Can I switch my 32bit Win7 Pro to 64bit using the same key from the Dell OEM disc?

If you have never installed Windows or entered the Product Key yourself, then the key it returns will NOT work for activation, it will be the generic factory key used by Dell.  You will need the key on your COA.  If you have ever manually entered the key, then, and only then, will Belarc/MJB return your actual license key.  Have you ever used an SSD before?  If you don't want to have to buy one for every computer you use, don't open it ;)

I've downloaded Belarc Advisor to get the key, just in case. I'll post back on the progress. I have an SSD arriving tomorrow that I want to install the 64bit on, and I'm currently downloading from the mydigitallife site - THANKS

Thanks for that - I just found my Certificate of Authentication, conveniently located behind the battery in the battery compartment - along with the service tag.

This is my first SSD, and I think I'm gonna like it!

"This is my first SSD, and I think I'm gonna like it!"

You will.

For switching to 32 bit to 64 bit. i.e. Reinstallation of Windows have a look at my Windows Reinstallation Guide/A Clean install of Windows 7:

http://philipyip.wordpress.com/dell-community-forums/

It will give you detailed instructions on the Windows Reinstallation process.

Thanks for the guide. That's a lot of info to digest.

I'll come back for a better recap, but for now, let me just say:

Getting a laptop with win7 pro OEM installed wasn't a problem. I downloaded the 64 bit version and used my COA key and it worked fine.

I used the bootable USB method as opposed to the DVD. When creating the bootable usb, I ran into trouble when I didn't have the bootsect.exe installed. I was using an XP machine to set up the usb. I found the bootsect.exe online from a random person - hopefully I'm not now a zombie PC - put it into windows/system32 then ran the usb setup again and it worked. That was the only real hiccup.

One minor annoyance is that I now have to find, individually, each driver that I need for all the peripherals I have on the laptop and install them.

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Regarding SSD - you weren't kidding!

I WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE!

Which system is this?
In general, you want to install the System Software first (if applicable to your system), then the chipset.  Any other devices listed as unknown in Device Manager can be installed after the first two are installed.

I'm not sure what directions you were following for creating an installation USB, but it is much simpler than you describe:

Command Prompt
diskpart
select disk x
clean
create partition primary
active
format fs=fat32 quick
assign
exit
xcopy v:\ /s/e/f e:\
exit

(with "select disk x" make sure to do a list disk first to make sure you get the right disk; with "xcopy" this assumes v:\ is your Windows DVD and e:\ is your USB flash drive prepared in diskpart above)

I used the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool and the Win 7 Pro ISO to create the USB boot/install. It worked fine until the very end, where it said: ""Files copied successfully. However, we were unable to run bootsect to make the USB device bootable."

I found and downloaded bootsect.exe and put it into windows/system32, then ran the Win 7 tool again, and it worked.

The only driver that I really needed was for the wireless network. Without that, I had no Internet. So I had to find it on another computer - and it turns out there are 2 or 3 drivers for my model (Latitude e5420) and used trial and error until it installed the right one. I suppose I could have looked up the exact card I had, but it was faster just to try each driver.

The chipset driver also needed to be installed - another trial and error using several drivers for my model.

So if I were to do it again:

1. Download:
   1. Win7 ISO
   2. Win7 USB tool
   3. bootsect from somewhere/someone
   4. Wireless drivers
   5. Chipset drivers
2. Copy bootsect.exe to c:\windows\system32
3. Run USB tool and select the Win7 ISO.
4. Once complete, copy the drivers to a folder on the USB drive.
5. Boot the target pc from the usb and install Windows.
6. Install the drivers.

The boost in performance between Win7 32 and 64 AND the new SSD is significant. I thought I'd see a small improvement - 10 to 20% but it looks more like 25 - 35%. The laptop is an i5 with 4GB ram and 128 SSD, and it's the fastest pc I've ever seen for routine tasks.

Actually, now that I look at it, I'd skip using the Win7 USB Tool, which is useless without the bootsect.exe, and use the diskpart command to set up the usb.

"Actually, now that I look at it, I'd skip using the Win7 USB Tool, which is useless without the bootsect.exe, and use the diskpart command to set up the usb."

There ya go ;)

If I were to offer my recommended version, here it is:

1. Download:

1. Win7 ISO
2. Use Command Prompt and diskpart as directed to create your bootable installation USB - no tool required, and you don't have to obtain bootsect from some shady person/corner on the Internet
3. System Software (important, because this can change the way certain devices are identified, changing the compatibility of the correct/incorrect drivers
   1. http://ftp.dell.com/FOLDER75760M/1/DSS_UTIL_WIN_R282538.EXE
4. Chipset drivers (all of them) should then be installed before any other device (without it, devices not properly identified may not install or may not install correctly
   1. chipset - http://ftp.dell.com/FOLDER27979M/1/DRVR_WIN_R304291.EXE
   2. AMT (if installed) - http://ftp.dell.com/FOLDER00394264M/1/Chipset_Driver_XKRMC_WN32_7.1.40.1161_A02.EXE
5. Wireless drivers - as you discovered, it is necessary to know which card you have (pretty easy if from Windows before reinstalling, or remove the wireless module cover on the bottom of the system)
6. O2Micro/OCZ card reader

1. http://ftp.dell.com/FOLDER00718479M/1/Chipset_Driver_8XPG5_WN_3.0.07.43_A00.EXE

• Anything else you might need - touchpad, lan, modem, security, video - it is usually a good idea to install these, even if Windows installed one already - you may notice reduced functionality or reliability without them
• Copy the drivers to a folder on the USB drive
• Boot the target pc from the usb and install Windows
• Install the drivers