I have a AMD64 bit machine..Was wondering whether it was possible to boot as 32 bit kernel on the same machine??
Thanks

Hi, and welcome to LQ!

Do you mean whether the CPU will process 32bit
intel opcodes or do you want to know whether it
can run two kernels in parallel? :)


Cheers,
Tink

I believe he just wants to know if he can run a 32bit kernel on his A64.
Yes, of course!
Otherwise, your 32Bit Win wouldn't work either.
A64s are downwards compatible with Ix86 programs/Operating Systems

Exactly as space_balls said..However I want to know if there is someway in which I can just have a 32 bit kernel and whenever i want can I switch back to 64 bit..
Something like a switch between 32 bit and 64 bit ..
Thanks for your replies.

I, too, have a laptop with a 64-bit processor (Compaq R3240US with AMD64 processor). Wifi is vital to me, and I'm told ndiswrapper (necessary for wifi to work with linux) won't work in 64-bit mode. Thus, I'm entertaining the thought of installing 32-bit linux instead of the 64-bit, at least until ndiswrapper (or something similar) can manage 64-bit mode.

My questions are:

1. Exactly what will I be sacrificing by using 32-bit linux vs. 64-bit on this machine?
2. How difficult would it be to upgrade to 64-bit later on?

-- Sky

You might sacrifice some performance on some apps depending on if they are written to take advantage of 64 bit or not (see http://www.anandtech.com/linux/showdoc.aspx?i=2213).

Upgrading is with most distros a pain anyway.Going from 32 to 64 bit is just about impossible without a reinstall.