Windows 7 64-bit to 32-bit

[eddyad37]

I bought a new PC and Windows 7 retail edition so I have both 32 and 64 bit editions. I installed 64-bit and partitioned my hard disk.
When the 64-bit installed it made an extra partition between the C: drive and the new partitions. Now I've got some compatibility problems and want to go to the 32-bit version.
Will installing 32-bit (Custom) overwrite the C: and recovery partitions and leave the new ones alone? Also will the new 32-bit be clean with no trace of the 64-bit left behind?
Thanks for any help


P.S. i may want to go to 64-bit sometime when I've replaced the kit with the problems, but that's not an option right now.

 

[wallyinnc]

Eddyad, welcome to the forums

In order to guarantee no leftovers I would delete and reformat the partition Windows 7 x64 is installed and the recovery partition, then reinstall x86 on it.

You have backups of all your personal data, right? Please backup before you do it

Now, what compatibility problems do you have? Have you tried fixing those, it might be a less labor intensive solution. Running things in compatibility mode or even Virtual XP can solve many of these

let us know

 

[eddyad37]

Eddyad, welcome to the forums

In order to guarantee no leftovers I would delete and reformat the partition Windows 7 x64 is installed and the recovery partition, then reinstall x86 on it.

That sounds OK - but in Disk manager, if I delete C: and the unnamed volume next to it, will I then get one volume which I format and it will become C: again? Then I assume put in the 32 bit CD, restart and boot from the CD.
I'm afraid the mechanics of it confuse me a bit. I'm not too good with op. systems.

You have backups of all your personal data, right? Please backup before you do it

Yes, on a removable HDD. Actually I had restored some of it to the new partition test things, so if it stays it would be a marginal help.

Now, what compatibility problems do you have? Have you tried fixing those, it might be a less labor intensive solution. Running things in compatibility mode or even Virtual XP can solve many of these
let us know

It's a scanner and a number of people have posted about problems. Somebody on AV forums said he'd contacted Epson and they have no plans for 64-bit support. He's thinking about downgrading too.
As the PC is a 3GB laptop I don't think much will be lost by going to 32 bit. It could be less hassle than Virtual XP. I just want things as simple as possible.

 

[wallyinnc]

Tks Eddyad

I have dumped a Epson scanner for the same reason. And it wouldn't work with XP mode either, so yours seem to be the way. But in my case there were no Windows 7 drivers at all, so I suggest you check that before going further. My scanner was quite old

Regarding the partition deletion, I don't think it will allow you to delete C: while Windows is running. I thought (and should have said) of using another program like GParted to delete the partitions. Then when you install Windows 7 again it will create a new partition and it will be C. It might also recreate the recovery partition. I actually recommend you leave it, it is only 100MB and makes things much easier if you have to run a recovery in the future.

You clean the two partitions and make one out of them. Then put the installation DVD and run install, making sure you select this partition for the Win7 install.

 

[eddyad37]

Thanks for reply. There is a 32 bit driver for the scanner which is what led me down the 32 bit path. It's a Perfection Photo and costs a lot to replace. I'm not too impressed with 64 bit so far - too many missing drivers and "compatibility problems". Nero 7 is no-no too and I had to upgrade to a new version of Wordperfwct Office. Also there was a major patch to Photoshop Elements.

The unnamed partition between C and E (D is the CD drive, E is my first new partition) is 4.08 GB and I suspect it may be connected to the motherboard (Gigabyte GA-M61PME-S2P) which has something called Xpress Recovery. It's available during the boot sequence with a function key. If I click Delete on it in the Disk manager a message says it wasn't created by Windows.
I think I'll just uninstall all the stuff I'd optimistically installed, do a Custom install of the 32 bit system on to Dr C: and hope it all works. Microsoft say that Custom Install will remove all previous contents of the selected drive so I'll hope for the best.

I've been at this on and off for a week now. I actually installed the 32 bit version on my old PC so I've been able to check most stuff out. I guess tomorrow is the reload. I just hope my 30 day activation period restarts! I haven't activated either version yet.

If anybody is interested the compatible driver for a Brother HL-820 laser printer is the HL-1040 (600 dpi) which is in the printer list after an update.

Thanks again for your help. It's been really useful.

 

[wallyinnc]

Thanks for the feedback and the driver info

From your description I agree it is better to leave that partition alone.

Indeed the custom install should delete the previous content, I was being double cautious be recommending formatting first. Let us know if you have any problem

 

[eddyad37]

Thought I'd just post the outcome of the problem.

I tried various ways to get my Epson 3200 scanner working in 64-bit mode, including a link to an Epson driver which claimed W7 64 compatibility. But no luck. The drivers all install Twain OK, but the Epsonscan application won't start and although Smart panel can be installed it can't find a Twain driver.
Photoshop will only get Twain images; it doesn't list the scanner as a source (which triggers the Epsonscan application), only the WIA (Twain) option. This means there is no Slide scan, no Copier, no OCR etc.
So I bit the bullet and installed Windows 7 32-bit and It's working fine now. By the way, there is an opportunity to format the target drive at the start of the W7 setup.

The Epson wording for the 3200 driver is very careful:
"EPSON Scan directly controls all of the features of your EPSON scanner. With this software you can scan images in color, grayscale, or black and white and obtain professional quality results. This program is the standard cross-platform interface between your scanner and most applications. You can access it from any application that supports the TWAIN standard."
But there isn't a word about the Epsonscan application, where the multiple slide scan is one of the key features of the machine.

I'd no idea so much would emerge from my initial question. A big thank you to everybody for so much info.

 

[wallyinnc]

Thank you for posting results