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Free Upgrade to Windows XP Professional x64 Editio


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I have a new Compaq Athlon64 3700+ laptop. When my copy of XP Pro x64 arrives, I'll just stick in a new HD and install x64. If it does not work ie. missing drivers, I swap HDs and boot to my orginal install of XP Pro (32-bit). It is already activated. MS has already said that installing x64 will void most manufactures warranties. If I need to send my Compaq laptop in for hardware repairs, I just swap out the HD with the orginal one and send it in.

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That still doesn't answer the question for those out there that format their main 32bit, install 64bit, then realize that they were better off with 32bit and have to clean install again only to find that their 32bit license won't activate anymore.

My thinking is still once you trade up to 64bit, you lose 32bit forever and have to buy it again to have it back.

I'm not willing to try myself since I like knowing that both my P4 2.8 and AMD 64 3400+ pcs will work with everything on WinXP Pro 32bit. I'll update the AMD when there is more hardware and software support for WinXP Pro 64bit.

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In your Windows\system32 directory is a file named wpa.dbl. Just back that up in case you have to reinstall Windows. If you do, and the hardware hasn't changed, just copy that file back over the one in your System32 directory and your system is reactivated.

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ok boys... here is the deal...

Check Minimum Hardware Requirements

Before you install Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, make sure your computer meets the following minimum hardware requirements:

Supported processors: AMD Athlon 64, AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon with Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) support, Intel Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support

256 megabytes (MB) RAM

1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space

Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution video card

CD-ROM or DVD drive

Keyboard and Mcft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Note: If you are using a high-end video card for rendering three-dimensional graphics, or if you are using computer peripherals other than the minimum hardware requirements, make sure your computer hardware is compatible with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

For network installation, you will need the following:

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition-compatible network adapter card and related cable

Access to the network shared directory that contains the Setup files

Before you install Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, you should also decide which file system to use (see File Systems) and whether to partition your hard disk

Installing Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Setup for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is divided into two phases.

During the first phase, Setup copies files to the computer, checks your hardware, and configures your installation. You can also choose to create multiple partitions during this phase. Your computer will restart at the end of this phase.

During the second phase, Setup gathers information, such as regional options, user name and password, and network information. When Setup is done, your computer will restart.

It is recommended that you create a single data partition for installing the operating system. If you want to dual-boot another operating system now or in the future, you need to create two partitions. For more information, see Disk Partitions.

Start Setup

To install Windows XP Professional x64 Edition:

Ensure that the hardware for your Windows XP Professional x64 Edition computer is set up properly, and that all cables and devices are correctly attached.

Turn on your computer.

Insert the Windows XP Professional x64 Edition CD into the CD-ROM or DVD drive.

If prompted, press any key to begin Setup, or, if you are not prompted to press a key, Setup will begin automatically.

Follow the on-screen directions for the following:

End-User License Agreement page: If you agree with the terms, Setup will continue. If you do not agree, Setup will cancel installation.

Partitions: You can create partitions if you want to do so. For details, see Disk Partitions.

File Format: Choose the format of your file system. For details, see File Systems.

Your computer restarts automatically when this first Setup phase is complete.

When your computer restarts, the second Setup phase begins and Windows continues installing. The dialog boxes that appear require information about regional and language options, your name, product key, passwords, date and time settings, network settings, and workgroup and domain choices (see Obtain Network Information). Follow the directions on each screen.

Applications

16-bit applications

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 operating systems do not support most 16-bit applications.

Most 32-bit applications that use 16-bit Mcft ACME Setup versions 2.6, 3.0, 3.01, and 3.1 and InstallShield versions 5.x install correctly.

32-bit applications that are installed by other 16-bit setup programs are not supported. If you try to install one of these applications (other than the supported installers mentioned in the previous paragraph), the message "\Setup.exe is not a valid Win32 application" appears, a message is logged in the system event log, and the Setup program closes without installing or starting the application. If this occurs, contact the application vendor to obtain a software update that is compatible with x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 operating systems and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

For more information about this issue, see the Mcft Knowledge Base.

32-bit device drivers

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 operating systems do not support 32-bit device drivers. Applications that depend on 32-bit device drivers will not function correctly and might cause an error during an installation or operation. Most 32-bit antivirus programs are affected and should not be installed on computers that are running these operating systems.

If an application attempts to install a 32-bit driver, the installation will fail, and the application will have the opportunity to handle the error. If an application registers a driver for automatic startup, meaning the driver should be installed when the system starts, the operating system will determine that the driver is an unsupported 32-bit driver, not install it, and continue installing the other drivers. The event log will record details of the failure, including the name of the unsupported driver and its location. If this occurs, contact the driver vendor for a software update that is compatible with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and the x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

If Windows does not start after you attempt to install a 32-bit driver, start the computer using the last-known good configuration.

To start the computer using the last-known good configuration

Restart the computer.

When the message "Please select the operating system to start" appears, press F8.

Press an arrow key to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER.

Press an arrow key to highlight an operating system, press ENTER, and follow the instructions.

Note:

This procedure gives you a way to recover from problems such as adding a new driver that is incorrect for your hardware. It does not, however, solve problems caused by drivers or files that are corrupted or missing. When you start the computer using the last-known good configuration, only the information in the registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet is restored. Any changes that you have made in other registry keys remain.

For more information see the Mcft Knowledge Base.

Mcft .NET Framework version 1.1

The Mcft .NET Framework is included in all 32-bit versions of the Windows Server 2003 operating systems. It is not included in x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 operating systems or Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

The 32-bit version of .NET Framework 1.1 is supported by 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 operating systems and can be installed for 32-bit applications running on 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems (WOW64).

To install .NET Framework 1.1, visit the Windows Update Web site, or see "Mcft .NET Framework Version 1.1 Redistributable Package" at the Mcft Download Center. To install .NET Framework version 1.1 Service Pack 1 (SP1), see "Mcft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1," at the Mcft Download Center.

General

32-bit Input Method Editors on x64-based versions of Windows operating systems

With an Input Method Editor (IME) program, you can use a standard keyboard to type complex characters and symbols, such as Japanese characters. The following two types of IMEs are currently available:

32-bit only IME: An IME that provides 32-bit IME capabilities but does not provide 64-bit IME capabilities.

Combined 32-bit and 64-bit IME: An IME that provides both 32-bit and 64-bit IME capabilities.

You cannot type international characters using a 32-bit IME in a 64-bit application on 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems.

For example, if you select a 32-bit-only IME as your default keyboard layout, and you open a 64-bit application (such as Notepad or WordPad), the 32-bit IME will fail to install. This will prevent you from typing international characters in that application until you manually switch to one of the combined 32-bit and 64-bit IMEs provided with the 64-bit versions of your Windows operating system. Therefore, we recommend that you use a combined 32-bit and 64-bit IME on 64-bit versions of Windows.

To set a combined 32-bit and 64-bit IME keyboard layout

Open Control Panel, and then click Regional and Language Options.

On the Languages tab, click Details.

In the Text Services and Input Languages dialog box, click Add.

In the Add Input Language dialog box, select the Keyboard layout/IME check box.

In the drop-down box, select a combined 32-bit and 64-bit IME (one of the IMEs included in Windows), and then click OK.

If you have a combined 32-bit and 64-bit IME as your default keyboard layout, you can use it on both 32-bit and 64-bit applications. When you want to use 32-bit IME on 32-bit applications, you can manually switch to 32-bit IME by using the keyboard shortcut, CTRL+SHIFT, or by choosing from the language bar on your desktop.

32-bit-only IMEs do not work with the Log On to Windows dialog box because it is a 64-bit user interface. If you have chosen a 32-bit IME as the default keyboard layout for the default user profile, you cannot use the IME in the Log On to Windows dialog box to type international characters until you manually switch to a combined 32-bit and 64-bit IME by using the keyboard shortcut, ALT+SHIFT.

The following table lists the combined 32-bit and 64-bit IMEs that are installed by default and their corresponding languages.

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Microsoft® Windows® x64 Edition Technology Advancement Program

The Technology Advancement Program is designed to assist customers who have acquired a new x64 Computer with the intention of replacing a previously licensed 32-bit version of Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (1-2 Processor Version) Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (1-4 Processor Version and Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Reduced Media Edition (1-2 Processor Version) (“Windows XP Pro (32 Bit)”) with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition on such system. This program allows customers to exchange a license for Windows XP Pro (32 Bit)for the new version of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

IE yes

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has anyone signed up and gotten a reply back yet via email, i did about 4 days ago and still no word yet and they still haven't charged my credit card shipping or anything... stupid me forgot to copy down my order number thing too... err...

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i have things setup so that there are no history files kept and such or i'd have done that. theres a trade off for everything i guess. no traces = no way to check old visited pages, :(

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