Windows XP Mode is fully supported under 64-bit Windows 7. Can I use Windows XP Mode with 64-bit Windows 7? A. However, while 32-bit drivers are not directly supported in 64-bit Windows 7, 64-bit Windows 7 users can install 32-bit drivers in Windows XP Mode and use USB-based printers and other USB-based legacy devices with the Windows XP virtual machine. Some manufacturers bundle both 32-bit and 64-bit drivers within a single installation package, leading casual observers to sometimes misreport that a 32-bit driver worked under 64-bit Windows. As such, it needs to match the architecture of the kernel itself. A device driver is privileged code that runs in the same address space as the Windows kernel. Can I use a 32-bit device driver under 64-bit Windows 7? A. Your best bet is to do a Web search to see if the manufacturer has published a 64-bit device driver and, barring that, if other users have come up with a solution. Devices that don't have obvious ties to the datacenter (such as custom input devices, multimedia hardware, and some printers) can be harder to integrate since they were manufactured at a time when 64-bit desktops were a rarity. Some manufacturers - for example, vendors of network interface cards or disk storage controllers - are more up to date than others, thanks in part to the fact that they've been supporting 64-bit computing under Windows Server since the 2002-2003 timeframe. However, legacy hardware support is a hit-or-miss proposition. As with PC support, most peripherals manufactured in the Vista era work with 64-bit Windows 7. If you're not sure what kind of CPU is in your system, or whether the CPU supports 64-bit operation, you can use the free Intel Processor Identification Utility to find out. Examples include Intel's Atom line of low-powered CPUs and early Intel Core CPUs, like the Core Duo (not Core 2 Duo). The exceptions are those that ship with low-end CPUs that don't support the AMD or Intel 64-bit extensions. after Vista's debut) are capable of running 64-bit Windows 7. Most PCs manufactured in the past three years (i.e. Is my PC supported under 64-bit Windows 7?Ī. In speedy Q&A format, here's just what you need to know. A few editions of 64-bit Windows 7 provide a Windows XP Mode that solves some backward-compatibility problems, but it isn't a universal panacea.

But if you don't have sufficient RAM (at least 4GB), or you rely on devices that don't have supporting 64-bit drivers, or you need to upgrade an existing 32-bit installation, 32-bit Windows 7 might be the better choice.

For most would-be Windows 7 users, a 64-bit version of Windows 7 is the right move.

Update windows 32 to 64