32bit to 64bit existing OS upgrade

hi guys! im currently running Win7 ultimate edition on 32bit and i want to upgrade it to 64bit, im too lazy to reinstall the existing programs currently installed on it so i was wondering if i could just reinstall win7 and choose upgrade then choose the 64bit option. is that possible? or is it more practical to reformat the hard drive and start clean?

Nope, unfortunately not - you'll need to do a clean install to get Windows 7 back up and running. It's a pain to do, but it's the only way.

Welcome to the forums

Hello denzzz28,
Just a bit of FYI to understand the issues with 32-bit and 64-bit OS upgrades and later options that may or may not be available to you later:
When upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 you must upgrade the version currently installed within Windows Vista to the corresponding version in Windows 7. I.E. Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium; Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional; and Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate. You also cannot upgrade a 32-bit operating system to 64-bit -- to migrate from 32-bit to 64-bit will require a custom install.
Additionally, you will not be able to "upgrade" from a 32-bit version of Windows 7 to 64-bit -- the architecture between the two is too drastically different to allow such a change. To learn more about the differences between a 32-bit operating system and 64-bit please go to the following link: http://bit.ly/2aT3xP
I hope that helps you out!
You can also find lots of information on Windows 7 here in our Springboard website:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/default.aspx
Thanks again,
John M.
Microsoft Windows Client Support