Vista 32 vs 64 Bit Back Up

[timb]

Running Vista Ultimate 32 bit version... if I create a file back up (not a
full system back up) with the 32 bit version of Vista on an external hard
drive, and install the 64-bit version of Ultimate... will I be able to
restore the folders and files from the archive using advanced restore ?

 

[Dustin Harper]

Yes, you will. Not a problem at all there.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Can I upgrade from Ultimate 32bit to 64bit

There's no way to do this. You have to clean install the 64-bit
version.

Why do you want to do this? Are you sure there's a significant benefit
for you? Are you sure there are drivers available for all your
hardware?

by doing a complete backup
and then installing 64bit and restoring from the backup? If so, any
advice on the procedures? Thanks.

If by a "complete" backup, you mean everything on the drive, including
programs, the answer is no. But you can certainly backup your data,
clean install the 64-bit version, then restore your data backup.

 

[KawaiDon]

Having just installed 64 bit Vista, I would say that there is no reason to
do this. It is more memory hungry, there are still some driver issues, and
Vista 32 bit is stable and fast with SP1 installed.

Vista 64 bit accesses more memory, but it also requires more, so it's kind
of not worth it unless you have a specific 64 bit application that can
really use gobs of memory. Otherwise everything just runs in 32 bit mode.

Even Internet Explorer comes in 2 versions - and the 64 bit version doesn't
have plug-ins available for many web sites! So I have ended up running the
32 bit version if IE-7.

Stick with 32 bit.

Don Mannino