Microsoft unwraps Windows XP 64-bit beta
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Microsoft on Tuesday released the beta for its 64-bit version of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 for Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s (AMD's) forthcoming Opteron and Athlon64 processors. Beta availability of the 64-bit desktop operating system was designed to compliment AMD's launch of its long-awaited Athlon64 processor (AMD64) in San Francisco. Operating system support from Microsoft is seen within the industry as a key component for the success of AMD's 64-bit chip.
The Athlon64 can run both 64-bit and 32-bit applications on a PC with a 64-bit operating system, and with the Microsoft's Windows on Windows 64 (WOW64) emulation technology, customers can run current 32-bit applications on the 64-bit operating system all without a reduction in performance speeds, the company said in a statement.