Upgrading OEM preinstalled Win7 32bit to 64bit ?

The laptop I am buying now is Win7 32bit professional, is it ok if I upgrade it to 64bit for free in the future if I ever need to use more than 4GB memory ?

Thanks.

I suggest you don't install windows 7 64bit if your hardware is 32bit. First of all it will not install properly and if you do it then it will not work properly.

Hi!
If you have the right specs, yes you can. 3GB is really the minimum for 64bit, though you can still run it on 2GB.
It also depends on if your processor is 64bit capable. Most new ones are.

Also, you'll need to do a clean install.

There is not enough information for me to make the same suggestion. For one there was no evidence that 32-bit hardware is even an issue. Ask a few questions before you decide to give a suggestion.

Hi hybeagle

Can you post the make and model No of this Laptop ? or post the full spec, then we have a starting point to work from

Way to go C_C

Virtually ALL laptops these days have 64 bit CPUs and most are at least a Dual-Core one at a that.

FC states the minimum to run 64 bit is 3 GB, MS recommends 2 GB as the minimum. I have installed Windows 7 64 bit on several systems with only 2 GB of RAM and they all run fine.

Windows 64 bit fully utilizes the 4GB of RAM or more, more efficiently. If you have a 32 bit OS and 4GB of RAM, the OS will only utilize about 3.4 GB of RAM.

In addition, which most people never realize or mention is the fact that the 64 bit Windows 7 OS has a more secure kernel and gives you double the bandwidth.

Only the little netbooks and some other systems still use 32 bit processors. Mostly the Intel Atom CPU.

I would definitely recommend the Windows 7 64 bit as it is here and now, it's the future. 99% or so of all systems being sold these days have 64 bit hardware.

Niburu, what I meant is that to really "feel" the power of 64bit, you need 3GB. You can run 32bit and 64bit on a computer with 2GB, it won't make a big difference. Dpends on the processor, though.

Sorry for the unclear original post.

The laptop I am looking to buy is Lenovo W510 which is capable of 16GB ram, and it fully supports the Win 7 64bit.

When ordering that laptop, you ahve the option to preinstall the 32bit or 64bit of WIndows 7 Pro.

I want to install the 32bit on there first because I have some 32bit ONLY software that I want to use for now, but in a year or so I may upgrade more ram and wanting the 64bit.

SO the REAL question is, is the Windows 7 pro 32bit license transferable to 64bit without additional cost ? (forexample downloading a free copy of the 64bit and use the 32bit CDKEY provided by the laptop company to activate that ?

Much thanks.

Yes it is. With the same CD key, as long as the version is the same (pro).

Though, if you're going to have pro, you should consider XP Mode. You will be able to run your 32bit apps in there, while keeping the better handling of 64bit Windows.