I have the parts on order from newegg for my first computer build. I have in my possession a DVD from my school entitled Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit Operating System Upgrade. Can I install this OS on my computer even though its only an upgrade? I saw the sticky on this forum about that but saw thats a very old post. Does anyone know if it is still possible? I ordered the vista upgrade about 1 month ago. Thanks!

The vista upgrade will only work if you are upgrading from XP to Vista. If you have an XP CD then (if you REALLY want to use vista, if not just use xp) install XP and then upgrade to vista. BUT the vista you have is not a regular windows. It is the 64 bit edition and it will only run 64 bit software. If i were you i would just buy an XP cd (before they stop selling) or a regular vista install CD.

It's been a while since I upgraded my XP 32-bit to Vista 64-bit. In order to use the upgrade editions you must have XP on your PC. However, if you're going from 32-bit to 64-bit you must boot directly into the 64-bit install disc. The Vista install program will check your computer to see if you have XP. If you do, then you can install 64-bit Vista. The only option, when going from XP 32-bit to Vista 64-bit is to do a clean install. You may be able to use the upgrade copy to do a fresh install, I'm not entirely sure how to do this without violating the license agreement.

So you think it is possible? when i called the customer service that sold me the vista upgrade (only 35 bucks since it is through my school) they told me i could do a clean install but couldn't tell me how. hoping somebody knows or else I guess I can try just putting the disc in?

You could always try that, the worst that could happen is that Windows cannot install. The 64-bit edition is a little bit unusual during an upgrade install. Unlike the 32-bit edition, you cannot start it from a non-64-bit OS. This means that the installer has to authenticate you have a valid copy of XP before the installation of Vista. This is because, unless you dual boot, the install of 64-bit Vista always formats the drive containing XP before it installs. Oddly enough, with my upgrade, Vista didn't authenticate and activate until I told it to at start up after the install.

that isnt true, u can run 32-bit software on 64-bit, i have 64-bit, and most apps, and software works on it, some thing dont but most will

You CAN run most 32-bit software within a 64-bit environment with a few exceptions. If you can get native 64-bit software, it will usually be faster than it's 32-bit counterpart. I'm using the 64-bit edition too and I'm enjoying it.