There are no releases or nightly builds of 64 bit Firefox for Windows from Mozilla as the earliest release to likely have 64-bit versions is Firefox 4.0. There’s currently no official build of Firefox for 64-bit Windows as stated in a Mozilla support forum: Can I run Firefox in 64-bit mode on Vista 64? We are looking at adding native 64-bit support in the future though. This is mostly because other browser plug-ins (and most browsers) don’t support 64-bit yet. Right now our plan is to run SL in 32-bit mode (and not have a 64-bit native version). Microsoft is also putting off 64-bit support in Silverlight until other 64-bit extensions are available: That’s a non-starter for many web users and the reason why 32-bit IE is the default on Vista 64-bit. Without the Flash player, you can’t use sites like YouTube or BBC iPlayer. We expect to provide native support for 64-bit platforms in an upcoming release of Flash Player following Flash Player 10. However, you can run Flash Player in a 32-bit browser running on a 64-bit operating system.Īdobe is working on Flash Player support for 64-bit platforms as part of our ongoing commitment to the cross-platform compatibility of Flash Player. Here’s what Adobe says about 64-bit support:Īdobe Flash Player is not supported for playback in a 64-bit browser. Microsoft has done this because the 64-bit version of IE can only load 64-bit browser extensions and most extensions, such as the Adobe Flash player, are only available in 32-bit. Why does IE run in 32-bit mode by default on Vista 64-bit?Ĭlicking on the launch bar IE icon in Vista 64-bit starts the 32-bit version of IE:Ī 64-bit version of IE is available but you have to explicitly select it from the Start menu: This screen shot shows a 32-bit process called page_check running on Vista 64-bit: If there’s no ‘*32′ after the name then it is running in 64-bit mode.
The Task Manager on Vista 64-bit shows 32-bit tasks with a ‘*32′ after the process name. How can I tell if a program is running in 32-bit or 64-bit mode? In this post we wanted to answer some of the questions you may have about Windows Vista 64-bit and the effect it has on the use of Firefox, HttpWatch and Internet Explorer (IE). To an ordinary Windows user, there are few noticeable differences from the 32-bit version because it can run both 32-bit and 64-bit programs. The 64-bit version of Windows Vista is becoming increasing popular due to its ability to access more than 4 GB of physical memory. In Automation, C#, Firefox, HttpWatch, Internet Explorer, Javascript Windows 10 users also have the option of the Edge browser.Using Firefox, HttpWatch and Internet Explorer on Vista 64-bit
You can install and run the latest version of Chrome or Firefox as an alternative browser - although Chrome is no longer an option for Vista users, so Firefox is the only Vista choice. No matter which operating system you use, you’re not limited to Internet Explorer only, of course.
If you're still running Windows XP, it isn't secure to access the internet, no matter which browser you use - you must update your operating system. If you use Windows XP, the operating system itself is no longer supported by Microsoft. You will need to install an alternative web browser (see below) in order to access the internet safely using Windows Vista. Unfortunately, the latest version of Internet Explorer isn’t compatible with Windows Vista, which can’t go beyond version 9.
However, for the time being, the Edge browser is only available for Windows 10 users. Microsoft has released a new web browser, named Edge. If you run Windows 7, 8 or 10, you can update to the latest version of Internet Explorer, version 11. If you use Internet Explorer 8, 9 or 10, you must upgrade to a newer browser. These include vital updates to ensure the web browser is secure to use. Microsoft announced in January 2016 that it will no longer support versions 8, 9 or 10 of Internet Explorer with necessary updates.