Microsoft will sell you a 64bit OS for a 'nominal fee'...;) Vista comes in (at least) 5 flavors, so I'm sure you could have ordered the one you wanted with Dell.

That being said, are the apps 32-bit or 64-bit programs? If 32-bit, you might see a small performance increase, but the code is still written in 32-bit. If there's 64-bit code in your program, it would be worth the conversion. However, you'd probably have to buy 64-bit versions of the software, could get spendy.

Also, I think they meant turn on all the permissions, in that you want to allow the maximum amount of freedom for each action. Not having permissions for certain actions is why it's asking all the time for confirmation...

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)