Solved Considering buying refurb w/64-bit Windows, but install disk is 32-bit

[Zindar]

To elaborate, I found a deal, but haven't yet purchased it, from a Microsoft registered refurbisher. It's on a Dell Optiplex 760 Mini Tower, with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium installed with COA and reinstallation disc included, but the reinstallation disc is for the 32 bit version.

I infer though that the computer has 64 bit Windows installed on it, because it's advertised as having a recovery partition that will allow me to reinstall 64 bit Windows if/when needed. The seller says that if I like, I can download and burn a 64 bit reinstallation disk (as opposed to relying on the recovery partition). It's this last statement I'd like to verify. Can I really do that, would the download be free, and where would I download it from?

I suppose I may be over worrying, because if the computer never gives me problems, I won't really ever need to reinstall Windows, but what if (theoretically), the hard drive crashes at some point in the future? Then this recovery partition will be out of commission, and the disc he'd giving me is just the 32 bit disc. So I'd think at that point, I'll want a 64 bit install disk.

Also, I'm not sure if when I install peripheral devices, if it will occasionally ask me to insert a Windows disc (maybe to search for drivers). If it does, could I insert the 32 bit supplied disc, even though the installed OS is 64 bit? And it would find whatever it needs? Or maybe I should find and burn this 64 bit disc he speaks of, and insert that whenever I'm prompted for it.

I just want to know what I'm hypothetically in for should I buy this computer, as it seems like a good deal financially, otherwise.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
No a 32 bit of anything isn't going to help you recover a 64 bit install,
Not even sure if this so called refurbished version is worth messing with

Contact the manufacture for a real reinstall disk it may cost more but at least it will be genuine well worth it,
Otherwise buy another oem/ system builders disk and do a clean install
There are still around and last I saw running about 90.us
Amazon.com: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit System Builder OEM | Disc with Frustration-Free Packaging: Software

 

[Zindar]

So when the seller says "you can download and burn the 64bit disc", you think he's lying? I did send him a question yesterday on this, but he hasn't answered me yet.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

So when the seller says "you can download and burn the 64bit disc", you think he's lying? I did send him a question yesterday on this, but he hasn't answered me yet.

Did he tell you from where it can be downloaded?

Probably not.

You can download it from a jillion places if you are indifferent to whether or not you'd be getting an undoctored official Windows, just as if you got it from Microsoft.

At one time, Microsoft made it easy to find and download Windows. Those days are gone. You can take your chances on what you can find on the Internet, borrow a disk from a friend, or otherwise beg, borrow, buy, or steal it.

 

[ThrashZone]

So when the seller says "you can download and burn the 64bit disc", you think he's lying?

Anyone just selling keys is way too fishy all keys come with disks
I have to now wonder if the key is any good :/

How was your luck last time you went to Vegas
It was a lot better than this bet

 

[AddRAM]

I wouldn`t buy anything refurbished from Dell, I wouldn`t even buy a brand new Dell, no way

 

[Zindar]

Well, looking through ads for refurbished Dells, lots of them say they have official licensed copies of windows installed, with the official COA sticker as proof, but most seem to be missing the physical disk.

A few of the ads do include the physical disk, so maybe I should confine my search to those to be safe. (As I say, if the hard drive never goes bad, I may be worried about nothing, but if I ever have to replace the hard drive - which wouldn't be the first time - I'd be supremely annoyed if I couldn't get Windows reinstalled.)

I guess I'm looking at refurbished, because I've had such good luck with them in the past, and they cost so much less money than brand new.

By the way, I guess I'm not partial to Dell, and in fact, I've been using an old e-machines with windows Vista, but my office where I work uses Dells, and they are lightening fast compared to my home computer, which is part of why I'm in the market for a new computer. And these Dells were probably manufactured at least 6 years ago, and they are still lightening fast compared to my home computer.

By the way, I just looked, and my work computer actually has the 32 bit version of Windows 7 installed (even though the hardware would support 64 bit), and I'm very happy with that 32 bit speed, but I've read some articles that seem to like the 64 bit versions better, and I figure if I'm going to buy a computer and have a choice of OS, maybe I should opt for the superior 64 bit version before I lock myself in to a particular OS.

I'm also starting to rethink which computer to get, as I've been looking at dual core CPUs, but for just a little more money I could get a quad core CPU.

 

[Ztruker]

A few of the ads do include the physical disk, so maybe I should confine my search to those to be safe. (As I say, if the hard drive never goes bad, I may be worried about nothing, but if I ever have to replace the hard drive - which wouldn't be the first time - I'd be supremely annoyed if I couldn't get Windows reinstalled.)

Simple resolution.

1. Create recovery disc set once you get the computer. All Dells have this capability.
2. Do an image backup to an external hard drive (the better alternative) using Macrium Reflect Free or equivalent.

 

[ThrashZone]

Yes quad core is obviously better but also more expensive
Also 6 and 8 core is the same

Do as you wish times are much different now days iso downloads are all torrent's and can be altered and you'd never know it also against M$ copy writes terms to even provide them.

It's always best to have an official disk that has a key on an unopened product that does not say recovery or specify a manufacture other than M$ or oem/ system builder channel
Best is retail but those are like bigfoot

 

[Zindar]

A few of the ads do include the physical disk, so maybe I should confine my search to those to be safe. (As I say, if the hard drive never goes bad, I may be worried about nothing, but if I ever have to replace the hard drive - which wouldn't be the first time - I'd be supremely annoyed if I couldn't get Windows reinstalled.)

Simple resolution.

1. Create recovery disc set once you get the computer. All Dells have this capability.
2. Do an image backup to an external hard drive (the better alternative) using Macrium Reflect Free or equivalent.

Wow, that does seem like a simple solution. I just read some Dell articles that explain that solution 1 will also work on a brand new blank hard drive, but that it doesn't include drivers - those are from a different DVD (not the recovery disk), but I think they can be downloaded from dell's site using the service tag number.

I'm guessing the advantage of solution 2 is that it eliminates the step of installing drivers, as I guess the whole drive is restored in a fell swoop. But to me a disadvantage of solution 2 is that I worry that if I download Macrium Reflect Free that maybe I'll get a virus. I've downloaded lots of free software from the internet, and had my antivirus bless it and everything, but then I still get a virus. But solution 1 would seem to eliminate that risk.

So it would seem that as long as the PC comes installed with a genuine certified copy of Windows, I would be okay then, as long as I immediately back it up. Still I have to wonder why so many sellers don't give you the physical disk. That part doesn't make sense to me.

 

[UsernameIssues]

> Still I have to wonder why so many sellers don't give you the physical disk.
If by "sellers" you mean those reselling computers, then it could be that the computer never came with a "physical disk" (a DVD with Windows on it or Windows and bloatware).... so there is no disk to resell. If it did come with a "physical disk", then they might resell that to someone else.

If by "sellers" you mean the OEM, then it is cheaper not to provide a DVD. It is cheaper to provide a recovery partition on the OS drive. Users tend not to lose that partition. Users tend to lose/break DVDs.

As far as infections go: The BIOS could be infected. The firmware on the hard drive controller could be infected. There could be a hidden partition on the drive that is infected. The recovery partition can be infected. The recovery disks that you make can backup infections. Some (many?) infections are not discovered by antivirus products for more than a decade. My point is: you might as well use Macrium Reflect Free to image whatever you get (infections and all).

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I'm guessing the advantage of solution 2 is that it eliminates the step of installing drivers, as I guess the whole drive is restored in a fell swoop. But to me a disadvantage of solution 2 is that I worry that if I download Macrium Reflect Free that maybe I'll get a virus. I've downloaded lots of free software from the internet, and had my antivirus bless it and everything, but then I still get a virus. But solution 1 would seem to eliminate that risk.

Another advantage of solution 2 is that your PC would be restored to the state it was in on the day you made the image, say September 5, 2015---whereas the factory recovery partition would only restore you to the date of manufacture, say March 9, 2013. With Macrium, you could make a new image file every month so that a restoration would never be more than a month out of date.

You can download free Macrium directly from Macrium's own site. I've never heard of anyone having virus problems.

You'd have to learn how to make and restore images. It isn't difficult, but the fact is that most users only learn how to make images. They wait to learn now to restore them until AFTER they are in a jam with a failed hard drive, which of course is a bad policy.

 

[Zindar]

Thanks for this advice about Macrium; it sounds pretty useful, and since I have have an external hard drive already, plus 2 NAS's (the bigger one containing 4 x 3TB in RAID 5 configuration, giving me 9TB of usable space), I should have plenty of space to store images. I've been backing up my data, but not the OS, much less my whole hard drive. I'll look over Macrium ASAP, and hopefully it won't be too hard to figure out how to use.

 

[Ztruker]

Here is a good tutorial on using Macrium: Imaging with free Macrium