Windows 10: I have a 32bit CD of AutoCAD software but I can't install it on my 64bit machine. What are...

I found my old college laptop and I would like to use it to run AutoCAD and that's it. It's durable enough to do that, but that's about it. It has Windows 10 64bit on it right now. I'd like to keep it offline. I tried installing CAD on it, but it's 32bit software. I tried to run it in compatibility mode ? with 7, 8, Vista, and XP. All the same error message. I understand I can do a clean install of 32bit Windows 10 since I have 64bit on my laptop currently, but I'd like to be a last resort. What are my options?

:)

 

32bit or 64bit

Windows 10 64bit you can load 32bit and 64bit applications

Windows 10 32bit cannot run 64bit software, therefore you cannot run apps like QuarkXpress that only come in 64bit versions

64bit Windows can address in theory 16.8 million terabytes

32bit Windows can only address 4GB of which 3.12GB may only be usable depending on the version of Windows you are running

In theory 64bit is much faster than 32bit as a 64bit data word (64 1's and 0's) is processed at each cycle of your processor instead of a 32bit data word. I say in theory as there is

A lot of modern software is now optimised to run on a 64bit processor, therefore will run faster, it took a long time for software manufacturers to re-configure their software to take advantage of 64bit

Basically, if you have the option of running either 63bit or 32bit, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by choosing the 64bit version . . .

 

32bit to 64bit

You can run 32bit Setup from a 64bit desktop because a 32bit program can run on 64bits so a "down"grade will run.

But you cannot run 64bit Setup from a 32 bit desktop because a 64bit program cannot run on 32bits, so Bilal's reply is correct since the OP is going from 32bit to 64bit.

When, as in your case, you go from 64bits to 32bits you may find you have a Programs (x86) folder, which a 32bit version of Windows should absolutely not have. There are other anomolies. It is because the 32bit installer cannot remove certain 64bit elements
of the old OS.

It is not a good idea to "down"grade the architecture. It is safer to do a clean install of 32bits.

You may have a confused OS. I have done this (back when 64bit Windows first released) and I have no confidence in the results.

 

32bit or 64bit???

64bit

I installed 32bit XP Pro, started playing Crysis as was not running as well as I through it would. I installed 64bit XP Pro and run Crysis by the 64bit.exe. The improvement was mad!!!!