Bugs and lack of apps plague 64-bit users
By
Stuart J. Johnston
Vista boosters say that the 64-bit edition of the operating system runs applications faster and can address a lot more system memory than its 32-bit counterpart.
Just don't tell that to Vince Heiker, a retired IT executive in the Dallas area who has used 64-bit Vista for some time — and hates the OS.
All versions of Vista have serious compatibility glitches, including problems with Office 2007, but the 64-bit release also suffers from a lack of applications written to take advantage of that version's ability to address more than 4GB of RAM.
In fact, Heiker and several other Windows Secrets readers begged to differ with my Sept. 25 story, which discussed the transition of desktop computing to 64-bit hardware and software.
"Plain, simple, and clear: Vista-64 is junkware. It is absolutely the worst, the buggiest software Microsoft has ever released," Heiker tells Windows Secrets.
What's worse, he said, is that Microsoft has no fixes for the vast majority of Vista's problems.
Early adopters vent their Vista-64 frustration
Many potential users of the 64-bit version of Vista are reluctant to make any OS changes after getting burned previously by 32-bit Vista.
"We're not using 64-bit Vista due to all the problems we've had with 32-bit Vista," says J.C. Warren, a systems engineer at a Seattle-based asset-management company.
Other users' complaints include what they view as important software that doesn't run under 64-bit Vista.
"ACT, a fairly popular contact-management program, will not work in 64-bit, and currently Sage has no plans to support it," reader Frank Boecherer said in an e-mail.
Also on the list of software that readers say is missing in action is a 64-bit version of Adobe's popular Flash player. And don't forget Office 2007, which comes only in a 32-bit edition.
To be sure, many 32-bit applications that were not written specifically to run on Vista-64 will in fact run on that OS. Microsoft maintains a
listing
of applications and hardware that are "compatible" with Vista, including 64-bit Vista. This listing consists primarily of 32-bit programs that Vista-64 runs in a 32-bit window.
Many 32-bit Microsoft apps, including Office 2007, are listed as working with 64-bit Windows, but some readers who run Vista-64 complain that bugs and incompatibilities abound. In addition, many popular third-party applications, such as Yahoo Music Jukebox Plus, are
labeled
with a big red "X," meaning they have problems with 64-bit Vista.
Heiker's list of Vista-64 bugs and application incompatibilities is a long one.
Among the problems Heiker cites is "a jerky mouse cursor" that interprets mouse clicks in one spot on the screen as an action on a different spot.
That's not OK, particularly if you're a day trader like those Heiker supports for TradeStation.com, where a click on the wrong spot can cost serious money. Heiker says he's experienced the mouse-location problem with three different mice, all relatively new purchases.
Heiker finally isolated the cause: the 64-bit version of Vista Ultimate failed to remove old device drivers. He discussed the problem with Microsoft support staff, but he says they could provide no solution. Heiker finally resorted to his time-tested standby.
"The only way to get rid of the hardware drivers was to reinstall Vista," Heiker said.
A second problem Heiker points out involves Outlook 2007, which fails to shut down properly. Other Outlook 2007 problems include unexplained freezes and the mysterious disappearance of the preview pane.
Did you say 'millions' of Registry entries?
Another glitch Heiker continues to confront is a real doozy: with no explanation in sight, his 64-bit Vista PC has accumulated some 23 million Registry entries. No, that's not a typo — 23 million.
"I brought this to Microsoft's attention and there's no solution to it," he said. "Apparently, a Registry entry is made each time a 32-bit application tries to update the Vista-64 Registry ... duplicating Registry entries a huge number of times."
Despite Heiker's long list of complaints and multiple contacts with Microsoft support, little has changed. "They haven't fixed a single problem that I've reported," he adds.
Complaints such as those of early Vista-64 users don't bode well for the OS in general or 64-bit editions specifically. Still, 64-bit PCs are in the cards for many current Windows users a year or two down the road. By then, the smattering of 64-bit PCs now appearing on the market will likely become a groundswell.
Today, there are 64-bit editions of both Windows XP and Vista — and there will also be 64-bit editions of Windows 7 when it ships in 2009 or 2010. The question is: When 64-bit computers become the norm for desktops, will all the software pieces be in place?
Many people are waiting for Windows 7's debut
It's looking more and more likely that 64-bit desktop computing won't go mainstream until long after Windows 7 ships.
Unfortunately, there's no information on how well 64-bit Vista is doing in the marketplace. The overall figures for Vista are less than stellar: Microsoft claims it has sold 180 million licenses for all versions of Vista, but take that number with a grain of salt — or perhaps the whole shaker.
Many of those licenses can be deployed as either Vista or XP; analysts state that many of these "Vista" licenses are actually being used for XP.
In fact, according to a Gartner report issued last spring, fewer than 1% of PCs in the U.S. and Europe were running Vista by the end of 2007 — a full year into Vista's lifecycle. Compare that figure with the 80% that, according to the report, are running XP.
Confirming the molasses-in-January adoption rate of Vista is the Gartner study's finding that 55% of European companies and 40% of U.S. firms aren't planning to begin serious Vista deployments (whether the 32- or 64-bit edition) until the first quarter of 2009 or later.
That's awfully close to Microsoft's planned delivery date for Windows 7, which is expected to be significantly faster and more svelte than Vista. Indeed, a
Sept. 12 report by Andy Patrizio of Internet News.com states that Microsoft is shooting to ship Windows 7 in time for the 2009 holiday season.
Microsoft wouldn't comment on when it will release a 64-bit version of Office, although analysts predict the next major Office release — code-named "Office 14" — will ship in late 2009 or early 2010. That puts it on a similar track to Windows 7.
Microsoft's impending delivery of Windows 7 and Office 14 could further undercut Vista's viability in the marketplace.
Reader Roger Shuttleworth summed it up in an e-mail:
-
"For me, and I suspect for many readers, the major question is not 'Do I want this hardware, increased speed, yadda yadda?' It's 'Will my existing software run on Vista-64, or will I have to fork out huge amounts of cash for new editions?'
"If the answer is, 'Yes, I will have to buy all new software,' then I'm sticking with XP until my machine dies and I can't find something else to run it."
"I've been involved with OS migrations since Windows 95. None of them was as difficult as Vista to deal with," Warren said. "I can't wait to get my hands on an early beta version of Windows 7."
|
Vince, J.C., Frank, and Roger will each receive a gift certificate for
a book, CD, or DVD of their choice for sending tips we printed. Send us your tips via the Windows Secrets
contact page. |
Stuart Johnston is associate editor of WindowsSecrets.com. He has written about technology for InfoWorld, Computerworld, InformationWeek, and InternetNews.com.
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