Microsoft Windows XP Pro X64 Edition SP2B for System Builders [OLD VERSION]

List Price: $199.99 Discount Price: $129.99

Customer Reviews:

Run Away!!! [Posted on 2008-01-25]
Do not buy this product. Only one company makes anti-virus software for this OS, and most printers do not make drivers compatible with this OS. Microsoft no longer actively supports this product, if you buy it good luck and god speed.

Middle child, not black sheep [Posted on 2008-02-15]
I have thus far found incompatibility to be (almost) non-existent. 64 bit drivers abound for my hardware (save the legacy stuff like printers), and 32bit processes happily reside alongside them (yes, printers included). I moved back to XP from Vista, and XP 64 Pro suits my needs nicely. For image manipulation and math applications, the 64 bit jump is nice (higher RAM cap doesn't hurt). For everything else, it's pretty much irrelevant. I have had 0 compatibility problems, and it runs everything I install, but I also have no compelling reasons to be excited by 64 bit XP. It works. It's XP. More RAM and floatier FPops for some. Eh.

Consider the 2008 server line if you are looking at this product. Previews have looked nice (I like Core). Otherwise, it's the closest thing to Vista-but-not you can get from Microsoft.

From XP 32 to XP 64 [Posted on 2008-02-15]
I'm reviwing this product in comparison with Windows XP 32-bit, the operating system I've been using for years and still do at work. I reject Vista, which seems practically unusable for an advanced technical user.

One of the things that bugs me about the x64 version is that the 64-bit version of Explorer doesn't support 32-bit extensions - some of which I used frequently. I understand this is a technical limitation, so I'll just have to hope that someday the creators of the software I use frequently will eventually develop 64-bit extensions. There's a way to force use of the 32-bit Explorer by default, but the Control Panel is pretty much inaccessible except from the Sart menu, which is still running the 64-bit Explorer. This is acceptable for me.

I like to organize my "Program Files" folder. However, Windows XP x64 wants all 32-bit programs to go into the new "Program Files (x86)" folder, meaning I'll have some programs in the "Program Files" folder and some in the "Program Files (x86)" folder, which disrupts my organization. For most programs, it can work to change the default install folder to "Program Files", but in some cases, Windows (or the installer) overrides your decision and installs to the "Program Files (x86)" folder anyway.

There are other anomalies here and there that I can't easily figure-out and were never a problem with the 32-bit version, but these are usually small annoyances if any.

Otherwise, it's pretty much what you'd expect from XP. It's a pretty solid and useable Microsoft operating system. Easy to install.

much stable than vista [Posted on 2008-03-24]
Many of us are surprised by Microsoft who ditched their stable and fast XP 64. Instead, they pushed unstable vista on the market before it was done. For programming purpose, XP 64 is a much better choice. I've heard lots of studios in special effects industry kept their old Win32 to avoid all the hassles brought by Vista in their render farms.

Check your software titles! [Posted on 2008-05-12]
Product is as expected but be sure to check your own software for TRUE 64 bit support!

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