Well, I finally did it. I moved full-time to Windows Vista 64-bit. It was something I had wanted to try for a while now, however, I was reluctant to make the move since it would require disturbing my well-tuned Vista 32-bit configuration (one I hadn't fully reinstalled since the first RTM code drop in November of last year). Still, those extra 30 odd bits kept calling to me, so when the opportunity finally prese Well, I finally did it. I moved full-time to Windows Vista 64-bit. It was something I had wanted to try for a while now, however, I was reluctant to make the move since it would require disturbing my well-tuned Vista 32-bit configuration (one I hadn’t fully reinstalled since the first RTM code drop in November of last year).Still, those extra 30 odd bits kept calling to me, so when the opportunity finally presented itself – in the form of a brand new replacement system (see my infamous Dell repair experience for some background) – I decided to make the leap. After all, with my existing hard disk intact I could jump in with both feet, safe in the knowledge that I could jump right back out again with a simple swap of the drive cartridge.So far, the water seems fine. In fact, my first 24 hours have been blissfully uneventful. Most of my devices were supported directly by the default Vista image, including my wireless card (which was always a chore to get working under Windows XP). The few exceptions – for example, the onboard Ricoh SD card reader on my XPS M1710 – were quickly resolved by a download from the Dell support web site. In fact, the only real issue – and this was a minor one – involved my notebook’s video adapter. I wanted to install one of the newer BETA drivers from nVidia (the stock Vista drivers are stable but slow), however, my usual tweaks to the installation INF file (to get it to recognize my mobile nVidia card) failed and I had to scrounge around for a properly “hacked” version.Note: Kudos to https://www.laptopvideo2go.com! Truly an invaluable resource!I’m sure I’ll run into more issues as I spend time on the platform (though I’m predicting they’ll be of the minor/annoying variety), however, my initial impression is quite positive. Of course, I could comment that the new 64-bit install “feels” snappier than my old 32-bit configuration, but since I don’t have time to confirm this properly I’ll simply chock it up to the infamous “clean install” phenomena (or to a change of hard disk – the Travelstar 7K100 drive is a real speed demon). Next up is moving all my development tools and data over to the new configuration. These include two versions of Visual Studio (6.0 and 2005), SQL Server 2005, VMware Workstation 6.0 and a host of custom DLLs and other projects that may or may not make the transition as smoothly (hence the need for VMware). Should be interesting…stay tuned! Software DevelopmentSmall and Medium Business