Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition On ASUS SK8N

Tech TV takes Microsoft’s trial AMD64 operating system for a spin on an ASUS SK8N nForce3-150 based system:

If you’re curious and adventurous, here’s how our test drive went. Once we installed the OS, we found that the look and feel was closer to Windows 2000/NT than its XP name suggests. The XP64 beta integrates DirectX 9.0b and appears to have most critical update patches. Windows Update functions weren’t available, and it is unknown if any patches will be offered during the 360-day trial. We were pleased the default OS install had the network Messenger service disabled. Driver support is the biggest challenge when upgrading to the new 64-bit beta. Motherboard chipsets, video cards, sound cards, LAN adapters, and storage controllers require XP64-compatible drivers. At this time, available 64-bit drivers are beta versions at best. In other words, use at your own risk. The clean install of the new XP64 beta went smoothly. The only significant hardware change we made to our reference system was the use of an Nvidia graphics card. ATI has yet to release 64-bit drivers for its products.

. . . At this time, we do not recommend installing Windows XP 64-Bit Edition. With few programs taking any advantage of the new 64-bit environment, we see Microsoft’s latest beta release as a means of raising awareness among software developers. If a few popular applications are shown to benefit significantly from the AMD 64/XP64 combination, it would go a long way toward prompting Microsoft to make the beta official.

Tech TV
First Look: Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition