theuerkorn's Full Review: Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Full...
WindowsXP is getting old and Vista (formerly known as Longhorn) is on a relaxed schedule. AMD's successful push to 64bit CPU technology has been largely unanswered by software industry -- mainly due to a lack of a 64 bit capable Windows. In June 2005 the wait was finally over and Microsoft released WindowsXP x64 Professional Edition (I will call it XP64), but what does it really bring to the table as Microsoft doesn't even sell it in stores?
HOW TO GET IT?
If anything was as hard to come by as XP64, nobody would bother to even look at Microsoft products. In general, the only way to buy XP64 was to obsolete a 32bit Windows XP Professional license. However, that only works if it was tied to a computer with a 64bit processor and bought within a certain time period. Microsoft recently revised the rules and buying qualified hardware (i.e. 64bit processor) now also qualifies you to buy an OEM copy of WindowsXP x64. With all that effort need to get a copy, one can't but wonder if Microsoft actually wants to sell this OS and might start to worry about support by the MS and third party developers alike.
At $130/copy the OEM version is cheaper than a full version for x32 Windows XP Professional, but also very restricted in availability and (currently) usability. There is no home edition available and probably never will be since the XP successor "Windows Vista" is "already" scheduled for late 2006. (Btw., much better name than "Longhorn"!)
INSTALLATION
Important: WindowsXP x64 Professional cannot upgrade an existing WindowsXP (x32) installation and requires a fresh install!
There are currently many reasons to prefer a multiboot installation over a complete transition to XP64. Fortunately, it's as easy as ...
1. Create dedicated partition for each OS
2. Install older system first onto one partition
3. Install XP64 last
4. Update each system with latest drivers
I specifically got another hard drive for a clean XP64 installation and initially unplugged the system disc during installation of XP64. This was to avoid cross-referencing between systems and upon complete transition to XP64 simply turn the old drive into a RAID. Unexpected was the problem getting XP64 installed. Unlike the BETA version I tried in March, this final version acted up by installing a non-functioning video driver (on the same hardware). The only way to fix that was Safe Mode and replace the driver manually via device manager since the install program for Catalyst 5.8 simply would not start either.
With that out of the way, the awakening came when trying to re-activate the old system by simply unplugging one and bringing back the other hard drive. (System not found.) After fixing that little surprise I finally got convinced that I will have to do a multi-boot system and reinstalled XP64 with XP being actually present (but not same partition). The multi-boot loader is created on the fly with XP64 becoming the default system and 30 seconds to decide otherwise. This was actually quite smooth and allows for using both OS' as XP64 is still too immature.
When installing XP64 with multiple Windows versions on the same computer, it's recommended to pick only systems with NTFS file system capability (2000, XP, XP64) to avoid access issues. Hence, don't keep WindowsME or '98 as either is way outdated anyway. (Should you read this and own an AMD Athlon 64 or alike computer, you're most likely not using the old OS anyway.)
So far so good, for some reason now the newly installed XP64 even installed the correct video driver though still refuses to run the downloaded Catalyst 5.8 (w/ Control Panel) and can only be tricked by venturing into the extracted folder and installing the control panel via dedicated installer and replace the video driver -- again -- via Windows' Device Manager. Other drivers went smoother, like nVidia's nForce 4 chipset driver 6.66 which had no problems to install correctly on a dual CPU system.
The tricky part about XP64 is that it doesn't allow to install any x32 based drivers -- unlike the claim to actually run 32 bit applications. This requires to have each vendor update their product or else you can't use it. Good luck with older devices! ;-)
Activation is similar to WindowsXP and after a 30 day trial period mandatory to complete the process via Internet if you want to keep using it (or else it gets stubborn). Unlike XP already one reinstallation of XP64 triggered the "product key exceeded times of activation" and required to call Microsoft for straightening it out. Directions given are easy to follow and it took me about 10 minutes, but it's also a lot of numbers to enter and re-enter.
A dual-boot Windows system has advantages, but it also poses as 2 completely different computers and software that's licensed via Internet activation may run into conflicts. Adobe's Creative Suite 2 would be one candidate where activating the software on x64 could de-activate the license on the other system. So be careful in what to install on the XP64 system if you're still planning to use it on the other system. Further, dual boot doesn't really work if you used the XP Prof license to upgrade to XP64 and therefor de-activated the x32 OS.
COMPATIBILITY
Out of the box compatibility is supposed to be great due to what Microsoft calls WoW64, a 32bit "emulator" to run x32 software under XP64. It holds that promise for many applications that don't bypass or replace system routines.
Drivers and utilities on a system level are in a much more critical situation than applications. While there is a good amount of beta and released drivers for XP64, there is also a great number of vendors that don't support it yet and some of them never will. Netgear puts it this way: "... 64-bit drivers are not available for any NETGEAR products as of Aug., 2005. There is no firm date for announcing their release. If a product does not appear in the "Product Finder" on the main NETGEAR site, then it is not likely 64-bit drivers will be created for them." How about that!? Below is a list for my system ...
DOES NOT PLAY w/ XP64 (as of August 2005):
- Netgear WG331T (WLan card)
- Norton Antivirus 2005
- Canon EOS 20D (WIA)
- Palm Desktop 4.1.x
...
I will update on actual applications as I migrate them to XP64 -- or at least attempt to.
PERFORMANCE
I have to admit that despite reports otherwise, I was expecting some improvements based on my previous exposure to the BETA version which miraculously returned higher data rates on my Raptor hard drive and overall felt faster. Running benchmarks defies that presumption though and 3DMark05 returned the virtually same score (4950) for both XP-HE SP2 and XP64. This is as expected since 3DMark does not utilize 64bit programming yet. On the other hand, Sandra 2005 does and both benchmarks (memory and hard drive) one more time, returned the exact same score (Harddrive index = 58 MB/s, Memory bandwidth = 5.6 GB/s) for either OS.
The picture should dramatically change once your application(s) require and use more than 4 GB of RAM, but I don't have access to neither the memory nor the applications to prove it right or wrong. In a few years that may be all we need, but right now it's exotic to say the least.
The interface is virtually identical to WindowsXP Professional (x32) and one has to look really hard to find anything different (other than a 64bit version of IE).
SUPPORT
Starting with Microsoft's own update tool, it happened several times that it could not find the correct address on the company's site and refused to look for updates. Miraculously, the process runs in the background and automatically found updates (a bunch of security fixes already). Currently there seems to be no reliable integration of Microsoft's support into XP64 at the level XP is.
Other companies either refuse currently support for XP64 or provide betas and even some "final" products. In general it's significantly harder to troubleshoot XP64 right now due to novelty factor and the limited user base.
SUMMARY
As of August 2005, WindowsXP x64 Professional is everything but a professional choice mostly due to driver support and the lack of truly revolutionary changes -- unless you can afford more than 4GB of RAM. Below 4GB, no major performance changes are to be expected, especially if the application is strictly written for x32.
Compared to the BETA, ease of installation and stability seemed decreased which might just be an expression of the still spotty hardware support, but it's a limitation if your system simply has to work. Hence, one more time not recommended for professionals (no matter what the name suggests).
Most important, many internet security programs like Norton Antivirus and so on are not available for XP64 yet which exposes you many threats. Since antivirus software is integrated on a system level to be effective, a special XP64 version is mandatory. (Norton is expected to release a compatible version later this year.) Fortunately a basic firewall is included and in my case due to the nForce4 hardware a better solution is already built in into my motherboard and supported by the 64bit driver.
For WinXP HE users, a dual boot setup with XP and XP64 adds a playground for 64bit applications and the ability for better networking and security by encrypting files (through Windows) of course the latter makes the files inaccessible for WindowsXP HE. Performance seems to be gained by specifically designed programs like FarCry v1.31 -- not surprisingly a game (and not a professional application).
Overall, XP64 is a great playground for the computer buff looking for new challenges (at home). It's certainly not ready for prime time for most users and with Vista looming around the corner it remains to be seen if XP64 will ever get the needed support. In fact, XP64 seems a little bit like a playground for developers to get ready for Vista's 64bit computing.
UPDATE [2-Oct-2005]: Several months after its release WindowsXP x64 is still handicapped by spotty driver support. So far there seems to be no WLan driver (neither Netgear nor Linksys; I haven't found info on others either). Further, the newly released Norton Antivirus 2006 is still not compatible with XP64 and no word on a dedicated 64 bit version -- if there ever will be one. Newtek's Lightwave 64 (8.5) is going to be available in October 2005, which hopefully solves current issues with v8.3 license management where the included USB dongle is not recognized. These are only a few examples why XP64 is in no way fit for professionals. :-(
UPDATE [18-Oct-2005]: I have not been using XP64 much in the last couple weeks but somehow it seems to have invalidated itself and required a complete re-install. Stability seems marginal at best and support is virtually not existent. The best example for that is Mocrosoft's own Online Update tool does still not support XP64 (at all) and despite rumours Norton's new Antivirus 2006 is not compatible with XP64 either. Consequentially I am deducting another star and stand back until this system matures (or next year when the Vista hype is going to hit).
UPDATE [26-Oct-2005]: Due to the described necessity for a Dual-Boot configuration (if you want to access the internet safely anf use a wireless network etc.), XP64 most likely ends up with the designated drive letter "D:". This is okay in most cases but potentially wreaks havok on the WinXP x32 installation if the program stubbornly insists on drive "C:" instead of using the Windows environment variable for the respective home drive. Further, software like Lightwave3D 8.5 64bit initially refused installation in such an environment as it mistakes the Windows x32 installation on "C:" as the active one (even if you booted from "D:" and therefor claims you don't have the necessary XP64. ... More water under the bridge, I guess. (Newtek now has published and updated installer which solves this problem.)
UPDATE [19-JUN-2006]: Despite the delayed release of Windows Vista (x32 & x64), it's safe to conclude that WinXP64 never happened. Of the drivers I was missing nearly a year ago, not a single one has been released for XP64. At the same time, beta drivers for Vista can be found more often now. It is unlikely that this trend will turn around in the remaining 9 months until Vista takes center stage. While that new OS will have its own problems, XP64 never really took off and practically remained a playground for early adopters who didn't mind to spend $100 for something that's virtually unusable.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is a rich platform that enables the next generation of high-performance computing. 64-bit native applications can ...More at eBay
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