I have ordered Windows 7 professional upgrade in order to to take advantage of the special pricing. However I noticed that it is not possible to upgrade 32 bit with 64 bit. I have W7 64 bit RC installed but I have Vista home premium 32 bit on the shelf. I won't be able to reinstall Vista Home premium and then install the upgrade because of this difference. My question is this: can I install the upgrade over top of the RC that I have now? Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Mike,Maybe you can; until the final is out, I couldn't really say for certain. If its like past RC/RTM, then you probably cannot.In any case, my preference (and recommendation) would be to backup your data etc, and zap the RC installation and install the final version clean.

Hi Mike,Maybe you can; until the final is out, I couldn't really say for certain. If its like past RC/RTM, then you probably cannot.In any case, my preference (and recommendation) would be to backup your data etc, and zap the RC installation and install the final version clean.

Can I do that with an upgrade version? Maybe I am confused about exactly what an upgrade version does since I have never used one. My understanding is that you must have a pre-installed Windows version on your machine in order for the upgrade to work. Or do I just plug in my old serial number?

I remembered from before, I went from Win98 to WinXP with an upgrade and I had lived happily ever since (1993). But way back then, the Upgrade would ask you to place the Old Win CD (the one to be replaced or upgraded) for verifications purposes. Then ask again to place the Upgrade CD and continue with the installation. Now I think they are using the installed Win to verify the upgrade is legal. Not as promising as before. So If now I buy a 64bit machine in a year or so, I wouldn't be able to do it. I never had a Win-64 machine before.So buyers be ware,I found this line in the description for the Upgrade: ** You need to be running Windows XP or Windows Vista operating systems for the upgrade.Cheers,MAB

What follows is an assumption - not official by any stretch! When they say you cannot upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit, they mean it in the technical sense - not the pricing and licensing sense. Vista and W7 consider an upgrade installation to be one where the systems try to keep all your data and applications in place, allowing you to easily migrate to the newer OS. This is in contrast to a clean installation, which destroys all data and application and installs the new OS fresh on your PC. With this in mind, you cannot do a "technical" upgrade (keeping your apps) of your XP/Vista 32 installation to W7 64, however you can use your previously installed 32-bit operating system to be a launch pad for a 64-bit clean installation. The W7 installer software will confirm you are running a qualifying product (XP32), then blow it all out to install the W7 64-bit platform. From the peanut gallery,-Greg

What follows is an assumption - not official by any stretch! When they say you cannot upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit, they mean it in the technical sense - not the pricing and licensing sense. Vista and W7 consider an upgrade installation to be one where the systems try to keep all your data and applications in place, allowing you to easily migrate to the newer OS. This is in contrast to a clean installation, which destroys all data and application and installs the new OS fresh on your PC. With this in mind, you cannot do a "technical" upgrade (keeping your apps) of your XP/Vista 32 installation to W7 64, however you can use your previously installed 32-bit operating system to be a launch pad for a 64-bit clean installation. The W7 installer software will confirm you are running a qualifying product (XP32), then blow it all out to install the W7 64-bit platform. From the peanut gallery,-Greg

Greg....I think you are correct, Here it is from Microsoft.Thank you for contacting the Microsoft Store Customer Support Team. I appreciate the opportunity to provide you with information on Windows 7.You are eligible for any upgrade of Windows 7 if you are running either Windows XP or any Windows Vista edition. You may wish to read more in depth about the system requirements here at the link provided below:http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Windo...-7/category/102