Tuesday, July 13, 2010

What Is 64-Bit OS?

A 64-bit operating system is one that can process information in 64 bits instead of the smaller, standard 32 bits. A 64-bit operating system is available for modern computers, and it can improve the speed of a machine as long as the machine supports it.

Advantage
The 64-bit operating system refers to the amount of information the processor can handle concurrently. A 64-bit processor can process 64 bits of ones and zeros at the same time. A 32-bit processor can only process 32 ones and zeros at a time, which makes it slower.
Requirements
To install a 64-bit operating system, your processor needs enough memory to handle the amount of information. It works best if you have large amounts of random access memory (RAM).
Considerations
64-bit operating systems require 64-bit drivers for the computer. Therefore, when upgrading, you must download a 64-bit driver from the manufacturer.
Software
32-bit software can be run on a computer running a 64-bit operating system. However, software developed specifically for a 64-bit machine is not backward compatible.
Operating Systems
Microsoft Windows is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. Mac and Linux also support 64-bit architectures. 

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