Hello,

so my new laptop is coming pre-loaded with vista 64bit, i read that all it does is allow windows to use more ram.

Is it going to effect anything i do? :s
E.g.
Modeling software, etc.?

Also the laptop will be receiving a free upgrade to windows 7 in October, does this mean i loose all my files that are on vista, if i don't partition?

Thanks,
Blade

if it came pre-shipped with 64 bit then normally there is nothing you would have to worry about. all 32-bit programs should work normally. The only problem would have been if you upgraded yourself from 32 bit to 64 bit, you might have had hardware which didn't have drivers that are compatible in a 64 bit environment. But since it came shipped, I presume the manufacturer took care that all your hardware is shiny brand new and has any 64-bit drivers you might need.

edit: and yes, if you get your hands on any 64-bit version of an application, it of course runs a bit faster and smoother under 64 bit than 32 bit

As far as I know: No.
If you do the upgrade and do NOT re-install windows than all your file should be fine.
However to be on the safe site: BACKUP before upgrading in october.

yeah, being able to use more ram is nice for having tons of things open or using things that work with large files at a time (i.e. photoshop, modeling software, sculpting software, movie editing software)

How many RAM do you have in this machine? I realized that a 64-bit system is only worth if you have more than 4 GB. Otherwise a 32-bit would be sufficient and would use less memory. Every 64-bit program is larger than a 32-bit software because of the bigger address space. All registers are now doubled in space.

I have Vista 64-bit and when I work with GIMP, Lightwave/Modo and Ureal-Editor at the same time then I exceed the 4 GB RAM (I have 8 GB). But in most of the cases my system uses something between 3-4 GB. So it does not bring a big difference to a 32-bit software.
Even if I paint on 2048x2048 textures with 20 layers in GIMP then the entire system does merely break the 3 GB border. Keep in mind that I use 64-bit software. So a 32-bit system with the same applications running would use only something around 2 GB.

But it can be another story if you want to edit videos.

I already got Windows 7 (Release Candidate).
There is an upgrade function. You're not losing your data or
installations.

PS: Be happy to get rid of Vista!

really? does it work with the europe-versions? i heard that vista cant be upgraded to 7, because the europe-versions have no internet explorer integrated. so can the rc upgraded to the final e-versions? how is it?

Yes, I also read about the strange Europe edition. But I read somewhere that MS found another solution and will now offer a selection of browser downloads during first Windows start. So this problem is solved hopefully.

Yey no IE XD
And think the comp has 4gb of ram but it can be upgraded to 8 (it is only a laptop though)

Thanks for the replies,
Blade

As Frank already mentioned, Microsoft found another solution. The IE is included but will not be installed if you don't want it to.
Thus also the upgrade from Vista to Windows7 works in Europe. (afaik)