>>>>I have noticed a lot more laptops and desktops that come preinstalled with 64bit Vista.
>>>>Why would a normal person want to buy a computer with 64bit Vista?
>>>>What are the benefits?
>>>
>>>http://www.google.com/search?q=vista+64+bit+benefits
>>
>>Just yesterday I foundout that I can't install Quicken 2007 on my Ultimate 64 Acer Aspire laptop. Apparently it is not able to run even the Quicken 2009 version... so if you have any software thaqtn you NEED to run, make sure it is compatible before you take the plunge.
>
>They probably can't get their copy protection/DRM to work :-/
>
>I don't run Vista... does it have the capability to run a program while emulating another OS? e.g. run the Quicken setup program while pretending to be, say, XP?

There are compatibility settings that supposedly allow compatibility with older (better) OS's, but I haven't seen them make a difference yet.

>
>Another option might be to run a hypervisor on Vista64 and install a 32-bit OS on that.

That is the most reliable solution. Use Virtual PC or Virtual Server (both are free IIRC) and build an XP VM (you'll need a license for that). We get around a lot ov Vista issues that way.