Can you dual boot ubuntu 12.04 64 bit with ubuntu 12.04 32 bit?

[bjeff2010]

Hey guys,

I am currently running ubuntu 12.04 32 bit on my hp pavilion dv6. I am looking t switch to the 64 bit OS but want to make sure it works before I do. Is it possible to dual boot? Or will booting the 64 bit OS from a CD give me a good feel as to whether it will work with my laptop?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[rockstarrem]

The 64-bit live CD should give you a good feel for it. You should be fine, honestly. But it's not worth it unless you have 4GB+ of RAM.

[bjeff2010]

I have 8GB ram, that was my main reason for wanting to test the 64 bit OS. Hate to let the money for that ram go to waste. Thanks for the help.

[oldfred]

If you have 25GB on a drive, just install to another partition. I did that when I converted. I now put all installs in new 25GB partitions and still have many. All my data is in other partitions so 25 is plenty if data is elsewhere or just testing.

[bjeff2010]

Ok, Thanks oldfred, I will try that tonight. And this is probably the 10th time you've helped my since I installed Ubuntu so a big thanks to you on behalf of all the Ubuntu newbs. :D