vista 32bit, upgrade to 64 bit

[melloyello]

Hey guys,

I have purchased 32 bit vista business edition. I am upgrading cpu/mobo/gpu/ram and am considering switching to 64 bit in case I ever upgrade ram to 4gb in the future. IIRC, the license is good for both 32 bit and 64bit business edition but the cd I have is all editions but only 32 bit, which makes absolutely no sense. So if I wanna upgrade to 64bit I have to buy a new windows from M$? Is there any other way to get a 64bit CD without paying them another $100+?

 

[George P Burdell]

From what I'm told, your product key will work with both 32bit and 64bit. I've never tried it so I'm not sure.

Maybe you could borrow a 64bit installer DVD from a friend?

 

[QuixoticOne]

Vista keys work for either 64 bit or 32 bit, so you should already have the license you need to run either version you need to run at any given time.

You can order a 64 bit install disc here for $9.95 which covers having it shipped anywhere within the US anyway, other fees may apply elsewhere.
http://www.microsoft.com/windo...rdermedia/default.mspx

You're within your rights to borow / copy / whatever a 64 bit install disc if you know someone that has it since you have the licence to use that software already.

I've heard that for some OEM / System builder type licenses you may or may not be able to order discs from that site depending on your OEM, but you can usually do the same thing from the OEM's site or customer support / sales process without paying anything or much.

In any case you just use your existing key.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Wow...I'm impressed they're doing licensing like that. That's SOOOO un-Microsoft.

 

[melloyello]

wow thanks very much!! I'll give it a shot.

 

[s44]

They won't send you a disc if you got the OEM version. Otherwise, $10 covers it.

 

[manowar821]

Yeah, you just need a 64bit disk. Every full install disk is the same, and every upgrade disk is the same. If I purchase Ultimate upgrade, and you purchase Basic Home upgrade, they're exactly the same disk, you just purchased a different CD Key (and different disk art).

If you have a friend who has Ultimate (which comes with both 32bit and 64bit disks), you can just use his and choose the correct install to match your CD Key. Or you can buy the 64bit disk, if you feel like having your own.

This is one area where Microsoft made a GREAT decision, with Vista, IMO.

You can also do a full install with an upgrade disk, but it's a little tricky for a novice (upgrade and full install disks are NOT the same, but both have a complete OS. You just need to trick it into installing the whole deal). That's a discussion for a different thread, though.