Could you please tell me if it is possible to install Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit on the same machine? Currently I am using Windows 7 32 bit. Now I would like to dual boot Windows 7 64 bit. If so, please let me know the procedure. The reason I want to install 64 bit becuse I have 8 GB RAM and in 32 bit Windows maximum 4 GB can be used efficiently and other 4 GB remain unused.
Thank you.
No reason why not as long as they are both installed in separate partitions. That said I think you will have to boot from your 64 bit disk as the setup cannot be started from the 32 bit version that you already have installed. Just choose the custom install option during the initial install and choose the partition you want. Should be as simple as that. You do know that you will need a separate license for each though, don't you, as Microsoft considers each a distinct version of the OS? You cannot use the same key for both.
Thanks for the reply. I will try installing 64 bit into a seperate partition and let you know if it works for me or not.
I would recommend that ulyou wipe your hard drive and install Wondow 7 x64 on the host system. If you need to run te 32 bit version for some reason, then run it as a virtual machine. This way you can stil have both operating systems (and more if you wish) while not having to deal with the mess of the dual boot configuration. Also, the dual boot only allows one OS to run at a time. Using the VM guests on a physical host will allow you to run multiple OSs at the same time.
Seems like a nice idea....but I am not sure or have any idea about installing windows as a virtual machine :s....Like you said I would like to format my c drive and install 64 bit first then how do I install 32 bit as a virtual machine?
Correct...I would install Windows 7 64 bit on the host computer. After the OS has been installed, you can use Virtual PC, VMWare, or Virtual Box (as examples...) and install Windows 7 32 bit as a virtual machine.
Installing a virtual machine is easy, but if you dont have experience with it, you just need to read over one of the white papers depending on the product you choose. I would just use virtual PC as it will be instlaled by default.
The virtual PC manager will open a window when you launch it. What you will see in the screen is the virtual comptuer. When you boot up the virtual VM, you will see the virtual comptuer boot up just like if it was a physical comptuer. From the VM, you can access the host system's CD/DVD so you can install form that media. VMs also allow you to mount ISO images so you dont need a physical DVD media.
It really is easy to learn and I would highly suggest it if you have some time to learn it. Not only can you run Windows VMs, but if you choose VMWare or Virtual Box, you can run Linux VMs as well. You can run them all simultanousely within a private network, shared network or bridged network.
Very powerful and cost effective especially for those who do a lot of testing and computer lab (learning) work.
Cool thing :) I will google it now about Virtual PC. Thanks Jorge.
Let us know how you get on. Report back with your experiences as they will be of help to others doing the same thing.
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