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Upgrade from 32 Bit to 64 Bit

Last response: in Windows 7
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I get the whole clean install part but what I don't understand is if I'm clean installing a vista 32 bit upgrade version, how does that help me go to windows 7 upgrade 64 bit? I'm willing to reinstall all programs start fresh...fine....don't you have to have some 64 bit XP or Vista to upgrade to the 64 bit version of Windows 7? If not please explain how to do it rather than just citing "fresh install". If I can format my hard drive, install Vista 32 bit upgrade then pop the windows 7 64 bit disc in and the upgrade work COOL. If that's the case please say so, if not and the "clean install" needs to be a 64 bit previous version then I'll just have to live with Windows 7 32 bit. Any clarity would be appreciated, thanks

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Windows 7 Expert

The clean install of a 64-bit OS can be done regardless of which "bit" the previous OS on the computer was. A 32-bit or 64-bit OS does not magically convert your computer to one or the other. The computer will handle whichever one is installed (supposing you have fairly recent hardware), and can be switched between them without a problem or even any changed BIOS settings.
So yes, A CLEAN INSTALL WILL WORK going from Vista 32-bit to Win7 64-bit. All you need is a previous version of Windows on there, whether 32-bit or 64-bit. This works vice-versa as well: you can use a clean install to go from Vista 64-bit to Win7 32-bit. (Though why anyone would want to do that in this day and age is beyond me.)
Good luck!

Thanks for the reply Bolbi, so just to be clear, if I format my hard drive, install a 32 bit Vista upgrade then immediately pop the 64 bit Windows 7 disc in to upgrade to 64 bit it will work?
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Windows 7 Authority

Windows 7 upgrade requires that a previous activated OS is present, whether it's 32 bit or 64 bit. The difference is that you can't do an inplace upgrade from 32 to 64 bit and requires a clean install, Windows will do the cleaning, moving all to a Windows.old folder. The old Vista trick of a double install will not work in W7.
So the answer is YES.
Start the instalation and choose Custom install to do a clean instalation upgrade.
Windows 7 Authority

Jonmor68 said:
Windows 7 upgrade requires that a previous activated OS is present, whether it's 32 bit or 64 bit.
Has it actually been confirmed that this is true by someone who's tried to install Windows 7 using an upgrade disk with no previous OS present? I've heard a lot of FUD around this issue and I'd really like to see a definitive answer...

Here's what I've discovered and thanks to everyone who has posted. I have the home premium upgrade edition of Windows 7. To convert from a 32 bit Vista to the new Windows 7 64 bit does require a fresh/new install. To do this, simply change the bios to boot from CD/ROM and insert the new 64 bit Windows 7 disc. It will boot from the disc, there is an option to "format drive", select this and it will erase and format the existing hard drive. Then install the new 64 bit Windows 7. The new install never requires a previous Windows confirmation/version. Easy and painless. I've done this with a desktop and laptop and both procedures were complete in less than an hour (including updates). So long Vista!
Windows 7 Authority

Looks like if you have an upgrade disk there really does need to be another OS already installed in order to install the upgrade and activate it - even if the first thing you do is to delete the previous installation. But the install kit is very dumb because it will install over ANY other OS, including an unactivated version of itself. This means that you can install the upgrade disk on a system with NO previous OS if you use it to do a double-install.

More details here: http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_...
Windows 7 Expert

Wow; a lot has changed since my first post! It's nice to know that you can still clean install from the upgrade media. Remember, though, this is only legal if you discontinue use of a licensed previous version of Windows. (This can even be the RC.) So don't just buy the Upgrade media and that's it; please be ethical!

Noob question here...but along the same lines of OP.

I am running Vista 32 on an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Mobo w/ AMD 64x Athlon x2.

I just purchased a new SSD drive and a FULL version of Windows 7 and I want to run x64.

If I pull my current hdd and install the SSD and then boot w/ the Win 7 disk...will this work?

Or....does my mobo need x64 drivers or other upgrades to support the SSD and x64 version of Win 7?

Thanks.
Windows 7 Expert

lifgard said:
Noob question here...but along the same lines of OP.

I am running Vista 32 on an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Mobo w/ AMD 64x Athlon x2.

I just purchased a new SSD drive and a FULL version of Windows 7 and I want to run x64.

If I pull my current hdd and install the SSD and then boot w/ the Win 7 disk...will this work?

Or....does my mobo need x64 drivers or other upgrades to support the SSD and x64 version of Win 7?

Thanks.

That mobo is "certified for Windows Vista", which means it must support 64-bit. Pretty much any Vista-compatible hardware will work in Win7. It also supports SSD and the CPU. So, you should be all set.

Bolbi said:
That mobo is "certified for Windows Vista", which means it must support 64-bit. Pretty much any Vista-compatible hardware will work in Win7. It also supports SSD and the CPU. So, you should be all set.


Thanks. Did the install today and it worked perfectly.

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