Windows 10: 64-bit architecture not recognized

Hello,

I recently upgraded my Windows 8.1 64-bit laptop to Windows 10 via a clean install. Windows 10 installed the 32-bit version, even though I downloaded the 64-bit version of the upgrade tool. I attempted to upgrade to the 64-bit version using the Windows Media Creation Tool. I downloaded the 32-bit tool and selected the 64-bit upgrade option. Then, I completed another clean install from a DVD. Windows 10 installed the 32-bit OS again.

I decided to revert back to Windows 8.1 64-bit via another clean install, but I received an error message at Getting files ready for installation: 13%. I have tried this multiple times with the same result.

Microsoft Tech Support hung up on me 45 minutes into our call after getting just about as far as I did. I have attached my CPU-Z report to this thread.

Please help!

:)

 

windows 10 no longer activated

Hi. Thanks for the reply. I have just created a Windows USB bootable drive to try get it back to Windows 8.1 but in 64 bit architecture but now it won't recognize the product key I purchased! I can only presume that the purchase I made of Windows 8.1 in
32 bit only works for that architecture, and does not count for a 64 bit version! So now I am going to have to buy the Windows 10 product key to activate my system!

 

32bit or 64bit

Read the following:

Windows 10 32 or 64 bit – Which is the Right Architecture
for You?

 

Did you select the 64 bit version when running Media Creation Tool? Just because it was the 64 bit version does not mean it will automatically download the 64 bit version of Windows 10. You need to choose that and I think the default is 32 bit.

Run it again and look. Make sure you select the right Edition nd Architecture.

 

The "bitness" of the MCT must match that of the OS it is run under. It has nothing to do with the bitness of the Win 10 upgrade that you download.

You have 3 choices of bitness for the download: 32 bit, 64 bit, or a single download that contains both. If you download the 64 bit version (only), there's no way that you can get a 32 bit installation.

If you want the free upgrade to activate, you have to install it as an upgrade over a qualifying OS (7 or 8.x). You can subsequently do a clean install, and it will activate on the same hardware. (The hardware hash that identifies the machine resides on Microsoft's activation servers.)

It's not possible that what you posted is exactly you did.

You could get the correct ISO from another source:

Tech Bench

Let me repeat: you have to install the free Win 10 upgrade over a qualifying OS to get it to activate.

I hope that you can find a way to re-install 8.1 so that you can do that. Too bad that you didn't image the 8.1 installation before proceeding with the OS upgrade.

Good luck

 

I thought I had made that mistake at first. I went back and re-downloaded the 32-bit tool and made sure that I chose the 64-bit upgrade. The installation completed, but I was left with the 32-bit version again.

 

I'm downloading the 64-bit ISO now. I'll burn it to a flash drive and attempt to install on my clean drive.

 

Setting aside the confusion in the bit level for a moment.... how do you do an "upgrade" via a "clean install"? It's either one or the other - an upgrade or a clean install, it can't be both. And to change bit levels it has to be a clean install. Now....if you do a clean install of Windows 10 before you do an in place upgrade, your Windows 10 will not activate, unless you purchase a unique product key for it.

 

Sorry for the confusion. It was an upgrade originally. At the time of the upgrade, I was running Windows 8.1 64-bit. The upgrade gave me Windows 10 32-bit.

 

That's not possible. You can't upgrade to a different "bitness", the OS is fundamentally structured differently, and it just won't work. The installer will tell you so.

 

I can tell you that it is possible because it has just happened to me. I'm not sure how or why. I was running Windows 8.1 64-bit, I upgraded to Windows 10, I now have a 32-bit OS that I cannot get rid of.

 

What is possible is that you don't understand what happened. It is impossible to upgrade to a different architecture. PERIOD.

 

I like to think that I know a little bit about how my computer works. Can you explain why this is impossible? I know for a fact that I was running a 64-bit OS. I upgraded to Windows 10, and I now have a 32-bit OS.

Edit: I have two other machines that I successfully upgraded to Windows 10 64-bit without any issues, so I don't believe this is user error.

 

To do an upgrade, you run the installer from the old OS. That's not possible if the installer is for a different architecture than the old OS. For the installation to be an upgrade, it must be run from within the old OS.

To install a different bitness, you'd have to boot from an installation medium (DVD, thumb drive), and run from that. You don't get an upgrade that way. I'm not sure that anything from the old OS could be carried over.

If you had a 64 bit OS and installed a 32 bit one, it was not installed as an upgrade.

To repeat: the free Win 10 upgrade won't activate unless it as run as an upgrade one time. After that, you can clean install, including switching architectures.

 

The clean install with the 64-bit ISO from your link worked perfectly. I have no clue what led to this problem, but I'm glad it's fixed. Thanks!