Windows 8 Pro

[Niemster]

So i bought this for the family computer last week but was unable to install the 64-bit version due to the fact it was installing off a 32-bit xp system. Apparentley you can't go from 32 to 64, which strikes me as a bit odd. Anyway the computer has 4GB of RAM and on a 32-bit system you could only get 2GB of it and i was told on a 64-bit you could get the full 4GB which would be great. Anyway the point of this post is...can i get my computer onto the 64-bit system or am i stuck with the 32-bit?

[mdearlove]

depends if the computer has a processor that supports 64bit. 32Bit windows should show around 3.3GB of memory - this is the maximum it can address.

What make/model PC do you have?

[Niemster]

It an old computer but its an Alienware desktop and says its running Intel Core 2 CPU 6700@ 2.66 2.67 Ghz, says there is 4 GB of RAM installed but only 2.75 is usable and the system is a 32-bit OS, x64-based processor. So assume that means it can potentially run a 64 bit windows 8 right?

[mdearlove]

yep - that will be fine with a 64bit OS on it. You can install the 64 bit version from scratch. Just back all your files up from the XP install and to a clean install of 8

[Niemster]

Well i think thats the problem, not that i have ever done a clean install before but when i googled the problem apparentley windows have made it very difficult to change from 32 to 64 this time round. How do you do the clean install? May as well try and see if it works!

[toofarnorth]

Seems a good place to ask this. What is the advantage of Windows 8 Pro over regular windows 8? They are asking for £60 quid extra on Dell to get it. Cheers

[Saint_Jonny]

Well i think thats the problem, not that i have ever done a clean install before but when i googled the problem apparentley windows have made it very difficult to change from 32 to 64 this time round. How do you do the clean install? May as well try and see if it works!

 

Leave the install disc in the disc tray and restart the computer, during boot the computer should give you the option to boo from the CD (Press any key to boot from CD. . .). When it asks you what kind of install you want to do, click "custom" and it will ask you which disc you want to install on. It will put all of your old files into a folder on C:\ called Windows.old.