Can a 32-bit OS be installed on a machine that had 64-bit OS?


  1. TBolt
    Posts : 40
    Win 8.1 Pro
       New #1

    Can a 32-bit OS be installed on a machine that had 64-bit OS?


    Someone here had a Windows Vista 64-bit OS on their laptop. Gateway never provided the OS on disc, and the son wiped their recovery partition.

    This office has only 32-bit Vista. Will it load on the machine?

    I don't think any of them are 'power users' -- wouldn't notice a difference in performance.
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  3. gregrocker
    Posts : 50,642
       New #2

    If it has more than 4gb RAM you'd want to run 64 bit to utilize all of the RAM. You can type Resource Monitor in Start Search box to see how much is also apportioned to hardware, on the Memory tab.

    Use the latest official Vista ISO download to burn to DVD using ImgBurn at 4x speed or write to bootable flash stick using UltraISO Software To Create Bootable USB Flash Drive.

    Follow these same steps to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
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  4. TBolt
    Posts : 40
    Win 8.1 Pro
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    gregrocker said:
    If it has more than 4gb RAM you'd want to run 64 bit to utilize all of the RAM. You can type Resource Monitor in Start Search box to see how much is also apportioned to hardware, on the Memory tab.

    Use the latest official Vista ISO download to burn to DVD using ImgBurn at 4x speed or write to bootable flash stick using UltraISO Software To Create Bootable USB Flash Drive.

    Follow these same steps to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
    Thank you, gregrocker!
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