What is Vista 32 bit vista 64 bit compatibility mode?

[Popoy]

Hi friends,

I have Vista Ultimate 64bit installed on my computer.
vista 32 bit compatibility mode
But I don't understand what is the compatibility mode? I have noticed that some of my application being 64bit still runs on 32 bit.
Please let me understand what's exactly happening?

[M. Rafi]

Compatibility mode is a feature in Vista that lets you run programs in Vista written for earlier versions of Windows. It is not a guarantee that it will work, but it may help the program run better or like normal.

64 bit is 40 to 60% faster BUT
i run a dual quad zeon with 64 bit interleaved 16 gig ram and 64 bit data to the cards and the drive controllers , and u329 scsi raid running server2008 as a workstation.

most laptops dont have the data paths to do true 64 bit throughout

64 bit lets me run virtual pc's and different os's at the same time
see free vmware

[Rahman Khan]

you need to choose the custom installation option... in any 64 bit version of windows, there are two program files folders...

one will read programs files(x86)

this is the one you need to install your 32bit programs in...

[Pugsly]

See all programs now can run on both mode.
If you have an old program then you must search for the patch file to run it on 64 bit.
Or else it will runs on 32 bit without any problem.
To configure the compatibility mode for an application, just locate the installation directory and right click on the .exe, selecting Properties from the menu. Select the Compatibility tab:
Probably the most useful setting to start off with would be to disable the visual themes and desktop composition, if you can't get things working. If you are trying to run a video game, you will often need to choose "Run this program as an administrator". You'll have to play around with it, but most likely you can get your application working this way.