Upgrading from 32 to 64-bit; Will it delete my files?

[NeilFX]

I did an upgrade to my laptop that went from 2GB to 4GB of RAM. It's currently 32-bit and of course an upgrade to 64-bit is a no-brainer. I'm just wondering if I could overwrite the current Windows files with a 64-bit flavor of the OS and preserve everything. I don't have any extra storage to backup my files so I posted this just to gather opinions about upgrading and whether or not the files will be preserved. It's not a clean installation (apparently that deletes all files), but an Upgrade (if that option is available).

 

Cheers!

[thekeemo]

I think you should be fine

[Str_Mape]

Unfortunately you don't get the option of doing an upgrade from 32bit to 64bit below is a direct quote from microsoft.

 

Can I upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or from a 64-bit version of Windows 7 to a 32-bit version of Windows?

You can use the Upgrade option during Windows 7 installation, which preserves your files, settings, and programs, only if you're currently running a 32-bit version of Windows Vista and you want to upgrade to the 32-bit version of Windows 7. Similarly, if you are running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista, you can only perform an upgrade to a 64-bit version of Windows 7. For more information, go to Upgrading to Windows 7: frequently asked questions on the Windows website.

 

If you want to move from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or vice versa, you'll need to back up your files and choose the Custom option during Windows 7 installation. Then, you'll need to restore your files and reinstall your programs. For more information about performing a custom installation, see Installing and reinstalling Windows 7‍.

[Mentoast]

Are you trying to install a 64bit OS on a 32bit CPU/Computer because you can't unless the computer is originally 64bit and instead of a proper 64bit OS has a 32bit OS instead and you're just switching back to a 64bit OS.

[Aniallation]

I did an upgrade to my laptop that went from 2GB to 4GB of RAM. It's currently 32-bit and of course an upgrade to 64-bit is a no-brainer. I'm just wondering if I could overwrite the current Windows files with a 64-bit flavor of the OS and preserve everything. I don't have any extra storage to backup my files so I posted this just to gather opinions about upgrading and whether or not the files will be preserved. It's not a clean installation (apparently that deletes all files), but an Upgrade (if that option is available).

 

You can't upgrade from 32 to 64 bit. You will need to do a clean install.

[NeilFX]

Unfortunately you don't get the option of doing an upgrade from 32bit to 64bit below is a direct quote from microsoft.

Well, I guess I have to unearth something to store my files on. Thanks for the input, I learned something today.

 

Are you trying to install a 64bit OS on a 32bit CPU/Computer?

Yes. 

 

@Aniallation, I now realize that

[Mentoast]

Well, I guess I have to unearth something to store my files on. Thanks for the input, I learned something today.

 

Yes. 

 

@Aniallation, I now realize that

@Str_Mape is correct in that you can't do what you're saying. Don't worry though, there really isn't any benefit to upgrading to 64bit unless you need access to 64bit applications and more than 4GB of RAM.

[dalekphalm]

@Str_Mape is correct in that you can't do what you're saying. Don't worry though, there really isn't any benefit to upgrading to 64bit unless you need access to 64bit applications and more than 4GB of RAM.

Sort of. Since he's upgraded to 4GB specifically, he will lose access to a minor amount of RAM (He'll get around 3.5GB out of 4GB usable). So there would still be a MINOR benefit.

 

But in all honesty, you're still mostly right, as a 32-bit OS will still perform quite well with that amount of RAM.

 

@NeilFX If you use a lot of RAM heavy programs (Chrome, anything Adobe like Photoshop or Premier, etc) then you may want that extra 512MB of RAM. If you already own the 64-bit license for Windows, and you can manage to find a drive to backup your files onto, then I recommend formatting and installing the 64-bit version.

 

However, if you would need to go out and buy a license for 64-bit Windows, then I wouldn't bother.

 

Also, seriously man, get a backup drive in place ASAP! What would you do if your HDD died?

[NeilFX]

Also, seriously man, get a backup drive in place ASAP! What would you do if your HDD died?

A little late reply but nevertheless, I've got 3 internal drives each 500GB in capacity, all of them are almost full. I also got 2 external drives one a terabyte and the other three-fourths of a terabyte, both of which are also full. I'm eyeing on a 2TB NAS, so I might hold the upgrade until then.

I have a Dreamspark account and have access to both 32 and 64 bit versions of the OS. It's quite practical for me to have the whole 4GB of RAM as I'm going to do some light photo & video editing on it.

Thanks for the tips