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This tutorial will help you understand the difference between the Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit version and find out if a computer is running 32-bit or 64-bit version.

By : Jacques Dady Jean, eng.

        Mattapan Technology Institute.

Windows 7 comes in three distinct categories: Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate : Each category comes in 32 or 64 bots version. This diversity is economically profitable for Microsoft but a bit complicated for the general public as well as for a few of my PC IT tech students.

The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the bandwidth of the processor, meaning  the amount of bits of data  a computer's processor can process at the same time. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.

Now, you understand the techy jargon, how can you find out, if a computer is running 32 or a 64 bit version of Windows.

  To find out if your computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows in Windows 7 or Windows Vista, do the following:

  1. Open System by clicking the Start button , right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.

  2. Under System, you can view the system type.

If your computer is running Windows XP, do the following:

  1. Click Start.

  2. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

    • If you don't see "x64 Edition" listed, then you're running the 32-bit version of Windows XP.

    • If "x64 Edition" is listed under System, you're running the 64-bit version of Windows XP.