Key and 32/64 bit query

I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

pjp wrote:
I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

Should be.

I'm not aware of any attempt to separate the 32 bit and 64 bit
worlds using license keys. They're treated as equals.

One of the retail boxed softwares of yore, came with two
DVDs in the box. And one license key. You could then choose
which one of the two you wanted to use. And the one key
covered both.

A reason to install the 64 bit OS at the factory, is to
cover customer RAM upgrades. So the OS doesn't become a
gating factor. You install your extra RAM, and all of it
can be seen.

Paul

pjp wrote:

I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

Retail Vista, yes. As Paul noted the same key can be used for retail
Vista to install 32 or 64 bit.

OEM would be a different story, depending upon the source of the 32 bit
DVD used to install Windows Vista. Using a retail x86 Vista disk will
install but fail at activation due to the ei.cfg file)..thus an OEM x86
DVD may be necessary if its not footprinted to OEM.

--
...winston
msft mvp consumer apps

On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:01:55 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

OEM would be a different story, depending upon the source of the 32 bit
DVD used to install Windows Vista. Using a retail x86 Vista disk will
install but fail at activation due to the ei.cfg file)..thus an OEM x86
DVD may be necessary if its not footprinted to OEM.

I bought a Toshiba Satellite L500 laptop that came with 64-bit Win 7
installed.

It also had a DVD with the 32-bit version.

Half an hour's use showed that most of the software I use every day would not
run under the 64-bit version, so I followed the instructions and installed the
32-bit version, and the 64-bit version was saved to a recovery partion (so
they said).


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:01:55 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

pjp wrote:

I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

Retail Vista, yes. As Paul noted the same key can be used for retail
Vista to install 32 or 64 bit.

OEM would be a different story, depending upon the source of the 32 bit
DVD used to install Windows Vista. Using a retail x86 Vista disk will
install but fail at activation due to the ei.cfg file)..thus an OEM x86
DVD may be necessary if its not footprinted to OEM.


Pjp, let me add to what Winston says above that if there is a product
key on the side of the box, it is almost certainly an OEM version.

Ken Blake wrote on 8/28/2014 10:06 AM:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:01:55 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

pjp wrote:

I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

Retail Vista, yes. As Paul noted the same key can be used for retail
Vista to install 32 or 64 bit.

OEM would be a different story, depending upon the source of the 32 bit
DVD used to install Windows Vista. Using a retail x86 Vista disk will
install but fail at activation due to the ei.cfg file)..thus an OEM x86
DVD may be necessary if its not footprinted to OEM.


Pjp, let me add to what Winston says above that if there is a product
key on the side of the box, it is almost certainly an OEM version.

I hope by 'box' you cabinet, not cardboard box. :-)
Side of the cardboard box makes the key public don't it!!!

On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:12:26 -0400, Big Al wrote:

Ken Blake wrote on 8/28/2014 10:06 AM:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:01:55 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

pjp wrote:

I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

Retail Vista, yes. As Paul noted the same key can be used for retail
Vista to install 32 or 64 bit.

OEM would be a different story, depending upon the source of the 32 bit
DVD used to install Windows Vista. Using a retail x86 Vista disk will
install but fail at activation due to the ei.cfg file)..thus an OEM x86
DVD may be necessary if its not footprinted to OEM.


Pjp, let me add to what Winston says above that if there is a product
key on the side of the box, it is almost certainly an OEM version.

I hope by 'box' you cabinet, not cardboard box. :-)


When I used the word "box," I quoted pjp's use of it. Did he mean the
computer case? Almost certainly; I'd bet on it. I've never seen a
product key on the outside of a cardboard box a computer is packed in.

But I would venture to say that you haven't seen that either and you
know exactly what pjp and I meant by "box."


Side of the cardboard box makes the key public don't it!!!


Are we picking on each other's use of the English language? That
should be "doesn't it?" not "don't it!!!" "Doesn't", not "don't," and
one question mark, not three exclamation points. And in "I hope by
'box' you cabinet," you omitted the word "meant."

Ken Blake wrote on 8/28/2014 6:41 PM:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:12:26 -0400, Big Al wrote:

Ken Blake wrote on 8/28/2014 10:06 AM:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:01:55 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

pjp wrote:

I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

Retail Vista, yes. As Paul noted the same key can be used for retail
Vista to install 32 or 64 bit.

OEM would be a different story, depending upon the source of the 32 bit
DVD used to install Windows Vista. Using a retail x86 Vista disk will
install but fail at activation due to the ei.cfg file)..thus an OEM x86
DVD may be necessary if its not footprinted to OEM.


Pjp, let me add to what Winston says above that if there is a product
key on the side of the box, it is almost certainly an OEM version.

I hope by 'box' you cabinet, not cardboard box. :-)


When I used the word "box," I quoted pjp's use of it. Did he mean the
computer case? Almost certainly; I'd bet on it. I've never seen a
product key on the outside of a cardboard box a computer is packed in.

But I would venture to say that you haven't seen that either and you
know exactly what pjp and I meant by "box."


Side of the cardboard box makes the key public don't it!!!


Are we picking on each other's use of the English language? That
should be "doesn't it?" not "don't it!!!" "Doesn't", not "don't," and
one question mark, not three exclamation points. And in "I hope by
'box' you cabinet," you omitted the word "meant."

Re punctuation: I fall back on the response "old age". Yes I was just
joshing with all of that comment.

On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 20:20:34 -0400, Big Al wrote:

Ken Blake wrote on 8/28/2014 6:41 PM:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:12:26 -0400, Big Al wrote:

Ken Blake wrote on 8/28/2014 10:06 AM:
On Thu, 28 Aug 2014 02:01:55 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

pjp wrote:

I'm sitting here cleaning up a pc was given to a son from his mother.
What I find odd is that it's running a 64 bit version of Vista even
though it only has 2 Gb ram in it. I know it came like that from the
factory, knowledge of people who owned it basically insures that's a
very good bet

Question is, can I do a clean install using just a 32 Bit Vista using
the key on the side of the box?

In other words, is that key good for both 32 and 64 bit Vista?

Retail Vista, yes. As Paul noted the same key can be used for retail
Vista to install 32 or 64 bit.

OEM would be a different story, depending upon the source of the 32 bit
DVD used to install Windows Vista. Using a retail x86 Vista disk will
install but fail at activation due to the ei.cfg file)..thus an OEM x86
DVD may be necessary if its not footprinted to OEM.


Pjp, let me add to what Winston says above that if there is a product
key on the side of the box, it is almost certainly an OEM version.

I hope by 'box' you cabinet, not cardboard box. :-)


When I used the word "box," I quoted pjp's use of it. Did he mean the
computer case? Almost certainly; I'd bet on it. I've never seen a
product key on the outside of a cardboard box a computer is packed in.

But I would venture to say that you haven't seen that either and you
know exactly what pjp and I meant by "box."


Side of the cardboard box makes the key public don't it!!!


Are we picking on each other's use of the English language? That
should be "doesn't it?" not "don't it!!!" "Doesn't", not "don't," and
one question mark, not three exclamation points. And in "I hope by
'box' you cabinet," you omitted the word "meant."

Re punctuation: I fall back on the response "old age".


Are you old? I am probably older than you: I'm 76, soon to be 77.


Yes I was just
joshing with all of that comment.



Yes, I know. Perhaps I was too strong with my response. If so, I
apologize.