Asrock z77 OS Compatability??

[Zacbinks]

I built my own PC recently, and I am wondering if the motherboard of my build is compatible with the OS I am attempting to install. Currently I have a windows 7 64 bit upgrade CD, which requires a previous version of windows OS to be installed before upgrading. I also have a windows vista 32 bit home premium CD, which is not an upgrade so I should be able to download the OS on to my new build. After, I will upgrade the OS to windows 7 64 bit. That's my plan, but I don't know if the motherboard is compatible.

From the research I've done already, I would guess that the motherboard is compatible with 32 bit, but is flawed because it wouldn't be able to take advantage of the total memory my build has unless I upgraded to 64 bit which is what I plan to do.

So other than that limitation, is there any reason why that wouldn't work?

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
Monitor: Asus VE228H 21.5" Monitor

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/uzeP

Please help, I can try to provide any additional details you may need about the build. Thanks again!

 

[rolli59]

It is compatible.

 

[Zacbinks]

It is compatible.

So if I install windows vista 32 bit then use my upgrade CD for windows 7 64 bit, that will work. Okay good...but I'm concerned now with after my OS is installed, how do I go about downloading drivers? I have done a reinstall before on my friends alienware laptop, and I reinstalled his OS and had to download all his drivers again.

I ended up getting them online by directly connecting his laptop to the internet and using device manager to find and install all the devices that were detecting a problem. Will that work for this situation as well?

 

[truegenius]

your board (every modern board) is 100% compitible with 32 bit and 64 bit window vista and 7.

for upgrade option and drivers help see this
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-vista-to-windows-7

Some versions of Windows can't be upgraded with the installation disc you're trying to use. For example, you can't upgrade a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version, or upgrade from a higher edition of Windows, such as Windows Vista Ultimate, to a lower edition, such as Windows 7 Home Premium. If this is the case, you'll need to use the Custom option during installation.

 

[rolli59]

So if I install windows vista 32 bit then use my upgrade CD for windows 7 64 bit, that will work. Okay good...but I'm concerned now with after my OS is installed, how do I go about downloading drivers? I have done a reinstall before on my friends alienware laptop, and I reinstalled his OS and had to download all his drivers again.

I ended up getting them online by directly connecting his laptop to the internet and using device manager to find and install all the devices that were detecting a problem. Will that work for this situation as well?

The device manager method works, doing an upgrade the main drivers stay in place and windows 7 is good at finding updates if needed. Just let it update a few times.

 

[zdbc13]

You don't have to install your Vista first. You can just install your Windows 7 upgrade, it will get to a point where it asks if you have a previous version of windows, put your Vista disk in, it will confirm that you have a valid copy, and continue. Will save bunches of time....

 

[Zacbinks]

I'm hesitant to do that because I already messed up my HDD by attempting to install the windows 7 upgrade CD without a previous version of windows OS. I couldn't even get back to the point where it was asking me to authenticate my upgrade. I'm probably safest if I just go ahead and install vista and upgrade it afterwards...:\

 

[Zacbinks]

Best answer selected by Zacbinks.