Can I unplug my HD with 32 bit Windows 7 in it, then use another HD to install Windows 7 64 bit? I’ve been wanting to evaluate Windows 7 64 bit, but I am currently running Windows 7 32 bit.
Yes you can do this thing. This is just like installing two windows on a hard drive. However it is very easy in the case if you have two separate hard drives in your case.
After unplugging your 1st hard disk that has windows 7 32-bit, plug the new hard disk that you are going to use to install the 64-bit version.
Do all the installation process and do whatever you want to do with it.
Then you can also attach the 1st hard disk back in the system but use the 2nd sata connector so that the computer detects it as a secondary hard disk.
You can also set this thing from the BIOS. In the boot order make the priority of any hard disk first from which you want to boot first. This way you can tell the computer in which version to boot.
If what you mean by “hot swap” is like with a SIM card or memory card on a Smartphone where you remove the card from the phone without turning off and restarting the device, I don’t think that is possible with a computer. In a Smartphone, the system or operating system is stored on the board of the device and not on the memory card.
In a computer, the system or operating system is stored on the hard drive and the machine is constantly accessing the hard drive while it is running. If you unplug or disconnect the hard drive where the operating system is installed while the computer is running, it will damage the system as well as the hard drive.
You might end up reinstalling Microsoft Windows because the operating system got corrupted. Also, if you want to try and evaluate 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7, the possibility of installing it depends on your hardware or the CPU. Your hardware has to support 64-bit before you can install a 64-bit operating system.
Things to check to verify that your machine is capable of running a 64-bit operating system includes the motherboard, processor, and the devices you connect to the motherboard like the network card, video card, sound card, and others.
