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Should I swtich from w7 32 bit to w7 64 bit?

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Musubi:
Hmm.. I see can someone recommend (I actually would rather have propriery  one since I tend to trust more things I pay) program that backups  the settings for all programs not just certain selected ones? Or a program that would help me with my backups and reinstallment to windows 7 64 bit?

I mean I know windows easy transfer will help me to backup my configuration files and  document folders, but is there a program that can backup whole installed applications for migrating to  a 64 system? It can be shareware/pay to use. I don't mind paying for quality:)

Shades:
If you had a system that was setup like this:
- partition C: only 'Windows' folder + boot files
- partition D: only for folders 'Program Files', 'Program Files (x86)' and 'PortableApps'
- partition E: only for folders 'Users', 'ProgramData' and your own personalized folder structure for your user data if you such a system

In that case it is relatively easy by dumping the registry keys from the installed software in Win7 32bit, install the customized 64 bit version of Win7 (here is a link on how to do that), import the earlier created registry dump and that should be it.

If this is sound too complicated, invest time in looking for portable versions of the software you like/need/desire. I have done that while on my XP installation. When the time to upgrade was forced upon me, 80% of the software I use regularly was immediately available/use-able. All-in-all it took me 2 hours to convert from XP Pro to Win7 64-bit, mainly because I was reading through all the installation options from the Win7 installation DVD.

EDIT:
See this thread and this thread for software that can make portable versions from normally installed software. That should make migrating easier.

4wd:
In that case it is relatively easy by dumping the registry keys from the installed software in Win7 32bit, install the customized 64 bit version of Win7 (here is a link on how to do that), import the earlier created registry dump and that should be it.-Shades (April 03, 2010, 09:53 PM)
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I don't think that would work, the 'Program Files (x86)' directory doesn't exist under 32bit Windows and generally programs installed under 32bit Windows don't write registry entries under the wow3264, (or is it wow6432?), key.

So, how would you know whether there were any extra registry entries required and whether or not extra or some components were required to be moved from 'Program Files' to/from 'Program Files (x86)' ?

I've done exactly the same thing, moved from Win7 32bit to Win7 64bit for one reason only - MS' arbitrary decision to not allow full use of the installed 4GB under 32bit.  This coupled with the higher RAM usage of Win7 made it impossible to task switch from a game to the Desktop without the game locking up, (games don't like to be swapped in and out of RAM, disabling the page file fixes it but cripples the system even more), something that XP could do all day long without a problem.

The only sure way to migrate is to backup your program settings, install Win7 64 from scratch, then restore program settings.

FWIW, the only thing that didn't work under 64bit was my old Canon FB630U scanner because there's no driver available under Vista/W7.

Innuendo:
I've got a 64 bit enabled cpu. I only installed 32 bit because I was afraid some software might not work, so I  have a few questions I would like to asks you-Musubi (April 03, 2010, 06:43 AM)
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Lots of great information in the posts above mine so I'm just going to touch on a few things as I have just gone from 32-bit to 64-bit myself so I can give you a fresh view of the transition.

Is 32bit software compatible with a 64 bit operating system?
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Still installing all my apps, but I have not run into anything that won't work yet.

Is it worth upgrading to 64 bit?
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I think it is, yes. It's not the same kick in the pants enhancement we got when we moved from 16-bit to 32-bit OSes, but 64-bit is the way of the future & the future is now.

Is there a  way I can keep my old program configuration and programs installed after the update? I mean I don't want to reinstall everything I have... Is there a backup program, or auto reinstaller or something like that, that would be nice.
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Don't even try it. First of all, when you run a 64-bit OS you are going to find that a lot of your favorite programs have 64-bit versions available and you are going to want to run those versions most of the time. Second, Windows x64 stores files a bit differently in the Windows directory than 32-bit Windows does, i.e. while the file structure is 90+% identical, Windows x64 has some special directories Windows x86 doesn't.

I know 64 bit can use more ram. What's the biggest amount of RAM a single stick has, can you recommend me a RAM stick?
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The largest RAM modules available right now are 4 GB. However, you'll pay a healthy premium on the price for those. As for RAM recommendations, the safest way to ensure you'll buy RAM that will work with your motherboard is go to the motherboard manufacturer's web site & download the RAM compatibility list for that motherboard & only buy modules on that list. Most of the time, just buying any respected brand name will be fine, but the list on the web site is the only way to be 100% sure.

Innuendo:
Oh, nearly forgot something in going from 32 to 64 bit & it's important enough for its own post.

There are simply things you are going to need both versions of....Flash & Java, for example. You're going to need the 32-bit versions so your 32-bit software can use them and you're going to need the 64-bit versions so your 64-bit software can use them.

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