This is a question to those who purchased a prebuilt computer from a major brand with Vista pre-installed. Did it come installed with the 32-bit or 64-bit version?
Just curious if the big brands trust the 64-bit version enough to be installed on mainstream PCs or not. If so, I might just reinstall Vista with 64-bitness on my own PC.

Pentium III--Descendant of Intel Core.
Pentium III-S 1400 @ 1.63GHz, 512K L2
X800XT AIW OC 580/600
2GB of RAM
250GB HD
SB Audigy 2
QDI Advance 12 mobo
Smugly running Vista

jackbomb,

No. The vast majority of OEMs are not including 64-bit versions of Vista.

A few reasons...

A. There is a lack of drivers for aftermarket peripherals for 64-bit Vista. This is due to simply not attempting to code the drivers to the fact that in 64-bit Vista, ALL drivers must be signed with a digital certificate to prove who coded the driver as a security measure.
B. Some applications cannot run on 64-bit Vista due to the fact that they hack the kernel. 64-bit Vista has PatchGuard in it that prevents this. While hackers can easily circumvent this, it is clear that Microsoft has drawn a line in the sand, saying trustworthy developers will not do this, so if you hack the kernel, you're a hacker. Consequently, some of the big name security vendors such as Symantec and McAfee are forced to recode their AV products to not rely on kernel modification to run. Most consumers will not want to deal with such issues. (MS was going to proceed with PatchGuard on 32-bit, but decided against it as a compromise to these vendors to give them time to recode their apps.)
C. Along with all these issues, consumers typically don't have a compelling need for 64-bit at this time.

"Enough, enough bowing down to disillusion!
Hats off & applause to rogues & evolution!
The ripple effect is too good not to mention.
If you’re not affected, you’re not paying attention!"

Looks like I'll be sticking with my existing 32-bit installation then. Thank you for the information.

Pentium III--Descendant of Intel Core.
Pentium III-S 1400 @ 1.63GHz, 512K L2
X800XT AIW OC 580/600
2GB of RAM
250GB HD
SB Audigy 2
QDI Advance 12 mobo
Smugly running Vista

I was only going to ask this same question today!

Was very curious to see how the big names were taking to the 64-bit versions, but seems they're not. Thanks for the answer, hero.

I think 64-bit Vista is basically writing on the wall for developers and manufacturers that they WILL need digital certificates to sign drivers, and no one, not even security vendors, will be allowed to hack the kernel. Both are improvements for security.

TECH-NO-LOGICAL ROMANCE!

http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgs12.html