Quick question about Backups and Upgrades...

OK, I am about to switch from Win7x32Bit to Win7x64Bit. I'll also be formatting C:\ before installing Win7x64.

Now, my question is, if I use Windows Backup Utility to backup my files in C:\ drive to another drive, will I be able to restore those files after installing Win7x64?

And will the themes I've made in Win7x32 work in Win7x64?

What's the big difference in 32bit and 64bit anyway? Wherever I look online, it just says that 64 is faster and it can utilize full ram.

But the basic OS is the same right?

Hoping for a quick reply, (No, really. I need to decide in about 15 minutes. That's how long it takes for my computer guy to come here :| )
T4

OK, quick reply. Go for 64 bit. With 32-bit Windows, you're stuck at 4GB of RAM, and even then, you're only using about 3.3GB of it. With 64-bit, 4GB of RAM is the standard, and with 4GB, you can run tons of applications with zero slowdown. Also it makes your system more futureproof, so you can take your system to 8GB, 16GB or 32GB memory.

LiquidSnak said:

Unless you're planning on upgrading RAM and switching to 64 bit applications, you probably won't notice the difference.

I can't answer the themes question with a difinitive answer, but I think it would be likely that you could.

Also, you should be able to recover your files just fine.

OK, that's good to know. Anyhow, if I encounter problems, I'll just switch back to 32bit.

Bill2 said:

OK, quick reply. Go for 64 bit. With 32-bit Windows, you're stuck at 4GB of RAM, and even then, you're only using about 3.3GB of it. With 64-bit, 4GB of RAM is the standard, and with 4GB, you can run tons of applications with zero slowdown. Also it makes your system more futureproof, so you can take your system to 8GB, 16GB or 32GB memory.

Exactly! My RAM says '4.00GB (3.25 Usable)'...

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Well anyway, I'm backing up important files and switching to 64bit! Thanks for your quick replies!

LiquidSnak said:

They already said they are switching, you don't have to convince them

BTW, I am a single entity. So technically, I can't be referred to as 'They' or 'Them' .

make sure you have 64bit drivers during install.
and you might find this usefull:

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

LiquidSnak said:

HeShe then?

I was using they as a non-gender singular noun :)

Ah, pardon me, madame (monsieur?). I'm French, you see. I pride myself on my English skills. So much so, that I sometimes overlook small mistakes on my part :).

.
.

Nah, jk. I ain't French. But I still overlook small mistakes on my part :)

kword88 said:

make sure you have 64bit drivers during install.
and you might find this usefull:

SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

But Win7 has most drivers in-built right? If not, won't Windows Update do that for me?

And the link you posted leads to a long tutorial. So (forgive me) I haven't read it yet. What exactly is it anyway? And how is it useful to me?