Hello, Does anyone know if old Corel Draw 8 will run on Windows XP 64 bit instead of Windows XP 32 bit? I've been running CD9 for years on my WinXP with 32 bit. I use XP for my artwork. I have the opportunity to buy a new computer with XP 64 bit pre-loaded, but I don't want to buy it if old CD8 will not run on it. Basically I'm really excited t find out you can still purchase NEW Itel computers from some companies that come with XP installed. Thanks in advance, Breezie
If I remember right version 8 was only 32 bit, but in any case the 32bit version should work fine on the 64 bit version of XP, you just can't take advantage of any of the things the 64 bit OS has to offer. I would be more concerned about any special drivers you are using. There never was a ton of support for them in XP 64.
Hello Steve,
Thank you for your speedy answer. First of all, I made a typo in my original post; it should be Corel Draw 8 and NOT 9. Steve, the new XP computer is going to cost me over $800, so I want to make sure when it gets here, it will run, save, import, export, and print Corel Draw 8. My old XP (hard drive died last week) had XP, 32 bit, with Service Pk 2, and it ran ALL of my art programs. I'm an Artist, and none of my old reliable art software will run on my Windows 7 Pro. Windows XP is a dream in my opinion.
From my limited knowledge and research, I understand the 64 bit is supposed to be a faster, better OS, plus you can have more than 4MB of ram. As far as the drivers are concerned, I'm clueless because all of that will come pre-installed. What do you mean by, ' you just can't take advantage of any of the things the 64 bit OS has to offer.' I'm not that computer savvy, so I need all the help I can get.
Basically, I want to make sure CD8 will run on the 64 bit so I can get 8 MB of ram instead of 4MB so the machine will run more efficiently. I'm having to order it from across the US, so I don't want to have to ship it back.
Should I just stay with the 32bit? Is the difference in the OS worth the chance? Is the difference in the ram worth the chance? I need to order the computer today because I can't do any artwork until it arrives, of course, I don't have any orders this close to Christmas, so that's to my advantage.
Again, thank you Steve.
Regards,
Breezie
Breezie,
I like to make few comments about your situation and your plans.
First, let's address your old computer. Were you happy with its performance (for what you were using it)? I'm asking because throwing the entire computer out just because the hard drive died seems very drastic and wasteful. A hard drive can be replaced very easily and inexpensively. I suspect that you had a backup of at least your graphic artwork. Assuming that you did not have a full backup of your hard drive (most people do not), you should have the Windows XP installation CD and the product code/activation key. If you do not have that, you can find lots of XP install CDs (including the valid activation code) for sale on eBay (and probably on Amazon too). So, you could simply do a fresh install of Win XP on a new hard drive on your old computer.
If you don't feel comfortable doing that, you should be able to find a local computer repair shop or similar service where someone could reinstall Windows for you for a small fee. That would sure be cheaper than having a "new" computer shipped across the country to you from some unknown source.
As far as 64-bit version of Windows XP goes, I would stay with the 32-bit. Why? It sounds like you are using old programs (Corel 8 was written for Win 95 32-bit operating system). It will run in 32-bit mode not utilizing any of the 64-bit functionality. Same with the 8GB of memory (you wrote 8 Megabytes but I assume you meant 8 Gigabytes - that is a huge difference). Even if Corel is able to access all that memory, I doubt that any of your artwork will need any more than half a Gigabyte. Computer companies got us all lusting for maximum amount of memory in our computers, even if most of it goes unused They just want us to buy more hardware.
Just to give you some insight to what I do, I also have some ancient hardware still running. I have an Alps MicroDry printer that I use for printing water-slide decals. It is hooked up to a desktop computer I bought in 2005! It runs Win 98SE because that is the optimal OS for that printer. I also have Corel 10 installed on it and that is what I use for designing my decal artwork. I have 1GB of memory in it (and it took some doing to get Win 98SE to recognize a full Gigabyte). I have not ever had a problem running of of memory.
Yes, the hard drive in that machine died few years ago, I replaced it and restored it from a full backup which I run regularly. So, as you can see, there is still hope for running really old computer hardware and software.
Just a bit of warning: I do not use that computer to go on the Interned. It is on my local home network thought, so I can transfer files to it from my Win 7 computer I use for my normal day-to-day computing.
So my recommendation is to fix (or have fixed) your old computer and save some money and possible headache of getting a new computer.
Hello Peteski,
Thank you for your reply and valuable information. I'll address each of your questions:
#1 Yes, I was happy with the performance of my old computer, but besides being 9 years old, the hard drive was shot, the CD/DVD was not working, and the on/off button would get stuck, thus not turn-on the computer unless I jiggled the wires on the inside leading to the button.
#2 Like a used car, I preferred to buy a new one rather than to put money into a 9 year old with several existing problems. Yes, I have the Windows XP installation CD and the product code/activation key, but prefer to have a new computer.
#3 There is a 5-Star company in CA who makes brand new XP machines. Actually they will build you a new computer with ANY OS. They make their own Motherboards, and don't rely on NOS. I've already ordered one with Win XP in 32 bit. It will be my 'art' computer, and my other computer with Windows 7 Pro is what I'll use for surfing the net.
#4 Yes I typed 8 Megabytes but meant 8 Gigabytes.
Again, thank you. I appreciate you taking your time to answer.