Sibelius and 64-bit
What is 64-bit computing?
64-bit computing makes it possible for applications to address much larger amounts of memory (RAM) than previous applications. This provides benefits for certain kinds of memory-intensive applications, such as graphics editing programs (where very large, high-resolution pictures need to be held in memory) and audio applications (where very large, high-quality sound samples need to be held in memory).
Most currently available applications and operating systems are 32-bit. 32-bit applications can address up to around 3GB RAM. 64-bit operating systems and applications can address an effectively unlimited amount of RAM (the theoretical limit is 16.8 million terabytes!).
To run 64-bit applications, you must run a 64-bit operating system, and you must have a 64-bit capable processor. The most commonly available 64-bit capable processor is the Intel Core 2 Duo series of processors (the Intel Core Duo series is not 64-bit capable).
All Microsoft Windows operating systems since Windows XP Professional, including Windows Vista and 7, are available as 64-bit versions. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is 64-bit capable, but few 64-bit applications are currently available for Leopard.
Recent versions of Mac OS X, including Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, are fully 64-bit capable (and automatically run as a 64-bit operating system if your Mac supports it). Windows 7, is be available both in 32-bit and 64-bit editions.
Can my computer run 64-bit applications?
Your computer can run 64-bit applications if you are already running a 64-bit operating system, or if your computer has a 64-bit capable processor.
If you are currently running Windows Vista, you can find out whether your computer is 64-bit capable as follows:
- Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Performance Information and Tools.
- Click View and print details.
- In the System section, you can see what type of operating system you're currently running under System type, and, under 64-bit capable, whether you can run a 64-bit version of Windows. (If your computer is already running a 64-bit version of Windows, you won't see the 64-bit capable listing.)
If you are using a Mac, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. If the Processor type says Core 2 Duo or Xeon, your Mac is 64-bit capable.
Is Sibelius a 64-bit application?
Yes, Sibelius 7 is a fully native 64-bit application.
All previous versions of Sibelius, up to and including Sibelius 6, Sibelius 6 Student and Sibelius 6 First, are 32-bit applications on both Windows and Mac OS X.
Can I run Sibelius on 64-bit Windows?
Sibelius 6 and later, Sibelius 6 Student and Sibelius 6 First are all officially supported on both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Microsoft Windows 7, and on Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Sibelius 7 is additionally officially supported on Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.
On Windows 7 64-bit, Sibelius 6 is a Large Address Aware (LAA) application, allowing it to access up to 4GB RAM (twice as much as is possible on older, 32-bit versions of Windows.)
Sibelius 6 is not officially supported on Windows XP 64-bit or Windows Vista 64-bit. Our technical support team are unable to provide any support for users encountering problems running Sibelius 6 (or earlier versions) on these operating systems. However, many users have found that Sibelius 6 (and earlier versions) install and run without problems on Windows XP 64-bit and Windows Vista 64-bit. If you encounter any problems running Sibelius, you may be able to find an answer from a fellow user via the Sibelius forum. (This forum is open for all visitors to read, but only registered Sibelius users can post messages.)
For more information about running Sibelius on these operating systems, see:
