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I have a question for those of you who are familiar with windows 64 bit OSs.

Through school, I'll have the opportunity of getting the upgrade version of windows 7 ultimate for 29.99.

I've really been wanting to move to a 64 bit OS and wanted to know if you can install 64 bit windows as an upgrade if my previous OS have been 32 bit. I looked on the MS database and it sounds like I can as long as I do a clean install, but I want to be sure before I actually make the purchase. I always do a clean install of a new OS anyway.

Do you know that your computer (your CPU and mobo, specifically) will support a 64-bit OS?

Beyond that, the only major concern is that some of your 32-bit software may not work properly in a 64-bit environment, but that's a bit of a toss-up, and you should either ask them directly or see if they have a faq about it.

Yeah, my system is actually more geared for 64 bit than it is 32 bit.

I've tried looking around, but I keep getting conflicting info. I see some people saying that you can only use an upgrade copy from one type of system to another, but MS's own database makes it sound like as long as you do a fresh install and verify your previous OS as being legit, you're fine. I was kind of hoping someone would have actually done the upgrade (I'm asking about legit copies, not pirated copies)

To use the upgrade disk you need to have a current install on your computer. I haven't done it, but that's what I understand.

wipe it clean, reinstall
32 to 32 only
64 to 64 only

but really, when upgrading an os it is always best to wipe it clean and start from nothing

Shakey said:

To use the upgrade disk you need to have a current install on your computer. I haven't done it, but that's what I understand.

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I was about to say you're wrong, since that hasn't been the case for XP or Vista (as far as I know) but The Windows Blog has this post: Moving to Windows 7 FAQ.

Question: What if I need to reinstall Windows 7 and only have an upgrade version?

If for some reason you need to reinstall Windows 7 and have the upgrade version you will be required to install a previous version of Windows before installing Windows 7.

Question: Can I reformat my hard drive and then install Windows 7?

Yes. If you want to erase your hard drive and then install Windows 7, you will need the full version of Windows 7.

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That said, you can still go from 32-bit to 64-bit.

Question: Can I upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit?

If you are running a 32-bit version of either Windows XP or Windows Vista and want to move to 64-bit, you will need to do a custom installation of Windows 7. This means that your files, settings, and programs will not be preserved. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 are included in Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate so you can choose which version to install.

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How freaking stupid is it that you have to have the old operating system installed just so it can be wiped out.

?_?

Just boot from disk, and do a fresh install. You don't need to have any OS on your PC in order to install W7. Going from 32bit to 64bit requires a wipe in any case.

Seraphyn said:

?_?

Just boot from disk, and do a fresh install. You don't need to have any OS on your PC in order to install W7. Going from 32bit to 64bit requires a wipe in any case.

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Are you sure? From everything I have seen from MS it seems they changed the way the upgrade disks work. Previously you could use an upgrade disk to do an install on a clean disk. As posted above they may have changed it.

I only have the full versions otherwise I would try it.

I guess I never used upgrade disks.
Don't really see the point in them either: you get a key/disk to install an OS upgrade from X to Y. Why not simply give them a Y key after ensuring they have bought X in the past.
Saves us time, saves them time and money (support and having to put out seperate keys/disks). It makes no sense.

Technically it seems unlikely that you actually need a previous OS in order to install, since the install process itself wiped your harddisk and thus any evidence of you having that old install. Maybe they'll ask for your old key or something, but beyond that it seems a whole lot of programming work for nearly 0 gain.