Duel boot win7 32bit and win7 64 bit

I inderstand the limitations on win 7 32 bit upgrade to 64 bit. I want to try both but I will have compatibility problems on some of my software. In fact, I have some compatibility problems with the virtual machine XP mode and duel boot XP and Win 7. Works fine!

However, I keep only OS and Apps on my system partitions, All files, downloads, pictures, music, etc are on other partitions. Backup is eSATA.

Unless there is a difference in file systems (which I'm pretty sure there is not), I can't think of any reason why Win7 64 couldn't be installed on its own partition in a multiboot environment. But I haven't seen anything on multibooting Win7 32 and Win7 64 or on putting more that 2 OSs in an MS multiboot envirnoment. I would only be guessing at the procedure for this.

If anyone has and experience or ideas on this, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks much, Gene

Hi Gene4 - Welcome to w7forums

You are correct, there is no difference in the file system. Either bit version will read your data drive without problems. Each OS will need its own partition.

Just to clarify (in order to dual boot) you will need a separate license for each OS installed in the Multiboot Configuration. I think its BS myself and thought you should know.

Hi Gene. I've been trying to dual boot W7 Ultimate X 86 and X64 to my computer for 3 weeks without any success. I have W7 X86 on a Sata drive and have been trying to instal X64 to a partition of it that I created before attempting the installation to it. I cannot get it to open into W7 X64.
I was wondering if the X64 bootmgr is being muddled up with the X86 bootmgr, but from what I have learned here and elsewhere, both OS's use the same bootmgr.
But then, I can't even instal X64 to a drive of its own in my computer.
I'll be watching your thread.
I have titled W7 64 bit won't instal to 64 Bit compatible computer....or something clse to that.
Good luck.
edit: MS do give the details about multi boot/dual booting Windows OS's. Its found during installing in the " What you should know" page that you can read before you choose your partition etc. In there it says that it can be done. Hmmmmmm....

For a short period of time I had Win 7 32bit and 64bit in a "sort of" dual boot. I have 3 physical drives, 80gig each and what I did was disconnect all but the drive I was installing Win 7 32bit on. This went fine and I played with it (I did not activate at the time). I then wanted to try 64bit so I unattached the other 2 drives (the one with W7 32bit and the other which is my data) and did the 64bit install which went fine.

After re-attaching all my drives, I was using the F8 on boot to get the disk manager screen and selecting which version of windows 7 I wanted to test. I set it so it would boot to 32bit if I did nothing and using the F8 to boot to the 64bit.

After using the 64bit for a few weeks and having no issues with drivers and such, I finally wiped the 32bit drive and activated my 64bit version.

You may find EasyBCD from NeoSmart Technologies is useful when configuring multi boots, works in XP, Vista and Windows 7.

http://neosmart.net/