x64 OS Compatibility. Whats Recommended?

[Mike-2005OC]

Hello I was researching information about the new x64 Professional Edition OS
and was wondering if someone could advise me the best method for securing an x64 OS. What programs will function correctly under the new x64 OS. I am planning on erasing the Win 32 Install completely.

Current Win 32 OS System: - KAV - NOD32 - BoClean - TrojanHunter - Loon'N'Stop are the only system startup launched programs. All other services are disabled until they are needed for scanning purposes to gain system performance.

Look'n'Stop 205p2 Firewall
KAV 5.0
NOD32
Tauscan
The Cleaner
Ewido
TrojanHunter
BoClean
Firefox 1.06
Ad-Aware Plus
Spy Sweeper
A-Squared
Spybot Search and Destroy
CWSShredder
HiJackThis
IE Spyad
Port Explorer
TDS-3 "No Longer Being Updated" - Thanks for an excellent product

Can anyone please advise on what products will work under the x64 OS. And what firewall or Anti-Virus you recommend using since their is a very limited number available.

Tiny 2005 - Only x64 Firewall I found during Reasearch
Avast x64 Anti-Virus and NOD32 x64 - Only two x64 AV's I found during Research.

Anymore products available for x64, please provide more info.

Thanks

System Specs:
AMD 64 4000+ "Sledgehammer Core" w/ ASUS A8V Deluxe 1014 Bios
Corsair TWINX3200XL 512x2 RAM 2-2-2-5
Audigy 2 ZS Gamer w/ BFG Technologies 6800 Ultra Overclocked AGP w/ 77.76 Drivers

[kalpik]

Yes u are right about the firewall. Tiny is the only x64 compatible firewall yet!. For AVs, you have Symantec Corporate v10 and Mcafee VirusScan Enterprise v8.0i in addition to the ones you mentioned. I think even the latest KAV beta 2006 is also compatible with x64. If u really are migrating to x64, please ensure all the drivers for ur hardware are available!!!

[World Industries]

NOD32 now supports x64.

World Industries

[Mike-2005OC]

Thanks for the info, the reason I was interested in Anti-Virus is because I have read over many topics where their is a discussion about heuristics vs signatures with Anti-Virus Products. I definately plan to use the NOD32 x64 since its strong point is heuristics.

I am also very happy to see the KAV 2006 info, since the KAV 5.0 I use is well known for its strong point of signature updates detection.

By combining these two I thought it would be the best of both worlds. Is this actually worth doing?

Win32 Setup uses
KAV 5.0 - Signature
NOD32 - Heuristics

Is it recommened for a combination of...
x64 NOD32
x64 KAV 2006

[kalpik]

Im not very sure about the KAV 2006 thing... Test it for urself first! Or have a look over here. The combination would be good though! Keep NOD32 as realtime and KAV as On-Demand.

My x64 setup (still in its early stage) consists of TPF 2005, BOClean, and Opera 8.02 via Proxomitron. All behaving well so far. I did find that if you use a large hosts file (like Bluetack's) without disabling the XP DNS service, your system will slow to a crawl (with svchost.exe running often at 99%). Never saw that on my XP 32-bit systems.

Once I climb that TPF learning curve, I will take a look at my AV options.

[halcyon]

I don't think 64-bit is very feasible, unless you use a very limited system.

Almost all drivers are beta level at most.

Almost no printer, sound card, usb (non-msc) and other peripheral drivers exist.

Security software is non-existent (as Mike has noticed).

The level of security of X64 extensions is unknown (has MS really improved their coding practises or are there just even more buffer overflow holes there now, than in the 32-bit version).

When one factors in that only some specific 64bit apps (very few of them) are showing really significant gains in 64bit OS (in fact, some 32bit apps can be slower even as has been shown by many game benchmarks), it makes very little sense to upgrade at this point, unless one wants work as an unpaid beta tester for Microsoft.

It may be official release (XP 64bit), but it's still alpha as a complete platform , imho

[zcv]

Hello Mike,

Agree with halcyon completely, if this is going to be a primary system, your wasting your time and looking for trouble. Very few software/driver suppliers are as of yet taking 64bit seriously. I think this will be the case for at least the rest of this year.

Regards - Charles

[Atomic_Ed]

I disagree as x64 is new I can remember all of these same events during major OS releases over the years. Pretty much the same story all over again. If you research out what hardware is currently compatible with drivers and such then you will be fine. The fact the software companies are not ready with anything is the same story they werent ready with 32bit apps years ago. You see most will put money into developing code and the just use it over and over and over for years with a few cosmetic changes and minor features. Developing x64 code or recoding 32 bit apps with 64 bit drivers is too much cost for them so they try and put their heads in the sand as long as they can and just pretend the OS doesn't exist yet. Purely greed and short term business thinking is the real reason there isn't much out yet. However with MS, AMD, etc behind it now and pushing for x64 apps, it won't be too long before companies will succomb to having apps that will run or face losing their business altogether. Over the years I have seen many popular software companies go under for just this reason.
Anyway, if you want to run x64 now then a little research and patience will pay off with one heck of a system over 32 bit XP. I myself have an Athlon 64 based laptop and so far was lucky with all the drivers being in the OS out of the box that I needed with the exception of my ATI video card which ATI has a x64 driver I downloaded and it works fine. For antivirus I am running Avast! Pro trial right now and although I do not care for the look and feel, it seems to be working ok and has stopped 2 viruses already. I also found most Adobe apps run ok or they are even optimized already for XP x64. My Sonic Mydvd Deluxe burns CDs no problem under the x64 and my Ulead video studio 9 seems to be working great as well, Although I havent done too much with it yet in detail so we will see.

The bottom line is as I said research and patience and you can run x64 now which is what all computing will be soon regardless of what you hear from naysayers. I remeber that same talk about there will always be 16 bit computing, well where is it now?

[Patrician]

I disagree with ZCV also. It is only a few peripherals that don't have drivers developed/released yet. All the hardware I have is supported in Windows X64 with exception of my somewhat ancient HP scanner.

As system builders we have been supplying 64bit based PC's, with Windows X64 installed since it's launch and there has been no problems except, as with my scanner, older hardware, and a few other hardware vendors that are trying to bury their heads in the sand.

64bit hardware is here and the number of applications that have been developed for that platform is increasing by the day. While 32bit hardware will hang around for a while the future is 64bit, and any hardware/software vendors that ignor it in the hope that it will go away are asking for the receivers to come knocking on their doors.

[WSFuser]

personally even if my hardware is supported, id much rather wait 'til most of my security apps are 64-bit especially the firewall. for me i rele dont see much of any advantage to using winxp x64. ill just wait for windows vista.

[Patrician]

Originally Posted by WSFuser

personally even if my hardware is supported, id much rather wait 'til most of my security apps are 64-bit especially the firewall. for me i rele dont see much of any advantage to using winxp x64. ill just wait for windows vista.

But my security apps are running fine. Adaware and Spybot (Teatimer enabled), MSI RG54GS Router/Firewall (so I don't need or use software one and finally NOD32 64Bit Beta. With Avast Home as back up.

These, with the exception of NOD32, are what I run under Windows XP 32 Bit. My AV was AVK but that ran out last week so I would have switched back to my licenced NOD32 anyway.

[zcv]

Originally Posted by Atomic_Ed

Anyway, if you want to run x64 now then a little research and patience will pay off with one heck of a system over 32 bit XP. I myself have an Athlon 64 based laptop and so far was lucky with all the drivers being in the OS out of the box that I needed with the exception of my ATI video card which ATI has a x64 driver I downloaded and it works fine. For antivirus I am running Avast! Pro trial right now and although I do not care for the look and feel, it seems to be working ok and has stopped 2 viruses already. I also found most Adobe apps run ok or they are even optimized already for XP x64. My Sonic Mydvd Deluxe burns CDs no problem under the x64 and my Ulead video studio 9 seems to be working great as well, Although I havent done too much with it yet in detail so we will see.

The bottom line is as I said research and patience and you can run x64 now which is what all computing will be soon regardless of what you hear from naysayers. I remeber that same talk about there will always be 16 bit computing, well where is it now?

I'm not disputing that vision - but is a way off. I'm talking about here and now, and unless this is for a secondary/dual boot system, more trouble than it's worth at the moment IMO.

For anyone that wants to run a system and do day to day "business", researching and ferreting out drivers and software, security and otherwise - there is enough of that now, X64 just adds to the "overhead".

Originally Posted by WSFuser

ill just wait for windows vista.

This is what most people will do anyway, either buying new systems then, or updating any recent system.

Regards - Charles

[WSFuser]

Originally Posted by Patrician

But my security apps are running fine. Adaware and Spybot (Teatimer enabled), MSI RG54GS Router/Firewall (so I don't need or use software one and finally NOD32 64Bit Beta. With Avast Home as back up.

These, with the exception of NOD32, are what I run under Windows XP 32 Bit. My AV was AVK but that ran out last week so I would have switched back to my licenced NOD32 anyway.

im just more concerned (read: paranoid) with security and many HIPS apps and firewalls need a 64-bit version. but like u, i use nod32 with avast as backup. if u feel fine using winxp x64 then im not here to argue but imnot switching yet.

[Atomic_Ed]

Originally Posted by zcv

I'm not disputing that vision - but is a way off. I'm talking about here and now, and unless this is for a secondary/dual boot system, more trouble than it's worth at the moment IMO.

For anyone that wants to run a system and do day to day "business", researching and ferreting out drivers and software, security and otherwise - there is enough of that now, X64 just adds to the "overhead".

This is what most people will do anyway, either buying new systems then, or updating any recent system.

Regards - Charles

Having been running XP x64 now for the past few weeks without any problems whatsoever on the same laptop I had previously been running XP Pro x32, I can say that x64 is extremely stable and so far even more so than the x32 version was on this machine. All of my device drivers were supported out of the box with this OS (except ATI card but drivers from web site no different than with x32) and all of my previous apps except Mcafee Personal Firewall Plus 6 and Virus Scan 9 were compatible and run much faster. With Avast x64 I have a good anti virus app, MS Antisyware works great too. I use a hardware firewall and the builtin XP firewall and so far the only app I would like to have but can't find yet is an x64 firewall for monitoring outgoing traffic from the trusted network. From what I am reading these will be widely available within the next couple of months. So I would fell it an injustice to say x64 is not for everyday computing on a new system. For that matter it has been my experience that it is a much improved OS overall than x32. Now if someone with outdated hardware is unsure than this is where research comes into play. For a new system than the research is prior to the system to ensure compatibility just like NT was with its HCL. No big deal to make sure your buying compatible hardware upfront. Anyway to each his own on whether someone thinks waiting another two years for the final release of vista to make x64 computing to become interesting to them. In fact I still know some people running win95 on ISA hardware. To me though it is more stable, faster with my current apps and the most important part it is taking advantage of my now 2 year old X64 bit cpu. If I waited another 2 years this 3200+ cpu would be a joke by then anyway.