Convert Windows 8 32-Bit to Windows 8-64 w/out rebuying the OS

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gavinbaird

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May 16, 2013
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I have a computer on windows 7 32-Bit. Today I upgraded to Windows 8. I downloaded it to a USB drive to boot on my desktop. I do not have any disk with Windows 8 on it, seeing that I bought it online. Never at any point did Microsoft ask me if I wanted to purchase the 32-Bit or the 64-Bit. It automatically downloaded the 32-Bit because that's what my machine was running on previously. My CPU is fully capable of running the 64-Bit OS. Is there any way that I can convert my Windows 8 32-Bit OS to the Windows 8 64-Bit version?

any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
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J
I'm sorry to say, you are unfortunately stuck with a 32-bit copy. As you upgraded from a 32-bit version of windows and you purchased an upgrade license. You are not legally entitled to install the OS without upgrading and you cannot upgrade install 64 over 32 bit.

If it were an OEM key they are generally non-platform-specific, as they are for OEMs or systems builders.
Following the statement that Randomizer made, if you were to obtain the original OEM media for a 64-bit Windows 8 Pro, you may be able to clean install with the key you used, however as this is not installing with the same license terms you agreed to with purchase you may not be able to activate the key properly, which is essentially the big concern. Gotta love using an...
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randomizer

randomizer

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You would need to download the 64-bit ISO (I'm not sure where you can get it legitimately without MSDN or Technet subscriptions though) or buy the DVD without an accompanying licence and do a "custom" install. There is no way to simply switch from one to the other. Note that your licence is not tied to either version so you won't need to purchase another licence first.
 
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randomizer

randomizer

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I don't think Microsoft provides the ISOs except to Technet and MSDN subscribers. For everyone else they just sell the DVD along with a Windows licence. You may be able to contact Microsoft support and see if they can provide you with the 64-bit version, or refund you and revoke your current licence so that you can buy a retail pack with the DVD included. If you know someone else who has the retail DVD already you can use that.

A more tedious method (although come to think of it Microsoft support could actually be quite a bit more tedious) would be to install Windows 7 64-bit and then run the upgrade advisor again to get it to install the 64-bit version of Windows 8. You can get this by selecting the appropriate edition from one of the links here: http://www.w7forums.com/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-image-downloads-t12325.html
 
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Jeremy Williams

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May 18, 2013
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I'm sorry to say, you are unfortunately stuck with a 32-bit copy. As you upgraded from a 32-bit version of windows and you purchased an upgrade license. You are not legally entitled to install the OS without upgrading and you cannot upgrade install 64 over 32 bit.

If it were an OEM key they are generally non-platform-specific, as they are for OEMs or systems builders.
Following the statement that Randomizer made, if you were to obtain the original OEM media for a 64-bit Windows 8 Pro, you may be able to clean install with the key you used, however as this is not installing with the same license terms you agreed to with purchase you may not be able to activate the key properly, which is essentially the big concern. Gotta love using an OS install for 30 days just to find out that you can't activate and need to reformat and don't have another OS to boot to to backup data.
 
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randomizer

randomizer

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That is not strictly true. You are required to "upgrade" the licence, but you are allowed to do a custom (fresh) install providing that an existing licenced copy of Windows XP or later is found by the installer. For switching between 32-bit and 64-bit editions a custom install is the only option.
 
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Jeremy Williams

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May 18, 2013
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I agree once again Randomizer... I had based my point on a strict translation of the legalese I remember reading when I actually read the EULA for the upgrade edition prior to my purchase. It just really depends on how you interpret the terms in the agreement.

I didn't think of the technicality of a 32-64bit upgrade short of the reformat option.

There is also a technicality that I remember from the agreement stating that by installing it you relinquish your rights to the previous OS, you were upgrading from. This was using the Windows 8 upgrade adviser around January.
 
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dodger46

dodger46

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Nov 19, 2011
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The download link in your email confirming your purchase from M'soft is still 'live', clicking on it will prompt you to enter your product key, and I assume allow you to download again. Worth trying to see, with hindsight, if there is any way of choosing 64 bit. If that fails, perhaps someone would send you a copy of the 64bit ISO or a disk, I have plenty as I've been buying from a store and get new disks every time... problem being I'm in the UK and suspect you're not...

 
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randomizer

randomizer

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I personally like to interpret it as "if the installer lets me do it without tricks and workarounds, I am probably allowed to do it." Good thing I'm not a lawyer :)
 
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kyllien

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Only the OEM copies are strictly tied to either 32bit or 64bit. The retail upgrade box includes both 32bit and 64bit. As far as where to get the 64bit version, there is a microsoft web site that hosts the ISOs for download based on your product key. The product key should be valid for either 32bit or 64bit. I don't have the link handy however.

This is from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8

Can I upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 8?


Yes, but you can't do this using Upgrade Assistant. If your PC has a 64-bit capable processor (CPU) but is currently running a 32-bit version of Windows, you can install a 64-bit version of Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro, but you'll need to buy it as a DVD and perform a custom installation. If available in your country or region, you can buy Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro from a participating retail store. You can also buy it online from the Microsoft Store in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Please note that the Windows 8 Pro Pack is used to upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro, and isn't for cross-architecture installs and doesn't include any media. If you want to change architectures, buy Windows 8 Pro.

You won't be able to keep any files, settings, or apps when you upgrade from a 32-bit to a 64-bit version.
 
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