Next new build questions: Windows 7-related

[Papageno]

Once again I ask you all to indulge me, and I thank all that helped me with my previous questions. This question is about Win 7 Ultimate.

Background: I have disc media for both the 32 and 64 bit versions, but on my older desktop I have the 32-bit version installed on a 2nd Gen SATA HDD. Since my new machine is going to have 8 GB of RAM, I want to go to a 64-bit OS, and install it on a 3rd Gen SATA HDD. I only have 1 license key however.

Will Windows balk at my trying to install the 64-bit version on the new HDD in my new machine when I enter the license key? I'm planning on moving the HDDs from my previous build over anyway, and deleting the Windows 7 32-bit installation, but in the meantime I need to move over my Documents folder and Firefox profile and all that stuff (not to mention my Steam folder). How to best effect this transition? How have you all done it? Anything to watch out for/avoid?

[Marcus]

A few years ago you could activate Windows again on a new machine if a certain amount of time had gone by. Not sure if this is still true but I would guess that it is.

[Charlatan]

I thought the non-OEM version had the restriction that you could only activate it on one machine (with the OEM version being tied to a specific motherboard). So I would think you'd be able to activate it on a new machine (thusly making the old machine's version of Windows unvalid). Whether Windows balks or not, I would think it'd still be usable (but maybe one would be marked as "not genuine")? If they're both usable you'd certainly be able to move documents over.

On the other hand, why not fire up box.net or dropbox or an external HDD and copy the documents you want onto it? Better safe than sorry, right?

[Thongsy]

You should. My brother just did this about a couple of weeks ago. He had the 32 bit-version installed. Build a completely new computer and just used that key on the new built installing the 64-bit version.

[Papageno]

You should. My brother just did this about a couple of weeks ago. He had the 32 bit-version installed. Build a completely new computer and just used that key on the new built installing the 64-bit version.

Great--is the best way to get my User ID and documents over to the new machine to use Windows Easy Transfer?