Any advice greatly appreciated.

Hi
I need to upgrade to a 64bit operating system in order to run Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, I currently have Vista Home 32bit installed. I ran the Windows 7 update advisor and it informs me that I can only have Windows 7 32 bit which doesn't seem right to me as I may not have the latest or fastest machine in the world but it's not exactly an old couch potato either.

Motherboard: Asus P5Q Pro
CPU: Intel core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4ghz
Graphics: Nvidia 8800GTX 750Mb
Ram: Corsair XMS2 4Gb

Has the update advisor got it wrong or is there something here I need to change or upgrade in order to go 64bit.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated as I don't want to fork out for Windows 7 Ultimate only to find it won't install.

Many thanks folks!

Yes I am happy to do a clean install, was planning to drop a new HD in for the new OS so that I can keep the old one active for a while. So if I understand you correctly I can do a new full clean install of Win 7 64bit with my current spec.

Are you positive you need x64 to run CS5? I've never seen x64 being a requirement, except in some server apps. Upgrade Advisor is just that...tells you what you can upgrade to. Switching to x64 would require a clean install.

Also, if you plan to run x64 and a CS5 product, you aren't going to be happy with only 2 GB of memory.

Well, no kidding. An x64 OS is required.
http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/premiere/systemreqs/

I'd still upgrade the memory to at least 4 GB, though.

I tried installing CS5 yesterday and it informed me it has to be 64bit os, checked on adobe website and it confirms it, not for photoshop just premiere pro. I have 4GB ram not 2GB.

I thought it said 2 GB above. Either it was updated, or I misread. Either way, you don't have any worries. You'll be happy with Windows 7 x64.

Many thanks guys for your input... off to the shops then to join the world of x64 and get shot of Vista.

Your retail Win7 purchase should include both 32- and 64-bit Win7 as either can be used/changed with the same license.

If you unplug Vista HD during install to the new HD, setting it as first HD to boot in BIOS setup, then when you plug Vista HD back in you can boot it via one-time BIOS Boot Menu key given on first boot screen. This keeps the HD's independent to come and go as you please.

If you leave Vista HD plugged during install, Win7 will configure a WIndows-managed dual boot which interlocks the HD's and will require surgery to later remove Vista HD.