Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Encyclopedia
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition released on April 25, 2005 is an edition of Windows XP
for x86-64
personal computers. It is designed to use the expanded 64-bit memory address space provided by the x86-64 architecture.
The primary benefit of moving to 64-bit is the increase in the maximum allocatable system memory
(RAM
). Windows XP 32-bit is limited to a total of 4 gigabyte
s. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition can support much more memory; although the theoretical memory limit of a 64-bit computer is about 16 exbibyte
s (16 billion Gibabytes), Windows XP x64 is currently limited to 128 GB of physical memory and 16 tebibyte
of virtual memory
. Microsoft claims this limit will be increased as hardware capabilities improve.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is in fact an edition of Windows Server 2003
. Both Windows Server 2003 x64 and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition use identical kernels and are built based on the same code bases. Although based on the Windows Server 2003 code base, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition does include client features of 32-bit Windows XP such as System Restore
, Windows Messenger
, Fast User Switching
, Welcome Screen, Security Center, Games, etc. which Windows Server 2003 does not have.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is not to be confused with Windows XP 64-bit Edition, as the latter was designed for Intel Itanium
processors. During the initial development phases, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition was named Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems.
, which permits the execution of 32-bit x86 applications. It was first employed in Windows XP 64-bit Edition (for the Itanium), but then reused for the “x64 Editions” of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
Since the x86-64 architecture includes hardware-level support for 32-bit instructions, WoW64 simply switches the process between 32- and 64-bit modes. As a result, x86-64 architecture microprocessors suffer no performance loss when executing 32-bit Windows applications. On the Itanium architecture, WoW64 was required to translate 32-bit x86 instructions into their 64-bit Itanium equivalents—which in some cases were implemented in quite different ways—so that the processor could execute them. All 32-bit processes are shown with *32 in the task manager, while 64-bit processes have no extra text present.
Although 32-bit applications can be run transparently, the mixing of the two types of code within the same process is not allowed. A 64-bit application cannot use a 32-bit Dynamic-Link Library (DLL)
and similarly a 32-bit application cannot use a 64-bit DLL. This may lead to the need for library developers to provide both 32- and 64-bit binary versions of their libraries. Windows XP x64 Edition includes both 32- and 64-bit versions of Internet Explorer 6
, in order to allow for the possibility that some third-party browser extension
s or ActiveX
controls may not yet be available in 64-bit versions.
32-bit drivers and services are not supported by 64-bit Windows, but video and audio codec
s are supported as long as the media player that uses them is 32-bit as well.
however they may be unsupported or untested. Microsoft applications like Microsoft Office 2010 and Zune Software
are not officially supported on Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, but may run with some workarounds by users.
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
for x86-64
X86-64
x86-64 is an extension of the x86 instruction set. It supports vastly larger virtual and physical address spaces than are possible on x86, thereby allowing programmers to conveniently work with much larger data sets. x86-64 also provides 64-bit general purpose registers and numerous other...
personal computers. It is designed to use the expanded 64-bit memory address space provided by the x86-64 architecture.
The primary benefit of moving to 64-bit is the increase in the maximum allocatable system memory
Computer storage
Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer components and recording media that retain digital data. Data storage is one of the core functions and fundamental components of computers....
(RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
). Windows XP 32-bit is limited to a total of 4 gigabyte
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
s. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition can support much more memory; although the theoretical memory limit of a 64-bit computer is about 16 exbibyte
Exbibyte
The exbibyte is a standards-based binary multiple of the byte, a unit of digital information storage. The exbibyte unit symbol is EiB....
s (16 billion Gibabytes), Windows XP x64 is currently limited to 128 GB of physical memory and 16 tebibyte
Tebibyte
The tebibyte is a standards-based binary multiple of the byte, a unit of digital information storage. The tebibyte unit symbol is TiB....
of virtual memory
Virtual memory
In computing, virtual memory is a memory management technique developed for multitasking kernels. This technique virtualizes a computer architecture's various forms of computer data storage , allowing a program to be designed as though there is only one kind of memory, "virtual" memory, which...
. Microsoft claims this limit will be increased as hardware capabilities improve.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is in fact an edition of Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...
. Both Windows Server 2003 x64 and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition use identical kernels and are built based on the same code bases. Although based on the Windows Server 2003 code base, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition does include client features of 32-bit Windows XP such as System Restore
System Restore
System Restore is a component of Microsoft's Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, but not Windows 2000, operating systems that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of system malfunction or failure.The...
, Windows Messenger
Windows Messenger
Windows Messenger is a client by Microsoft that is included in the Windows XP operating system. Designed for use by corporate users as well as home users, it was originally created as a streamlined and integrated version of MSN Messenger...
, Fast User Switching
Fast user switching
Fast user switching is a feature on some modern multi-user operating systems such as Windows XP and newer, Mac OS X, Linux. It allows users to switch between user accounts on a single PC without quitting applications and logging out. Analogous functionality was first developed on consumer level...
, Welcome Screen, Security Center, Games, etc. which Windows Server 2003 does not have.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is not to be confused with Windows XP 64-bit Edition, as the latter was designed for Intel Itanium
Itanium
Itanium is a family of 64-bit Intel microprocessors that implement the Intel Itanium architecture . Intel markets the processors for enterprise servers and high-performance computing systems...
processors. During the initial development phases, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition was named Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems.
Advantages
- Can address 128 GB memory (many consumer motherboards supported 8 GB in 2006, 16 GB and greater is common on high-end motherboards).
- Uses the Windows Server 2003 kernel which is newer than 32-bit Windows XP and has improvements intended to improve scalability. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition also introduces Kernel Patch ProtectionKernel Patch ProtectionKernel Patch Protection , informally known as PatchGuard, is a feature of 64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows that prevents patching the kernel...
(also known as PatchGuard) which can help improve security by helping to eliminate rootkits. - Supports GPTGUID Partition TableIn computer hardware, GUID Partition Table is a standard for the layout of the partition table on a physical hard disk. Although it forms a part of the Extensible Firmware Interface standard , it is also used on some BIOS systems because of the limitations of MBR partition tables, which restrict...
-partitioned disks for data (but not booting) after SP1, which allows using disks greater than 2 TB to be used as a single GPT partition for storing data. - Allows faster encoding of audio/video, higher performance video gaming and faster 3D renderingRendering (computer graphics)Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
in software optimized for 64-bit hardware. - Ships with Internet Information ServicesInternet Information ServicesInternet Information Services – formerly called Internet Information Server – is a web server application and set of feature extension modules created by Microsoft for use with Microsoft Windows. It is the most used web server after Apache HTTP Server. IIS 7.5 supports HTTP, HTTPS,...
6.0 (all other 32-bit versions of Windows XP have IIS 5.1). - Benefits from IPsecIPsecInternet Protocol Security is a protocol suite for securing Internet Protocol communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a communication session...
new features and improvements made in Windows Server 2003. - Benefits from Shadow Copy new features in Windows Server 2003 and all the storage improvements.
- Remote Desktop server supports Unicode keyboard input, client-side time-zone redirection, GDI+ rendering primitives for improved performance, FIPS encryption, fallback printer driver, auto-reconnect and new Group Policy settings.
- The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard supports migrating settings from 32-bit Windows XP and 64-bit Windows XP PCs.
Compatibility with 32-bit applications
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition uses a technology named Windows-on-Windows 64-bit (WoW64)WoW64
WoW64 is a subsystem of the Windows operating system that is capable of running 32-bit applications and is included on all 64-bit versions of Windows—including Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, IA-64 and x64 versions of Windows Server 2003, as well as 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, Windows...
, which permits the execution of 32-bit x86 applications. It was first employed in Windows XP 64-bit Edition (for the Itanium), but then reused for the “x64 Editions” of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
Since the x86-64 architecture includes hardware-level support for 32-bit instructions, WoW64 simply switches the process between 32- and 64-bit modes. As a result, x86-64 architecture microprocessors suffer no performance loss when executing 32-bit Windows applications. On the Itanium architecture, WoW64 was required to translate 32-bit x86 instructions into their 64-bit Itanium equivalents—which in some cases were implemented in quite different ways—so that the processor could execute them. All 32-bit processes are shown with *32 in the task manager, while 64-bit processes have no extra text present.
Although 32-bit applications can be run transparently, the mixing of the two types of code within the same process is not allowed. A 64-bit application cannot use a 32-bit Dynamic-Link Library (DLL)
Dynamic-link library
Dynamic-link library , or DLL, is Microsoft's implementation of the shared library concept in the Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems...
and similarly a 32-bit application cannot use a 64-bit DLL. This may lead to the need for library developers to provide both 32- and 64-bit binary versions of their libraries. Windows XP x64 Edition includes both 32- and 64-bit versions of Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6 is the sixth major revision of Internet Explorer, a web browser developed by Microsoft for Windows operating systems...
, in order to allow for the possibility that some third-party browser extension
Browser extension
A browser extension is a computer program that extends the functionality of a web browser in some way. Depending on the browser and the version, the term may be distinct from similar terms such as plug-in or add-on. Mozilla Firefox was designed with the idea of being a small and simple web browser,...
s or ActiveX
ActiveX
ActiveX is a framework for defining reusable software components in a programming language-independent way. Software applications can then be composed from one or more of these components in order to provide their functionality....
controls may not yet be available in 64-bit versions.
32-bit drivers and services are not supported by 64-bit Windows, but video and audio codec
Codec
A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of "compressor-decompressor" or, more commonly, "coder-decoder"...
s are supported as long as the media player that uses them is 32-bit as well.
Application compatibility
In general, application compatibility of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is far less than the 32-bit version of Windows XP. Most applications may run without any problems owing to the nature of WoW64WoW64
WoW64 is a subsystem of the Windows operating system that is capable of running 32-bit applications and is included on all 64-bit versions of Windows—including Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, IA-64 and x64 versions of Windows Server 2003, as well as 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, Windows...
however they may be unsupported or untested. Microsoft applications like Microsoft Office 2010 and Zune Software
Zune Software
The Zune software functions as management software for Windows Phone 7, Zune devices, and Microsoft Kin, a full media player application with a library, an interface to the Zune Marketplace, and as a media streaming server. Zune Software is used to sync with all devices with Zune functionality....
are not officially supported on Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, but may run with some workarounds by users.
Known limitations
There are some common issues that arise with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.- 64-bit Windows versions do not include NTVDM or Windows on WindowsWindows on WindowsIn computing, Windows on Windows - commonly referred to by its acronym WOW or WoW - is a software component of 32-bit versions of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that provides limited support for running legacy Win16 applications - applications written for Windows 3.x...
, so MS-DOSMS-DOSMS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
or 16-bit16-bit-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
Windows applications will not run. Some 32-bit (typically older) programs have 16-bit installers that will not run on the x64 Edition with the exception of certain 16-bit installers such as ACME Setup versions 2.6, 3.0, 3.01, 3.1 and InstallShieldInstallShieldInstallShield is a software tool for creating installers or software packages. InstallShield is primarily used for installing software for Microsoft Windows desktop and server platforms, but it can also be used to manage software applications and packages on a variety of handheld and mobile devices...
5.x hardcoded into WoW64WoW64WoW64 is a subsystem of the Windows operating system that is capable of running 32-bit applications and is included on all 64-bit versions of Windows—including Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, IA-64 and x64 versions of Windows Server 2003, as well as 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, Windows...
. - Only 64-bit drivers are supported.
- Any 32-bit Windows ExplorerWindows ExplorerThis article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...
shell extensions fail to work with 64-bit Windows Explorer. However, Windows XP x64 Edition also ships with a 32-bit Windows Explorer. It is possible to make it the default Windows Shell. - Command prompts will not load in full-screen.
- No native support for Type 1 fonts.
- Does not contain a Web Extender Client component for Web Folders (WebDAV).
- Spell checking is not available in Outlook Express.
- IEEE1394 (FireWire) audio is not supported.