63 posts shown.
gentlejackal22 said:Any 64-bit machine running x86-64 architecture can handle a 32-bit OS just fine. No matter which OS you pick, the drill is the same: wipe it and reinstall. Your only real "upgrade" path is jumping from an old version to a newer one—like going from Windows XP to Windows Vista or Windows 7. But if you're trying to jump from Windows XP 32-bit to a 64-bit version? Yeah, you're looking at a clean install. Total wipeout.
Man, you’re totally missing my point... A 32-bit Windows setup can't even touch more than 3 gigs of RAM, whereas 64-bit isn't capped like that. Most hardware today is 64-bit out of the box and ships with 4 gigs or way more. Plus, a lot of those old 32-bit programs can't even tap into all your processors, especially if you're rocking a quad-core. That's the bottleneck I'm talking about. Everything just feels sluggish compared to what we should be getting.
gentlejackal22 said:Wait, what do you mean by "downgrade"? Of course you can just wipe the drive and install Windows 7. If you mean running a Windows 7 DVD setup over an existing install to "roll back," then no—that’s never been a thing. But even Linux doesn't "upgrade" you from Windows 8; you just wipe everything and start fresh. Same goes for Windows 7.
I mean downgrading by putting a 32-bit OS on a 64-bit machine.
Running a 32-bit app on a 64-bit rig works just fine, but you can't go the other way around. It’s the hardware that calls the shots on whether it's 32 or 64-bit.
Sure, you could technically install a 32-bit version of Windows on a 64-bit machine. But at the end of the day, you've still got 64-bit hardware running a 32-bit OS, so you're basically leaving all that extra power on the table. You can put whatever you want on your laptop, I guess, but if you ever have to deal with a warranty claim or a repair, they'll probably expect the original OS to be there. Honestly, I don't get why you'd want to downgrade your system, and why on earth are you stuck using Windows 8??