Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Saturday, 10 January 2009 09:30
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 4
So, where are the download links to Windows 7 beta 1?
Glad you asked – here they are:
Windows 7 beta 1 – 32bit edition.
Windows 7 beta 1 – 64bit edition.
These files are .ISO DVD disc images. You will need to burn them to a DVD first before you can install them. Any modern DVD burning software can do this, but if you don't have DVD burning software, you can get
DeepBurner. It's free CD/DVD burning software for Windows PCs, and can burn your ISO onto a DVD. Another free program you can use is
ImgBurn.
So, which edition should you download? Well, if you’re unsure whether you want a 32bit or 64bit version, your safest bet is to get the 32bit version.
Only Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Core i7 and some AMD chips are capable of running 64bit software, and while 64 bits is certainly the future, most people will be better off, for now, with the 32bit version.
Older Core Duo, Pentium IV etc chips are only 32 bit, as are many older AMD chips, although AMD did go 64 bit far earlier than Intel did. Only some versions of the Intel Atom chip, used in "nettops" and "netbooks", is 64-bit capable. For example, the most popular Intel Atom chip, the N270, used in the vast majority of netbooks, is NOT 64-bit capable, as you can see here at the Intel's Atom
specifications page.
32 bit chips and their associated architecture can’t access more than 4GB of RAM, whereas this is not a problem for 64bit chips.
Your software and hardware drivers also need to be available in 64 bit versions for you to be able to use them properly on a 64 bit operating system.
This was a big issue in the days of the 64bit version of Windows XP, which was now years ago, but since Vista came out in both 32bit and 64bit versions, many software and hardware companies have been busy creating 64 bit versions of their products.
So – unless you have 4GB or more of RAM and specifically know that you want the 64 bit version, my suggestion to you is to go with the 32bit version – at least for now – for the widest software and hardware compatibility.
And in any case, you can always re-install the 64bit version later.
So, what about product keys to activate the software?
Please read on to page 3!
