Windows 10: Can I upgrade Windows XP 32 bit to Windows 10?

Can I upgrade from Windows XP 32 bit to Windows 10?

:)

 

Windows XP 64-bit is gold

Several Websites report that Windows XP 64-bit has reached gold status and is on the way to the CD manufacturer.

MSDN subscribers can already download the final release of Windows XP 64-Bit Edition.

The top 5 reasons to upgrade are (from MS Website):

• High performance platform for the next generation of applications: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is a rich platform that enables the next generation of high-performance computing. 64-bit native applications can deliver more data per clock cycle, making them run faster and more efficiently.
• Large memory support: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition will currently support up to 128 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 16 terabytes of virtual memory, enabling applications to run faster when working with large data sets. Applications can preload substantially more data into virtual memory, allowing rapid access by the 64-bit processor.
• Flexibility: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition provides a rich platform to integrate 64-bit technical applications and existing 32-bit business applications using the Windows on Windows 64 (WOW64) x86 emulation layer, providing customers with the ability to move to 64-bit computing without having to sacrifice their existing investment in 32-bit software and Windows expertise.
• Multiprocessing and multicore: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is designed to support up to two single or multicore x64 processors for maximum performance and scalability.
• Same programming model: Developers with 32-bit skills will be comfortable and quickly productive in the 64-bit Windows environment, finding it virtually identical to the development environment for 32-bit Windows.

I have seen many reviews which compare 64-bit vs. 32-bit and there is not much gain to see, unless you use specialized applications.

 

Installing an Upgrade Version of Windows 7 64 bit over XP 32 bit


You can upgrade XP Pro 32-bit to Windows 7 Pro 32-bit(you don't need XP installed) and then do the free upgrade from Windows 7 Pro 32-bit to Windows 10 Pro 32-bit. Make sure each OS is activated before going to the next step. If you want to use the 64-bit version of 10, you can now do a refresh reinstall of Windows 10 Pro 64-bit by booting from the install DVD/USB flash drive you made with the Media Creation Tool. Make sure 10 is activated after the reinstall.

Using the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Pro should also work, but I'd do a clean install of 10 Pro 64-bit either way. It's not clear from your post what you have. Do you have both an upgrade version of Windows 7 32-bit and an OEM version of Windows 7 64-bit? If so you're better off upgrading the upgrade version of 7 to 10 because you'll be under Retail licensing for 10 rather than OEM licensing. Retail licensing will allow you to move your copy of Windows 10 to another computer. OEM is tied to the machine forever.

 

Windows 10 Upgrade 32-bit to 64-bit

So, Windows 10 Upgrade is being rolled out worldwide, and I have 'reserved' my upgrade.

Currently my computer is running Windows 7 Pro 32-bit. I'm planning to 'upgrade' it to Windows 10 64-bit (via fresh install, of course).

After reading many references, these will be the steps I'll do:

1. Let the "Get Windows 10" app upgrade my OS to Windows 10 32-bit
   
2. Note the activation key
   
3. Download the Installation Media for Windows 10, but choosing 64-bit instead
   
4. Perform a clean install
   
5. Reactivate using the activation key in Step #2
   

(Of course I'll backup my data first.)

However, I still have some questions:

1. On Windows 7, the activation key does not differ between 32- or 64-bit versions. Is it still so with Windows 10?
   
2. Will I be able to download a different architecture on Step #3?
   
3. Is there anything I need to prepare beforehand?
   

Thank you for your assistance.