Windows 8 64 bit hardware compatibility

The bit versions of Windows use the Microsoft Windowson-Windows WOW64 subsystem to run bit programs without modifications. The bit versions of Windows don't provide support for bit binaries or bit drivers.

Programs that depend on bit binaries or bit drivers can't run on the bit versions of Windows unless the program manufacturer provides an update for the program.

There may be considerations that affect a program's compatibility or performance. You can determine whether a program will have compatibility or performance issues by testing the program on one of the bit versions of Windows. This article describes some of the compatibility considerations for running bit programs on the bit versions of Windows. This article doesn't compare the bit and bit versions of Windows, or different bit operating systems.

This article assumes that you understand the difference between bit binaries and bit binaries. The xbased versions of Microsoft Windows are optimized to run native bit programs. Additionally, the xbased versions of Windows use the WOW64 subsystem to run bit programs. The WOW64 subsystem enables bit programs to run without modification on the xbased versions of Windows. The WOW64 subsystem does this by creating a bit environment on the xbased versions of Windows.

To view this document, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Running bit Applications. The WOW64 subsystem creates a bit environment on the xbased versions of Windows. Some bit programs may run slower on these operating systems than they would on bit versions of Windows. Alternatively, some bit programs that require lots of memories may exhibit increased performance on the xbased versions of Windows.

This performance increase occurs because the xbased versions of Windows supports more physical memory than the bit versions of Windows. For more information about the differences in memory management between the bit and bit versions of Windows, see the "Virtual Address Space" topic in the About Memory Management section of the Microsoft Platform SDK documentation.

The xbased versions of Windows doesn't support bit programs or bit program components. The software emulation that is required to run bit programs on the xbased version of Windows would significantly decrease the performance of those programs. You can also download the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 from the same site if you're so inclined. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic.

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Was this article helpful? Yes No. Sorry this didn't help. Thanks for your feedback. The specs far exceed the recommended ones see screenshot attached , however, as soon as the windows 10 downloads the necessary files, it says that Windows 10 cannot run on this PC.

Was this comment helpful? Tryx3 Article Author. The Windows 10 System requirements and the Windows 8 system requirements are just about the same so the results will still be useful. You will normally also need to make a Macrium Reflect rescue disk.

A system image will enable you to get back to where you started so that you do not destroy your original OS. Was this information helpful? Yes No. Thank you! Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help. Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions. Easy to follow. No jargon.