Is it 32 or 64 bit Win XP?

One of the pesky things we sometimes encounter when installing patches or add-ons for Windows is needing to know if our version of Windows XP is either 32 or 64 bit!

(Click here, if you’re looking for which version of Win 7 you’re running.)

This can be maddening if you don’t know where to find this little snippet of information.

Fortunately, it’s easy to locate in the “System Properties” panel.

You can access the System Properties either from the “System” icon in the Control Panel – or – by clicking on Start, right-clicking on My Computer, and then clicking on “properties” in the drop-down menu.

Windows XP is a little vague with how they reveal this information.

If you see:

    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional Version [year] it means you’re running Windows XP 32-bit.
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Version [year] it means you’re running Windows XP 64-bit.

This lets you easily and quickly know whether you need a 32bit or 64-bit version of the addon/patch/program that you are intending to install.

(Many 32 bit applications will run on a 64 bit system but that is not always true and in the case of patches you must use the right one.)

Hope this helps!

image source: Screenshots by me, Windows is a trademark of Microsoft

Read more: Enabling Bitlocker on Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 bit