Going from 32-bit Win7 to 64-bit Win7

[ToughDiamond]

I've been thinking about going from Win7 Pro to Win 10 Pro, which according to the notice on this forum can still be done for free, and while I was at it I thought I'd best get the 64-bit version (which apparently my hardware is capable of supporting) rather than sticking with 32-bit which I suspect a lot of websites and services will be forsaking fairly soon. However:

I'm happy with Win7 and the only thing I want from the change is to keep my computer future-proof (for Web browsing and hopefully the occasional new program), and the idea struck me that simply going over from 32-bit Win7 to 64-bit Win7 might get me most of what I want without having the chore of defeating the spyware and other horrible things that Win10 is reported to be full of. My browser is Firefox, which is updateable via their so-called "ESR channel for 32-bit," which sounds like some kind of temporary concession, so I'm hoping that if I had the 64-bit version of Win7 that I'd be able to update Firefox "properly" just like I could if I had Win10 64-bit. It strikes me that as far as the Web is concerned, the only thing that matters is that the browser is up to date, and that whether it was 7 or 10 wouldn't really matter, though I don't know for sure.

So, does that seem like a sensible way to go, or is my plan seriously flawed? I'm aware that there might be issues with not having all the necessary 64-bit drivers, but if so then that would mess things up whichever OS it was. I'm pretty sure I've got a .iso for 62-bit Win7 somewhere, so would that be all I needed? And would I have to buy a new license (my OS is OEM), or could I do this for free? I presume an unactivated version wouldn't be useful for very long.

 

[samuria]

To go from 32 to 64 bit you need a clean install you cna update any other way. So it a bit of a pain but you would need to update 7 to ten then download the free ISO and do a clean install of 10.
How much ram have you got the main reason to got 64 bit is you can use more than 3 gig ram

 

[ToughDiamond]

To go from 32 to 64 bit you need a clean install you cna update any other way. So it a bit of a pain but you would need to update 7 to ten then download the free ISO and do a clean install of 10.

Thanks, do you mean to get from 7 (32 bit) to 7 (64 bit) I'd need to install 10 (32 bit?) first? I'm OK about doing that, just wondering. And if so, would I have to do an actual upgrade from 7 to 10, or would I clean install 10 as per the Ten Forums tutorial? Sorry, I'm just a bit confused about the exact steps I'd need to take.

How much ram have you got the main reason to got 64 bit is you can use more than 3 gig ram

8 gigs.......I'd forgotten about that but it's a good point, presumably I'd finally be able to use it all . Currently my system says it can only use 2.5 gigs of it. Beats me why the makers gave me so much without giving me an OS that could use it.

 

[Bree]

Thanks, do you mean to get from 7 (32 bit) to 7 (64 bit) I'd need to install 10 (32 bit?) first? I'm OK about doing that, just wondering. And if so, would I have to do an actual upgrade from 7 to 10, or would I clean install 10 as per the Ten Forums tutorial? Sorry, I'm just a bit confused about the exact steps I'd need to take.

It doesn't matter whether you want to end up with 64-bit W7 or 64-bit W10. You cannot upgrade any version of Windows from 32 to 64 bits, you always have to do a clean install.

So if you want to end up with 64-bit W10 and you are starting from 32-bit W7, then the simplest path is to upgrade 32-bit W7 to 32-bit W10 in order to get a W10 digital licence linked to the hardware ID of the PC.

After that you can clean install 64-bit W10 and when asked for a key click 'I don't have one'. Install the same edition as you got in the upgrade (Home or Pro) and it will activate automatically from the existing digital licence.

 

[Bree]

8 gigs.......I'd forgotten about that but it's a good point, presumably I'd finally be able to use it all .

Yes, a 64-bit OS will be able to use it all.

Currently my system says it can only use 2.5 gigs of it. Beats me why the makers gave me so much without giving me an OS that could use it.

A 32-bit OS has a total addressable space of 4GB (that's 2 to the power 32). Some of that address space has to be reserved for addressing the video RAM, leaving the rest (2.5GB in your case) available for use by the OS.


Did you get this PC new, or was it second hand? I've bought a s/h laptop that was supplied with 8GB RAM and 64-bit W8 by the OEM, but it had been re-imaged with a corporate 32-bit W7 image by the original business purchaser.

 

[ToughDiamond]

Did you get this PC new, or was it second hand? I've bought a s/h laptop that was supplied with 8GB RAM and 64-bit W8 by the OEM, but it had been re-imaged with a corporate 32-bit W7 image by the original business purchaser.

It was indeed second hand, so that might well explain it. Makes a lot more sense than the manufacturer quietly and generously providing folks with a way to go to 64-bit and thus avoid buying another computer. The second hand dealer pointed to the 8 gigs of RAM but left it up to me to find out that the OS was only 32-bit.

Thanks for your advice about the path to 64-bit, I'll take a good look at that presently. I'm more than happy to do a clean install, in fact I'd prefer to do nothing but clean install(s), having read a number of horror stories about the mess that upgrading from 7 to 10 can create.

 

[Bree]

Thanks for your advice about the path to 64-bit, I'll take a good look at that presently. I'm more than happy to do a clean install, in fact I'd prefer to do nothing but clean install(s), having read a number of horror stories about the mess that upgrading from 7 to 10 can create.

I'd be more concerned with the mess that the currently installed W7 may be in, if it was a corporate image it may have all sorts of customisations or unwanted software (such as AVs). I've never had any issues upgrading from an OEM W7 to W10.

One possible complication. As this W7 Pro seems to have been installed by the previous (probably business) owners, then that may not be what the OEM originally supplied it with.

Does it have a W7 Pro CoA sticker? If not, it may have been supplied by the OEM with W8 or later pre-installed and an OEM key will be embedded in the BIOS. It may not be a key for Pro, it may just be a Home key. If so, a clean install will pick up that key from the bios and use it to install W10 Home.

You can check for an OEM embedded key with ShowKeyPlus: ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Forums

If there is an embedded OEM key for 8/8.1/10 Pro then you can do a clean install straight away. If there is an embedded key for Home, then you must upgrade your W7 Pro to W10 Pro first, it's the only way to get this PC a digital licence for W10 Pro.

After it says W10 Pro is activated with a digital licence, then you can do a clean install. A Home key in the bios will mean that 10 Home is automatically installed and activated, but the existing digital licence for W10 Pro means that you can then upgrade that W10 Home to W10 Pro just by changing the installed key to the generic W10 Pro key ending in -3V66T.

Generic Product Keys to Install Windows 10 Editions | Tutorials

 

[ToughDiamond]

I'd be more concerned with the mess that the currently installed W7 may be in, if it was a corporate image it may have all sorts of customisations or unwanted software (such as AVs). I've never had any issues upgrading from an OEM W7 to W10.

Does Microsoft still provide the upgrading service, now that support is over? By the way, soon after buying the machine I restored it to factory settings, which was a Hewlett-Packard thing (i.e. the maker) - wouldn't that be immune from any monkey business by the second-hand dealer?

One possible complication. As this W7 Pro seems to have been installed by the previous (probably business) owners, then that may not be what the OEM originally supplied it with.

Does it have a W7 Pro CoA sticker? If not, it may have been supplied by the OEM with W8 or later pre-installed and an OEM key will be embedded in the BIOS. It may not be a key for Pro, it may just be a Home key. If so, a clean install will pick up that key from the bios and use it to install W10 Home.

You can check for an OEM embedded key with ShowKeyPlus: ShowKeyPlus - Windows 10 Forums

Yes it has a CoA sticker, and mercifully it says "Windows 7 Pro OA" on it, which I guess tells us that the maker sold it with W7 Pro. Don't know what the "OA" bit means, hopefully it's not bad news. And ShowKey Plus tells me the "installed key" ends in -6P6GT, if that's any help in figuring out my path to 64-bit 7. As for what the history of this machine is, I'm baffled. It looks like it's always been Win 7 Pro, but whether it was always 32 bit or the second-hand dealer reloaded it and changed it from 64 to 32, I don't know.

I'm also interested not only in the "how to" of my proposed move from 32-bit 7 to 64-bit 7, but also in whether or not it's a good idea in the first place to do so, with regard to my plan's effectiveness as a future-proofing.

 

[Bree]

Does Microsoft still provide the upgrading service, now that support is over?

Yes. An activated W7 will still get a digital licence for W10 when upgraded.

By the way, soon after buying the machine I restored it to factory settings, which was a Hewlett-Packard thing (i.e. the maker) - wouldn't that be immune from any monkey business by the second-hand dealer?

Good. Yes, that's now a clean OEM install.

Yes it has a CoA sticker, and mercifully it says "Windows 7 Pro OA" on it, which I guess tells us that the maker sold it with W7 Pro. Don't know what the "OA" bit means....

OA stands for OEM Activated. This means that the OEM installed W7 self-activates if it finds an SLP marker in the bios,

And ShowKey Plus tells me the "installed key" ends in -6P6GT, if that's any help in figuring out my path to 64-bit 7. As for what the history of this machine is, I'm baffled. It looks like it's always been Win 7 Pro, but whether it was always 32 bit or the second-hand dealer reloaded it and changed it from 64 to 32, I don't know.

That is the generic HP key for OEM activation of their pre-installed W7 Pro. As you did a factory reset then the OEM factory image supplied with this machine was 32-bit. That OEM SLP key was in the factory image and required a matching SLP marker in the bios in order to self-activate. You obviously have the SLP marker (and that should be confirmed by ShowKeyPlus).

See this post for more about that:

THE ABOVE ARE LOADED ON THE COMPUTER AT THE FACTORY
and are used on every HP W7 PRO...
The COA (sticker) code is unique to every computer. -- basically a spare key

Win 7 "Installed Key" Identical on all PCs

I'm also interested not only in the "how to" of my proposed move from 32-bit 7 to 64-bit 7, but also in whether or not it's a good idea in the first place to do so, with regard to my plan's effectiveness as a future-proofing.

The security risks should be the same for 32 or 64 bit W7. An upgrade to W10 (32 or 64 bit) would have the latest security patches and continuing support.

Whether you upgrade to W10 or stay with W7, 64-bit would let you use all your RAM. In order to clean install 64-bit W7 Pro that will self-activate you'd need a 64-bit HP W7 Pro install disk. Using a standard MS W7 Pro disk would require you to use the CoA key to activate it on-line.

If you upgraded the existing 32-bit W7 Pro to 32-bit W10 then no key would be needed to clean install 64-bit W10 Pro, the digital licence it would have got in the upgrade is valid for both 32 and 64 bit clean installs.

Once you have upgraded to 32-bit W10 or clean installed either 64-bit W7 or W10 then the factory reset image is no longer applicable as it's a 32-bit image. So before you do anything it would be a good idea to make a system image of all the partitions as they stand now.

It may also possible to make 32-bit W7 Pro HP factory reset media from your existing HP reset partition. See:
HP PCs - Creating Recovery Discs or Saving a Recovery Image to a USB Flash Drive (Windows 7) | HP(R) Customer Support

 

[Marie SWE]

ToughDiamond
I read your first post and I got the feeling that you want to keep win7 but that you want to switch to win7 64bit version. Is that correct or would you rather upgrade to win10 64bit?

 

[ToughDiamond]

ToughDiamond
I read your first post and I got the feeling that you want to keep win7 but that you want to switch to win7 64bit version. Is that correct or would you rather upgrade to win10 64bit?

Yes that's correct, I want to go from 32-bit to 64-bit and I want to keep Win7, if that turns out to be a reasonable thing to do.

Thanks for your clear, detailed answer, Bree. There's a lot there that will be useful to me and I hope to have more to say later. It's been a long day.

 

[SIW2]

Yes that's correct, I want to go from 32-bit to 64-bit and I want to keep Win7, if that turns out to be a reasonable thing to do.

should be easy enough.

Backup the activation from your current 32 bit installation.

Install the 64 bit pro.

Restore the activation.

HERE

Then run simplix update pack to install the updates without telemetry and other unwanted stuff.

Download Simplix UpdatePack 7 - MajorGeeks

 

[Marie SWE]

Yes that's correct, I want to go from 32-bit to 64-bit and I want to keep Win7, if that turns out to be a reasonable thing to do.

Thanks for your clear, detailed answer, Bree. There's a lot there that will be useful to me and I hope to have more to say later. It's been a long day.

For my HP computers, I ordered recovery discs from HP. That way I didn't have to install drivers, extra software and so on.
When I used the recovery discs, I was given the option of choosing if I wanted to install 32bit or 64bit.
It says it costs money(£39.28), but it was free here in sweden, so you might be lucky that it's free in your country too.
I did called them instead of ordering online, maybe that's why it was free, because it is an old operating system

Order recovery media: HP PCs - Obtaining PC Recovery USB Drives or Discs | HP(R) Customer Support

when i clicked the link to order i ended up on this page: HP Recovery Media | Best2Serve

Give it a try before you test third-party solutions.
It's always fun to have the original media to a OEM computer.
I found the phone number through my country's phonebook when I couldn't find it through their website.

 

[SIW2]

You were fortuinate to get it free. £39 is quite expensive for recovery media. Particularly when you consider that win10 pro with license is only £39.99.
Computeractive Software Store - Windows 10 Professional - 80% off RRP

That win10 offer is only useful for those who

1. Like win10

and

2. Don't already have something they can use for the free "upgrade".

Might be useful if you have an old machine without slic and no spare win7 keys that could be used to install win7

Or perhaps buying a new machine from custom manufacturers such as palicomp, you could untick the OS from selection, which reduces the price

https://www.palicomp.co.uk/intel-mercury-cof9

 

[SIW2]

For my HP computers, I ordered recovery discs from HP. That way I didn't have to install drivers, extra software and so on.

For people who can't get hold of that free and easily:

export the 3rd party drivers and activation from your current installation. Keep it somewhere safe - in a folder on external HD for example.

dism++ makes that very easy

View attachment Dism++10.1.1000.100.zip

 

[Marie SWE]

You were fortuinate to get it free. £39 is quite expensive for recovery media. Particularly when you consider that win10 pro with license is only £39.99.
Computeractive Software Store - Windows 10 Professional - 80% off RRP

That win10 offer is only useful for those who

1. Like win10

and

2. Don't already have something they can use for the free "upgrade".

Might be useful if you have an old vista machine and no spare win7/8/8.1 keys that could be used for free "upgrade"

Yes I was lucky to get it for free. But I was thinking that ToughDiamond might have such luck too as win7 is old operating system and £39 may only apply to new computers.
The question to HP is free, so why not ask.

I will never ever install win10 spyware on any of my computers or my family's computers. Not even if I get it for free or if I get paid to use it.
win10 home and pro monitor keystrokes and browser history and much more.

Watch this video and related links in the comments section.... Never ever win10 home or pro in my lifetime..
YouTube
His video description:
-----------------------

In this video, I am going over the question everyone is asking... Is Microsoft Spying on You? Also, I will be showing whether you should Disable Telemetry or Leave it on.

What Telemetry Captures
-Browsing history
-Device Connectivity and Configuration; settings and peripheral data
-Inking Typing and Speech Utterance; keyboard and microphone captures
-Product and Service Performance; reliability data and file queries
-Product and Service Usage; uptime, apps used, OS info
-Software Setup and Inventory; installs and updates for applications

Disable Telemetry Pros
-Your keystrokes, browser history, device information isn't sitting in a repository at Microsoft
-Avoiding possible security issues that can arise from Microsoft hosting this information (Government Agencies, Hackers, etc.)

Disable Telemetry Cons
-Blocking Windows Updates
-Hosts file blocks can mess with Skype Messages
-Windows Store Issues
-Issues with integrated tools like Defender / OneDrive
-Can cause issues with future feature updates
**Using Minimal "Basic" Option because of the Cons above is recommended

Disabling Instructions
O&O Shutup 10
Disable Windows 7 Telemetry
Remove telemetry updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 . GitHub

Sources:
Should You Disable Windows 10 Telemetry? - Smart Buyer
Windows 10 telemetry secrets: Where, when, and why Microsoft collects your data | ZDNet
How to Fix Windows 10 Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry High Disk Usage - EaseUS
What Do Windows 10’s Basic and Full Telemetry Settings Actually Do?
Why You Shouldn’t Use “Anti-Spying” Tools for Windows 10
Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit - Wikipedia
------------------------

 

[ToughDiamond]

I'm very grateful to Bree, S1W2, and Marie SWE for all this excellent advice about the different possible paths to W7 64-bit, and I'm currently looking at those ideas, links and downloads. I had no idea the "how to" of it could be so involved. So before I decide on the exact details of how I'm going to make the switch to 64-bit, it seems logical to first decide which OS (W10 or W7) would be the wisest one to go for. That way, if worst comes to worst and W10 "wins," I can just follow the TenForums tutorial which seems to be pretty simple and bulletproof, and if I end up opting for W7 then I can ignore that and choose my path from the suggestions in this here thread.
. . .I very much want it to be W7 so I can avoid all the W10 spyware and stick with the OS that I'm familiar with, but so many people out there seem to take it as read that sticking with the now obselete W7 would be a wrong move. Here are the only reasons I can see (so far) for their attitude:

1. W7 would be more vulnerable to malware and viruses,
2. New software and updates to existing software wouldn't work in W7,
3. It would mean missing out on useful new features in W10,
4. There are fixes for anything nasty (such as spyware) in W10, and
5. 64-bit W10 is free for legal W7 users while 64-bit W7 might cost a few pounds.

So here's my thinking so far on those points.

Vulnerability to malware and viruses (security):

The security risks should be the same for 32 or 64 bit W7. An upgrade to W10 (32 or 64 bit) would have the latest security patches and continuing support.

How much more secure than W7 would W10 be? Is security an OS thing or a browser thing? If it's a browser thing, my Firefox updates seem more interested in whether my OS is 64- or 32-bit than whether it's 7 or 10, so I'm hoping that with 64 bits they'll update me just like they would if I had 10. I've used nothing but Firefox for browsing, with the plugins NoScript and CleanLinks. I know almost nothing about security problems that don't arise from browsing the Web, and have pretty much ignored that angle. Have I been skating on thin ice without knowing it?
New software and software updates:
Again, I'm hoping the use of 64-bit Windows will be enough. So far the only new programs and updates that have refused to work for me have done so on the grounds of their not supporting 32-bit any more. But then I've not installed many new programs or updates, so I don't know if my experiences are very representative. What do you think?
Fixes for nasty content in Win 10:
I gather a lot can be done to beat 10 into submission, but I've also heard rumours that the spyware can't be completely killed. I gather Cortana can be disabled but only at the expense of losing the search box in the Windows start menu, and that doing any kind of search with 10, even for a local file, gives a Bing search.

I will never ever install win10 spyware on any of my computers or my family's computers. Not even if I get it for free or if I get paid to use it.
win10 home and pro monitor keystrokes and browser history and much more.

Watch this video and related links in the comments section.... Never ever win10 home or pro in my lifetime..
YouTube
His video description:
-----------------------

In this video, I am going over the question everyone is asking... Is Microsoft Spying on You? Also, I will be showing whether you should Disable Telemetry or Leave it on.

What Telemetry Captures
-Browsing history
-Device Connectivity and Configuration; settings and peripheral data
-Inking Typing and Speech Utterance; keyboard and microphone captures
-Product and Service Performance; reliability data and file queries
-Product and Service Usage; uptime, apps used, OS info
-Software Setup and Inventory; installs and updates for applications

Disable Telemetry Pros
-Your keystrokes, browser history, device information isn't sitting in a repository at Microsoft
-Avoiding possible security issues that can arise from Microsoft hosting this information (Government Agencies, Hackers, etc.)

Disable Telemetry Cons
-Blocking Windows Updates
-Hosts file blocks can mess with Skype Messages
-Windows Store Issues
-Issues with integrated tools like Defender / OneDrive
-Can cause issues with future feature updates
**Using Minimal "Basic" Option because of the Cons above is recommended

Disabling Instructions
O&O Shutup 10
Disable Windows 7 Telemetry
Remove telemetry updates for Windows 7 and 8.1 . GitHub

Sources:
Should You Disable Windows 10 Telemetry? - Smart Buyer
Windows 10 telemetry secrets: Where, when, and why Microsoft collects your data | ZDNet
How to Fix Windows 10 Microsoft Compatibility Telemetry High Disk Usage - EaseUS
What Do Windows 10’s Basic and Full Telemetry Settings Actually Do?
Why You Shouldn’t Use “Anti-Spying” Tools for Windows 10
Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit - Wikipedia

OMG! Looks like simply killing Cortana wouldn't be nearly enough then, and I can well understand your "Never 10" attitude. So, if a user did everything they reasonably could to thwart the spyware content in 10, what working spyware would they still have to accept? And if the user really went to town on this and killed all the spyware it was humanly possible to kill, would that be enough, and what useful features would also perish in the cleansing? Anything lost that didn't have a good (free or cheap) 3rd-party substitute?
. . .Has anybody written a unified, simple-to-use utility that makes the whole battle possible without investing weeks of time and tears into the process? It strikes me that without such a utility, or at least a single, comprehensive tutorial on how to do it all manually, the biggest problem is the fragmented nature of the subject - a user could spend a long time doing their best to fix everything they could, and they still wouldn't know they hadn't missed something. So, if your time was limited and you wanted the most complete one-stop shop to show you how to do the whole job, where would you go?
Cost:
It looks like 64-bit Win10 activation would be free for me as a legal 7 user, as long as MS don't pull the offer. There's a good chance that 64-bit 7 would be free too (S1W2's activation backup and restore looks very easy and promising, thanks for that - and if it doesn't work, you never know, HP might respond well to a phone call). I gather the unactivated version of 10 runs almost as well as the activated version. What does 7 do if it's not activated?

 

[Bree]

...before I decide on the exact details of how I'm going to make the switch to 64-bit, it seems logical to first decide which OS (W10 or W7) would be the wisest one to go for.

Yes, the easiest path to a 64-bit OS depends on which one you want to end up with. W10 x64 is the easier of the two, upgrade 7 to 32-bit w10 then clean install 64-bit. W7 x64 is doable, but a bit more work.

Should you go for W10 you'll find both S1W2 and myself (and many other regulars) over on Ten Forums.

. . .I very much want it to be W7 so I can avoid all the W10 spyware and stick with the OS that I'm familiar with, but so many people out there seem to take it as read that sticking with the now obsolete W7 would be a wrong move...

I'm agnostic. I have both W10 and W7 machines. I prefer W10, but that's just me. S1W2 may prefer W7...

How much more secure than W7 would W10 be? Is security an OS thing or a browser thing?

Definitely an OS thing. Look at the list of security fixes for W7 here, for example...
KB4525235 Security Monthly Quality Rollup update Windows 7 - Nov. 12

I gather a lot can be done to beat 10 into submission, but I've also heard rumours that the spyware can't be completely killed. ... So, if your time was limited and you wanted the most complete one-stop shop to show you how to do the whole job, where would you go?

You can go too far in disabling W10 telemetry. A hack to far may cause windows update problems. I set reporting to Basic, turn off all background apps and deny all permissions in Privacy. That makes Cortana dormant and reduces telemetry to little more than app crash stats, which MS use to fix OS bugs.

I gather the unactivated version of 10 runs almost as well as the activated version. What does 7 do if it's not activated?

Using either unactivated is a violation of the EULA and cannot be encouraged here or on Ten Forums. W7 is a little more draconian than W10 in that after 30 days windows update ceases to work. Both have regular reminders to activate and the desktop background is set to black. Personalisation functions are disabled.

 

[SIW2]

Is security an OS thing or a browser thing?

far removed from the fearmongering noise you get on the Internet.
A good computer security practice comes in layers. You need a reasonable network solution, which means a robust and reliable firewall, and this is often solved by using a router that isn't set to lax defaults. Then, you have the Internet-facing element, and here, you need robust and up-to-date browsers. Firefox and Chrome will do. Lastly, you have the foobar element - which is what happens when things go wrong. Indeed, when that does occur, you need to: a) minimize damage b) ensure the integrity of your data.
..So what about system updates?

Indeed, what about them? As you can see, in my list, I've not mentioned system updates at any point. In most cases, they aren't really that important. They can be useful in addressing various bugs, including stability fixes, but it's not a do-or-die situation. The world is not going to end if you don't patch your system for some time.

I have no issue continuing to use win7 for a long while yet. Firewall, up to date browser ( don't use ie11), better mail client (e.g. thunderbird). And for the paranoid, MS will continue to provide definitions for security essentials on win7 till 2023. Other anti virus providers will probably keep going longer than that.

In the unlikely event that something crops up, MS will issue a fix - like they did for the spectre/meltdown.

One could always run simplix update pack every month.

Download:
Small downloader which can be run to download the pack itself - it currently downloads UpdatePack7R2-20.2.21.exe ( about 850mb)
https://update7.simplix.info/UpdatePack7R2.exe

OR
Download Simplix UpdatePack 7 - MajorGeeks

 

[ToughDiamond]

Yes, the easiest path to a 64-bit OS depends on which one you want to end up with. W10 x64 is the easier of the two, upgrade 7 to 32-bit w10 then clean install 64-bit. W7 x64 is doable, but a bit more work.
Should you go for W10 you'll find both S1W2 and myself (and many other regulars) over on Ten Forums.

On perusal of the situation, I'm leaning towards 7 - no reason why I can't also pursue 10 and keep it as a doomsday option - and yes, TenForums is just the place to thrash out the practicalities of that. I see one or two users have reported success there in going from 32-bit 7 to 64-bit 10. Which simplifies this here thread down to the pros and cons of sticking with 7 and the "how to" of succesfully installing and running the 64-bit version.
I don't know much about how the outside world can attack a computer in a non-browser way, but I take your point that there's more to strong security than keeping Firefox up to date.

I have no issue continuing to use win7 for a long while yet. Firewall, up to date browser ( don't use ie11), better mail client (e.g. thunderbird). And for the paranoid, MS will continue to provide definitions for security essentials on win7 till 2023. Other anti virus providers will probably keep going longer than that.

Luckily I've long since forsaken IE for Firefox and Microsoft's email client for Thunderbird, so no change needed there. Any recommendations for a decent 3rd-party firewall?

And for the paranoid, MS will continue to provide definitions for security essentials on win7 till 2023. Other anti virus providers will probably keep going longer than that.

One could always run simplix update pack every month.

Would Simplix bring an old version of Win7 completely up to date? Or are the MS .iso files always up to date anyway?

Here's something that worries me:

I gather from this:
Where to Download Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 ISOs Legally
that MS won't give me a .iso of Win7 from here:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows7
because if I enter my OEM license key it won't work.
HowToGeek recommends I use this (purportedly legal) download tool instead:
Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool
That looks easy enough, and there are a couple of suggestions on this very thread about how to activate the new OS once I've installed it, but given that my existing license key is OEM, won't MS refuse to activate it, just like they'd refuse to let me download it by the front door? In short, as things stand am I legally entitled to a free 64-bit Win7 at all?