x(perts)64

I just saw that Extended64.com has started a porting project to port popular Open Source Web development tools to x64. Great idea, and I am really glad to see it. Now, if we could just convince them to port some of my favourite UNIX and Linux OpenSource applications and tools to x64, I'd be even happier! How about it, extended64? I'll be happy to work with you on it and I can point you at some good resources.

Charlie.

We've seen a lot of users having problems with storage drivers in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. Mostly with SATA drives, either in RAID or normal mode. Windows x64 Edition does have native SATA support in the OS. But the problem is that many motherboards combine their SATA and RAID controller into one, and this means you're going to need a driver for it, as we discussed earlier. But now, as folks are starting to get used to using F6, and drivers are becoming available, we're seeing problems that show up later in the process. So let's see if we can help a bit.

When you install XP, both 32-bit and 64-bit, you are using text mode drivers. These drivers, which are controlled by the file TXTSETUP.OEM, need to either be in the operating system, or you need to use F6 to tell the OS about them. (OK, you could slipstream them as well, but then you've basically put them into the operating system.)

During text mode, the drivers are explicitly loaded. But when you first boot up to the GUI mode login, Plug and Play comes into effect, and now the <somename>.INF file is used. No longer is the explicit load and F6 doing the job for you -- the drivers need to have the correct PnP enumerators to load correctly. This was a major problem with some drivers during the transition from Beta to Release, when the decoration requirements got tighter for PnP storate drivers. During the early stage of startup, PnP doesn't come into play, and the boot process will proceed. But, just about the time that it flips over into full GUI mode, it switches over to PnP for all drivers. If, at this point, the PnP enumeration for your storage controller fails, Windows XP can't see your hard drive, and it immediately crashes and reboots. (You can control the automatic reboot behaviour to hold it at the failure point so you can see it by setting this using F8 just at the very beginning of the Windows startup process.)

So, if you have managed to get x64 Edition of Windows to load by using F6 and a floppy, but then it reboots when it first comes up into GUI mode - it's back to your driver source for an updated x64 Edition driver.

Several users have mentioned in the public newsgroups that Logitech seems to be in no hurry to provide an x64 version for their Mouseware software. Not a problem for me, personally, since I'm quite happy with the 2 buttons + scroll wheel functionality that Windows XP Professional x64 Edition gives me on my Trackman Cordless. But definitely a problem for some users who have a 3 button Logitech and want double-click on their middle button. A fellow MVP, David R. Norton, has found a good solution, however: XMouse. This software, available in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions, gives you complete control over your mouse buttons. Very nice!

A reader reminds me that Logitech does have a 64-bit version of their new setpoint software at: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/downloads/software/SE/EN,CRID=1792,contentid=9409,OSID=11

That's nice, but doesn't solve the problem for those whose mice use Mouseware to do the job and that don't support the new Setpoint software.

The hot new Acer Ferrari 4000 has several of us excited, and I'm actively thinking about getting one here. But drivers for x64 Edition have been problematic at best. But now Barb Bowman, MVP and Wireless Networking Wiz, has located a European Acer site that has drivers for it. ftp://ftp.support.acer-euro.com/notebook/ferrari_4000/driver/64%20bit%20driver/ 

Thanks, Barb! I'm rapidly running out of reasons to delay this purchase.

update: Acer now lists the Ferrari 4000 as supported for TAP and lists drivers on their global site at: http://global.acer.com/support/windows/winxp-professional-x64.htm

"An issue has been identified with your Windows-based system that may cause network connectivity between clients and servers to fail."

Patches:

Windows Server x64 Edition

Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 64-bit Itanium Edition

Windows XP x64 Edition

Thanks to Jon Grieve for sending me an email with the above links

Christian

A special thanks to Bill Sharpe for posting the links to the MUI’s on the newsgroup

The Multilingual User Interface (MUI) add-on packs for Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition are now available for download for Technology
Advancement Software customers.  If you are using a language other than
English for your previous Windows XP Professional (32-bit) installation, you
may download the appropriate ISO image from the list below and install your
language of choice:

CD 1: German, Japanese (448 MB ISO image)
CD 2: French, Spanish, Italian (554 MB ISO image)
CD 3: Korean, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional (561 MB ISO image)
CD 4: Swedish (161 MB ISO image)

Christian