Windows 7: Free Windows 7 Upgrade Concern (VOID concern)

Hello I have recently purchased a Dell Studio 15 which is eligible for the Free Upgrade to Windows 7. The Laptop runs Vista x64 (64 bit Vista) and whilst the visuals are great I am having trouble with certain games (Halo 1, Doom 3 etc) For ex low framerate etc. This has prompted me to try and downgrade to Vista 32 bit which I do own the CD for.

I was solely wondering if I Downgrade to Vista 32 bit (or Windows XP SP3 As Ive been tempted to)...Am I still eligible for the Windows 7 Upgrade or does my action of downgrading VOID my ability to get the Upgrade?

And Also If My Laptop was bought with 64 bit Vista on it...Does this mean the Windows 7 Upgrade must also Be 64 bit or can it be 32 bit instead?

Thank You And I Hope To Hear Your Response

You'll get the upgrade in the mail, regardless of what OS you happen to have on your computer. As for what version - you should contact Dell and ask them. I've heard you'll get 32 and 64, and I've also heard you'll just get 32 or 64, depending on what you bought originally.

The limiting factor here is Dell policy - even for the drivers. Dell may not provide ANY 32-bit drivers for the machine. Neither for XP. Check your Service Tag at Dell Downloads.

Changing the OS on the machine will not alter your ability to install any other OS. Your eligibility to receive the Windows 7 DVD remains intact. Your warranty, on the other hand, will be voided.

A simple rule - when talking to Dell, your machine has the OS that you say it has.

I don't believe a Dell warranty is voided because the operating system has changed. I've read quite a few threads by people that were told by Dell tech support that the warranty was voided because the OS was changed, only to be told by the warranty department that, in fact, the hardware warranty was not voided. Also, the Dell online policy states that the limited hardware warranty covers defects, and does not cover oeprating systems or any software.

Ohh okay thank you alot for your help Im going to downgrade after I order the upgrade from Dell. In Regards to what ANTMAN said...does this mean that when I Downgrade from x64 vista to x32 vista I will need to install some drivers before doing the downgrade? Also I Do where would I Find them?

Also 3rd Question (Srry about the all the Questions lol): What Do You Personally Think Would Be Better...Downgrading to x32 bit Vista or to Windows XP Professional SP3? I have both disks. Thing is I wanted to know which would be better for my situation..which is that I desire to run certain programs and games on my PC..Like for ex. Doom 3, Halo 1 and 2, Left 4 Dead, NewWolf (the Wolfenstein 3D Source Port), and Doom Collectors Edition (Of the games i just mentioned..for some odd reason Doom Collectors Edition is the only one which works completely fine on x64 with DplayDll).

Before "Downgrading" to 32-bit,
How much ram does your system have, and what are the specs of your graphics card?
If you do change to 32 bit and your total system memory is greater than about 3.8 gigs you will not get the full use of your machine.

As far as what would cause that to happen is to many back ground process's.
If you are truly set upon reinstalling fresh I would suggest trying to obtain an OEM Vistax64 disk and see if that improves your performance.
(torrents are not reliable places to obtain these, as they are often ridden with spy ware)

But on the other hand if you play games that require punkbuster 32-bit would be a better choice since x64 is not truly supported.

Edit:

One more note,
X64 emulates 32 behavior for 32 bit games(Which is still most games), It cannot run 16-bit architecture, as to where 32 bit can.

My bad. Allow me to re-phrase.

You will terminate all technical support from Dell, while your warranty remains intact.

Check your Service Tag at Dell Downloads - support.dell
If there are no 32-bit drivers there, you may be in for a bit of hassle.

"...will need to install some drivers before doing the downgrade?..." You should really think about that question. But, no.

Oh okay Ill take the info into account. It turns out I have 4.00 GB of RAM, 1759 MB Graphics Memory, Not sure how to find the graphics card. Would it be a problem if I were to downgrade with what I have (the RAM etc)?

32 bit operating systems will only recognize 3 gb of ram... If you could get your hands on a 64 bit xp system it should be good.

jeremy