32 or 64 Bit

Can someone explain to me in laymans terms the difference between the 32 bit and 64 bit?

Well firstly, it will depend on whether your machine has an x386 processor or descendant which is 32-bit - if you have an x86-64 bit processor then you are better with a 64-bit OS - but this is not always the case. Before you decide which OS you want to choose and you have a 64-bit processor, are there 64-bit drivers for your peripheral equipment?

Basically a 32-bit processor calculates 32-bits of data per second - 64 is double that so the faster the processor the quicker it will process data and 64-bits processes 2 x 32 bits at the same time - spreading the processing load!

I am sure there will be better answers!

How do I find out which processor I have?

If you ensure you have a 'POST' screen running at boot it should tell you at the top of the screen - if you see something like 'AMD 64-bit' you know you have a 64-bit processor - can't remember what comes up on 32-bit!

"Method 2: View the System Information window
Click Start, and then click Run.
Type winmsd.exe, and then click OK.
When System Summary is selected in the navigation pane, locate Processor under Item in the details pane. Note the value.
If the value that corresponds to Processor starts with x86, the computer is running a 32-bit version of Windows.
If the value that corresponds to Processor starts with IA-64 or AMD64, the computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows."

Taken from: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827218

I have already installed 32 bit Zorin 8. Didn't know if I could install the 64 bit one to get better performance? So, how do I find which processor I have in the Zorin operating system?

Hi, Go to Menu | System Tools | System Settings and select 'Details' from the bottom row:

Thank you. I see I only have a 32 bit processor so I got lucky and installed the right system!

Now... I have an external hard drive that has around 500 GB. Keep in mind, we (USA) were taught in school that no question is a dumb question, no matter how stupid it sounds. (I added the last part) Can you run an operating system from this?

Yes you can but you would need to make sure that you had it attached to the machine it is going to boot off and GRUB needs to be on the external drive if you want to make it a fully portable system. I will try and find madvinegars guide - or you could try a search for 'install to external drive' and search for 'madvinegar' - as you can see my fingers are blistering already!

Thank you Swarfendor437. (The name does not sound English to me!)

You have been a great help.

Hi,

with newer versions of Ubuntu, you can safely install a 32 bit OS on a 64 bit system no problem:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EnablingPAE

I prefer 32 bit over 64 even though I have a 64 bit PC!.

Regards Wolfman