HP xw Workstations - FAQs for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Windows® XP® Professional x64 Edition
for HP Workstations - FAQ
Microsoft Windows Professional x64 Edition is currently in beta.
18. What are the some feature differences between XP Professional (32-bit) and
XP Professional x64 Edition?
The following features are in Windows XP Service Pack 2 but are not supported in Windows
XP Professional x64 Edition are:
• IEEE 1394 audio
• SharePoint® Team Services from Microsoft
• OLE DB
• 16-bit applications
• Subsystems and Protocols
• Microsoft DOS
• 16-bit subsystem
• IPX/SPX
• AppleTalk Protocol LAN
• Services for Macintosh
• Data Link Control (DLC) LAN
• NetBEUI
• Service Advertising Protocol (SAP)
• IPX Router
• Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
• NetBIOS gateway
19. What do I have to do with my 32-bit Windows applications so they will run?
Most 32-bit Windows applications just work. The application does not need to be changed
and nothing needs to be configured in the OS.
Occasionally an application may complain that it runs only on Windows 95 or one of the other
Windows OSs. The “Compatibility mode” of that program can be modified by opening the
program Properties, select the Compatibility tab, and set the “Compatibility mode” to the
requested OS. This will “fool” the application into thinking it is running on one of the other
OSs. Note this does not always work, see below.
20. What are some common Windows 32-bit application compatibility issues?
Some applications require a 32-bit driver. The software can install but the driver can not. For
example, most anti-virus software uses a file system filter driver. On x64 all drivers, including
file system filters, must be 64-bit. The 32-bit antivirus software can not install their file system
filter driver and will not function. Note that 64-bit anti-virus software exists today and other
vendors will have solutions later in 2005 or 2006.
Some applications may be coded to only run on a specific version of the OS. If the detected
OS is not one of the allowable types the application will not execute. Sometimes adjusting the
“Compatibility mode” described above will work around this. If “Compatibility mode” does not
work the software vendor must provide an updated application that allows the application to
run.
Many application installers include a 16-bit stub to identify the machine type and start a 32-bit
install engine. The 16-bit portion of the installer will fail since none of the Windows 64-bit OSs
can execute 16-bit code. Microsoft has identified this as a critical blocker to x64 adoption. To
overcome this 64-bit Windows detects specific 16-bit installers and transparently instantiates
an equivalent 32-bit version if one is available. Note that the 64-bit Windows Installer can
seamlessly install 32-bit MSI-based applications on 64-bit Windows.
21. Is there a way to check my application for compatibility?
The best test is to install the trial version of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition on an x64
compatible system and try your application. See the link:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/evaluation/trial.mspx
The information in this document is subject to change at any time until the OS is officially released.
31 August 2005