You’re going to migrate your corporate PC environment Windows 7. Should you deploy x64 or x86 Windows 7?
If you’re thinking toward the future, then x64 Windows is the logical approach because of its larger memory and enhanced security (and because 64-bit is the future). But are there any business-valid reasons you may want to still stay with x86 Windows for the present? Here are some possible ones:
- Kernel-mode driver dependencies for legacy hardware
- Legacy 16-bit code stubs which are often found in ancient installers
- Lack of POSIX or OS/2 NT support if this is an issue for your organization
What about compatibility issues for 32-bit applications running on x64 Windows? This is rarely an issue as most 32-bit applications will run fine on Windows 7 x64.
Mitch Tulloch is a seven-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award and widely recognized expert on Windows administration, deployment and virtualization. For more tips by Mitch you can follow him on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.
