64-bit 32-bit dual boot

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  1. Posts : 29
    windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
       #1

    64-bit 32-bit dual boot


    Hi,
    I have got a 64-bit processor and am running home premium 64-it, however i am getting anoyed with some of the old software, and also some games (generaly old ones) not working properly or not starting. I was supplied with a 32 bit version of windows and was wondering whether this software would work if i was running a 32 bit copy of windows or is it the fact that i have a 64 bit processor the thing that makes running the software. I am a bir of a novice at this kind of area but not completly illiterate when it comes to using a computer. Would dual booting be the solution, i don't want to have to wipe the hard drive and would like to keep the 64 bit versions as the main boot. Would insalling on an external hard drive be a good solution. A guide it to installation would be much aprreciated. Thanks if you read all that, its a long post!
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  2. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #2

    I would spend my efforts troubleshooting the games, or given the fact you have 3 GB of memory, just wipe the drive and install the x86 version, if the games are that important to you. If the games are very old, you may be able to play them in a VM, but you'd have to give examples of the games that won't play. In my experience, if it was too old to run on Windows 7 x64....it ran fine in XP virtualized.
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  3. Posts : 29
    windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    some of the games include rally campionship 2000 and american conquest, not very exciting sounding. But i was thinking more about whether it was the processor bing 64-bit that made the difference even if i installed a 32 bit os. (both these games work on 32 bit vista)
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  4. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #4

    If the processor can run a 64 bit OS, it will run a 32 bit OS just as well. I'm a fan of going x64, but on your system if you were to just install a 32 bit OS, you wouldn't be losing anything in terms of performance.

    However, as an example, in preparation for StarCraft II, I wanted to play the original. I tried it in a virtualized copy of XP, and it ran fine. I despise multi-boot systems for several reasons, but that's just me, I guess.
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  5. Posts : 29
    windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    i have little experiance in multi-boot but can you install on an external hd, usb connection would cause some performance loss i guess but these arn't high performance games, and one other thing should 32 bit seven work like 32 bit xp bearing in mind these games work on vista 32 bit because i don't really want to have to buy a copy of xp and have the 32 bit copy of seven to hand
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  6. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #6

    I wouldn't bother trying if the drive is an external USB connection. Assuming you'd even get it to work, the performance would be unusable. If it was an eSATA drive, it would work, but then you still have all the caveats of a dual-boot system.

    I would wipe the drive and install Windows 7 x86, if the games are that important to you, and you don't have a license for XP. If you have Windows 7 Pro, you'd be able to use XP Mode for free, but that isn't an option with Home Premium.
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  7. Posts : 29
    windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    DeaconFrost said:
    . I despise multi-boot systems for several reasons, but that's just me, I guess.
    why?
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  8. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #8

    Because it requires multiple licenses, extra disk space, you have to reboot to switch OSes, install them in the proper order, and if one screws up, you can likely render both unbootable. There was a time and place for dual-booting, but those times have died off. Virtualization works much better, can be free in some situations, won't destroy the host OS, and if you muck up the guest OS, you can restore it in a minute or so, and you don't need to exit out and reboot one OS to get to the other.
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  9.    #9

    You can try 32 bit by installing to another partition. For separate HDs install it with 64 bit unplugged then boot either via BIOS boot order or BIOS one-time Boot Menu key given on first boot screen. This keeps the HD's independent to come and go as you please.

    If you need to shrink 64 bit to create a Partition on the same HD, 32 bit will autoconfigure a Windows Dual Boot Menu which will keep the System Active MBR on the 64 bit partition so later 32 bit can be deleted if you want. Same as this: Dual Boot Installation with Windows 7 and Vista

    I would try it for the 30 days given before it has to be activated since whether both installs will be seen as one given the same hardware is questionable. Then if you want to keep 64 bit, just pull the 32 bit HD or delete 32 bit partition. If you want to keep 32 bit, unplug/delete 64 bit, mark 32 bit Active, then run Startup Repair from DVD up to 3 separate times to write MBR to 32 bit. These must be Primary partitions.

    All of these operations can be done with a graphical interface using the best partition manager for Win7, which can also recover deleted first partition space into second partition: Partition Wizard : Use the Bootable CD
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  10. Posts : 2,963
    Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit
       #10

    You can even use the 32-bit for as much as 120 days without activating, but generally, you will need a second key in order to activate it.

    https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...-120-days.html
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