Windows 7 Need semi-urgent help: Upgrading my 32 bit OS to 64 bit

DavidTheWin

New Member
Last Thursday I tried removing my Ubuntu partition on my hard drive (I gave the partition 200 out of 500gb rather foolishly and I wanted the space back instead of buying a new hard drive), but failed to reconfigure the boot loader correctly. I ended up with a 500gb drive with about 200gb of stuff on it that I wanted to keep that wouldn't boot (error message 0xc000000f). Because it is a store bought computer, I didn't get the Windows 7 installation disk so I couldn't do anything to fix it just then (which is probably a virtue). I spoke to some people at a computer repair store that I'd done some work experience with. They told me I'd be better off buying a new hard drive, installing Windows 7 on it, backing up everything I wanted to (near enough all 200gb) then formatting my old hard drive. I decided to do this since I wanted a new hard drive anyway, and they gave me a Windows 7 installation disk with it. The old drive had Home Premium 64 bit, but after installing on the new drive I realised I had installed a 32 bit version of Home Premium which my 64bit product key isn't valid for. I have tried to repair the BCD on the old drive using the disk and although it did find the Windows 7 installation, it wouldn't add it to the boot list because of something to do with not being able to find the correct device.

The final situation is as such:
Old drive: 64 bit Home Premium, won't boot, 200gb of data that I would like to keep
New drive: 32 bit Home Premium, product key won't work for it and I'd like to utilise my entire 4gb of RAM and the other benefits of a 64 bit system, back up of the original 200gb of data.

What seemed to be the best way to approach it would be to do a clean install of 64 bit Home Premium on my new drive which should be valid for my product key, then re-backup all the data on my old drive then format the old drive. I'd end up with:
Old drive: Freshly formatted
New drive: 64 bit Home Premium, valid key, booting, 200gb of original data

I don't remember seeing an option to install 32 or 64 bit during the installation, and I've watched the tutorial from this forum on youtube and didn't see it there. So finally (thanks for sticking through to the end), my questions are as follows:

Is there a different installation disk for each of the 32 bit and 64 bit versions?
If not, is it possible that the guys at the computer repair store just burned the 32 bit section rather than the 64 bit section?
What can I do to obtain a legal copy of 64 bit Home Premium ASAP (university application deadlines loom, and I don't want to rely entirely on college computers)?
Will my product key from my old installation still work on this new installation once I install the 64 bit version?

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)
 
You can get the legit iso from here (direct link to iso) Just install it with the key supplied with your machine :) To burn it right click the file and select burn image to disc.
 
As far as I'm aware, when you purchase a Windows 7 (insert version here) retail, you get two discs. A 32bit and a 64bit, but ony one registration key that works for either, but not both (i.e. separate PC's) at the same time.

Your options seem to be:

  • Buy Discs
  • Return to the shop with the 32bit disc and ask them nicely to exchange it for a 64bit disc, swearing blind that at the time of purchasing the hdd, you really did specify 64bit :).
  • Wait the day for the download.
Sadly, we can't do anything about your internet speed. If we could, we'd be called VeganMedia, TalcTalc, Bleubrand, or something like that! :)

Personally, I'd wait the day for the download. You then have the satisfaction of knowing it is a genuine copy and not from a dubious source (not that I'm saying the shop would give you a dubious copy).
 
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Ok, downloaded the .iso, and of course the nearest shop that sells DVD-R disks is shut. Going to have to wait until tomorrow. This is the correct iso right?
 
Happy Birthday. Burn the iso to DVD by clicking and choosing Burn image to disk. This will give you an installation DVD that works just as well as an original DVD from MS as it is an officially reconized MS download. Your original key should work. Remember (I believe this was already mentioned) your key is only good for one installation, either x86 or x64, not both. If you are installing over your original x86 installation you will have no problems. If you are trying to install a second copy you will have a problem.
 
Ok, so I got a disk from the guys at the shop because I couldn't buy any disks yet anyway. They gave me 64 bit Professional not home premium -.- Going to go buy some disks now. I was going to install the x64 onto my new drive, with the original product key still active on my old one. I heard it doesn't matter so long as they both aren't booted at once? Would it matter if I used it to activate on the new drive, then uninstalled it from my old drive straight away without booting it?
 
It does indeed matter if you wish to activate your installation. Otherwise you will only have 30 days before the new OS becomes crippled automatically.

You can only activate EITHER a 32 Bit OR a 64 Bit. What you are talking about doing (installing both 32 Bit and 64 Bit) goes against the EULA and it WILL NOT activate. You have to replace the 32 Bit with the 64 Bit OS. Since you already activated the 32 Bit OS, the key is in the system as a 32 Bit system. You must Custom (Clean) install the 64 Bit.

If you pull the original drive, then install the OS on the new drive, it might activate, but you might have to call MS for assistance with the activation.
 
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Well, now I have both drives with 64 bit Home Premium installed, but the new one doesn't have a valid product key. However, when I installed the 32 bit version, the key didn't activate then so it should still be a 64 bit key right? It's saying it isn't valid nowon the 64 bit upgrade, but I'm assuming that's because I still have the old 64 bit registered.

EDIT: It worked! Just tried retyping it, must have made a typing error at some point. Windows activated, all my programs sorted, time to format the old drive. Thanks very much for all the help guys <3
 
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