If you just purchased your machine, the simplest solution is to contact the retail outlet and/or manufacturer of your computer, and ask them how to move back to a 32-bit version. While we do not know the precise details in all cases, we have heard reports from NB users that suggest that this should be possible in almost vitually every case—people have been successful in doing this for computers bought at BestBuy, or from Dell, Sony, Gateway, and HP.

Here’re the specifics of one such report:

1. Because my Vista was pre-installed on my machine, Sony (not Microsoft) was the place to go to get help. Go to this online help site: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/index.pl 2. When on that page, enter the exact model number in the box to "Go directly to you model home." 3. That takes you to your model home page (in my case, e.g., http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-home.pl?mdl=VGNFW235J&LOC=3) 4. On that page I hit the "Need Help? Have a Sony rep call you" button and filled in the data with a short description of my request. (I confess I had no serious expectation that I would get help at this stage) 5. Within 30 seconds (!) I got a call on my office phone from a live person ready to help me (apparently overseas, a little hard to hear and understand) 6. He asked for some data (serial #s etc.) and arranged to send a "32 bit downgrade kit" to me at no charge, leaving a confirmation number. This took about 10-15 minutes. So once I got to #1 above, I was absolutely delighted with the way Sony came to my aid. I hope this helps someone else.

If for some reason the reseller/manufacturer from whom you purchased the machine is not willing to remedy the situation, getting a 32-bit version of Vista may or may not—depending on your version of Vista—require purchase of a second copy of the operating system: OEM versions (those that come preinstalled on a newly purchased machine) do not include both versions, while certain retail versions do.

The issue here is posed by an exchange on a forum, where a user describes his two choices:

1. Buy laptop with OEM Vista 64-bit, bear with the incompatible software and driver issues and grit my teeth for a few months, at which point the problems will hopefully be resolved and I'll be happy. 2. Buy laptop without any OEM version of Vista at all. Buy retail version of Vista, paying about 50% more. Under-utilize about 1GB of RAM for a few months (it probably wouldn't have been used anyway), but being able to run all programs. Upgrade to 64-bit for free when better drivers are out. More expensive than option #1. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! To which the following response (among others) was posted: DrewN 05-28-2007, 09:35 PM I chose option #2 and bought the retail version of Vista, mainly because you get both 32 bit and 64 bit versions for one price, and the license is fully transferrable to another PC. Assuming that the OS will be around for 5+ years (which is highly likely) then I do not have to buy an OS for my next NB upgrade, and by that time the 64-bit version will likely be more relevant. [Note that this random response happens to be from an NB user!] And this: zarono 05-29-2007, 10:53 PM Vista Ultimate retail comes with both a 32 bit and a 64 bit version, each on its own disc. You can only have 1 version installed on your machine at one time, however. I originally installed the 64 bit version on my desktop, and it ran quite well, except for a few hardware drivers issues and a few of my aps would not run at all. The thing that bothered me most about the 64 bit version is that some programs would simply hang, and the OS would simply not install or hang up and not even give me a window saying what was wrong. Due to the hardware issues and the aps not running I uninstalled the 64 bit and went with the 32 bit, and have had almost no problems. In fact, I'm really enjoying Vista so far. [From http://forum.notebookreview.com/archive/index.php/t-126124.html]

While we have not tried this ourselves yet, some NB users have, as described below. But first, the general comments:

In the words of Brian Burns, Microsoft Program Manager, Windows Academic Program:

If you have a 16-bit app you really need to run, I'd try running it in VirtualPC, which is free to download and use. To download Virtual PC, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx [From http://forums.microsoft.com/WindowsAcademic/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1213586&SiteID=8]

Note, however, that doing so requires that you also obtain and install a 32-bit version of Windows (see below for more details).

Various sites include reports of people who have tried this:

#2 (permalink) 08-04-2007 Synapse Syndrome Re: 16 Bit Program The best solution is install MS VirtualPC 2007, which is free, and then install Win9x/2000/XP on that and run it from there. It's a very neat solution to your problem. [From http://www.vistaheads.com/forums/microsoft-public-windows-vista-general/99150-16-bit-program.html]

More recently, we received this email from an NB user:

Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 9:08 AM To: technicalsupport@notabene.com Subject: Re: Vista Thank you so very much for your very quick response to my email, with your very thorough response. You were right. I have 64-bit Vista. If it is useful to you to know what I did, I can tell you that I did install the Virtual PC with an old version of XP (even a CD that was distributed as a restore CD for a new Dell, whereas my new computer is a HP). I got several error messages as I installed and tried to run NB, but after installing 8.0 from the CD, then putting 8.0ui on top of that, then copying the NBEditor from 5/10 that you had given me earlier, I was able to run NB and it appeared to work. It seemed slow, however, and did of course not take advantage of the full screen resolution of my new computer (my most important reason for buying this particular one). It is supposedly possible to connect the Virtual PC to the internet, but when I tried to follow the Windows help instructions I was not able to make that work. So I was not able to use Archiva. I then learned that my penscanner did not work and will never work on 64 bit and cannot be connected to the virtual PC, so I decided to order the retail version of Vista Home Premium (currently $85 with free shipping from Amazon) and install the 32 bit version. My computer has 3.75Mb RAM, so I did not think this would mean a dramatic loss of power. Thanks again for your excellent customer service.

We’ve included that cautionary note in the interest of full disclosure, but other NB users have reported much happier results:

I have another suggestion: run NB in a 32-bit virtual PC within the 64-bit system. You install a virtual PC (vpc) program in your computer, install a 32 bit OS in it (e.g. XP), and NB (and any other older apps) will run within the vpc. Installation is very simple. There are several VPC systems. Microsoft do one called Virtual PC; it's free. Another free one is called Virtual Box. I myself have gone for a paid one called VMWare Workstation, but that's sheer self-indulgence: unlike MS's VPC, it lets me enlarge the virtual window to the full size and resolution of my new 30" monitor. The MS one is currently limited to a resolution of 1620 x 1024. I don't know about Virtual Box, but I think the latest versions do support a resolution of 2650 x 1600. The downside of vpcs is that you have to install an operating system, which for NB users means buying a Windows disk. My new computer is 64 bit because I use Photoshop a lot - almost as much as I use NB. I have the virtual machine set to run at startup, minimized; and within it I have NB set to run at startup. So, after powering on, all I have to do to get NB is click the VMWare icon in my taskbar. Thereafter I can move between the virtual machine and the 64-bit host at will. I can copy and paste between them, too, and probably do other stuff that I don't know about yet. It beats dual booting!

Most Nota Bene users seem to be choosing the first option (and most are getting a no-cost solution). But even if you need to purchase a second copy of Vista, this may not be as expensive as you might have feared:

1. You may be able to get a discounted copy from the computer manufacturer which sold you the computer running 64-bit Vista
2. If you are an academic, you probably can purchase a 32-bit version of Vista from the campus bookstore or IT office at significant discounts
3. If you have an earlier version of Windows 2000 or XP that is no longer in use, you may be able to qualify for the upgrade price (currently less than $99 at Amazon), although you should probably check with Microsoft to be sure
Note: Although the upgrade sticker says that the upgrade package is “for users runnng Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, or Windows Vista only...” Microsoft claims that this does not include Vista 64-bit. We’re skeptical of this claim, but you should confirm that their sticker is accurate before relying on it.

We do hope that you'll find a way to keep on using NB in the interim. The truth is, we have some really exciting enhancements around the corner, which we are completely confident will bring you much more benefit to your everyday work than having 64-bit Vista will. We'll even be immodest and suggest that even if buying a separate copy of 32-bit Vista, and installing it, is the only way to use NB, you'll soon be glad you did (even after putting out some extra money).