Clean Vista Install Problems on P-6860FX

I've been trying to do a clean Vista install on my laptop but have been having some problems. The laptop came pre-installed with Vista Home Premium w/ SP1 64-bit, however Gateway only included Windows Vista Home Premium w/ SP1 32-bit Operating System Disc. I thought at first that maybe I could try this disc and see that eventhough it says 32-bit, I may be able to clean install 64-bit with it. However, when I try it, an error comes up saying:

Is the Operating System disc they gave me faulty? Would I have even been able to clean install 64-bit Vista Home Premium from this 32-bit disc, or am I mistaken? I've been searching the hard drive as well to see if Gateway left the Anytime Upgrade DVD directly on the hard-drive, but no luck. Am I completely "Sorry Out Of Luck" here in trying to do a clean install for 64-bit vista home premium, unless I go out and buy a retail version or something? Or borrow it from someone? I looked at orev's guide for places to try and find the Vista Install but the links to digital river no loner work anymore.

Any help is very much appreciated,
Thanks.

 

If I am not mistaken, the Recovery Disk that they provide you in the package is x86 and will not be able to install the x64 architecture. However, if you do want a x64 Recovery Disk, you have to make it yourself and burn them onto DVDs in the Gateway Recovery Center.

And also just to point out, these disks that your making/provided to you by Gateway are RECOVERY DISKS, meaning that your computer will be restored to its factory shipped settings (with all the drivers/useless software on it). You need to have a legitimate or OEM copy of Vista (x86 or x64) to do a clean install.

 

I thought that the Operating System Disc I had was just that, a Vista install disc, not a recovery disc, so I thought I could use it. I'm probably mistaken then, oh well. The 32 vs 64 bit disc though I probably can't get around too, heh.

 

Unless you somehow got screwed in the process, the disc that Gateway gives us with the 6860 has 32bit and 64bit windows on it. You can swap between the two freely.

As to doing a clean install. All you really need to do is delete big fix and the stupid games they give you then run CCleaner. I cant think of anything else that came with the 6860 that actually counts as bloat ware. Though a refurbished machine might be different.

As to your error code

Here is Microsofts link explaining it http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930378/
Sounds like you got an upgrade disc instead of an actual OS disc

 

I just chatted online with a Gateway rep. It seems that you're correct in that I got a mis-labeled or corrupted disc, that may have been an upgrade disc and not an OS disc. They are now mailing me a new replacement 64-bit one and it will be here in 2 weeks. Hopefully that will solve everything, heh.

Edit:
Mine is a refurbished one that came with trial editions of: Napster, Norton, bigfix, Office Home and Student, Money Essentials, Powerpoint Viewer, etc, etc. Lotta bloatware that I can find better versions of, or install full version of myself like Office 2007. That's why a clean install is so appealing to me, to get rid of all this junk and not leave anything behind by accident.