Re: Upgraded to Vista 64-Bit
I originally went with Vista Home Premium 32-bit as an upgrade to XP Pro.
About a month later, I took the plunge and went for a Windows Anytime
Upgrade to Vista Ultimate 32-bit.
Then I found that I could recompile and optimize my modeling tools for
64-bit. Since they are math intensive, 64-bit started looming on the brain,
but there are a lot of trouble comments within this newsgroup and others
about 64-bit. So, I researched a lot of them including the link I provided
and came to realize it's not the problem it was only five years ago. End
result, I actually performed a "Vista x64 upgrade" as described in the
article.
I wiped my hard drive, installed XP Pro, then "upgraded" to Vista Home
Premium x64. (Couldn't go straight to Ultimate because Windows Anytime
Upgrade will only work with an activated version of Vista installed.) This
installation went fast and pain free. Then came Windows Anytime Upgrade to
Vista Ultimate 64-bit. It didn't work the first time and the system reverted
back to Home Premium. I forgot a lesson learned. Don't use the automatic
updates during installation. It worked the second time. I had to phone
activate Vista Home Premium because it was previously installed less than
120 days and then phone activate again once the Windows Anytime Upgrade is
done. Once the operating system was fully installed, then I downloaded
drivers (Windows updates first, then vendors for hardware that needs it.
Ignore screen settings and glitches until this is all done.) Reboot for the
umpteeth time and Wow!
It all works and it's rock stable.
Installed all my applications and then made a 100% backup so I don't have to
go through all of that again!
Total time was about six hours.
Since then, I've found the modeling tools are very fast and efficient and I
haven't lost any of my 32-bit functionality. Finding an Anti-virus,
Firewall, etc was a bit challenging, (I didn't want it to just run in
32-bit) but I had looked during the "planning" stage and found some good
64-bit products. Now, I look for everything I get to be 64-bit. While it's a
longer search than 32-bit programs, you can find most tools in 64-bit. Games
and media are still mostly 32-bit, but the tide is turning. And, to help,
Windows x64 defaults Internet Explorer and Media Player to 32 bit since
things like Flash Player won't work in x64. So, now it's the best of both.
"R. C. White" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
news:62692E99-E6B5-42F3-8FCD-456E4FE4D840@microsoft.com...
> Hi, Mark.
>
> Thanks for that KB URL. And you sure are right: Upgrading to Vista x64
> "takes a little planning" is a bit of an understatement!
>
> My comment was meant, as I said, to warn newbies that "upgrade" has two
> meanings in this context:
> 1. The right to upgrade, as spelled out in the license and the EULA.
> Slightly challenging.
>
> 2. The actual process of "upgrading to" the new Vista. VERY challenging.
>
> Even when the user clearly has the upgrade license, the process of using
> that license to actually do the upgrade can be very frustrating!
>
> Last week I did an "in-place upgrade", also known as a "repair install",
> of my Vista Ultimate x64. I wasn't actually upgrading to anything new,
> just reinstalling the system I've been running since December to clean up
> some corruption that had crept in. The actual update process took me FIVE
> HOURS! :>( I was very tempted to press the Reset button several times
> during the process when there were black screens with NO feedback lasting
> 10 minutes or more each time. And, even after it was supposedly finished,
> there were several steps to restore some of my favorite tweaks. Then, of
> course, I had to visit Windows Update to get the 20+ fixes issued since
> RTM; this also involved several reboots.
>
> If it is that time-consuming to "upgrade" to my existing Vista x64, I
> wonder how long it would take to "upgrade" from WinXP x64 or another x64
> version of Vista?
>
> I would be very reluctant to advise an "upgrade" to Vista x64 except for
> experienced users who are adamant about preserving existing applications
> and who are prepared to follow the steps in the KB article. It is NOT
> like upgrading from Win98 to WinXP!
>
>> It's been a good move.
>
> Does this comment mean that you did the "upgrade", Mark? From what to
> what? Please tell us about your experience.
>
> RC
> --
> R. C. White, CPA
> San Marcos, TX
> rc@grandecom.net
> Microsoft Windows MVP
> (Running Windows Live Mail beta in Vista Ultimate x64)
>
> "Mark" <jmhonzell@nospam.insightbb.com> wrote in message
> news:89F09136-1CE5-4CBB-93CA-82D8D28143F7@microsoft.com...
>> Well, you might just try the word "installed." It works no matter how he
>> did it.
>> Bottom line...
>> ... it's takes a little planning
>>
>> For clarification on how to "upgrade" to x64: (especially for those with
>> an "upgrade" license.)
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932795/
>>
>> It's been a good move.
>>
>>
>> "R. C. White" <rc@grandecom.net> wrote in message
>> news
14C73E5-D603-4A81-BBC8-E07FCD53522D@microsoft.com...
>>> Hi, Clayton.
>>>
>>> Congratulations! ;<)
>>>
>>> But, for the benefit of newbies who may be lurking, please clarify that
>>> you did not "upgrade to 64-bit". You clean installed 64-bit, right?
>>>
>>> To the best of my knowledge, there is not yet - or in the foreseeable
>>> future - a way to "upgrade" from 32-bit to 64-bit - or from 64-bit to
>>> 32-bit. There are too many hardware and driver differences to allow an
>>> upgrade in either direction. We can use the "Upgrade" version of Vista
>>> x64, if we have a qualifying 32-bit version of Windows installed, but
>>> the actual 64-bit installation must be a clean install.
>>>
>>> Did you change (migrate? switch? update? transition? I can't think of
>>> a good word for the process of installing 64-bit to replace 32-bit.
>>> Maybe "upgrade" is the best word we have for now, so long as we clarify
>>> what we mean.) from WinXP Pro (32-bit), or WinXP x64 or Vista x86 - or
>>> some other operating system? Did you run Vista Setup from within the
>>> prior Windows?
>>>
>>> RC
>>>
>>> "Clayton" <claytonbNOSPAM@xtra.co.nz> wrote in message
>>> news:OPnY#Xe7HHA.2476@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>> Everything has gone well with the Vista 64-Bit Upgrade no major
>>>> problems to report except for:
> <SNIP>