Downgrade to 32 bit - not giving me option,is just reinstalling 64 bit

As per original post, I am booting from the original DVD. I know it's installing the 64 bit version as that what it tells me when I go and look in the system details after it's installed. The message I got that one time it asked me whether I wanted Home or Pro, they both said x64 - no Home x32 or Pro x32 listed as an option. :-( My understanding is the DVD should give you a choice, and I'm pretty sure it did the first time I installed, but I can't get it to come up now.

32-bit and 64-bit Windows 10 won't fit on a single DVD together.

Hmmm, looks like you're right. I pulled out the DVD and it actually says 64 bit on it. That's odd because...

1. when I was researching before buying it definitely said somewhere that the DVD came with both versions, and...
2. I didn't specify whether I wanted 32 or 64, as I thought I was getting both anyway (so perhaps they have assumed I wanted the 64 bit version and failed to point out to me there was a choice. Or maybe they don't even bother stocking the 32 bit version).

So, I'm still interested in finding out if I CAN install 32 bit on this computer. Someone said I can't if it's a UEFI computer, but I don't know how to find out if it is or not - where would I find that information? I did see EFI/non-EFI boot in the BIOS, but don't know if that is the same thing?

If you could fill in your specs it would help others help you,

System Specs - Fill in at Ten Forums

Your TenForums system specs

donaldp said:

Hmmm, looks like you're right. I pulled out the DVD and it actually says 64 bit on it. That's odd because...

1. when I was researching before buying it definitely said somewhere that the DVD came with both versions, and...
2. I didn't specify whether I wanted 32 or 64, as I thought I was getting both anyway (so perhaps they have assumed I wanted the 64 bit version and failed to point out to me there was a choice. Or maybe they don't even bother stocking the 32 bit version).

So, I'm still interested in finding out if I CAN install 32 bit on this computer. Someone said I can't if it's a UEFI computer, but I don't know how to find out if it is or not - where would I find that information? I did see EFI/non-EFI boot in the BIOS, but don't know if that is the same thing?

You can do a clean install/wipe of the HDD to do an install of either 32-bit or 64-bit but not both at once. Some folks have run one version installed and the other version as a VM/Virtual Machine but it requires 2 separate licenses/Product Keys to do so. Win7 came with 2 DVDs in the package, had a choice of which to install but usually required installing the same version as was already installed, either 32-bit or 64-bit, since the Upgrade had to start from within Windows. Haven't seen the same packaging on Win8 or Win8.1 but then haven't really searched, just read the ads in my E-Mail.

UEFI requires the 64-bit version of Windows 10 but the version that is being upgraded on older hardware may determine that, for example I have Win10 Pro on a 6-year-old computer upgraded from Win7 which did not use UEFI 'back then' so the MSinfo32 shows the BIOS Mode as Legacy even though it's the 64-bit version of Win10 [and as was Win7].

alphanumeric said:

Retail install media used to come with two DVD's, one 32 bit and one 64 bit. I haven't bough full Retail Windows install media in a long time though. If you can't find the 32 bit DVD, you can get 32 bit install media here, Access Denied Your product code is good for 32 bit or 64 bit, its your choice.

Thanks, but I still don't know if it will work on my computer yet. It has been said that it can't be done with a UEFI computer, and despite having asked twice already I still don't know where to find that information (no point trying to do 32 bit if it's not going to work due to UEFI)? I presume somewhere in the BIOS, but only thing I can see so far is a reference to EFI boot, and I'm not sure if that's the same thing or not (and I have set it to non-EFI boot now, in case it is the same thing). If someone can tell me where to find this, and it turns out my computer isn't UEFI, then I can spend some more time seeing if I can get 32 bit to work.