Upgrade Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows 8

The Sony Vaio VGN-FW25G/B 3GB RAM is running Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit. I ran the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant and found that:

1. Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows 7 32 bit is available.

2. Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows 7 64 bit has no direct upgrade path but re-a clean installation.

3. Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows 8 has a $149.99 upgrade offer but needs a separate DVD software.

I also found on the market Windows 8 from Windows 7 upgrade is available at A$68.

My questions:

I) Will the upgraded Windows 8 a 64-bit version (not mentioned in the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant)?

II) If I upgrade Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows 8 64 bit, is it a direct and single upgrade process or a reinstallation? What about the Sony drivers?

III) How can I downgrade Windows 8 back to Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, after an upgrade from Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows 8 (64 bit)?

IV) If I upgrade to Windows 8 but not Windows 8 Pro, do I need to buy and install an additional MultiMedia Pack, in order to play DVD? What are the alternatives?

V) Is it justifiable to upgrade to Windows 8 and justifiable to upgrade now, or better wait Windows 8.1?

Thanks for info

 

Hi, Have you run the "Upgrade to Windows 8 Assistant "?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8

This will tell you if your current Hardware is suitable (particularly CPU).
As I understand it, if your comp is 64bit capable, you can run either 32 or 64bit OS's.
Running the above will let you know if Software currently in the comp will be compatible. It would pay to do an Image of the Data/Files before you start. Neil.

Can I upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows to a 64-bit version of Windows 8?

Yes, but you can't do this using Upgrade Assistant. If your PC has a 64-bit capable processor (CPU) but is currently running a 32-bit version of Windows, you can install a 64-bit version of Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro, but you'll need to buy it as a DVD and perform a custom installation. If available in your country or region, you can buy Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro from a participating retail store. You can also buy it online from the Microsoft Store in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Please note that the Windows 8 Pro Pack is used to upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8 Pro, and isn't for cross-architecture installs and doesn't include any media. If you want to change architectures, buy Windows 8 Pro.

You won't be able to keep any files, settings, or apps when you upgrade from a 32-bit to a 64-bit version.
This info is from MS. Neil.

 

Yes, I ran Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant and it responded okay. But it never mentioned the after-upgrade bit rate. I have been expecting for years that a one-pass upgrade should include 32-bit to 64-bit, even including an external USB drive as a transition media. Low-tech Microsoft is still disappointing me, if a customised installation is the answer instead of upgrade, as seen to be the only solution now.

Will it be a better way using Migration Assistant?

1) migrate all Settings and Files from Windows Vista to an external USB hard drive, then;
2) do a clean Windows 8 installation on the Sony notebook (because Windows Vista was pre-installed and no DVD and thus no re-installation of the Windows 8 Upgrade in the future if needed);
3) Use Migration Assistance to migrate the USB hard drive contents back to the Sony notebook.

 

Perhaps the Laplink.com PCMover US$29.95 is a straight-forward choice. Has anyone tried and wanna share experience?

 

The. Notebook has the drivers up to Windows 7 64 bit and no way to check their compatibility to Windows 8 64-bit.

Is it viable to install Windows 8 as dual boot together with Vista? How?

 

Why are you doing 2 different threads?

http://www.windowsbbs.com/windows-8/105595-windows-8-upgrade-yes-no-why.html#post608116

 

My reason of doing so has been explained in another thread. Basically two threads address different parts of the problem on hand.

 

I am hesitate too. But the HDD is only 1/3 used and I can test if the Windows 8 has all drivers and anything incompatible without losing a real usable environment (i.e. on Vista). I think time-wise it's not justified to do that.

For simplicity (saving my time), I'd suggest my friend to use Apple Migration Assistant to move the platform from Windows to OS X, once off, to a much-less maintenance Macbook Air.