Talk:Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

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"Windows XP 64-bit Edition is designed to use 64-bit memory addresses" -- I think the maximum memory limit is set to 128 GB in current version, so the addesses probably don't use full 64-bits for memory adressing Helix84 21:57, 26 Apr 2005 (UTC)

You are right, updated the page to reflect this.[1] --Yamla 22:16, 2005 May 11 (UTC)

Definitely move. There isn't a reason not to at all. Shame that the redirect already exists. - Estel (talk). 13:14, May 9, 2005 (UTC)

Well, I got rid of the redirect from Windows XP 64-bit Edition, and AlistairMcMillan put it back. On 20 Oct, I'm getting rid of the redirect again. '64-bit Edition' is a completely separate product than 'Professional x64 Edition'. - Ehurtley 00:06, 19 October 2005 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] question

Is there any real point in 64? so far it would seem its designed around functionality that is not and will never happen in it's lifetime from the home and small business user's perspective, while larger businesses will have the resources for custom implementations of free or open licensed software that will accomplkish the same for much less heartache.

There absolutely is. Once people have more than 2 gigs of RAM and particularly, more than 3 or 4 gigs, the extra memory addressing is invaluable (though not fundamentally required). My home desktop and my laptop both have 2 gigs of RAM now and I know many people with more. --Yamla 15:21, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

--128.154.44.44 19:47, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

64 bit is definately a very good thing, however Windows XP 64bit edition is, I believe, a waste of time. If Vista wasnt coming out in 11 months then maybe it would be worth the investment, but as vista will be available relatively soon this version strikes me as a complete waste of time and money for virtually no benefit. Vista on the other hand will be amazing. Martin 15:37, 10 February 2006 (UTC)
Windows XP 64bit edition is still a worthwhile investment for those that want to avoid the inevitable initial teething problems with Vista as well as the DRM crap.
And 640kb ought to be enough for anybody, right?
Oh, You're too cruel to Bill Gates... ;) m_gol 16:31, 31 July 2007 (UTC)
It's important that the evolution of 64-bit happens before we need that extra addressing on a typical machine. In seven years, 3 GB of memory might be standard, if only so that doing searches across a lot of information can be really, really fast because it's all cached in memory. In the meantime, the quality of 64-bit drivers and software can ramp up, developers can get good at it, and in time, we can move to 64-bit being the "standard", just like we moved to from 16-bit to 32-bit some twelve years ago. Warrens 18:02, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Availability

Needs some info on that you can't buy the thing, only can get it pre-installed in a very small number of OEM machines.

MSTCrow 07:15, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

"Another solution is to use virtualization software like VMware or VirtualPC to run other versions of Windows or MS-DOS, but are considered "hellishly slow" to users compared to the aforementioned DOSBox." This statement sounds rather biased...--128.154.44.44 19:47, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree. Virtualisation software is generally fairly fast. Indeed, I'm somewhat surprised that DOSBox is faster then VMware or VirtualPC since DOSBox is an emulator although it does use dymanic translation for i386 processors according to wiki. In the past, I heard it was very slow although I guess it has significantly improved. Of course, any DOS or Windows 3.1 app is unlikely to be very taxing in any case. Nil Einne 19:45, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Licencing

I removed:

It is only available pre-installed on machines from a limited number of OEMs, or in licence packs of 5 or more.

as on this UK shop site it is availible seperate from hardware in a 1 pack: [2] Hamish (Talk) 22:26, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

This link is actually a OEM version (which is says in the description), and not a retail version (which doesn't exist). Technically (in the US, anyways), OEM software must be sold with hardware, and cannot be sold unbundled. Some on-line retailers get around this by making you buy a cheap piece of hardware, such as a power cord. Others completely disregard the licensing restriction, and sell the OEM software alone. The point is, there is no true Retail version of XP Pro x64, and there is no legal way to acquire XP Pro x64 by itself. Thalter 16:46, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Lies, if you acquire it via MSDNAA then you have a legal copy of XP Pro x64 without the need to buy hardware, it blows anyway, the OS itself is excellent but hardware manufacturers are very slow on the 64-bit support 172.188.248.32 02:34, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Compatibility with other applications

Can some knowledgeable people review this, and then either make the pertinent changes, or else drop me a note and erase this comment?

"Unlike prior versions of the Windows NT line, 64-bit Windows versions do not include NTVDM so there is no support for the execution of [...] POSIX ..."

I should be thick, but I do not see any relationship between NTVDM (i.e. 16-bit support) and the POSIX subsystem. Furthermore, I "feel" the SUA subsystem can be lifted from 2003 server x64 R2 back to XP x64, since it is exactly the same base under the hood. Similarly, this very subsystem is included in Vista x64, in Ultimate or Enterprise versions. And of course the SUA (ex-SFU, ex-Interix) subsystem is just a piece-for-piece replacement (and vast improvement) for the original POSIX subsystem, as shipped with NT until v.5.0 (Windows 2000) and dropped with XP 32 bits (MS knowledge base). AntoineL 14:49, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 32-bit Windows memory constraints (Post-SP1)

The article refers to 32 bit Windows being constrained to 4 gb RAM - but, if memory serves, SP1 introduced a 3 gb limit. Am I wrong? 62.107.208.113 17:15, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

This is an answer without references and it's been awhile since I've cared about this kind of minutae, so go look it up. But: NTOS normally creates a 4gb virtual address space. This is mapped to whatever real memory+virtual memory you have. Within this space, 2gb is for kernel mode, and 2gb is for user mode. Since there is no direct mapping to real memory, this division is fine... until now when machines have 4gb of memory and for all intent, there is nearly a 1:1 relationship to real memory. Prioritizing 3gb for user mode/1gb for kernel mode is a performance trade-off. afaik, this option was present in Win2000, but maybe my memory is faulty. Go look it up, but I think that's the answer you want. This also doesn't get into things like 48 bit memory addressing (PAE) modes on 32 bit x86. SchmuckyTheCat 20:43, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Windows NT 5.2?

I believe I read that Windows XP x64 carries the identification Windows NT 5.2. However, Windows NT 5.2 redirrects to Windows Server 2003. Should there be a disambiguation page, or am I mistaken about this? --Tech Nerd 04:29, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] iPhone

Looking at this list for the first time, the "lack of iPhone support" part seems too specific to be included in the list. Every other entry has to do with general known issues. It just seems like it deserves a category of its own that would include other device-specific problems.--Eddie 01:24, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't understand why this is considered a limitation of the OS, when it's Apple who does not release support for Windows XP Professional x64. I think this point of incompatibility is easily covered by one of the entries mentioning that some companies do not provide 64-bit drivers and that the OS does not support 32-bit drivers. Smeggysmeg 20:58, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

removed. SchmuckyTheCat

[edit] Zip Utilities

"An example of this is the inability to install the context-menu options for applications such as zip utilities." This isn't true. I'm running XP x64, have WinRAR installed, and I see the WinRAR context menu in explorer. Context menus aren't exes, they're registry items. I'm removing the line for now. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kinghajj (talk • contribs) 22:57, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Statements confusing physical addressing limit and VIRTUAL address space

In regards to the following excerpt (from the article):

"The primary benefit of moving to 64-bit is the increase in the maximum allocatable system memory (RAM). Windows XP 32-bit is limited to a total of 4 GB, which is, by default, equally divided between Kernel and application usage. Using the /3GB switch in the boot.ini file forces Windows to limit the kernel to the upper 1GB and provides up to 3GB for applications."

If there is no objection, I propose this either be removed or at least re-stated because there is already a plethora of confusion about the /3GB switch somehow being related to RAM limitations of 32-bit operating systems (sans 36-bit PAE kernel). I have personally had to refute dozens of posts on forums implying or out-right stating the /3GB switch is somehow a work-around to the 32-bit physical address space limitation of 32-bit operating systems (i.e. 4GB). In reality, the /3GB switch impacts VIRTUAL ADDRESS SPACE, not physical address space or RAM addressing.

Refer to the following excerpt from Microsoft's MSDN Library on the 4GT RAM Tuning function:

On 32-bit editions of Windows, applications have 4 gigabyte (GB) of virtual address space available. The virtual address space is divided so that 2 GB is available to the application and the other 2 GB is available only to the system. The 4-gigabyte tuning (4GT) feature, formerly called 4GT RAM Tuning, increases the virtual address space that is available to the application up to 3 GB, and reduces the amount available to the system to between 1 and 2 GB.

Others have been compelled to blog or write in order to clear up the same myths and confusion:

Demystifying /3GB

Scenarios using /3GB and /PAE switch

Summary of the recent spate of /3GB articles -- Brewster1971 (talk) 03:25, 2 January 2008 (UTC)