Windows 7 comes in both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) editions. Let me state the obvious - you must have 64-bit hardware in order to install the 64-bit edition. It is also possible to install the 32-bit edition on 64-bit hardware. The biggest benefit of using a 64-bit edition over a 32-bit edition is RAM (random access memory). With a 32-bit system, you're limited to addressing and using no more than 4 GB of RAM. But even that is limited. Because of the way that RAM is addressed and used in Windows operating systems, only about 3.3 GB of RAM is actually available when 4 GB is installed; the rest of the RAM is unused because of how address space is reserved.
However, Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate all support as much as 192 GB of RAM on 64-bit systems. This gives you enough RAM to support multiple virtual environments hosted on a single system and also to support even the most demanding applications. Years ago, many applications didn't run effectively on 64-bit editions of Windows because of various compatibility issues. However, the era of 64-bit systems has arrived. Many programs have both 32-bit and 64-bit versions, and those that don't have a separate 64-bit edition usually work on a 64-bit system without any problems.
AppLocker is a new feature in Windows 7 that can be used to control what software is allowed to run on individual computers using either Local Security Policy (nondomain computer) or Group Policy in Active Directory. It can be used to restrict unauthorized software from running on systems. Although software restriction policies existed in previous versions of Windows, AppLocker provides improvements that solve many of the problems with these software restriction policies. A software restriction policy could be used to prevent an application from running. However, when some applications were updated, the software restriction policy no longer recognized the application and no longer restricted the application. AppLocker uses a rule-based structure that an administrator can build to ensure that the policy doesn't need to be rewritten each time an application is updated.
BitLocker Drive Encryption allows you to protect entire drives by encrypting them. This can be especially useful on disks in mobile computers when the data needs to be protected. When BitLocker is implemented, the entire drive is encrypted. It can be configured to unlock the drive automatically after the system verifies the drive is in the same computer or configured so that users enter a passphrase to unlock access to the drive. The BitLocker to Go feature is new to Windows 7. BitLocker to Go can be used to encrypt and lock removable drives, including USB flash drives.
BranchCache is useful for clients in remote offices that access data over virtual private network (VPN) links. When data is stored on a Windows Server 2008 R2 server at the main office and BranchCache has been enabled, users in the remote office are able to store a cached copy of the data on their local computers. This is similar to Offline Folders, which has been available for many versions of Windows, but has a distinct difference. Data cached on one Windows 7 computer can now be shared with other Windows 7 users.
Consider several users connected in a remote office over a very slow 56KB wide area network (WAN) link to the corporate office. Linda and Tom are users in the remote office, and their computers are connected to each other using 100MB network interface cards (NICs). Linda downloads an 8MB file from a Windows Server 2008 R2 server. Later, Tom wants to view the file and tries to access it from the same Windows Server 2008 R2 server. BranchCache verifies that Tom has permission to access the file, recognizes that the file is cached on Linda's computer, and recognizes that Linda's version is the most recent version. BranchCache then redirects Tom's computer to retrieve the file from Linda's computer instead of over the slow WAN link. Users in remote offices can experience much greater speed when accessing commonly used files over the WAN link. However, only Windows 7 computers can take advantage of BranchCache.
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09132010
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