can 64 bit version be installed on 32 bit hardware platforms?

can 64 bit version be installed on 32 bit hardware platforms?
Simple as that:
Can the 64 bit version be used for both 32 bit and 64 bit hardware platforms?

No the Windows 7 64-bit version cannot be installed on 32-bit hardware.

It will tell you if you try to install it that it's not compatible.

Run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor if you're not sure about which version to use.

And what about the opposite?
32 on a 64 bit platform?

Yes, you can install the 32-bit Windows 7 on a 64-bit system. However if you have 4 GB of RAM or more, Windows will only recognize 3.25 GB of the RAM.

So if you have 4 GB or more of RAM and the system is 64-bit hardware, then the best way to go is to install the Windows 7 x64 version.

Define what you mean by 32 bit hardware platform, if you have a newer Video Card and a MB that is not super old and the MB Bios is up to date. If the memory is 4 gig or more as stated previously you should have no problem running 64 bit.

He must have a 64-bit capable CPU, chipset, etc.

Perhaps if mariner133 would list the hardware he has then we can get to the crux of the question rather than this 'back and forth' question and answer session.

It's very frustrating when users ask questions but don't list the hardware they're specifically concerned about. If he would have listed the hardware specs yesterday, his question would have been answered in one or two responses.

Sounds to me as if mariner has machine of both platforms and is wanting the same bit version on all platforms.

The question still remains whether the platforms are different bit versions.