There are two types of processors: 32-bit and 64-bit. These numbers represent the processor capacity. The processor you use will depend on which version of the operating system to use, how to choose programs and games, how much RAM you can put on your computer. You can also find the designation x86, which is often mistaken for a separate processor bit. But first of all, we will determine what type of operating system is installed on your computer.
How to find out the bitness of the installed Windows
There are several ways to find out how many bits your Windows operating system is using. Look for x32 or x64 values \u200b\u200bas these are the main indicators of the system's bit depth, and x86 can refer to either single-core or dual-core systems. Let's first consider the simplest and fastest option.
Via computer properties
Through system information
Differences and advantages of different number of cores
So, there are two types of processors: single core (x32) and dual core (x64). Sometimes you can find the designation x86 - this is not a separate type of processors, but a designation of the microprocessor architecture. Most often, the x86 figure indicates that the processor is single-core, but it can also be used for a 64-bit processor. Therefore, you should not focus on it, always look for the designation in the x36 or x64 format.
The performance and operating speed, respectively, are higher in 64-bit processors, since two cores work at once, and not one. If you are using a 32-bit processor, you can install as much random access memory (RAM) as you want on your computer, but the system will use only 4 GB of all memory. With a 64-bit processor, you can use up to 32 GB of RAM.
The performance and speed of work is higher in 64-bit processors, since two cores work at once, and not one
64-bit system requirements
The main advantage of x64 processors is that they support programs, games, and operating systems written not only for 64-bit processors, but also for 32-bit ones. That is, if you have an x32 processor, then you can only install a 32-bit Windows operating system, not a 64-bit one.
Which bit depth is better
From all of the above, we can conclude that if you choose between one and two cores, then the second option is preferable, since most modern programs and games require 64 bits. It is possible that in the future the 32-bit system will be completely abandoned, since its capacity is not enough for anything.
How to upgrade to Windows 7 x64
If you want to increase system performance and the amount of available RAM, as well as expand the number of supported applications and games, then you need to switch to a 64-bit operating system. The only way to do this is to erase the old 32-bit system and install a new one.
Please note that all files on the computer will be irretrievably lost during this operation, so copy them to a third-party media in advance so as not to lose anything important. So, after you start installing a new operating system, you will be prompted to select a language and confirm the start of the operation, as well as select a system version. Select the one that is x64 bit and go through the installation process.
Choosing the type of architecture and continuing the installation process
Why 64-bit Windows won't install
If the installation fails, it means that your processor does not support a 64-bit system and is designed only for x32. There is only one way out of this situation - to purchase a new processor that will meet your requirements.
How to determine the bitness of the processor
There are several ways to determine how many cores your computer contains and uses.
Today there are three popular operating systems, namely Windows, Linux and MacOS, and they are all divided into two types according to their bitness: 32-bit and 64-bit.
Let's consider the main differences between these two systems, and also try to find out whether an x86 or x64-bit system is installed on a computer.
Fast navigation through the article
We look at the bit depth on Windows
To find out the bitness in Windows XP, you need to do the following (in Windows 7 you can find out the bitness of the operating system in the same way, only in the first paragraph, the "Run" button is located in the "Standard" folder):
- Open the "Start" menu;
- Find and click an item in the Run menu;
- After opening a window for launching applications, enter dxdiag into it and click "OK". This program calls the so-called diagnostic tool. If it starts for the first time, you will need to confirm the first start, which lasts for a minute.
- In the "System" tab there is a column "Operating system", there you will see the bit capacity of your OS (it is written after the full name of the operating system, for example: Windows XP Home Edition 32 bit. The bit is equal to the bit value).
We look at the bit depth in Linux
To find out the bitness of the * nix system, just open a terminal window and type: uname -a (if i686 - then 32 bits, if x86_64 - then 64).
Difference of systems
The main difference between 64-bit systems is that they can access memory, the size of which is 2x64 (hence the name 64-bit operating system).
In turn, 32-bit systems access memory, which is 2 to the 32 power. Actually, therefore, operating systems with 32 bits cannot support RAM, the size of which will exceed 4 gigabytes.
64-bit operating systems guarantee the end user high performance and a reliable firewall (hence more stable system operation).
32-bit systems can offer a wider range of different software. On the Microsoft Windows operating system, the difference in the bitness of the operating systems is especially noticeable.
In addition, not any processor is suitable for a 64-bit operating system, but only one whose architecture supports 64-bit operations.
This week I decided to continue talking about the technologies used in Mac OS X and "frankly" talk about the very 64-bit mode that Phil Schiller boasted on. Let's try to figure out what is good and what is bad, how OSX currently works and what awaits us in the near future. I will try to write it in an accessible and understandable way
Hybrid core
It should be understood that the information on the website about full 64-bit support by the system is a small marketing gimmick. In fact, this phrase means this: almost all standard applications have been rewritten with support for 64-bit instructions, and if other programmers want to ensure compatibility with this architecture when developing software, and sooner or later they will have to do this, then everything will be correct and work correctly.
Why is this good? But what:
- The standard 32-bit architecture was developed a long time ago. At that time, no one could even imagine that users would want to install 4 or more gigabytes of RAM on computers. The new architecture, in particular, corrects this flaw.
- By supporting 64-bit computing with processors that work tirelessly inside a wide variety of Apple computers, you can get a boost in performance.
Now, a little more detail. In theory, any program adapted to work in 64-bit mode can use up to 16 exabytes (this equates to 16 billion gigabytes, a fantastic figure for today's times). However, even the Mac Pro does not currently have more than 32 GB of RAM.
Intel processors (Core 2 Duo, Xeon, i5, or i7) support 64-bit computing and can do two steps per clock, thereby achieving performance gains. However, this does not mean at all that some work in reality will be done twice as fast. For example, JavaScript will be 50% faster, opening a large PDF file will be 20% faster, and QuickTime will be launching 30% faster. Although, again, the numbers are quite relative and will differ significantly depending on the system configuration: processor, clock frequency, size, bus, RAM caches and even the rotational speed of the platters.
Also, 64-bit applications are more resistant to attacks by hackers and malware. They have more advanced techniques for detecting malicious code built into them. An important role is played by the hardware execution disable function for memory with disordered data storage (using enhanced checksums), which helps to prevent attacks designed to damage memory.
The core itself is hybrid. Those. it allows any application to work in the same way, regardless of whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit. The only difference between a hybrid kernel and a full-fledged 64-bit kernel is the inability to use more than 32 GB of RAM in the system (again, remember about 🙂). Therefore, at the moment there is absolutely no difference between loading in 32-bit and 64-bit modes. But in the future, the difference will surely appear as the volume of RAM use increases and new technologies appear.
Unfortunately, all of the above does not apply to your Mac if it has an Intel Core Solo or Intel Core Duo processor.
64-bit EFI
For full "64-bit happiness" your computer must support 64-bit mode. The Extensible Firmware Interface is the interface between firmware, hardware, and the computer's operating system, replacing Open Firmware. It includes data tables containing platform information, boot and runtime services available to the operating system loader and the OS itself.
To find out if your computer's EFI supports 64-bit instructions, enter the following command in Terminal:
ioreg -l -p IODeviceTree | grep firmware-abi
As a result, you will see "EFI32" or "EFI64":
I think it is clear that in the first case your computer will not be able to run the 64-bit kernel even if it wants to, and in the second everything is fine, in the future you will not experience problems. However, thanks to the hybrid kernel, 64-bit applications can run on both systems. The main thing is that you have a processor compatible with 64-bit architecture.
By the way, there are rumors on the net that Macs with 32-bit EFI will also be able to run a 64-bit kernel (it seems that this is Apple's software trick that can be fixed by an EFI update), but I cannot tell if this is true or rumors.
Selecting a mode before launching applications
You can see what architecture the application is designed for in Activity Monitor. The Kind column will display the mode in which it is launched. As you can see, other processes work with 64-bit instructions, and the kernel process (kernel_task) with 32-bit instructions.
If you have problems with the stability of a 64-bit application, you can try to run it in the old mode. To do this, in the Applications folder, select our desired program and select the "Get info" item in the context menu. The "Open in 32-bit mode" option will allow you to run the application in 32-bit mode next time.
And why do we need such problems?
It is difficult for me to answer this question, I would not even say that this is a problem - normal users do not suspect which kernel is running in their system and what instructions the programs work with.
It is quite possible that Apple is just waiting for all the kernel extensions (kext'y) to be transferred to 64-bit mode. A kind of reassurance, a desire to "test" the technology on millions of Snow Leopard users and try to achieve perfection. And when Cupertino is convinced that everything works smoothly and without interruptions, it will release the next update of the operating system, which will automatically replace the 32-bit kernel with a 64-bit one.
And we won't even notice it.
In our previous instructions for novice iPhone and iPad users, we succeeded, after which we examined in detail, found out that this program is distributed free of charge, but forgot about one very important point - the bitness of the PC operating system, which affects compatibility with.
Some users could not install iTunes and asked in emails - Why won't iTunes install? Other users installed iTunes on their computer, but for some reason, it did not start in any way. One of the reasons for the appearance of such problems may be the discrepancy between the iTunes version and the bitness of the computer operating system.
Mac OS X users may not read further, but Windows owners should be aware that Windows operating systems are 64-bit and 32-bit (64 bit and 32 bit). Therefore, you need to download iTunes corresponding to the bitness of the PC OS. In the first part of the material, I propose to learn how to determine the bitness of your computer operating system and find out whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit. And in the second part, we will learn how to choose the one suitable for the iTunes operating system.
Bit Windows 7
Today, many people use Windows 7 in their computers, to determine the bit depth we do the following:
1. Press the "Start" button in the lower left corner and enter the word in the search box - Systema... You will see this very System in the search results above, click it. If this does not work, you can alternatively right-click on the My Computer icon and select Properties.
2. As a result, a window for viewing basic information about the computer should appear, where in the System section you can look at the System type and see the bitness of Windows 7. In the example above, we see a 64-bit operating system. If you have 32-bit, then instead of 64, the computer will display - 32.
Bit Windows XP
With XP, everything is about the same, but there are some peculiarities.
You can, as in the case of the 7th, right-click on the My Computer icon and select System Information Properties in the General tab. If there are no digits of bit depth, but simply written Windows XP, it means that the system is 32-bit. In 64-bit versions of XP, there is a number - 64.
1. Additionally, you can check the bitness of XP like this: Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System Information.
There is another, shorter way: Start - Run - enter in English letters winmsd.exe and click OK.
2. A window opens with information about the system, look at the Processor graph, if it starts with X86 means the operating system is 32-bit. In the case of a 64-bit version of the OS, the Processor section will start with the inscription IA-64, or other abbreviations containing the number 64.
It seems that we figured out the bitness (bitness) of operating systems, now you need to download the appropriate iTunes for your OS. By default, the 32-bit version is available for download on the iTunes download page on Apple's website, as it is more common among users. To download 64-bit iTunes, you can go to the Google search engine page and using the query - iTunes 64, find the 64-bit version.
ITunes installation file for 32-bit systems looks like this - iTunesSetup.exe
ITunes installation file for 64-bit systems looks like this - iTunes64Setup.exe
We hope that now you will be able to install iTunes for any operating system. Users of the operating system Mac OS X install iTunes for Mac, as far as I know you have no problems with bit depth.
Concepts 32 and 64 bit - familiar to almost everyone, but what exactly this means - not everyone knows. Knowing the bit depth of your computer is extremely important, so let's start to figure out how to determine this, and why information about the bit depth is so important.
What affects the bit capacity of the computer
Running programs
Many PCs are sold with multi-core processors, and all are developed on a 64-bit platform. On modern computers, it is possible to run programs running on a 32 and 64 bit platform. For weak PCs, 32 bit (or x86) versions of operating systems are released. It is impossible to run programs developed on a 64-bit architecture with a 32-bit OS.
Program performance
What system - so are the programs. If the version of Windows 10 is 64 bit, then install x64 programs on it - they will run faster, and the load on the central processor will be moderately distributed across all cores. By running x86 programs on an x64 computer, you limit the number of processor cores used for the application, significantly reducing the performance of programs.
Hierarchy of program directories
What is the purpose of the Program Files (x86) folder on the C drive?
The question arises quite often. By the fact that this folder exists, we can already say that the operating system is 64 bit. The x86 folder is intended for installing 32-bit programs in it, and the main Program Files folder for 64-bit ones.
Maximum available RAM
Before the advent of multi-core processors, the maximum possible amount of RAM was 4 GB. With the transition to the x64 architecture, the limit has grown significantly, so much that it is almost impossible to imagine such an amount of information - 16 Exabytes (16,000,000,000,000 GB). The Eiffel Tower could be built from external modules that add up to this amount of memory.
Frequent confusion
My x86 is more than x64. In this case, more does not mean better. The x86 architecture designation is derived from the name of the first intel i8086 processor, and it is nothing more than the designation of the 32-bit version for single-core processors and a limited amount of RAM.
It so happens that 32 bit Windows is installed on a multi-core processor. As a result of this error, only one processor core is running and 64-bit programs do not start.
How to find out your Windows 10 version
The easiest way to check the bitness of the system, check the build of Windows 10, and also get a lot of other useful information about the PC is to perform DXDIAG. The test takes only a few seconds and instantly displays on the computer the information of interest about the system and which windows is installed.
- First step. Open the start menu, and enter the command in the search bar dxdiag.
- Step two. Wait until the information is collected and displayed on the screen.
Diagnostics using DirectX
Second way - classic, in the search bar of the Start menu we write: "system information". We are waiting for the download, after which you can see the bit depth of Windows 10. You can see the version of the assembly using method # 1 and method # 2.
PC assembly version - video instruction for the second method
32 or 64 bit system on Windows 7 / Vista?
The design of the Start menu is slightly different from the dozen, but the way to get to the system information is almost the same.
- Go to Start Menu -\u003e Control Panel.
- Find the “System” component in the control panel.
- Right click and click Open.
To find out what the bitness of the OS, find the line "system type"
Video instruction for Windows 8
Bit processor 32 or 64 on Windows XP
The Windows XP operating system was in that time period when the first dual-core x64 processors entered the world market. Home Edition a priori cannot support 64 bits.
For other versions, follow the instructions:
- Click on the icon "my computer" -\u003e Properties.
- Further, there are two options for how to find out how many bits:
- If the bitness is not specified, then the version is 32 bits.
- 64 bit is available only in Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, which will be written in the corresponding line.
Bit depth of the computer on MAC OS X
Opposite the "Software overview" panel, find the entry "64-bit kernel and extensions" and see what value is assigned - yes or no.
Do you still have questions about how to recognize 32 or 64 bits? Watch the video instruction:
