Mick,
To clarify, and help you understand.

In the simplest terms, 32 bit and 64 bit are 'widths.' There were also 8 bit and 16 bit OS's as well. Windows 3.1 was a 16 bit OS, if I recall correctly, and Windows 95 moved to 32 bit.

More data can move in a wider pipeline. So, more information can be transmitted from one place to another, more data crunched for a given amount of time.

There is a 64 bit version of Windows XP, stay away from it. There are no drivers written for it by just about anyone.

Vista was the real first commercial OS from Microsoft that used 64 bit processing, and really took off. However, you have a choice of running either 32 bit or 64, depending on your hardware. (get to that in a minute)

Windows 7 will be available in either 64 bit or 32 bit, also.

Hardware requirements. You MUST have a 64 bit processor to run a 64 bit Operating System. BUT, you *can* run a 32 bit OS on a 64 bit CPU, and it will work just fine. Of course, honestly, I don't think you *can* find a new 32 bit CPU.

A 64 bit OS like Vista or Windows 7 will run older software, even if the software is not optimized for 64 bit. Of course, if you DO have software that is 64 bit enabled, such as Sonar 7 Studio Edition, it will run faster. Not only is Sonar 7 either 32 bit or 64 enabled (it asks which you want to install when it detects a 64 bit OS), it is multi core aware as well, and will use as many cores as you can give it.

With running a 64 bit CPU on a 64 bit processor, I'm not jumping through any special hoops at this time to get what I want. It just works.

I can go to Costco Online and use their HP custom configuration program and for about $1,450 build a very nice HP system with an AMD quad core, 64 bit OS, two 500 gig hard drives, 6gb of RAM, 22" widescreen monitor, DVD burner, no sound card, you'll need to install something of your own (not Creative) and a few other things, like a half way decent video card if you want to do some light gaming.

You can also go to CyberPowerPC.com and configure an AMD to be a very nice computer that's real close to the Costco one and it'll come to about $1,300

* CASE: ($20 off Mail-in Rebate) Xion III Gaming Mid-Tower 420W Case with Side Window (BLACK COLOR)
* Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
* POWER SUPPLY Upgrade: 650 Watts Power Supplies (Corsair CMPSU-650TX - Quad SLI Ready)
* CPU: AMD Phenom™II X4 920 Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
* COOLING FAN : Asetek Liquid CPU Cooling System (Extreme Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
* MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
* MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
* VIDEO CARD: ATI Radeon HD 4650 512MB DDR3 PCI-Express DVI-I & TVO (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
* LCD Monitor: 22& quot; TFT Active Matrix LCD Display (ViewSonic VA2226W Widescreen WSXGA 1680x1050)
* HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
* Data Hard Drive: 500GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive
* Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
* Optical Drive 2: 16X DVD ROM (BLACK COLOR)
* SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
* SPEAKERS: 600Watts PMPO Subwoofer Stereo Speakers
* NETWORK: ONBOARD 10/100 NETWORK CARD
* KEYBOARD: PS2 MULTIMEDIA INTERNET CONTROL KEYBOARD (BLACK COLOR)
* MOUSE: PS2 INTERNET MOUSE W/ WHEEL (BLACK COLOR)
* Cable Wiring: Professional Wiring for All WIRINGs Inside The System Chasis with High Performance Thermal Compound on CPU
* USB PORT: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
* OS: Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Premium w/ Service Pack 1 (64-bit Edition)
* FREEBIES: FREE! (Microsoft® Flight Simulator X Deluxe) Game
* SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
* RUSH SERVICE: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS


Gary

I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!