32 OR 64

How do I find out what my PC is running 32-Bit Edition or 64-Bit Edition?

Jeff Gaines...

True, but with non Mac laptops you have a choice, all of my laptops have

pmj...

Good point!
But aren't there any Apple Mac Laptops/Notebook Computers that
have a more sensible/usable/practical Aspect Ratio?
Surely they aren't *all* "Short Screen" (so-called Wide Screen)
Displays?

standard 4x3 displays (as do my desktops).

pmj...

More & more Laptops though *are* being supplied with thsoe Short/Wide
Diplays aren't they?

& what sort of LCD Monitors for your *Desktops* do you have that
have a 4:3 Aspect Ratio? (Such as 1024 x 768 or 1600 x 1200)?

I thought that actually most LCD Monitors (other than the specific
Short/Wide Screen ones) are actually 5:4 Aspect Ratio! - Usually
1280 x 1024

Jeff Gaines...

They're all 1280x1024 19", I didn't work the ratio out :-)

MCC...

I remember, several years ago, being shown round the newsroom of the 'Press
and Journal' newspaper in Aberdeen. Each desk had an Apple Mac on it. The
monitors could be rotated through 90 degrees thus allowing them to be used
in landscape or portrait format. And the software they were running
instantly altered what was on the screen to suit the new format.

Jeff Gaines...

That's a good solution for s desktop.

Do you remember many years ago you could get a CRT monitor in a cradle
that did the same trick?

& that's actually *taller* than the normal 4:3 Aspect Ratio.

pmj...

Yes - an ordinary Laptop, cos of its Shape, (& due to the need for
the width of the Keyboard) will always have a Screen that is wider
than it is tall, won't it?

pmj...

Yes, but then that makes the whole thing not very Portable,
doesn't it?
:-)

& (as Jeff mentions below), it gets a bit heavy on the Lap, if you
have a Laptop (which comes with its own Screen anyway) & *also* a
separate Screen!

But yep, with a separate Screen, you do then have the choice of
*Rotating* it into "Portrait" Format (Taller than it is Wide),
rather than the normal Landscape Format.

Jeff Gaines...

I'll have to get a bigger lap first! There's no point (to me) in having
the conveniance of a laptop and lugging an external screen around.

pmj...

LOL!
Yep!
Good point!
:-)

datasmog...

Fairy Nuff, but until your affordable tablet comes along, you're going
to be increasingly stuck with wide screen laptops.
I don't know what you do on yours, but I've never had a problem.
OSX has some nifty little display tricks up its sleeve you know :-)

Jeff Gaines...

I am very tempted I must admit :-)

I think I probably ought to clear out some of the current stuff via eBay
first though...

pmj...

The 64Bit Edition of windoze (XP) is one of those things that
if you were Running it, you would know!
:-)
It's not the sort of thin gthat can get Installed accidentally,
or without you knowing about it & it won't have come already
Installed on your PC (if it had been, again, you would know).

If you want to confirm that you *are* Running the 32Bit Edition,
have a look in the System Properties, in Control Panel.
or have a look at the micro$oft Information Utility (MSInfo32)

You can Open that from the Start Menu (in the Accessories>System Tools
Section) or from the Strt>Run Box...

Start>Run msinfo32 [OK]

For to get Vista into it. I'm on Windows XP Home 2002 Version Service Pack 2

pmj...

& also (as far as I know) WinXP *Home* Edition isn't available as
64Bit - it's only available as the 32Bit Edition

Computer Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3400+ 2.40GHz 125 GB of RAM

Steve...

I would not worry about the 64bit version yet as there is not much
software out there that requires 64bit. You will also potetialy open a
can of worms on the driver side.

pmj...

125 GB of RAM???
:-)

Really?
Wow!!!

I didn't know that there were any Motherboards that could have
125 GB (GigaBytes) of RAM (Random Access Memory) fitted!
& also (as far as I know) there aren't any Versions of WinXP Home
Edition that can Support 125 GB of RAM

datasmog...

Jeez that's a fekin lot of ram, who do you work for, Pixar? NASA?

I've downloaded Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 into it, & the
parts I've tried all work fine. BTW. As there are lots, of new features in
it. I'll let you know in about 5 years if they all work OK LOL

I did read the post about AVG not working with Vista. But I've got to give
it a try.

Steve...

Girsoft are saying a new version of AVG for Vista will be along shortly,
I've opted for Avast and it works straight out of the tin.

Currently the only hardware I can't get to work is a Belkin F5D7001 uk
PCI adaptor card, and there are some problems with the Freecom USB TV
stick.

My 2 Epson printers, Logitech Laser Mouse, Logitech Headset, Huey, Canon
camera and Sony MP3 player were all recognised immediately.

uker...

I've started to get Vista into my PC. I didn't realise it was that bigger

pmj...

Sheesh!
Yep, that is a fairly hefty Downlaod, isn't it?

download 3.2 GBs. I've got 29% in & there is 5 & a half hours to go yet. At
117.5 KB/s I don't think anyone on dial up will be downloading this. :-)

Aries...

Do let us know how you get on with it :)

uker...

Well I got up early, knowing that my download for Vista, would have
finished. And gave my PC a darn good clean up, before I started to install.
But when I tried it, I got these messages: Unexpected end of file found.
& This disc contains a "UDF" file system and requires an operating system
that supports the ISO-13346 "UDF" file system specification.

Same thing but more, showing all in a screen capture:
get it to open up. Any help would be appreciated. Thanking you.

Steve...

What you have is an ISO file i.e. an image of a disk. You now need to
burn this ISO file to a DVD using any good DVD burning software, I use
Nero, this then creates a set-up disk with all the right files on with
which you can install Vista.

Mike Tullett...

Another way is to extract the contents of the ISO file to a folder on the
hard drive, using such software as UltraISO. The installation can then be
done from the hard drive by clicking on setup or install.exe.

Here is a link to that software.

Aries...

Mike, how much space does vista take up - would my 80 GB hard drive be
sufficen or 60 as on this lappy ?

Steve...

The operating system takes up approx 7.5GB installed

Mike Tullett...

As Steve has indicated both those drives should have loads of space. I'm
running both XP and Vista on my laptop, on separate partitions, neither
over 30 GB.

pmj...

Nope!
I shouldn't think they will!...

I've just done a bit of Calculating...

A typical Actual Download Speed of an old-fashioned, steam-driven
56k DialUp Modem Connection was (is?) about 5 KBytes/Sec (if you're
lucky & have a good line).

So that means to Download 3.2 GB (which is about 3,276.8 MB
or 3,355,443.2 KB!) would take about 671088.64 Seconds, which
is about 11184.81066 minutes - about 186.41351 Hours!

Which is about 7.76 days (just over a *Week*!) - assuming your
Connection would Hold up for a Week & that it was maintaining
that 5kBytes/Sec Download Speed all the time.