upgrade to 64bit Vista

Back in the Spring I bought a T61p with 32 bit Business and the XP downgrade. I've been running XP, but was thinking of installing 64 bit Vista for the extra memory capability.

My question, since I messed up and only ordered 32 bit Business, what is the cheapest way to get 64 bit Business Vista on my machine?

 

The cheapest way is to find a 64 Bit retail DVD (Not easy, but if you have a friend with one, that is the best route). I believe that your actual product key (not the one on the sticker), is functional for Vista Business 32/64, and it is the disc that determines whether it is 64 or 32 bit. Check this thread for detailed instructions.

If you can't find a 64 bit disc, there aren't really any cheap options available. Microsoft's program to request 64 bit media, for your 32 bit install is only eligible if you purchased the retail boxed copy (not OEM) version of Vista. You pretty much have to buy a brand new license ($200+) to get 64 bit Vista in this case.

It should be noted, that I have not tried either of these. I ordered my x200 with Vista Business 64 preinstalled.

 

Jonlumpkin is correct. All you need to do is get your hands on a copy of 64 bit Vista. You can use an ANY 64 bit Vista OEM, Retail or Anytime upgrade disc to reinstall and get Vista 64 Business. Your key will work with both 32 and 64 Bit Vista Business.

 

okay thanks, I'll go hit up my friends see if anyone has a disc.

 

You could also download by searching on Google, but I am not sure if it legal or not.

 

As long as he has a legit (working) key, does it matter where he got the copy from, legally?

 

After signing up for a computer class at our local community college I found out they are a MSDN Academic Alliance Software Center. This means that students can get fully licensed copies of a Vista Business 32/64, XP Pro 32/64, Visual Studio, Server 2003/2008, plus some others for free.

It's a great deal if you have a college near you that is part of the program. I'm not recommending this, but you could sign up for a class, get your software then decide the class just isn't what you expected, drop and get your money back.

This doesn't really help with the OPs current question but might help others.

-Art

 

No, it doesn't matter.

 

i might be interested in doing this too. and i have a 64bit vista cd... what i'm worried about though are the drivers and support from lenovo. can anyone comment on that? specifically i want to know if lenovo releases a 64bit version of their drivers the same time they release 32bit or if there's a lag or what.

thanks in advance!

 

I am not sure about Lenovo's release schedule but they offer Vista 64 Business edition during the machine configuration, so I think support should be fine. I bought my machine with Vista Business 64 and I have no issues. In fact I did a clean install of Vista Business 64 and downloaded the drivers that I needed from Lenovo and things are fine for me.