15. 64-Bit Windows

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding 64-bit architecture

Running 32-bit applications

Comparing 64-bit and 32-bit Windows

What's New

If any modern technology has earned the term venerable, it's Intel's 32-bit processor architecture. Even today's newest Pentium computers have an architecture deeply rooted in the 286 and 386 processors of more than a decade ago. The 32-bit architecture has served us well, acting as the primary hardware platform for every version of Windows NT, but it's definitely time for something new: Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor family.

Servers based on these 64-bit processors are already available, and Intel is hard at work on new editions of the Itanium processor that run faster and provide additional ...

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