32-bit to 64-bit

[John]

Hi All, lurker here but now I have a question: If I reinstall W7 from
32-bit to 64-bit, do I need to reformat my drive? I'm not quite sure
from searches on the web if the custom install includes the formatting.
I'd prefer not to as it is far less to backup.

 

[Don B]

Hi All, lurker here but now I have a question: If I reinstall W7 from
32-bit to 64-bit, do I need to reformat my drive? I'm not quite sure
from searches on the web if the custom install includes the formatting.
I'd prefer not to as it is far less to backup.

Yes you do, you cannot upgrade from 32 bit Windows to 64 bit, has to be
a clean install.

 

[Tim Slattery]

Hi All, lurker here but now I have a question: If I reinstall W7 from
32-bit to 64-bit, do I need to reformat my drive? I'm not quite sure
from searches on the web if the custom install includes the formatting.
I'd prefer not to as it is far less to backup.

You cannot upgrade from 32- to 64-bit windows, you have to do a fresh
install, and most of your apps would have to be reinstalled. I don't
think you need to wipe the entire disk clean, but I'm not positive. At
any rate, a full backup is a good idea when you're doing something
this drastic.

 

[Ken Blake]

Hi All, lurker here but now I have a question: If I reinstall W7 from
32-bit to 64-bit, do I need to reformat my drive? I'm not quite sure
from searches on the web if the custom install includes the formatting.
I'd prefer not to as it is far less to backup.

.................................................................................................


Yes. There is no way to change the "bitness" of any version of Windows
(from 32-bit to 64-bit or vice versa), except by doing a clean
installation. An upgrade is not possible. Formatting is part of the
custom installation.

 

[R. C. White]

?Hi, John.

While it is highly recommended - and I recommend it, too, I don't believe a
reformat is strictly required.

As the others have said - and as you've surely read elsewhere - we cannot
"update" from ANY 32-bit to ANY 64-bit Windows, or vice versa, because of
the different drivers and other infrastructure needed for the different
"bitness". So a "clean" or "custom" install is required. This will wipe
out the entire C:\Windows tree of folders and files and re-create it with
the 64-bit versions of all the multi-gigabytes of operating system files.

This will include the entire Registry, of course, so ALL software will have
to be re-installed into the new system. It's not enough to have all the
files of Office, for example, in place on your hard disk. You will still
have to run the Setup process for Office so that it can make the needed
entries in the new Registry. Your data and other files OUTSIDE the
C:\Windows folder tree should not be affected by the reformat of that volume
(which is an excellent argument for storing your data on a different
volume). So you should be able to have your re-installed Word, for example,
browse to find your .doc files right where they were before. But you will
still need to "re-tweak" your apps as you did when they were first installed
in 32-bit Windows. You will need to re-create your mail and news accounts
in your re-installed WLMail or other mail client.

Also, of course, since it will not be starting with a clean disk, Win7 x64
Setup will not likely be able to write Win7's files without fragmenting
them, making the system run less efficiently. The day you save now by not
reformatting may cost you weeks or months of frustration and irritation in
the near future.

My recommendation is to do a custom install, including a reformat of your
Boot Volume (usually Drive C:, but not always). First, run WET (Windows
Easy Transfer) on your current system, directing all its output to media
that will be available to your re-installed system. Depending on your
hardware and the size of your files, this can be a USB flash drive, an
external hard disk, or another partition on your main hard disk. After you
make sure that there is nothing you need to keep on your Boot Volume, run
Win7 x64's Setup, including reformat. After Win7 x64 is installed and
running right, run WET again to retrieve everything you need from what WET
saved. WET will remind you to re-install the apps that you were running
before.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP (2002-9/30/10)
Windows Live Mail Version 2011 (Build 15.4.3502.0922) in Win7 Ultimate x64
SP1 RC


"John" wrote in message
Hi All, lurker here but now I have a question: If I reinstall W7 from
32-bit to 64-bit, do I need to reformat my drive? I'm not quite sure
from searches on the web if the custom install includes the formatting.
I'd prefer not to as it is far less to backup.

 

[Tim Slattery]

This will include the entire Registry, of course, so ALL software will have
to be re-installed into the new system.

Not quite all. Many programs don't use the registry or put DLLs in the
Win directory and will work just fine with the new OS. Agent
newsreader, Pegasus mail, 7Zip, Irfanview come to mind immediately.

It's not enough to have all the
files of Office, for example, in place on your hard disk. You will still
have to run the Setup process for Office so that it can make the needed
entries in the new Registry.

MS Office is the prime example of something that absolutely,
positively will not work without reinstallation. It's heavily
dependent on the registry and many DLLs in the Win directory. I have
no idea whether Open Office works that way.

 

[John]

Not quite all. Many programs don't use the registry or put DLLs in the
Win directory and will work just fine with the new OS. Agent
newsreader, Pegasus mail, 7Zip, Irfanview come to mind immediately.

MS Office is the prime example of something that absolutely,
positively will not work without reinstallation. It's heavily
dependent on the registry and many DLLs in the Win directory. I have
no idea whether Open Office works that way.

I guess specifically that's what I was wondering. I can deal with
reinstalling the programs but if windows becomes windows.old is the
C:\USERS overwritten since all our docs and data are there?