expecting the second core
to take some of the load.

Thanks again.

Regards,
Gene


"Gene" <gene_sorensen@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:eVeq2yiyGHA.3552@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
>
> I have no experience with 64-bit computers, but I need to buy one soon to
> do some software testing in Vista Beta 2. If I buy a Core 2 Duo E6300 with
> XP Pro 32-bit pre-installed, can I expect all my software and peripherals
> I own now (and which work in XP Pro on a Pentium 4) to work fine in XP Pro
> 32-bit? Is there any trouble running 32-bit software in 32-bit Windows on
> a 64-bit computer? Is there anything I need to be aware of before I commit
> the money on a Core 2 Duo? (I do not want to ask my boss for money for a
> Core 2 Duo and then find out it will not do what I must have it do.)
>
> Can I then partition the drive and install Vista Beta 2 in the second
> partition, and dual boot?
>
> When Vista is released is there any reason I could not buy a retail copy
> and install it in the second partition, replacing the Beta?
>
> After Vista is released, and after I buy a retail copy, what do you think
> about me reformatting the entire drive, installing Vista (64-bit) as the
> only OS, and then using either Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual
> Server, or VMWare Workstation to run older OS's? I need to do testing in
> Vista, XP (32-bit), 2000, and 98. I even need to keep a Win 3.1 box around
> for development of a certain driver. I used to use Connectix Virtual PC to
> run Win 2000, NT, 98, and 3.1 on an old PIII. I just installed the free
> Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 on my P4 2.8GHz Win XP Pro Toshiba laptop with 2
> GB RAM, and just created a Vista virtual drive, which runs slowly on this
> computer. It lets me test Vista, but it is only 32-bit. I would like to
> have a Vista 64-bit computer and then use virtual hard drives for all my
> old OS's, allowing me to start and stop them at will, instead of rebooting
> into the other OS (dual booting).
>
> If I do the above, is the Core 2 Duo E6300 powerful enough? It is the baby
> CPU of the Core 2 Duo line, but it is so much more powerful than my P4
> that I anticipate it will seem like I am flying, compared to my P4. Is
> that right? Or should I get one of the more powerful Core 2 Duos.
>
> If I do what I described above (Vista as the only OS, then run Virtual PC
> with the older OS's), how much RAM should I ask my boss to buy? Do you
> think 2 GB is enough to run Vista plus one virtual OS? I think I should
> get 4 GB RAM, but I need some expert's help and advice to enable me to
> justify the extra cost. (I know RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a
> computer, but this is going to be the most expensive PC I have ever asked
> my boss to buy, and I need some facts to back up my request. I am going to
> need to justify every component.)
>
> Thanks,
> Gene
>

Betageek52
Thu Aug 31 20:07:01 CDT 2006

Not to be negative or anything but I have yet to see Dells domestic repair
centers and their Indian overseas Support group agree on much of anything....
I no longer recommend Dell to ANYONE for any reason. Not to mention work on
them....

"Gene" wrote:

> Thank you Charlie and Benjamin, for your answers. It would have been
> terrible to put in a request for a computer that did not end up doing what I
> needed.
>
> I forgot to tell you my current P4 is running at 2.8 GHz, and I have 2 GB
> RAM in it. I run fairly typical office applications, but I need several
> running at once. With antivirus and antispyware running it really gets
> bogged down. Each time I must rebuild it from scratch I am always amazed to
> see how fast it runs at the beginning, before I install antivirus and
> antispyware. I am looking forward to dual cores, expecting the second core
> to take some of the load.
>
> Thanks again.
>
> Regards,
> Gene
>
>
> "Gene" <gene_sorensen@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:eVeq2yiyGHA.3552@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > Hello,
> >
> > I have no experience with 64-bit computers, but I need to buy one soon to
> > do some software testing in Vista Beta 2. If I buy a Core 2 Duo E6300 with
> > XP Pro 32-bit pre-installed, can I expect all my software and peripherals
> > I own now (and which work in XP Pro on a Pentium 4) to work fine in XP Pro
> > 32-bit? Is there any trouble running 32-bit software in 32-bit Windows on
> > a 64-bit computer? Is there anything I need to be aware of before I commit
> > the money on a Core 2 Duo? (I do not want to ask my boss for money for a
> > Core 2 Duo and then find out it will not do what I must have it do.)
> >
> > Can I then partition the drive and install Vista Beta 2 in the second
> > partition, and dual boot?
> >
> > When Vista is released is there any reason I could not buy a retail copy
> > and install it in the second partition, replacing the Beta?
> >
> > After Vista is released, and after I buy a retail copy, what do you think
> > about me reformatting the entire drive, installing Vista (64-bit) as the
> > only OS, and then using either Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual
> > Server, or VMWare Workstation to run older OS's? I need to do testing in
> > Vista, XP (32-bit), 2000, and 98. I even need to keep a Win 3.1 box around
> > for development of a certain driver. I used to use Connectix Virtual PC to
> > run Win 2000, NT, 98, and 3.1 on an old PIII. I just installed the free
> > Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 on my P4 2.8GHz Win XP Pro Toshiba laptop with 2
> > GB RAM, and just created a Vista virtual drive, which runs slowly on this
> > computer. It lets me test Vista, but it is only 32-bit. I would like to
> > have a Vista 64-bit computer and then use virtual hard drives for all my
> > old OS's, allowing me to start and stop them at will, instead of rebooting
> > into the other OS (dual booting).
> >
> > If I do the above, is the Core 2 Duo E6300 powerful enough? It is the baby
> > CPU of the Core 2 Duo line, but it is so much more powerful than my P4
> > that I anticipate it will seem like I am flying, compared to my P4. Is
> > that right? Or should I get one of the more powerful Core 2 Duos.
> >
> > If I do what I described above (Vista as the only OS, then run Virtual PC
> > with the older OS's), how much RAM should I ask my boss to buy? Do you
> > think 2 GB is enough to run Vista plus one virtual OS? I think I should
> > get 4 GB RAM, but I need some expert's help and advice to enable me to
> > justify the extra cost. (I know RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a
> > computer, but this is going to be the most expensive PC I have ever asked
> > my boss to buy, and I need some facts to back up my request. I am going to
> > need to justify every component.)
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Gene
> >
>
>
>

Betageek52
Thu Aug 31 20:09:02 CDT 2006

I wold not recommend a Dell to anybody. Their support has gotten to the point
of being confusing at best, and ridiculous at best.

"Benjamin Gawert" wrote:

> * Gene:
>
> > I have no experience with 64-bit computers, but I need to buy one soon to do
> > some software testing in Vista Beta 2. If I buy a Core 2 Duo E6300 with XP
> > Pro 32-bit pre-installed, can I expect all my software and peripherals I own
> > now (and which work in XP Pro on a Pentium 4) to work fine in XP Pro 32-bit?
>
> yes.
>
> > Is there any trouble running 32-bit software in 32-bit Windows on a 64-bit
> > computer?
>
> no. That's what probably 99% of all owners of x64 based computers
> running Windows do...
>
> > Is there anything I need to be aware of before I commit the money
> > on a Core 2 Duo? (I do not want to ask my boss for money for a Core 2 Duo
> > and then find out it will not do what I must have it do.)
>
> If it's for business use be sure to get a solid system with good service
> like a Dell (not Dimension) or HP (not Pavilion/Presario)...
>
> > Can I then partition the drive and install Vista Beta 2 in the second
> > partition, and dual boot?
>
> yes.
>
> > When Vista is released is there any reason I could not buy a retail copy and
> > install it in the second partition, replacing the Beta?
>
> no.
>
> > After Vista is released, and after I buy a retail copy, what do you think
> > about me reformatting the entire drive, installing Vista (64-bit) as the
> > only OS, and then using either Microsoft Virtual PC, Microsoft Virtual
> > Server, or VMWare Workstation to run older OS's?
>
> if it fits your requirements, why not?
>
> > I need to do testing in
> > Vista, XP (32-bit), 2000, and 98. I even need to keep a Win 3.1 box around
> > for development of a certain driver. I used to use Connectix Virtual PC to
> > run Win 2000, NT, 98, and 3.1 on an old PIII. I just installed the free
> > Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 on my P4 2.8GHz Win XP Pro Toshiba laptop with 2
> > GB RAM, and just created a Vista virtual drive, which runs slowly on this
> > computer.
>
> Vista Beta 2 runs very slow in virtual environments. I guess RC1 and the
> final version will be much better...
>
> > It lets me test Vista, but it is only 32-bit. I would like to have
> > a Vista 64-bit computer and then use virtual hard drives for all my old
> > OS's, allowing me to start and stop them at will, instead of rebooting into
> > the other OS (dual booting).
>
> if it fits your requirements, why not?
>
> > If I do the above, is the Core 2 Duo E6300 powerful enough?
>
> depends on what you want to run on it (and of course what you want to
> run on the virtual machines).
>
> > It is the baby
> > CPU of the Core 2 Duo line, but it is so much more powerful than my P4 that
> > I anticipate it will seem like I am flying, compared to my P4. Is that
> > right?
>
> Since we don't know what P4 you have (which can be everywhere from
> 1.3GHz to 3.8GHz) it's hard to tell. But if the other components are
> good then it probably will fly compared to any P4.
>
> > Or should I get one of the more powerful Core 2 Duos.
>
> depends on what you want to run on it (and of course what you want to
> run on the virtual machines).
>
> > If I do what I described above (Vista as the only OS, then run Virtual PC
> > with the older OS's), how much RAM should I ask my boss to buy? Do you think
> > 2 GB is enough to run Vista plus one virtual OS? I think I should get 4 GB
> > RAM, but I need some expert's help and advice to enable me to justify the
> > extra cost. (I know RAM is the cheapest way to speed up a computer, but this
> > is going to be the most expensive PC I have ever asked my boss to buy, and I
> > need some facts to back up my request. I am going to need to justify every
> > component.)
>
> depends on what you want to run on it (and of course what you want to
> run on the virtual machines). But from your description I'd go for at
> least 4GB...
>
> Benjamin
>