I am currently using Maya on a 64 bit machine. I think of it as my heavy hitter since the rendering time and quality are better. I have second machines to do my Photoshopping and Corel etc.... I feel it is a very valuable tool for 3D artists. It certainly could not be considered the "norm" or a "Must" to develop to since it is so very specific and doesn’t get the same support from its own makers. It does have some very good uses and cannot be ignored.

At the moment you can do all the small basics with a 64bit machine but I prefer to think of it as my 1 Wood in the bag. Not every golfer will use it but if you know what you are doing it really gets the job done.

    

I'm in the same boat.  I'm running 32-bit XP on that machine.

We'll use this thread as a gauge of interest.

Wow, I personally am shocked at how bitchy some of you folks are about the lack of supporting your XP64 copies. I'm a software developer for a very large company and have been running x64 for all my home systems almost out of necessity for my job functions, but its not something I'd have purchased for sh*t's and giggles.

I'm curious how many of you actually own your x64 licenses considering the majority of them were sold to smaller OEM's (newegg system builder 3packs) or IT departments. Going by the number of licenses reported sold, as well as the group they were sold to I'm not surprised for the lacking support on the product.

However...

I did recently purchase this software with full intent of using it for x64 and find Stardock at least responsible to patch the dll issue for those of us locked into the last supported version available. I'm also for the above mention of unofficial builds with a "use at your own risk" sort of license for those of us willing to put it on our systems.

there are probably more winxp x64 users than current existing vista x64 users. most people went for the x32 bit version of vista.

would it really be that much trouble to create a winxp x64 version.

But that was an almost infinitesimal number and now growing smaller.  Vista 64 will be getting bigger.

I do believe I listed 3DSMAX, but I appreciate you reading my entire post. [/sarcasm]

3D apps run great with Vista with the latest Nvidia drivers. I've actually been hearing a bit that makes me think Nvidia's are getting to be better than ATis on Vista.

winxp x64 pwns vista x64. its like having norton antivirus without the bloat.

I beg to differ. Unless the card is an 8 series the drivers are still trash. I talked with a friend who had a 7800 last week and he described problems I had 6 months ago on my 7900 card. I don't see them getting better anytime soon to be honest, they just arent showing an sign of life in their drivers.

Eh, no, I don't think so. But hey, your entitled to your opinion even tho I completely disagree.

He has a great point here. WinXP has been replaced (so to speak). If you project this question out of supporting "old" OS then you would also need to ask why it wouldn't work on 2k, ME, or 98 (ok ME is a bad example). It isn't out of hate or laziness that a update would not be provided for XP64 but rather for priorities. With all the requests for Vista updates to our XP software and fantastically huge updates and new software this year a great deal of our customers would rather our developers spend what precious time they have to the biggest possible projects. Those projects need to be the ones that will go on and are not scheduled to no longer be sold after this year (or so the rumors our of MS go, I don't know that for sure).

my main problem is that I have 4Gb RAM in my system. XP and Vista 32 bit will NOT recognize anything over 3Gb on MOST systems. You have to use x64.
At the moment, I'm using Vista 32bit and limited to 3GB despite the bios seeing 4GB.

But you knew that going in.

as a matter of fact.. no, i didn't realize that when I upgraded my RAM.   
I installed Vista after I upgraded the RAM and was not sure that Vista 32 would still fail to see it all.

I really don't care if XPx64 gets a green light with WB6. It would be nice, but for ME it isn't necessary. I seldom use WB on Vista. At work i use x64 but for some reason, my Dell Precision does not play nice with Stardock products. I don't know if it's the cursed !@#$% NVidia Quadro POS video card, or the dual Xeon processors, but in any case, I need to keep it SD free.
(I do run SD products in a VM on my Precision workstation though)  

i do indeed have problems with WB6 on VIsta x64 ... but on WIn XP SP2 32bit it runs smoothly!

Brgds,
Sero

While many of the "scene" that have posted here using leetspeak probably don't own their licenses, that doesn't excuse Stardock of being responsible and following through with their promises to have an XP64 version for WB6.

Those of us that did pay for our x64 licenses (or, God forbid, traded in our XP32 licenses for XP64 licenses when MS ran that program a couple of years ago) would appreciate being thrown a bone here. Yes, we're used to running software that isn't supported and may have to be kludged together from parts of the demos and pieces of the registered programs, but I've always seen Stardock as a professional company that takes care of its users. Yes, there may only be an infinitesimal number of us using it, but that should also mean you need very little "support staff" to cover everyone -- that and the fact that most of us have had to really learn how to finesse our own systems to coax them around beta drivers and patches.

After the release of Windows XP SP2, it's a pretty stable system, assuming that you don't have hardware from fly-by-night companies or those that have problems with even their 32 bit drivers *cough ATI cough*. I have a multi-boot on the same machine of Vista x64 and do graphics editing as well as some games, and have found that Vista x64 still suffers from slowdowns due to the built-in DRM in the background. I'd prefer my free processes run things like Stardock software, not figure out through nefarious means whether I'm allowed to listen to a music file that I own, every second that I'm listening to it. Perhaps Vista x64 will get better, and I can boot to it and check occasionally, but I'm really waiting until SP1 comes out. Until then, I'm sticking to XP64 so I can run my computer efficiently, and still see all of my RAM.

Please, Stardock -- release an XP64 edition of Windowblinds 6. And for the love of God, fix WB 5.5.

We'll use this thread as a gauge of interest.

Since FrogBoy says this thread will be used for measuring interest, I will post.

- I am willing to live with an unsupported x64 edition.
- I have been using XP 64 bit edition for the past one year or so. I did not have to rebuild my machine after I installed XP 64 bit edition. I used to rebuild it (OS) every 3 months or so when I had XP 32 bit. Why? OS starts slowing down and start behaving badly. I do stuff on my PC that can break the OS stability. Not that much with XP 64. Don't know why.
- Vista is not an otpion until a few video editing software that I use have a Vista edition.

- I would love to use SkinStudio 6. It doesn't work without WindowBlinds 6. This is probably the #1 reason why I want WindowBlinds 6.0

Another person wanting to see WB6 for XP64. I have been using the OS for quite a few years and have not hat a single problem with it. With everything running properly at moment, I do not see why I have to move over to Vista to get the benefits of WB6.

For the guy who has been wondering where some of us have been getting our XP64 licenses from, have a look here http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=487362.

Scan have been selling 64-bit editions of XP for a few years now. So before you start considering everyone is a pirate, do your little research first.

Anyway, Stardock... Please, please, please.... We need, actually we want WB6 released for Windows XP 64-bit.

Thanks

Yup. Just downgraded from Vista Ultimate x32 back to XP x64, was happily downloading the WB6 trial, thinking that I'll try it out now since I had no use for such software on vista, the default gui was more than enough, and bam. There it was. No support eh. Man was I pissed. All the new features that I was looking forward to seeing on XP, flew out the window. Flapping away they went. Seriously guys, make an x64 version. I beg of you. I'd be more than happy for just an unsupported release.

EDIT: Actually, should've said "UPGRADED back to XP x64" since XP x64 is so much faster, stable, smoother and whatnot than Vista is atm.

Well, I will add my little share of sand and say that, I too would love a x64 version of WB6.
We choose Stardock to make our desktops being nicer, so please, don't let us empty handed now   

Please Stardock, x64 support please?

Please?

I agree. I purchased WindowBlinds thinking it had support for XP64. If you are supporting Vista 64 why not XP 64 also? Not everyone is ready to run Vista with all the issues still out there including the poor memory management and sluggish network transfers for starters. XP64 is a more mature OS, give it the support it deserves.

For outside reading:

Who wants or needs 64 bits?

Zubaz, it's a year and a half since that article, I'm wondering if things might have changed some.   

How's this for a stick in the mud, I'm not even seen or touched a computer running Vista let alone a 64bit machine!  

I'm sure its been mentioned before but whom or what individuals would a 64bit computer benefit.    Is it more the Gamer or Small Business or Developer/Programmer that benefits from using it?

Some, but not much.  At that point Vista (both 32 and 64) was jsut around the corner.  Even less reason to spend time developing a stop-gap solution.

From : http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/facts/top10.mspx

Top 10 benefits of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition gives you faster performance, more reliability, and greater flexibility than 32-bit systems. You can run memory-intensive and calculation-intensive applications and processes more efficiently. Whether you’re a technical workstation user or a cutting-edge home PC enthusiast, it provides a secure platform that can run new 64-bit applications, as well as most existing 32-bit applications, on a single PC—while still having all of the benefits of Windows XP Professional Edition.

While there are many benefits of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, these 10 are at the top of the list.

Premier performance
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is a robust platform that offers premier performance that is unparalleled in the mainstream 32-bit desktop environment. Sixty-four-bit native applications can deliver more data more quickly, so memory-intensive applications can run more quickly and efficiently. Data in memory is accessed thousands of times faster than it is on a disk drive. Applications can preload substantially more data into virtual memory, allowing rapid access by the 64-bit processor.

Vast memory support
The key difference between 32-bit and 64-bit computing with Windows XP is that the 64-bit version can use more system memory. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition supports up to 128 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 16 terabytes of virtual memory, so applications can run faster when working with large data sets. Physical memory support will grow in the future as hardware capabilities expand.

64-bit vs. 32-bit architecture
Address space	64-bit Windows	32-bit Windows
Virtual memory	16 terabytes	4 GB
Paging file	512 terabytes	16 terabytes
Paged pool	128 GB	470 MB
Non-paged pool	128 GB	256 MB
System cache	1 terabyte	1 GB

Optimized platform and improved collaboration
With Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, you can standardize your mainstream desktop computers with your high-end workstations, increasing performance, improving manageability, and freeing up IT resources. You can also improve information sharing and collaboration by using Microsoft productivity tools across your organization. Add Windows XP Professional x64 Edition systems to existing Windows-based networks and manage them alongside 32-bit systems with the same administrative tools that you already use, making life easier for your IT department.

Increased reliability and security for your most important data
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is built on the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) code-base, and provides optimum security and reliability for business-critical desktop computing. Now you can experience the stability and security of a server product on your PC. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition can help protect you from many types of viruses that try to exploit data. Its improved memory support helps protect your system against malicious attacks, such as memory buffer overruns.

Opportunity for innovation
Most 64-bit computers can manage exponentially more data than 32-bit systems can. With Windows XP Professional x64 Edition you can design, develop, and interact with new applications, games, and tools that weren’t possible with older technologies. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition provides solutions for current and future use. It delivers more memory combined with the ease of use of the established Windows platform.

Greater flexibility
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition gives you a robust platform for the integration of 64-bit and 32-bit applications using the Windows on Windows 64 (WOW64) x86 emulation layer. You can move to 64-bit computing while still maintaining your existing investment in 32-bit software and Windows expertise.

Multiprocessing and multicore processor support
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is designed to support up to two single or multicore x64 processors for maximum performance and scalability.

Advantages for specialized, technical applications
The performance of 64-bit computing offers advantages in fields such as automobile and airplane design by allowing engineers to create larger, more complex models. Engineers can use simulation software to analyze the effects of airflow, stress, and heat on the materials of a car or airplane, and then study the results to improve overall product design. Likewise, 64-bit computing benefits digital content creators, including three-dimensional (3-D) animators, digital artists, and game developers, who can significantly reduce the time they spend digitally rendering 3-D models. In the areas of scientific and high-performance computing, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition can aid in oil and gas exploration, seismic analysis, computational fluid dynamics, and scientific visualization, among other applications.

Single desktop for technical and business applications
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition provides a single PC for technical and business applications, so you don’t need to maintain one PC for business applications and a separate workstation for high-end technical applications. Most Windows-compatible 32-bit applications run "as is" in a subsystem of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, with performance comparable to 32-bit Windows. You can take advantage of rich integration capabilities and productivity tools on the Windows platform. Designers can build a model and easily share it with others in your company, copying it into a Microsoft Office Word document for the finance group or adding it to a Microsoft Office PowerPoint slide deck for the marketing team.

Note:  If you use only 32-bit applications and work with data sets that are no larger than 2 GB, you will find that 32-bit Windows XP Professional offers sufficient power for your applications.

Familiar programming model
Developers with 32-bit computing skills will be comfortable and productive in the 64-bit Windows environment, finding the development environments virtually identical. The 64-bit Windows development environment supports the same feature set as 32-bit Windows, including user interface and programming models, networking, security, graphics, multimedia, directory service, Plug and Play, and tools features. Many of the functions have been modified to reflect the computational precision of the platform on which an application is run. The result is programming simplicity and a short learning curve for the developer—writing code for 64-bit Windows is just like writing code for 32-bit Windows.

I think there is very little benefit for the home user.  You can use more memory but most apps don't make use of that much memory anyway.