Compare Standard 7 32-bit and 64-bit (Standard 7 SP1)
7/8/2014
The release of Windows Embedded Standard 7 gives you the ability to create images based on either the 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Windows 7.
To install the 64-bit version of Standard 7 on your device, your device must have a CPU that's capable of running a 64-bit OS. If your device is not capable of running a 64-bit OS, you must install the 32-bit version.
If your device can handle a 64-bit OS, then you can install either the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version of Standard 7. You may want to install the 64-bit version if your device has large amounts of RAM (typically greater than 4 GB), or if your device must run 64-bit applications. Since the 32-bit version of Standard 7 takes less space on your hard drive, you may prefer to install the 32-bit version if your device has limited memory or hard drive space.
For more information about 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7, see 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions.
Overview
The following table provides a brief description of the differences between images created on 32-bit versions and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7.
Feature area |
Windows Embedded Standard 7, 32-bit version |
Windows Embedded Standard 7, 64-bit version |
|---|---|---|
Image size |
The size of a 32-bit image created in Standard 7 is smaller than the size of a 64-bit image. |
The size of a 64-bit image created in Standard 7 is approximately 60 percent larger than the size of a 32-bit image created in Standard 7. |
Message-Box Default Reply package For more information on using dialog-box filters, see Message Box Default Reply (Standard 7) |
Works as expected on 32-bit version images. |
Is not supported on 64-bit version images. |
Driver signing For more information on driver signing in 64-bit versions of Windows operating systems, see this Driver Signing Requirements for Windows Web site. |
Driver signing is optional on 32-bit version images. |
Driver signing is required on 64-bit version images. |
File-Based Write Filter (FBWF) For more information on FBWF, go to File-Based Write Filter (FBWF) |
The maximum overlay cache size for 32-bit images is 1 GB. |
The maximum overlay cache size for 64-bit images is unlimited. |
32-bit applications |
32-bit images and systems can run 32-bit applications. |
64-bit images and systems use WoW64 to run 32-bit applications. For more information on WoW64, see this MSDN article. |
64-bit applications |
32-bit images and systems cannot run 64-bit applications. |
64-bit images and systems can run 64-bit applications. |
RAM resources |
32-bit images created in Standard 7 use less RAM than 64-bit images. |
64-bit images created in Standard 7 use more RAM than 32-bit images. |