Hi, Hunters.
You cannot "UPGRADE" from ANY 32-bit operating system to ANY 64-bit
operating system - or vice versa. :>( It's a hardware thing. Even if
Vista x86 is running on 64-bit hardware, you'll need to do a clean install
of Vista x64.
You can clean install into your existing partition, which will include
reformatting that volume first (before or as a part of Vista Setup) - so be
sure to backup all your data files first. (I've not actually used Windows
Easy Transfer, so I'm not sure where it stores these files temporarily.)
Or, clean install into a different partition, creating a dual-boot
configuration. You can then choose to boot into 32-bit or 64-bit each time
you reboot. If you have only a single existing partition covering the whole
hard disk drive, then you will have to use Disk Management to first shrink
the partition, then create and format a new partition in the freed space.
After that, you can boot from the 64-bit DVD and install Vista x64 into that
new partition.
You should be able to run all - or nearly all - your 32-bit applications in
Vista x64, but you will need to reinstall them, just as if you were moving
them to a new computer. Their Setup programs will need to make entries in
Vista x64's Registry, in addition to moving the executables and other files.
You will need new 64-bit drivers for practically all your hardware, so
there's no point in trying to migrate those. ALL your data files, of
course, should be perfectly usable by Vista x64.
After your Vista x64 is running properly, with all drivers and applications
updated and all your data transferred, then you can delete 32-bit Vista's
boot folder (probably C:\Windows) to recover the several GB of space that it
is taking up. The EULA will not allow you to activate Vista x64 until Vista
x86 has been deleted, but you should be able to run both for a few days to
make the needed transfers. (My Vista Ultimate x64 retail package came with
TWO DVD's, but only a single Product Key. I could choose to install from
either the 32-bit or the 64-bit DVD, but could activate only one.)
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64)