is this possible ?

[chaotic_russ]

i am running vista 32bit homebasic oem , is it possible to change (legal ways only please) this to the 64bit version without buying the os again ?

[directhex]

i am running vista 32bit homebasic oem , is it possible to change (legal ways only please) this to the 64bit version without buying the os again ?

I believe so, but you need to get ahold of the media yourself - and a reformat is needed

[chaotic_russ]

i have searched for legal ways of getting the os but found nothing without buying it again

[shaithis]

'Legal' way would be for you to pay Microsoft for the media......getting a copy of it would be fine though.......you own a license for it, no one is going to hunt you down

Speak to a friend or colleague...preferably one with MSDE/MSDN so they can get you a disc with the latest service pack already included.

[CaptainCrash]

i have searched for legal ways of getting the os but found nothing without buying it again

You can order the "alternate media" for Vista directly from Microsoft for a nominal cost plus shipping, but unfortunately they don't appear to offer a similar service for Win 7.

Your existing product key is valid for both x86 and x64 versions, and expecting you to pay again for a complete new OS solely to obtain the physical media is taking the mickey IMHO - provided you can somehow "acquire" the relevant disc (eg a downloadable ISO), at the end of the day you'll have a fully licensed, legal, bought-and-paid for *installation*, which is the important thing.

You can find the SHA-1 checksums at Technet's download site - you can't download the ISOs themselves from there unless you're a subscriber, but you can view the checksums in the "Details" column for the relevant product, so if you've obtained an ISO from another source you can verify that it's the genuine item without any unwanted extras.

You might also find this useful, if you're unable to find an ISO which matches your own version of Win 7.

If you're still not comfortable doing this, and you don't have a friend who could lend you their disc, I guess your only other alternative to buying a new OS is contacting your PC supplier and see if they'll send you the x64 media at a reasonable cost.

edit: duh... you have Vista anyway, not Win 7, so you can go here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...a/default.mspx

[bandsaw]

You can order the "alternate media" for Vista directly from Microsoft for a nominal cost plus shipping, but unfortunately they don't appear to offer a similar service for Win 7.

MS don't need to offer a similar service for 7... the x86 and x64 media is in the same [retail] box.

[CaptainCrash]

MS don't need to offer a similar service for 7... the x86 and x64 media is in the same [retail] box.

True, but the OEM package still only has one or the other... also, there should be a provision for people who may have lost/damaged their original installation media (or were never provided with it in the first place).

[chaotic_russ]

You can order the "alternate media" for Vista directly from Microsoft for a nominal cost plus shipping

tried that it says nothing on offer , its for the retail version only it says

We're sorry, the following error(s) have occurred:
No Offer Found

[watercooled]

I thought you were allowed to use only one version of the OS (32/64) with an OEM license. From what I know you can't change from one to the other. The retail license is different - the key works for both versions but there was only one disk in the box (I'm assuming that's because MS thought most people wouldn't use the 64-bit one). Remember OEM versions are intended to be installed by a system builder, you get no support and can't order other disks because the 'system builder' is expected to support you in that way.

[Paul Adams]

The license is for the product (Vista) and the channel (OEM) - it will work on x86 or x64 installations.
As to which the OEM supply and support, it is up to them.

So long as the installation media matches on product & channel it will be fine - but you can't get OEM media or replacement from MSFT as we're not an OEM

If you got the OEM DVD & licence with a pre-built PC, ask them if they have the OEM x64 media to ship/sell at a reasonable price.
If you purchased the x86 OEM media as a system builder, sorry you are the OEM!

And of course there is no upgrade path between x86 and x64 - it's a clean install.
However, with new installation media you would expect it to have SP2 as a base, where your previous media might be RTM or SP1 - saves time with patching after installation.

[CaptainCrash]

tried that it says nothing on offer , its for the retail version only it says

hmmm... my mistake then, although in my defence I've been told by other people that they've ordered the alternate media for an OEM installation with no problems (I haven't tried getting one from MS myself).

I guess in that case you're back to Plan A of obtaining a MSDN/Technet ISO from "somewhere", unless you have a friend/acquaintance who could lend you their x64 disc.

edit: if you know someone who has a *retail* copy of Vista, I guess you could order the alternate media using their product key (the discs themselves are all identical, except for Enterprise and certain manufacturer-specific BIOS-locked OEM discs from Dell, HP etc).

I thought you were allowed to use only one version of the OS (32/64) with an OEM license. From what I know you can't change from one to the other. The retail license is different - the key works for both versions but there was only one disk in the box (I'm assuming that's because MS thought most people wouldn't use the 64-bit one). Remember OEM versions are intended to be installed by a system builder, you get no support and can't order other disks because the 'system builder' is expected to support you in that way.

The product key for an OEM license definitely works with both x86 and x64 discs and activates OK (I've done it), and as far as I'm able to ascertain it's perfectly legal, although to be honest Microsoft's licensing terms give me a headache at the best of times...

[watercooled]

I stand corrected

[watercooled]

Sorry to thread hijack but my question is relevant to the thread: I have an XP Pro iso from MSDN AA and I was wondering is it possible to change the iso to a home edition one like what you can do with 7? The OEM-supplied, crapware-loaded recovery CDs aren't much use compared to a proper XP CD (and a clean install is far nicer too).
Thanks

[CaptainCrash]

AFAIK the disc for each XP version is different (unlike Vista or 7) so no, you can't do this.

If you can source a Home Edition ISO though, you should be in luck... you will however need to change the PID value in the file \i386\setupp.ini (you'll probably need an ISO editor such as UltraISO), as an OEM product key won't be accepted with a retail disc and vice versa.

It should be something like 55277000 for Home Retail (IIRC there's a page somewhere on MS's site listing all the PID values), and you'll need to change the last three digits to 55277OEM, then you should be good to go with the key on your COA sticker.

Again, this is advice I've gleaned elsewhere, so kudos or insults will be passed on to the relevant party concerned...

[watercooled]

OK thanks, was worth asking.