# What's your experience with the 64-bit version of Windows 7?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-experience-with-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-7/600189
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 19, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-experience-with-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-7/600189 "2011-10-19T21:27:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-experience-with-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-7/600189/21 "2011-10-20T14:16:43Z")
> [@voltaire](#):
>
> A PC I’m looking at getting comes loaded with the 64-bit version of Windows 7. I would probably opt for just the regular 32-bit version if I could, but this PC has the just-right combo of hardware/price-point and the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is that ominous sounding 64-bit Windows. I don’t really care too much about the performance boost, specially if it comes along with difficulties in finding compatible software and device drivers.
>
> So, tell me what your experience in the 64-bit world has been like. Any problems with stuff like a free anti-virus that works with 64-bit? How about device-drivers for peripherals you’ve purchased?
>
> Is it a major pain, or has the tech world fully evolved to accommodate 64-bit? Am I worried over nothing, or should I run in the other direction?
FWIW, I work for a software company, and we have (anonymized) statistics from our users. Nearly 60% have Windows 7 64-bit; we test the most in this OS. (The next closest are 7 32-bit and XP 32-bit.)
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### Author:  [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-experience-with-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-7/600189/22 "2011-10-20T14:49:47Z")
I’m another ‘serial late adopter’ and after previous experiences in changing versions of Windows, I expected to hate it.
I was wrong. It’s great. I’ve had very few problems.
I was going to take my old PC home and use it there, but I’m rethinking that because I don’t like XP anymore. (This from someone that ran XP in Classic 2000 mode for many years after they finally made me switch over. :p)
I do have Pro edition because I required the XP VM for some of my older apps that I can’t get rid of.
Side advice: I was also avoiding the Office upgrade vigorously, after the 95 debacle. Skip Office 2007, go straight to 2010. It’s typical MS - push the software then actually fix the second version.
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-experience-with-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-7/600189/23 "2011-10-20T15:19:53Z")
Only one problem: my excellent Basic interpreter (UBasic) which is old and 16 bit, will not run. Yes, there are other free Basics out there, but none has high precision (1000 digit) arithmetic or built in number theoretic functions. Everything else works fine. Including my old editor that hasn’t been seriously maintained since 1995, but it runs without a hitch.
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-experience-with-the-64-bit-version-of-windows-7/600189/24 "2011-10-20T16:29:30Z")
I have a scanner from 1995 that I couldn’t get to run on 64-bit Win7 (it worked as a plug-n-plug on my old XP box). That’s been my only “issue” in the past year and a half.
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