There is absolutely no reason to get a 32-bit OS these days. By all means, get the 64-bit OS.
-Wolf sends
I say while normally there is not a reason my parents have a telescope for stargazing and none of the software for their hardware for it have 64bit drivers as it was all made for xp and took registry tweaks to make work on windows 7 32bit and you are not going to throw out a very expensive telescope! It most likely cost more than the computer. He has special software for it that stacks images taking the best ones and puts them together to make a more clear image. But yeah if hardware is 64bit that is the best thing for the computer.
There is absolutely no reason to get a 32-bit OS these days. By all means, get the 64-bit OS.
-Wolf sends
I say while normally there is not a reason my parents have a telescope for stargazing and none of the software for their hardware for it have 64bit drivers as it was all made for xp and took registry tweaks to make work on windows 7 32bit and you are not going to throw out a very expensive telescope! It most likely cost more than the computer. He has special software for it that stacks images taking the best ones and puts them together to make a more clear image. But yeah if hardware is 64bit that is the best thing for the computer.
In your case, I would have recommended running Windows XP in a virtual machine on Windows 7 64-bit.