Hi I'm chuffed that I've bought a laptop worth over £900 for £595 (Acer Ferrari 4002 and it's fabulous) but it has come with Windows XP 64 bit edition and I'm worried about stuff not running on it due to incompatibility. Is it worth me downgrading to the regular Windows Xp Pro? I wonder what I would lose by doing this? Appreciate if anyone out there knows. Maybe there is another option I have? I have heard about dual booting but not sure how this works.

Can't comment on your primary query - downgrading to 32 bit XP... No experience with the 64 bit version. Dual-booting? Simple; you install (via a CD or floppies + CD boot) the 32 bit version as a clean-install and you get a boot-menu listing both versions. Ideally each version in its own partition; but probably both will co-exist happily in the common Primary. (Normally XP doesn't like to share its partition with another OS; but with a "half-brother" - can't see there being any issues...)

It's best to have other OS's on seperate partitions. Because if anything should go wrong, a registry tweak and delete of partition solves it. I don't know much about the x64. But, if you should come across any consistant incompatibility issues (quite a few programs bitching at you) then you should think about - even though it really isnt - 'downgrading' to standard XP Pro. Cookies taste good, so do HTML tags.

using the best and fastest possible os doesno good to anyone. All that matters is the type of use u want. u should format the os and reinstall a 32 bit version if u feelcomfortable with it. Software developers are yet to make their softwares compatible with the 64 bit os BHABANIPRASADPATI@GMAIL.COM

there are tons of apps that will not run on 64bit, I shelfed it for a while as well. I dont think you can downgrade though, you'll need to reformat/reinstall

This question is going to become a norm now that OEM builders are installing the 64 bit system. There is no right or wrong answer to this as it is really based on what you are to do with the computer. There are some issues with some apps that do not operate under 64 bit system to well. Mostly a lot of games and stuff at this time. Most business apps have a 64 bit installation as well as the 32 bit so those shouldn't be an issue. A lot of third party utilities are also incorporating the 64 bit technology. My opinion for what it is worth is to not dump the 64 bit but to try to keep it...remember that everything is 12 - 16 months behind what the technology development is....in which case the 64 bit became openly available over a year ago so should just about really start to take off. You also have to look at what manufacturer's are doing with embedded chipset and bioses. It is beginning to be extremely risky to change out things in OEM branded computers. In The Matters Of Style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, Stand Like A Rock

Why not wait until you get a problem and then fix that one thing? I love using virtual machines for sometime os's. Most are free.