Windows 7 wndows 7 64bit upgrade dilemna (noobie be kind) :)

[Peter]

Hi guys, i have just signed up to the forums and a lil new to this so be patient

i have hada search before asking this question but havent been able to find an answer.

i recently bought a pc which came with a windows 7 upgrade. now i have windows vista ultimate 32bit, i have been to microsoft to preorder my windows 7 ultimate but the code is for a 64bit . when i come to upgrade will this cause conflicts? or will it just over write the previous 32 bit version? or is it possible to do a fresh install and by pass any possible conflicts? im not sure what this upgrade option actually means is it a windows program that works in conjuntion with the previous version you have on the computer or is it a stand alone windows thats just called an upgrade but you dont actually need a previous windows system on your pc. any help would be appreciated because if an upgrade from 32 to 64 wont work i need to contact microsoft to see if they can change my order.

again i apologise if this has been asked already but was unable to find it.

regards
Peter

 

[Highwayman]

I believe you do indeed require 32bit edition to upgrade from 32bit Vista....although I've also read that they intend to ship 32/64 on same disc so need someone further up the food chain to correct me....as for fresh install if you got a 64bit capable cpu then that is a better option.

 

[gavin19]

You can only upgrade from like to like, so 32 to 64bit is out. Similarly you can only go Home > Home, Ultimate > Ultimate etc. Hopefully you didn't order the upgrade but rather the full version!

Edit : Looks like you will need to change your order after all.

 

[bobkn]

Hi guys, i have just signed up to the forums and a lil new to this so be patient

i have hada search before asking this question but havent been able to find an answer.

i recently bought a pc which came with a windows 7 upgrade. now i have windows vista ultimate 32bit, i have been to microsoft to preorder my windows 7 ultimate but the code is for a 64bit . when i come to upgrade will this cause conflicts? or will it just over write the previous 32 bit version? or is it possible to do a fresh install and by pass any possible conflicts? im not sure what this upgrade option actually means is it a windows program that works in conjuntion with the previous version you have on the computer or is it a stand alone windows thats just called an upgrade but you dont actually need a previous windows system on your pc. any help would be appreciated because if an upgrade from 32 to 64 wont work i need to contact microsoft to see if they can change my order.

again i apologise if this has been asked already but was unable to find it.

regards
Peter

A retail upgrade license can be used in two ways: as an upgrade-in-place that preserves applications and settings, and a custom install that completely replaces the old OS.

You can't do an upgrade-in-place from a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit one. A custom install is the only option. One problem with that is you'd lose any pre-installed software that came with the PC. There's no way that I know of to transfer applications from the old OS to the new.

I'm not sure what the deal is with an upgrade version used to fulfil a coupon acquired with a new system. The retail version is supposed to include both 32 and 64 bit media.

 

[rock_doctor]

The disc will have both the 32 and 64 bit versions. That is why there are only choice between levels of Win 7 not bit versions. You can do an upgrade from 32bit to a 64bit version but it is a little tricky. Keep searching around and you should find the directions. You will have to do a complete clean install so you will loose all of the currently installed programs that came with the computer. If you have 4gigs of memory or more then you definatelly want to go to the 64bit version. From what i remember you open the upgrade disc in windows and choose custom install (or something like that) then you have to hold down a special key sequency during initial booting to force the 64bit kernal to load. That is what you need to find out. Good luck.

 

[gavin19]

The disc will have both the 32 and 64 bit versions. That is why there are only choice between levels of Win 7 not bit versions. You can do an upgrade from 32bit to a 64bit version but it is a little tricky. Keep searching around and you should find the directions. You will have to do a complete clean install so you will loose all of the currently installed programs that came with the computer. If you have 4gigs of memory or more then you definatelly want to go to the 64bit version. From what i remember you open the upgrade disc in windows and choose custom install (or something like that) then you have to hold down a special key sequency during initial booting to force the 64bit kernal to load. That is what you need to find out. Good luck.

The 32bit and 64bit versions could not fit on a single layer DVD. The reason you only see a choice between levels is that all similar versions can co-exist on one disc, but not 32/64bit. Maybe it is possible to force a 32>64bit install but I have never seen any evidence of it, I could be wrong though

 

[Highwayman]

Why would microsoft not use a dual layer dvd anyways? they not expensive

 

[rock_doctor]

Both the 32 and 64bit versions are on the same disk. So it is not an issue.

 

[Peter]

thanks for the reply's guys. i currently have a quad core 3ghz with 4gig ram ddr3 so i would probably benifit from 64, they have sent me an email back that the disk will arrive in about a months time. so i will let you all know the outcome. im hoping a fresh install will just be the straightforward way to go assuming its the full version rather than just an upgrade disk, the applications i have on the computer are all replaceable, as i bought the pc with out any software on. ill just have to wait and see.

thanks again guys.

 

[Highwayman]

Also BTW anyone in the UK ordering or preordering Windows 7 Upgrade automatically get the FULL version due to a cock up with the recent EU edition.