I worked on a XP 64 machine for a few months on a job and hardly noticed any difference, as in it ran just the same as the normal version without glitches but I didnt use the machine for anything but Max and photoshop and I hardly ever really used the 64 bit version of max that was installed because it was missing half the plugins I needed. In my case I just decided to run the copy of xp I have already and run a dual vista boot until I have a real need for the 64 bit stuff. For me I have acquired so many programs and drivers and all sorts of stuff that wouldnt work under vista or maybe xp 64 that its not worth it for those occasional times that I have built a scene that needs excess of 2gigs of RAM. The quad is still kicking arse in 32 bit and I keep finding new problems with things like midi drivers and synth drivers and obscure plugins for max that I can solve in XP but not in vista. I'm resisting change hoping that when Windows 7 comes out I will have all the software to cope with it...

---

Yea i have the Win 7 beta and it is pretty impressive. However the 64 bit version is screwed.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

I would recommend Vista x64. XP 64 is no where near as polished, lots more driver headaches, etc.

Why do you say you want to avoid Vista? In my experience I've found that the 'problems' that people tend to have with it are blown out of proportion, or are a case of 'x person said its bad so it must be!'

---

Following your maxim of leaving no INVENTORY uncluttered, you receive +1 NIKON D90

Download DAFNOT now! [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com]

Vista uses an enormous amount of ram for one. I like to use my ram for things other than poor coding on behalf of MS.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

Ah OK.

Don't think of Vista's RAM usage as the same as XP's. Vista uses otherwise unused RAM as a cache of Programs/Files, similar in principal to the on-die cache of a CPU being a cache of the data the CPU thinks it will need next from RAM.

When the running programs need more RAM, then the RAM Vista uses for the cache gets released for 'normal' use.

---

Following your maxim of leaving no INVENTORY uncluttered, you receive +1 NIKON D90

Download DAFNOT now! [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com]

I see, Have you used xp 64?

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

I have a bit. The major problem is driver support. The situation may have changed since I last ran it, but driver support was very poor compared to xp 32 or the then to come Vista 32/64.

The other issue I found was the quite a lot of software didn't like running on it. Through my work experiences as well I've found either version of Vista to be much more stable than XP 64.

Essentially, from what I've heard, XP 64 was a 'stop gap' from Microsoft to encourage developers to start looking at producing 64 bit drivers/software for when Vista 64 came out.

On the otherhand I've been running Vista 64 for quite a while and the only problem I've had was when my quad-core CPU decided to kick the bucket

---

Following your maxim of leaving no INVENTORY uncluttered, you receive +1 NIKON D90

Download DAFNOT now! [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com]

Have you installed vista 64, because the install is very similar to win 7 64 and that has some major issues and I have seen that many people installing vista 64 had the same problems.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

Sure have. Didn't have a problem with it. I've tried win7 as well but that was the 32bit version (installed as a guest virtual machine on an existing 32 bit host).

I havn't really heard of any issues with installing vista 64, certainly not with any of the machines I've done.

---

Following your maxim of leaving no INVENTORY uncluttered, you receive +1 NIKON D90

Download DAFNOT now! [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com]

i have to agree with atg, vista was a mess before service pack 1 came out, now it works as charm, i worked on xp x64 and currently vista ultimate x64 and i have to admit that vista runs much smoothly, with less problems than xp.
Only problem was x64 drivers for my wireless card, which was easily solved.

---

The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
-Albert Einstein

So how did the vista install go james?

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

--Matt

Failed because vista is evil so now im running windows 7 which is far from evil.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

I'm finding it very nice too. Found a couple bugs, but theyre easy fix.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

--Matt

what are some of the reasons why its so much better? Ive heard a few reports but nothing from people who use their computer for things like max and photoshop etc...

---

I runs well, it is responsive good design and functionality and all hardware is recognised and installed in seconds.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

I have win 7 on my work pc with 2gb ram. I run DW cs4, PS cs2 multiple tabs in firefox and chrome and cant seem to slow it down yet.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

--Matt

Yea it performs very well.

---

Please support us and post a [Link to www.digitalartsfront.com] on your website.

Sounds great. I just reinstalled vista, if I'd known about this I might have given it try.

---

[Link to www.3dprevis.com]