Had trial copies of Windows Vista 64bit and Windows XP 64bit for some time now. Since both my laptop and my PC are on 4GB of RAM, the 32bit versions of XP and Vista can only use around 3GB. Was wondering if it’s worth to try the 64bit versions to maximize the available memory on board.
So, I tried installing Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit in another partition on that rig Intel lent me.
Installation was fast and without any hiccups. Drivers for the motherboard, video card and other peripherals worked without any problems. And yes, my Windows can now use all of the 4GB RAM installed in it (I added another 2GB RAM stick).
Except for one — the Compact Wifi USB Adapter (Linksys WUSB54GC). Linksys did not have any drivers available for Vista 64bit. I’m stumped. All of the desktops at home free from wires and depend on a USB WiFi adapter.
That’s just the beginning. I haven’t installed the 3 printers and a very old OCR scanner yet — I don’t think there any luck with that scanner.
Looks like there’s no bright future for 64bit Windows OS until the driver problems are addressed. And, we’re talking about thousands and thousands of drivers here.
Peril? Doesn’t that sound overly dramatic? I haven’t used a 32bit OS since I got a 64bit processor (64bit Linux and Windows) … that was years ago. The problem is less to do with Windows Vista or any other 64bit OS, but people’s insistence to keep using older hardware.