Wouldn't a 128-bit OS provide double the security?
By the way: What's an "OS," and how can I tell how many "bits" mine has?
Regards,
:-) There are no consumer OSes that are 128-bit, nor are there processors that would support that structure at this time.
“OS” stands for “Operating System.” It is the environment that your programs are hosted within. For most computers bought today, that is Microsoft Windows (you pick the version). If you buy an Apple, it is OS X. If you so desire, other operating systems can be put on together with, or replacing, a prior operating system. Such operating systems are Linux, OpenBSD, BeOS, or even DOS. The choice of OS invariably limits the programs you can use, as an Apple program can’t run on Windows in any normal way.
The “bits” refers first to the number of address lines available for referencing, with more giving you a greater opportunity to host much more memory within a computer. That said, for most people today, the standard 32-bit environment works fine, giving most OSes 4 GB of RAM for running programs.
In practice, processors with 64-bits have other better functions available to them, as well. This includes special abilities to protect executing software and data segments, commands to greatly speed up encryption, matrix, or graphics processing, etc. that also allow these processors to make some things function faster (along with being able to grab 64-bits of data at once rather than 32-bits requiring two cycles, for instance).
In Windows, you will know your version is 32-bit or 64-bit by going into your Control Panel and clicking on System. That first screen will tell you if your OS is 32-bit or 64-bit. It also tells you your processor, and this can be used to generally tell you if your hardware could support a true 64-bit OS if you are currently running a 32-bit OS. However, to be truly sure, you need to make sure your motherboard was built for a 64-bit OS, which may require you to look at the manual or call the manufacturer (some systems have a 64-bit processor but didn’t fully implement a 64-bit structure throughout the system).
One last thing. A 64-bit computer can natively run a 32-bit OS just fine, or it can run a 64-bit OS. However, a 32-bit computer cannot run a 64-bit OS.