Upgrading from 32Bit to 64Bit

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Titanic3

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Jun 29, 2012
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Hi everyone, I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I currently have a Dell Optiplex 380 that I have customized over the last 2 years, in which I added a Radeon 6870 and replaced the LGA 775 E7500 Dual Core with a Q9550 Quad Core, along with adding 2x 2TB HDD and a Corsair 750W PSU to run it all.

With these newer games coming out that demand 64Bit (I just played BF4 today and I found out I couldn't change the graphics settings since it was locked for 32Bit), I was thinking of upgrading my OS as well.

So my question is, is it possible for me to do so? I know it's possible with a custom built PC, but mine happens to be a (heavily) modified Dell Optiplex. Would that affect the 64Bit OS installation in any way? Also, if I were to build a brand new PC in the future, would I be able to take out the HDD and use it the new PC, without buying a new copy of Windows?
 
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No. You will have to re-install all your software onto the 64-bit system.

However, you could do the 64-bit installation on a blank 2 TB drive and leave your other one out of the system until you know you are happy with the 64-bit environment. If not, just re-insert your other drive and you are back to where you are now.

In other words, remove your C drive, the one that contains your operating system, and put it somewhere safe. Attach a blank drive in its place and build up your 64-bit installation.

Before you do any of this though, you should make sure that you have all the 64-bit drivers you will need for your system and attached devices, your printer for example.

Download these and put them on a USB stick so that you can get at...
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cklaubur

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Oct 4, 2006
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Switching from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows requires a reinstall of Windows, since it is such a large change. As for whether you can transfer Windows from one computer to another, it depends. If it came preinstalled on the computer, it is an OEM version and legally cannot be transferred to another computer. A retail version that you provided yourself can be moved to another computer, however, a reinstall on the same drive instead of just pulling the drive out and installing in a new computer will cause less of a headache.

Casey
 
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Titanic3

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Jun 29, 2012
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Alright, so in this case. I have an blank 2TB HDD (let's call it Drive A). I have my current 32Bit OS on a 250GB HDD (let's call it Drive B). And then I have another 2TB HDD filled with all my games (Drive C).

If I unplug Drive B, and proceed with the Windows 7 64Bit installation with Drive A (brand new/blank), will I be able to play all my games on Drive C like normal after the installation is complete? And will I be able to plug in Drive B afterwards, and copy all my files onto Drive A, and then delete the 32Bit OS still sitting in there, and use it as a blank hard drive?

Lol, I'm sorry for the rather convoluted set up, I'm not in a position to build a brand new PC and so I'm forced to upgrade the current one as the only choice.
 
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cklaubur

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The games will have to be reinstalled. During installation, most programs (games included) will make changes to the system registry. Obviously, if you install a new copy of Windows, those registry settings won't be there.

If you replace a hard drive, you can always reformat the old drive and reuse it. When copying your data from the old one (Drive B in your example), any programs on the old drive are subject to the same reinstall requirements as games that I mentioned previously.

Casey
 
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himnextdoor

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No. You will have to re-install all your software onto the 64-bit system.

However, you could do the 64-bit installation on a blank 2 TB drive and leave your other one out of the system until you know you are happy with the 64-bit environment. If not, just re-insert your other drive and you are back to where you are now.

In other words, remove your C drive, the one that contains your operating system, and put it somewhere safe. Attach a blank drive in its place and build up your 64-bit installation.

Before you do any of this though, you should make sure that you have all the 64-bit drivers you will need for your system and attached devices, your printer for example.

Download these and put them on a USB stick so that you can get at them easily. You might not be able to get access to the internet after installing Windows because of the hardware you are using. This is unlikely but it is better to have those drivers to hand.

Personally, I like to get as far as I can in an installation before I start collecting cookies and so forth from the internet. Java, Flash Player and Windows Updates are the final steps in creating a complete Windows system installation.

Then I would start introducing all my other software.

By the way, in your position, I would want to go 64-bit too.
 
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