64 bit

[junes411]

OK - I know this is roughly like closing the barn door after the horse gets out, but nonetheless...

About two years ago I bought a very powerful (for me) PC to replace a woefully inadequate and outdated one. Knowing little about the inner workings of computers, I defaulted to the Tim "The Toolman" Allen rule of thumb: More Power is ALWAYS Better!

My system has 8 GB of Ram, 750 G Memory and runs circles around my previous system when it comes to power, speed and lack of hang-ups. I run Windows Vista. It's also 64 bit (which I really don't understand, but since 64 is bigger than 32, I figured it was New & Improved...).

My problem is that so many programs that claim to run on both 32 & 64 bit either don't run at all on the 64 bit, or they interfere with more critical programs that I also need. (For instance, CorelDraw's latest version renders MSWord all but unusable.)

Is there anything I can do about this? At the moment I am running this PC and a laptop (32 bit) side-by-side so that I can use all the programs I need for my business and for updating our websites.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

TIA,
June

p.s. Upon reconsidering Tim Allen's words of wisdom, I have to admit that it didn't always work to his benefit either.

[pam123]

Your programs won't run in compatibility mode and you can't dump Vista for Windows 7 ?

[junes411]

Umm... I never heard of compatability mode before. However, I Googled it and it seems the rest of the computing planet is well versed in this. (How awkward...)

I will attempt to use compatibility mode with the Corel program and see how that works. As it happens, I have Windows 7 in a sealed box, but I'm too terrified to use it. Sad but true. Even though everything is backed up on an external drive, I'm nervous about it. Other times I've upgraded operating systems (ME to XP, for instance), half of my programs bit the dust and I spent a full day reinstalling them.

[glc]

Other times I've upgraded operating systems (ME to XP, for instance), half of my programs bit the dust and I spent a full day reinstalling them.

Even though it can be time-consuming, a clean install is always the best way to upgrade.

[pam123]

I'm agreeing with glc.
That it's a time consuming pain is true but it is the best solution (It's what I did when I upgraded from XP to Win 7 64 bit. ) .

Check out all your current programs here : http://www.microsoft.com/windows/com...s/Default.aspx

[PCtuneup]

Go for a clean install with Win7, Have done 12 upgrade and have not lost a fill, but then I back up the old system on a USB drive, 32gb Flash or hard drive