The release of Windows 10 offers a nice opportunity to make the most of your computer, going from a 32-bit to a 64-bit version. The main difference between the two hardware architectures is that with a 64-bit system you can take full advantage of all the RAM mounted in the computer.
Precisely, while with 32-bit Windows you can use a maximum of 3.2 GB of RAM, with a 64-bit version you can also reach 8 GB or more (READ ALSO: Advantages of Windows 64-bit (X64) compared to a PC 32-bit (x86))
This means that you can keep many more programs open simultaneously without suffering from slowdowns.
In addition to this, 64-bit Windows 10 is also much more secure and makes it much more difficult for viruses to infiltrate.
Basically, if you had Windows 7 or 32 bit Windows 8.1, you can install Windows 10 64 bit for free .
To do this upgrade without losing the valid license, you must first upgrade your PC to Windows 10 32 bit and then proceed with a clean installation of Windows 10 64 bit.
There is no way to upgrade from the 32-bit versions of Windows to the 64-bit Windows 10 version.
Before moving to Windows 10 64 bit you need to understand if you have a compatible PC.
To be sure, download and install the CPU-Z tool and check on the card that says which processor model you have, if it is written 64 bit.
In addition, that processor is required to support Physical Address Extension (PAE), NX and SSE2 .
Some older processors don't have this support so it's best to check.
These features must be present and enabled in the PC BIOS (see here how to enter the BIOS).
To be sure that everything is compatible, look for the processor datasheet and read if those features are present.
In addition to the processor, it is also necessary to check whether the programs we use work on a 64-bit computer and whether the drivers of the video card, sound, printer and other devices are compatible.
In general, everything should work, except in the case of very old and outdated programs and drivers.
In fact, keep in mind that the drivers will have to be re-downloaded and reinstalled in the 64-bit version so they will have to be searched on the manufacturer's sites if there are 64-bit drivers (also those for Windows 7, 8 or Vista are fine) after the installation.
Old programs designed only for Windows XP and not 32-bit will not work.
Another thing to do before proceeding is a full backup of important files.
This is because it is an installation from scratch so the main disk will be formatted and deleted including programs.
Finally, it is necessary to verify that, after updating Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8, Windows 10 is activated and that the product key is recognized correctly.
In another article, the guide to activate Windows 10 and solve product key errors.
Once ready, from Windows 10 32 bit, download Windows 10 64 bit using the creation tool provided by Microsoft.
From the download page, choose the 32-bit tool (because the 64-bit one does not work on Windows 10 32-bit).
Start the tool, insert a USB stick with at least 4 GB of space and choose the " create installation media for another computer " option.
Then choose the Italian language, the edition of Windows 10 that you currently have, Home or Pro and the 64-bit architecture.
Go ahead and select the USB drive (or the ISO file if you want to use a DVD) to start the download.
Once finished, you can open the USB stick from Windows Explorer, run the setup.exe file to see an error message that warns about the incompatibility of the file.
This is normal because you are trying to run a 64 bit file on a 32 bit PC.
Then restart your computer by starting it from the USB stick and following the wizard for the clean installation of Windows 10 64 bit .
I therefore refer to the guide on the clean installation of Windows 10 for further details.
