Windows 7 Ultimate | The Coffeehouse

Bass
www.spreadfirefox.com/5years/

So I have a Windows7 Ultimate Disc I got for going to that MSFT launch event. On the disc it says "32-bit". So this means if I want to install 64-bit Windows, I am screwed?

LeoDavidson

Product keys aren't tied to bitness so you just need to get hold of a 64-bit DVD and the key should let you install it.

Bass
www.spreadfirefox.com/5years/

Lame. Sad

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

I think you can phone MS and exchange your 32 bit media for a 64 bit one.

Bass
www.spreadfirefox.com/5years/

In reply to Sven Groot

#Oct 3rd @ 9:08 PM

Apparently they aren't doing that for Windows 7 yet, since it hasn't been released for public consumption. And they charge a "nominal fee" which isn't disclosed yet.

blowdart
Peek-a-boo

In reply to Bass

#Oct 3rd @ 9:14 PM

Bummer - the retail full versions come with both. Not that that's a help for you

ManipUni
Proving QQ for 5 years!

In reply to blowdart

#Oct 3rd @ 11:35 PM

Try and find a friend with MSDN or Technet. I'm sure they can supply you with a DVD ISO.

spivonious

The "nominal fee" is usually just a shipping and handling charge, like $5-$10. Still, you'd think they'd be handing out 64-bit versions at the launch events.

JoshRoss
A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent.

IMHO, you really shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

lensman

I downloaded the 32 and 64 bit RTM clients from Windows 7 from MSDN. While I will not share them, as I believe that is not legal, I did run into a strange "issue" while installing the 32 bit professional edition. The 32 bit install completed and the system identified itself as a 64 bit edition. Upon deeper research I learned the following:

I did not install from the 64 bit source by mistake.
My CPU was a 64 bit Pentium 4. I was unaware that such an animal existed. A deeper research at Intels website shows that it does in fact exist. A review of the construction order from Dell shows that they did in fact use a 64 bit Pentium 4 cpu.
The OS installed without any issues. It identified itself as 64 bit not 32 bit.
SQL Server 2008 now installs the 64 bit edition on the same hardware it previously would only install the 32 bit edition.
I have full access to 4GB of memory.
My CPU does not support the required extensions to run the Virtual XP mode.

I suspect that if my motherboard supported memory configurations beyond 4GB I would be able to use the OS without issues.

So to sum it up you might simply give it a whirl with the 32 bit edition. I cannot explain my results however I am happy with them.

Dovella
Go Microsoft !!!!!!!

No , the key 32 or 64 is the same

you have retail? Ok , after 22 october go here

blowdart
Peek-a-boo

In reply to Dovella

#Oct 4th @ 11:32 AM

Why yes, because he wants italian media shipped from italy Tongue Out

Dovella
Go Microsoft !!!!!!!

In reply to blowdart

#Oct 4th @ 11:56 AM

No, is avaiable in ALL COUNTRY

figuerres
???

In reply to lensman

#Oct 4th @ 11:27 AM

Lensman:

part of what you post is very normal, only a few details seem odd.

first - pentium D as i recall was a 64 bit cabable proc, other Pentium 4 generation chips are also 64 bit.

just that few folks ran x64 os on them at the time. so you have a P4 and thats 100% normal.

now whyen you load an OS on a 64 bit system the default is to run in 32 bit mode unless the boot loader tells the system to "go 64". that was done so that 32 bit os packages still would load w/o problems.

3 gig and 4 gig memory, the 32 bit hardware can address 4gigs of address space but the BIOS and stuff like video cards, usb controllers and the other bits you need to use the cpu have to get some i/o addresses.... way back when the 286 was designed they figured that 3 gigs was good place to start tossing that stuff as it was way the heck up there and back then you could not even buy 4 gigs of ram and fit it all in a desktop pc case Smiley

later some system boards had the option to map that hardware to the top end of 4 gigs to give a 32 bit system a tad more ram to use.

even with a 32 bit os the system should be able to id the cpu as able to run 64 bit.

the remaining things that i can't speak to are loading 32 but running 64 bit stuff... that does not sound right...

what do you see in task manager ?

any processes listed with names like "iexplore.exe *32" ?? if you see that then i'd say you are running a 64 bit OS.

what about the program files folders ?

do you have one or two of them ?

lensman

In reply to figuerres

#Oct 4th @ 1:55 PM

My point in my email was that the default install of the 32 bit client of the MSDN 32 bit Windows 7 professional installed a 64 bit client. I never selected to install 64 bit, it just did it. The originator of this chain of posts stated that he had a 32 bit edition. My implication is that it is possible it might install as 64 bit anyway as this is what happened to me.

I am in fact running 64 bit as the *32 bit is present on some tasks in the task manager. SQL 2008 installed via 64 bit mode now that my OS is 64 bit.

AndyC

In reply to lensman

#Oct 4th @ 4:50 PM

I can assure you, having downloaded and tested both versions from MSDN on the same hardware, that it certainly isn't the case that a 32-bit version will "somehow" install a 64-bit OS. It just doesn't happen.

Far more likely is that your 32-bit download from MSDN was somehow the 64-bit version and you just got lucky.

lensman

In reply to AndyC

#Oct 5th @ 1:40 AM

While I can agree that the observed actions are not logical they are in fact what occurred. As partial proof, the dvd's I created from the MSDN ISO's show the following:

X64 Windows 7 Professional:

Name: GRMCPRXFRER_EN_DVD

Size: 3GB

X86 Windows 7 Professional

Name: GRMCPRFRER_EN_DVD

Size 2.32 GB

A consult of my system properties renders:

Processor: Intel(R) Pentuium(R) 4 CP 3.20 GHz 3.19 GHz

Installed memory (RAM): 4.0 GB (3.5 GB usable)

System Type: 64-bit Operating System

A quick review of the MSDN download pages show that the ISO of the x86 is in fact smaller than the ISO of X64 as noted above.

My chosen installation was a complete wipe of the hard drive including low level formatting.

Given that my installation media was the X86 dvd, you can understand the strangeness of my "position". While I can agree the observed behavior was not expected, I am not in any manner displeased with the results. I consider it a happy accident. Again, I am suggesting that the X86 Ultimate Windows 7 install might (and I said might) install in 64 bit mode.

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

In reply to lensman

#Oct 5th @ 7:38 AM

But it won't, and can't. The only possible explanation is that you used the x64 DVD by mistake.

EDIT: The reason the x86 image is smaller is because it doesn't have the extra 64 bit binaries that the 64 bit version uses. Therefore you can't possibly end up with the x64 version by installing from the x86 installation media.

Dodo
I'm your creativity creator™ :)

In reply to Sven Groot

#Oct 5th @ 7:46 AM

It's a bug. It shows 64-bit operating system if you have a 64-bit capable CPU. It's kinda funny, really.

fknight

In reply to Dodo

#Oct 5th @ 10:30 AM

This is seriously a bug? Is there a KB article somewhere I can look at, and do you know if this is fixed on the release copy that's coming out? I really dread the idea of working on someone's computer and not being able to figure out if the OS they're using is 32 bit or 64 bit because the OS is lying.

PaoloM
Hypermediocrity

In reply to fknight

#Oct 5th @ 3:19 PM

and do you know if this is fixed on the release copy that's coming out?

How many times do I have to point out that, once you see the RTM word coming out of Redmond, there is no chance (or better, there still is an infinitesimal chance) for the product to change?

This is not directed to you in particular, but I keep seeing this "maybe if I submit this bug now - at the beginning of October - they can fix it by Oct. 22nd, I mean, it's really simple" stuff around the interwebs...

LeoDavidson

In reply to PaoloM

#Oct 5th @ 3:57 PM

Yes, god forbid Microsoft work on hotfixes during the two months between RTM and retail release to have fixes ready on Windows Update. Best to wait until Windows 8 to fix any non-security bugs that got left-over, or leave them in forever (especially if they affect the common controls to which bugs may only ever be added, never removed). Smiley

(Obviously the physical DVD is set in stone now but it doesn't mean bugs can't be reported, investigated and fixed. Probably not for Oct 22nd given the current date, ofc.)

lensman

In reply to Dodo

#Oct 5th @ 10:30 AM

If it is a bug then it is widespread. The task manager seperates tasks into 32 and 64 bit modes. The sysWow64 registry entries exist. SQL Server installed its 64 bit edition. VS2008 installed the x64 features. I have problems running "Any CPU" items which require 32 bit drivers. Windows has a SysWow64 folder with items in it.

In short I am in fact running 64 bit.

CannotResolveSymbol
{insert caption here}

In reply to lensman

#Oct 5th @ 5:19 PM

Then you mixed up your DVDs. It is *impossible* to get a 64-bit installation out of a 32-bit DVD.

Dodo
I'm your creativity creator™ :)

In reply to lensman

#Oct 5th @ 5:19 PM

Well, does SQL Server x64 actually run? Installing it won't be hard if the OS thinks it's 64-bit. Also, Visual Studio 2008 is a 32-bit application, installing the x64 features would only install compiler and libraries, which may run in 32-bit to create 64-bit applications. SysWOW64 being present in C:\Windows and the registry also means nothing, the tree might have been created by something you installed (like Visual Studio). Better look for C:\Program Files (x86) being present with files in it.

The fact that it shows "Installed memory (RAM): 4.0 GB (3.5 GB usable)" tells me you're running a 32-bit kernel.