Upgrading to Win7: What are my options?

I bought a Latitude E6500 a year ago February. It was ordered with Windows Vista 32 bit/XP Pro Downgrade with XP Pro installed. I have decided to make the switch to 7. I currently have 4GB of RAM installed and understand that's a little more than a 32 bit OS can utilize. Seems there is more than one opinion around of the benefits of going to a 64 bit OS, but will Dell even allow me to upgrade from a 32 bit version of Vista to a 64 bit version of Windows 7? When I asked the rep said no but wondered if it would be worth the hassle to push it, and what you guys' experience has been.
Thanks

 

The E6500 should support Windows 7 x64. If you've added any devices or have peripheral hardware with drivers (printers, scanners, etc.), confirm that they offer Windows 7 x64 driver versions. Then commit to 64-bit computing, install Windows 7 x64, and don't look back. If you install Office 2010, read the Help in the install screen... it will explain how to back out and install Office x64, and list the few items not yet supported on Office 2010 x64 which will probably not affect you.

My notes from re-imaging my E6410 with Windows 7 x64 are linked below. Will give you a good outline which you can adjust for your system configuration. Clean install Windows 7; don't upgrade XP/Vista.

GK

 

W7-64 runs fine on my E6400 which has very similar hardware to the E6500. However, there some programs (mostly older ones) that won't run under 64-bit OS. If you have any of these then you need to install the XP mode virtual PC and the extra RAM (out of 4GB) that the 64-bit OS can address is all swallowed up by XP mode when running.

John

 

The only peripherials I run are a printer, Wacom tablet (which have drivers available for Win 7/64), backup external HD and iPod. I'm trying to find out if my version of Photoshop Elements 7 will work. The only other thing I'm concerned with is my old version of Office 2000. The only thing I really use is Word and trying to hold off on the expense of upgrading.

As far as clean install, I wouldn't have it any other way ;-)

 

I assume Word 2000 falls into this catagory?

This may all be moot though as my other question is whether Dell will allow an Upgrade version when going from Vista Business/XP Pro 32 to Windows Pro 64. If I have to pay for the Full version I'll punt and go 32 bit.

 

>>I assume Word 2000 falls into this catagory?

Word 2000 should run in WoW on Win7 x64. Seems a shame to install such an old app on your new setup. Office 2010 Home and Student edition retails for $130 from Amazon.com and may start going on sale for around $100.

>>This may all be moot though as my other question is whether Dell will allow an Upgrade version when going from Vista Business/XP Pro 32 to Windows Pro 64. If I have to pay for the Full version I'll punt and go 32 bit.

Dell should not care what you install. You can buy a full OEM version of Win7 Pro x64 from anywhere for around $140.

GK

 

After spending the money on the OS upgrade, money is a little tight right now :-(. BTW, what is Wo W?

I just checked Dell's website and the Upgrade version of Windows 7 Pro is going for $199, Full for $299, which is around $30-40 less than Amazon's price. But I believe I would lose the two more years of Dell Pro Support for the OS that is still left on my laptop if I buy outside Dell.

 

Looking at the Tech Specs for Windows 7 Pro on Dell's website it says 32/64 bit under "Licensing Details". Do I understand it to mean both versions are on the CD? If so, how do I install the 64 bit version? Can I do a clean install to the 32 bit version if I run into problems?

 

Windows on Windows is how Windows x64 runs Windows x86 apps... I believe.

Regarding the OS purchase, I was suggesting Windows 7 Pro x64 OEM (full package for one system) which can be had for $140 at Amazon, NewEgg, etc. It is generally not wi$e to buy more from Dell than the base computer purchase.

Not sure about Pro support, but it's your computer and you should be able to use and maintain it, including OS upgrades. Yes, Dell will not likely support OS issues if you installed the OS, but that is not really a problem. Keep a backup and once you know how to install the OS and drivers, you know how to get your computer working again. If it's a hardware fault, Dell should still be able to support that. I go with basic support and they have never refused to help resolve a problem they should help resolve, knowing I clean installed a new OS.

GK

 

I would confirm what is on the CD, not rely on the License Details. I suspect the full retail package includes both x64 and x86 versions of Windows. The installer may offer the option, else browse the DVD for the Windows x64 folder and run the setup from there.

Same is not true for the OEM package. You must purchase the OEM DVD you want, either x64 or x86.

You will not run into problems installing Windows x64. It will behave just like any Windows install, only better than any previous version of Windows. Windows 7 is quite painless... you can almost get away with not installing any additional drivers... but do as required, of course. Just watch how fast corporate IT is about to begin rolling out Windows 7... partly because XP is expiring and mostly because Windows 7 works and is not Vista.

You can clean install any Windows version as much as you want. I've installed Windows 7 x64 on some systems multiple times, trying out different driver setups and then changing my mind while keeping good notes. Once decided, it's easy to start over and get the initial install very clean without any mis-steps.

GK