Product key?

When the retail 7 was first out I ran both 32bit on a second drive while the 64bit remained on the host drive using the same product key. Explaination? Same key = same machine

The recovery partition as well as any recovery disks provided should provide the option for either even with them being branded since you will still be using the same key on the same machine there. The other option for you to decide on is the 4gb maximum according to the specifications which would lessen the need for the 32bit 7 on the other hand.

If you replace the present 2gb with a different brand rather then adding onto the present 2gb with another of the same you would then need a clean install or call MS for reactivation however. 4gb is generally quite adequate since the recommended for the 64bit is about 2.5gb.

Night Hawk said:

When the retail 7 was first out I ran both 32bit on a second drive while the 64bit remained on the host drive using the same product key. Explaination? Same key = same machine

The recovery partition as well as any recovery disks provided should provide the option for either even with them being branded since you will still be using the same key on the same machine there. The other option for you to decide on is the 4gb maximum according to the specifications which would lessen the need for the 32bit 7 on the other hand.

If you replace the present 2gb with a different brand rather then adding onto the present 2gb with another of the same you would then need a clean install or call MS for reactivation however. 4gb is generally quite adequate since the recommended for the 64bit is about 2.5gb.

I would really love to upgrade to 4gb ram, but i cant afford $50+ for a another 2gb thats 6400+ speed or whatever that number came on my ram.

gregrocker said:

Congrats. You have joined the growing number of tech enthusiasts who clean reinstall to overcome factory bloatware which is now enforced by all manufacturers except on business computers.

Can I get some clarification please.
Are you saying that the process described here allows you to clean install from a factory OEM operating system? As opposed to factory restore which of course puts back all the unwanted trial software.

Brian6121990 said:

Night Hawk said:

When the retail 7 was first out I ran both 32bit on a second drive while the 64bit remained on the host drive using the same product key. Explaination? Same key = same machine

The recovery partition as well as any recovery disks provided should provide the option for either even with them being branded since you will still be using the same key on the same machine there. The other option for you to decide on is the 4gb maximum according to the specifications which would lessen the need for the 32bit 7 on the other hand.

If you replace the present 2gb with a different brand rather then adding onto the present 2gb with another of the same you would then need a clean install or call MS for reactivation however. 4gb is generally quite adequate since the recommended for the 64bit is about 2.5gb.

I would really love to upgrade to 4gb ram, but i cant afford $50+ for a another 2gb thats 6400+ speed or whatever that number came on my ram.

That would be an option to consider at a later date since you should still be able to run the 64bit as well as the 32bit 7 on 2gb depending on the types of programs you run. I tossed a fast temp install of the 32bit on an old boat with only 1gb and that install ran normally on the lesser amount including running some old game titles as well as the XP Mode on VM ware.

Since I have CAD and other things running here and why when planning the new build I went for 8gb over simply seeing another desktop with 4gb while for most part the slight increase when you can afford it would help some.

Having over 2gb is not a requirement however for either flavor while most prefer the extra. As far as which flavor suits your needs the best you will be the one to decide on that.

Note if and when you plan to buy the additional memory the manufacturer's prices for the upgrade will always tend to be well above the deals you can find at vendors like newegg. Try to stay with the same brand however as that could effect the preactivation unless some memory stands out.

When simply swapping the first set of dimms out on the new build here a fresh full install turned out to be what was needed when the invalid product key message appeared on the initial already activated install. 7 is a bit fussy there.

When first putting the last case together the 2gb size dimms were first being seen for the $300 price tag on a pair now being seen for the 4gb dimms instead. Some time later when the prices did fall low enough it was 4gb time there. But that was a year later when seeing to it while running Vista on 2gb all that time. With 7 that should be a breeze when comparing the two.