SQOTD: 32 vs 64 Bit?

From now on I'm going to title my Support Question Of The Day posts with the abbreviation SQOTD. Yes, I know its poor form to include the "of" and the "the" in the abbreviation, but I don't care. I need to pronounce this as "squatted."

Louisa,
Can you get back to me right away on this? Our client had asked if they can install Autocad 2008 on a 64-bit machine, and we responded stating it would be available in a 64 bit version. Do we need to let him know that Autocad Map 2008 is an exception to this, and not available in 64 bit?
Thanks!
Vicki


Hi Vicki -

Autodesk's 2008 suite of products are both Windows XP and Windows Vista compatible. However, Windows XP and Windows Vista come in both 32 and 62 bit versions. The version of Windows can be determined by viewing the properties of "My Computer". Since 64 bit technology is still new, it is most likely that users are running 32 bit.

I strongly recommend sticking with 32 bit versions of Windows for at least the next year.

Base Autocad does have both a 32 and 64 bit versions. When installing "vanilla" Autocad, the install program automatically determines your Windows type and installs the appropriate version. No user interaction is required.

Other versions of Autodesk software will only install on the 32 bit versions of Windows. Map 3D 2008, Civil 3D 2008, and Autocad Architecture 2008 will only work on 32 bit operating systems. The installation program will check what version of Windows is running. If 64 bit is found, the install program will abort.

Here is a great little chart to help you out:
http://www.cadforum.cz/cadforum_en/qaID.asp?tip=5536
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Ok, as an addendum to this...
Yes, there are hacks to force products to install on 64 bit machines. They are bad, BAD, BAD, BAD! Take my advice, don't do it. Don't make me drive out in a diaper to slap you.