Windows x64 Installation Guide               If you are familiar with the installation of Windows XP PROFESSIONAL or HOME versions, then you will not have any problems installing this version. (You can buy Windows XP Professional x64 Edition from Microsoft.com.         For those who already have an x64 computer running Windows XP Professional (32-Bit), they can exchange their 32-Bit edition of Windows XP for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.) Part One You have 2 options on how you are going to install XP Professional x64 Edition. 1. Install Windows x64 over an existing operating system.         As a result, you will not be able to recover your previous operating system. The previous WINDOWS folder will be deleted and you will lose all registry values. Nothing else is going to be deleted. (Although your previous programs will not be lost, there is a possibility that they will not function correctly). 2. Make a new partition or use a second Hard Disk Drive to install Windows x64. This option is recommended.         With this option you will lose only 2GB of disk space, the previous operating system will still be functional. You will have the ability to select with which operating system you want to start. Before continuing with the installation, check the List with the devices that are supported at this time.         Also, if you have a small computer system interface (SCSI) drive or a raid controller, you will need 64-Bit Drivers. Check our List will the current drivers that are available. Part Two First, Make sure that you have “Boot From CD” Function enabled in the BIOS settings. In order to do this, press the “Delete” button (or the respective key for your BIOS setup) during the Power-On Self Test (POST).      In the Boot Sequence menu select your CD/DVD-Rom device as the “First BOOT Device” (if there is an option ”Boot From CD”, enable it). Insert the Windows x64 CD-Rom and restart your computer. After the POST test, the prompt "Press any key to boot from CD" will appear, press any key at the prompt, and the installation will begin. (If you want to install a SCSI drive or a raid controller, insert the floppy disk you have created with the 64-Bit drivers).         When the Installation menu appears, select the hard disk on which you want to install Windows x64. The installation will start after the necessary restart.   The next step, is drivers installation.

            Most probably after the OS installation, the system will not recognize some of your hardware components and in the device manager tab, you will see something like this:

Device Manager Window

Don't panic. You can solve this problem.

        Windows XP Professional x64 Edition requires the installation of 64-Bit drivers only. You cannot install 32-Bit drivers. There are some device drivers that have been modified to allow installation of 64-Bit and 32-Bit drivers from the same .inf file.

This is necessary to avoid installing wrong drivers under the wrong platform.
 

            When installing drivers for the Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, be sure that the provider says that the driver works on “Windows XP Professional x64 Edition” and not on the “Microsoft Windows XP” or “Windows XP Professional”.

        Some users will probably remember a time when Windows 2000 had exactly the same problem after their initial release when the operating system didn’t recognize a whole lot of hardware.

There is a list of companies that have released drivers for their products listed in the tips n trixs page. Click here to see the full list.

            You must install drivers in the following order, in order to install the drivers correctly and to avoid conflicts with other drivers. After any install you make, it is recommended you restart your computer.

1. Motherboard Drivers
2. Graphic Card Drivers
3. Sound Card Drivers
4. Any other device drivers

Driver Installation procedure

After the driver installation, you are ready to test your system.

The Tips n Tricks Section at this time consists of links for drivers and compatibility, troubleshooting and how to articles ect.