Windows 8 64-bit Upgrade problems

Reader Question:
“Hi Wally, I bought a Windows 8 upgrade from Microsoft’s website to upgrade my Windows XP PC to Windows 8 64-bit. The computer has a 64-bit processor but the Windows XP installed on it is 32-bit. When I upgraded using the online installer, it installed Windows 8 32-bit without asking me which version I wanted. What should I do?” – Joseph M., USA

Before addressing any computer issue, I always recommend scanning and repairing any underlying problems affecting your PC health and performance:

Step 1 : Download PC Repair & Optimizer Tool (WinThruster for Win 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP and 2000 – Microsoft Gold Certified).
Step 2 : Click “Start Scan” to find Windows registry issues that could be causing PC problems.
Step 3 : Click “Repair All” to fix all issues.

Setting up weekly (or daily) automatic scans will help prevent system problems and keep your PC running fast and trouble-free.

Wally’s Answer: I see that you are trying to upgrade your Windows XP computer to Windows 8 64-bit. Make sure that your computer meets the minimum requirements for installing and running Windows 8.

If you are sure that your computer meets the minimum requirements for running Windows 8 64-bit and that your computer’s processor is a 64-bit processor, then we can proceed with how to install Windows 8.

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 System Requirements

Windows 8 system requirements are the same as that of Windows 7.

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX9 compatible graphics card with WDDM driver

Is my computer’s Processor 64-Bit?

You can check whether your computer’s processor is a 64-bit processor by looking at the System dialog.

In Windows 8, right-click the My PC icon and select Properties.
In the System Dialog look for x64 based processor. This means that your computer’s processor is a 64-bit processor. If it says x86 then it is a 32-bit processor.

Problem

The Windows 8 download installer does not upgrade the computer to Windows 8 64-bit despite having a 64-bit processor.

Cause

The computer that is being upgraded must have had a 32-bit version of Windows already installed on it. Using the 32-bit Windows operating as the base will result in the downloaded installer installing a 32-bit upgrade automatically.

Solution

You will have to get a full version of Windows 8 and install it from scratch. The problem is that the Windows download installer does not give users the option to choose whether they want to install a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows for the upgrade. If you already have a 32-bit version of Windows installed on your computer, then the Windows download installer will only install the 32-bit version of Windows 8.

So, if you want to install Windows 8 64-bit on a computer that already has the 32-bit version of a Windows operating system installed on it, you will need to run a clean install.

I Hope You Liked This Blog Article! If You Need Additional Support on This Issue Then Please Don’t Hesitate To Contact Me On Facebook.

Is Your PC Healthy?

I always recommend to my readers to regularly use a trusted registry cleaner and optimizer such as WinThruster or CCleaner. Many problems that you encounter can be attributed to a corrupt and bloated registry.

Happy Computing!

Wally’s Answer Rating

Quick Solution (How fast can you do it?)

Easy Solution (How easy is it?)

Beginner-Friendly (Recommended for beginners?)

Summary: Every Windows Wally blog post is evaluated on these three criteria. The average of all three elements determines an "Overall Rating" for each blog post.

4.1

Overall Rating

Tags: acheter windows 8 64 bits, buy windows 8 64 bit upgrade, how to get windows 8 64 bit, is windows 8 32 or 64 bit, is windows 8 64 bit, is windows 8 a 64 bit operating system, is windows 8 pro 64 bit, microsoft windows 8 64 bit, microsoft windows 8 64 bit english oem, microsoft windows 8 64 bits, purchase windows 8 64 bit, upgrade windows 8 to 64 bit, what is windows 8 64 bit, win 8 pro upgrade, win 8 upgrade, win8 update, win8 upgrade, window 8 64 bit, window 8 upgrade, window xp 64 bit, windows 8 64 bit full version, windows 8 64 bit kaufen, windows 8 64 bit microsoft, windows 8 64 bit operating system, windows 8 64 bit or 32 bit, windows 8 64 bit pro, windows 8 64 bit update, windows 8 64 bit upgrade, windows 8 64 bit version, windows 8 64 bit versions, windows 8 64-bit, windows 8 for 64 bit, windows 8 is 64 bit, windows 8 pro 32 bit download, windows 8 pro 64 bit full, windows 8 pro 64 bit full version, windows 8 pro 64 bit upgrade, windows 8 professional 64 bits, windows 8 professionnel 64 bits, windows 8 upgrade 64 bit

About the Author

Wally PhillipsWindows Wally is a helpful guy. It’s just in his nature. It’s why he started a blog in the first place. He heard over and over how hard it was to find simple, plain-English solutions to Windows troubleshooting problems on the Internet. Enter: Windows Wally. Ask away, and he will answer.