Sharepoint Designer for SP2010

I am bit confused as on this..

1. Which version of Share Point designer (32 or 64bit) do I need to use to work on SP 2010.

When I try to download the 64 bit , I see a message as "32 bit is recomended for most users ..".

2. I have installed SP 2010 on开发者_开发知识库 win 2008 R2 in virtual box. Is it mandatory for me to install Vs 2010 on same machine to develop web parts ...?? Can I install Vs 2010 in a different machine ..?? Which version of VS 2010(Express, Prof, Prem or Ult) is required ..??

1. Sharepoint 2010 can be installed on client machines with Windows 7 or Vista.
2. It is required for Sharepoint 2010 products that you are running x64 version of OS.
3. The development tools like VS and Sharepoint designer can be either 32bit or 64bit.

Microsoft recommends 32-bit for all the Office products, including SharePoint Designer included. I believe it's mostly to do with compatibility with other programs.

"The 32-bit version of Office 2010 is the recommended option for most people, because it prevents potential compatibility issues with other 32-bit applications, specifically third-party add-ins that are available only for 32-bit operating systems."

Taken from here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-designer-help/choose-the-32-bit-or-64-bit-version-of-microsoft-office-HA010369476.aspx

Which version of Share Point designer (32 or 64bit) do I need to use to work on SP 2010?

You can use both the 32-bit or the 64-bit version. But, it is recommended that you install the 32-bit version because the Office 2010 32-bit version is recommended. If you install the SharePoint Designer 2010 64-bit version than you cannot install the 32-bit version of Office 2010.

I have installed SP 2010 on win 2008 R2 in virtual box. Is it mandatory for me to install Vs 2010 on same machine to develop web parts ...?? Can I install Vs 2010 in a different machine ..?? Which version of VS 2010(Express, Prof, Prem or Ult) is required ..??

I have also installed SP 2010 on Win 2008 R2 in VBox. The SP installation is a standalone installation. I have also installed VS 2010 on the same VM. But, you could separate out the SP and VS 2010 installation on multiple VMs. The downside is you will need to have both VMs running at the same time (at least during your deployment to SP). You will need at least the professional edition of VS 2010.