Page 410 - Windows 10 May 2019 Update The Missing Manual: The Book That Should Have Been in the Box

UP TO SPEED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT 64 BITS

Windows 10 is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Right. 64 what?

If you want your eyes to glaze over, you can read the details on 64-bit
computing on Wikipedia. But the normal-person’s version goes like
this:

For decades, the roadways for memory and information that passed
through PCs were 32 “lanes” wide—they could manage 32 chunks of
data at once. It seemed like plenty at the time. But as programs and

even documents grew enormous, and computers came with the capacity
to have more and more memory installed, engineers began to dream of
64-lane circuitry.

To reach 64-bit nirvana, however, you need a 64-bit computer running
the 64-bit version of Windows. Sometimes, you don’t have a choice.
For example, if your PC comes with 4 gigabytes of memory or more, it

has 64-bit Windows, like it or not. Otherwise, though, you probably do
have a choice. Which version should you go for?

In the short term, the most visible effect of having a 64-bit computer is

that you can install a lot more memory. A top-of-the-line 32-bit PC, for
example, is limited to 4 GB of RAM—and only about 3 GB is actually
available to your programs. That once seemed like a lot, but it’s

suffocatingly small if you’re a modern video editor, game designer, or
number-crunchy engineer.

On a 64-bit PC with 64-bit Windows, though, you can install just a tad

bit more memory: 192 GB. Eventually, there may be other benefits to a
64-bit PC. Programs can be rewritten to run faster. Security can be
better, too.

For now, though, there are some downsides to going 64-bit. For
example, older, 32-bit programs mostly run fine on a 64-bit machine.
But some won’t run at all, and 32-bit drivers for older hardware (sound