OptiPlex 755 Vista 32 bit upgrade to Win 7 Pro 64 bit

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

Desktop 755 core 2 duo, 4GB (2x2GB from Dell when new), 250GB HD, half height case, running XP Pro for years, with 2005FPW. I upgraded (Dell CD) to Vista 32bit, no problem. Then...

1. Installed Radeon HD 2400 card and things were ducky for some time.

2. Replaced 2400 with Sapphire 5450, worked for days. Then just started getting test screen on DVI, switched to VGA, same result.

3. Put 2400 back in and now it gives same result as above. Standard chipset VGA is all that works.

4. Was going to upgrade to Win 7 Pro 64 bit anyway, so bought the OEM CD, thinking that may cleanup video/driver etc problems as well. And it wouldn't boot. Used Rufus to get bootable USB. Still no boot, just the message about incompatible system. (OEM CD and USB worked on other systems I have.)

Why won't Win 7 64 bit install?

Have I somehow blown out my ability to use the add on PCIe slot, or the PCIe cards themselves? I have never run into this before...

HELP!!!

Many thanks in advance...

 

[clutchc]

The processor should be 64 bit, That should be no issue. Download and run the Win7 Upgrade Compatibility Adviser and see what shows up as incompatible.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=20

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

Done that, good to go on 64 bit. Removed the vid cards anyway, just using on board vga. Still good to on 64 bit. Sooo...

 

[clutchc]

Done that, good to go on 64 bit. Removed the vid cards anyway, just using on board vga. Still good to on 64 bit. Sooo...

I'm detecting two problems here that may be related. The old system suddenly quit working after running the HD 54xx card for awhile. What model was the HD 5400? The HD 5470? Was it new or used?

Can you read the nameplate on the PC's PSU?

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

5450, OEM psu. Things are ducky under Vista 32 bit and using on board VGA. It's a Core 2 duo E4600 2.4Ghz with Intel Q35 Express Chipset. When I try to install Win 7 64 bit I get the same message from setup.exe - in short "The version of this file is not compatible with the version of software you are runn. Check the version x86 or x64 and contact the software publisher for the correct version...

 

[clutchc]

Were you trying to do an upgrade or a clean install? A 64bit upgrade won't work obviously, but a clean install should have.

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

Clean, but can't even get the cd or usb to boot. I've setup the bios, but when the cd or usb are accessed, the same message - "The version of this file is not compatible with the version of software you are runn. Check the version x86 or x64 and contact the software publisher for the correct version...

 

[clutchc]

I'm confused. You say you can't get the Win7 x64 DVD to boot. But yet you say you get an error message.
Just out of curiosity, download one of these Win7 x86 (32bit) .ISO files, burn it to disk and try to boot to it.
http://www.mydigitallife.info/official-windows-7-sp1-iso-from-digital-river/

See if the 32bit version will boot. You don't have to do the install if you don't want to. This would just be a test to see if you can get to that point in the installation pgm. (If you are going to stay with 4GB of RAM, there's no benefit to use Win7 x64 anyway.)

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

Well, I'll have to change my username here, out of sheer humiliation. After wasting the better part of two days trying anything that came to mind, I have solved at least one of my two problems, that being getting my Win 7 64 bit OEM disk to boot on my Vista 32 bit system. Even though I have looked at the boot order in the bios innumerable times while on this trek, I failed to notice that staring me in the face was the fact that somehow I tapped the space bar, thereby removing the number in front of the device THAT I WAS TRYING TO BOOT FROM, thereby removing it from the boot sequence. Forget about my first thought that it would be nice that the removed number would have been replaced by an icon that would provide a visual alert, but, obviously the BIOS writer is smarter at writing BIOS than I am at using it...

Sorry for wasting everyone's time. Go ahead, turn the flame on, if you guys still do that...

(Hope I have better luck with the vid card after the Win 7 install.)

 

[clutchc]

Don't feel bad. We've all done dumb things. I spent waaay too long troubleshooting why a new build I was breadboarding wouldn't boot to BIOS, when I suddenly noticed I had the video cable from the wrong monitor plugged in. And that monitor was turned off.

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

I stand corrected!

Thanks, but after taking a break when I thought I'd figured it out, I'm right back to where I was. Everything is functioning normally except trying to boot from the Win 7 64 bit disk, or the .iso on the USB. Even the Vista 32 bit disk boots!

Help!!!

 

[clutchc]

You can't boot from an .ISO file. That is a special file used to burn discs. You have to burn the .ISO to a DVD. That makes a bootable disc with the Win installation pgm on it.

If you want to install Win from a USB flash drive, you need to use that .ISO file with Windows USB Tool to make it a bootable Win7 installation flash drive: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

You can't boot from an .ISO file. That is a special file used to burn discs. You have to burn the .ISO to a DVD. That makes a bootable disc with the Win installation pgm on it.

If you want to install Win from a USB flash drive, you need to use that .ISO file with Windows USB Tool to make it a bootable Win7 installation flash drive: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

Thanks, did that, used RUFUS...

 

[clutchc]

Thanks, did that, used RUFUS...

Maybe that's the problem. Try the MS tool.

 

[WindowsForWorkGroups311]

Out of curiosity, tried a different keyboard, and it worked. Still not sure why I had to use F12. Changing BIOS boot settings wouldn't do, but hitting F12 with the changed keyboard did. As I don't hit F12 to change boot order 1 time only as a rule, seems to have solved it...