Microsoft To Dump 32-Bit After Vista

SlinkySausage writes "Microsoft has used its annual hardware engineering conference to announce that Windows Vista and Server 2008 will be the last versions of Windows capable of booting on 32-bit CPUs such as Intel Pentium 4 and Core Duo. AMD, which introduced 64-bit CPUs early — much to the derision of Intel, which said there was no use for them at the time — must be delighted with Microsoft's decision. Owners of first-generation Intel Macs that used (32-bit only) Core Duo CPUs may not be so happy knowing that Vista will be the last Windows they will be able to run."

Comments

As though any processor

[Spamalope]

made today will be able to run the Microsoft replacement for Vista. Why worry?

Re:As though any processor

[iainl]

2017 might be comedy exaggeration. But

1) Who bought a 32-bit processor for Christmas?

2) Who bought something capable of running Vista in 2001 when XP launched?

Huh?

[bakes]

Microsoft themselves still don't support 64-bit yet. I installed the 64-bit version of SQL Server 2005 only to find it doesn't support 64-bit for SQL Mail and SSIS - you have to run the 32-bit versions of them under WoW64. Someone else has already mentioned drivers. If Microsoft can't or won't support their own software under 64 bit environments, they are going to have a heck of a time convincing developers to push everything over.

I fear there will be a loooooooong transition time - just as well they gave everyone an early warning.