Can I change 64-bit Windows into 32-bit Windows without reinstalling?

Question

I borrowed a Windows 7 disk from my friend and I thought it was 32bit but it turned out to be 64bit and I only have 2GB of RAM. Since I have some stuff that I would rather not install again because it took a long time, is there a way to make the 64bit Windows a 32bit Windows without reinstalling Windows?

Solution

No. It would only be a 32-bit system if it had a 32-bit kernel; 32-bit programs; 32-bit libraries (DLL's); and 32-bit drivers. That's pretty much the entire OS.

To replace all that wouldn't be much different from reinstalling the OS. In fact, since there are no existing tools for it, it would take longer to do so than to reinstall.

(Not sure what meaning you're using 'boot my computer' as. It doesn't mean erasing it, nor reinstalling it; it just means starting it.)

Comments

[Hastur]

BTW you can execute 32 bit programs on a 64 bit system for example with Windows 8 see here or you can try to use WOW64

[David Schwartz]

At 2GB, 32-bit and 64-bit are about equally good. I wouldn't bother reinstalling. This is especially true if it's possible to add RAM to your system, because if you ever add any more RAM, you'll definitely want a 64-bit OS.

[Admin]

64bit sucks on 2GB RAM. I get 4 times slower performance than when I had Windows XP. And all my 32bit programs work, the speed is a problem, i even let it use 30000MB of virtual memory which I don't use.

[gronostaj]

@Hastur WOW64 is what Windows internally uses to run 32-bit programs on 64-bit systems. As a user you have completely seamless experience, you don't even have to know if a program is 32-bit or 64-bit. So you don't "try to use WOW64", you simply don't care. You run programs and they work. That's what WOW64 means. The link you have provided is not about running 32-bit programs on 64-bit systems, have you read that thread?

[gronostaj]

@AnonymousGaming It's not because it's 64-bit but because XP is 8 years older than Windows 7 and its hardware requirements are waaay smaller. You could try to run Windows 98 as well, it would be even faster than XP. More demanding software will always run slower on the same hardware, it's how computers work.

[user1686]

I can confirm from experience that 2 GB is going to be a major pain in the ass even with 32-bit Win7.

[Hastur]

@gronostaj I read in that link. Q:_I have 32 bit programs that I need to use on my 64 bit laptop_ Selected answer: Any 32-bit program will run on a 64 bit OS. I can write it better,I agree. Even more the OP selected win7 meanwhile that question is relative to win8. The meaning is however valid. BTW do you really think that every time you can run 32 bit program without any problem? It seems some people was not so lucky or think different.

[David Schwartz]

@AnonymousGaming It's almost definitely not a 32-bit versus 64-bit thing. There are a lot of things it could be, and there's not enough information in your question to tell.

[Admin]

Well I had Windows 7 32bit but I got a virus. And I couldn't get it again because my disc got scrached a lot. And I didn't get much lag.

[gronostaj]

Please see Where can I download Windows 7 (legally from Microsoft)?. Maybe your system wasn't as bloated as the borrowed one. It also had appropriate drivers and this one has drivers for your friend's computer, not yours.

[Admin]

Is there a way to just replace the Windows folder when butting leaving the Program Files (x86) and normal Program Files folders untouched?

[Admin]

Can I backup the Program Files and Program Files (x86) and then boot my computer and then bring back the Program Files folders?

[gronostaj]

@AnonymousGaming No. Programs that have to be installed, copying them is not enough. And as grawity has noted, to boot a computer means to power on a computer, not to reinstall OS.

[gronostaj]

@AnonymousGaming But you know that this is incorrect, so don't do it and educate others. Some people are calling desktop computers "hard drives" but that's not a reason for the rest to start calling them like that.