One of my computers has glitched hard drives, first the data storage drive, and then the OS & program files drive.  I don't feel that it's worth fixing in order to have a 32bit WinXP machine.

     However, the manual says the motherboard main chipset is good for 8GB DDR2, and I have the memory sticks and new hard drives on hand.  I bought some 64bit Win7 Pro OEM (full install, not upgrade) licenses.  So, can I replace the hard drives and memory, then boot from the Win7 optical disc to begin the install?  A 64bit quad-core with 8GB would be worthwhile.

     What do I need to know to do this?

Poser 12, in feet.  

OSes:  Win7Prox64, Win7Ultx64

Silo Pro 2.5.6 64bit, Vue Infinite 2014.7, Genetica 4.0 Studio, UV Mapper Pro, UV Layout Pro, PhotoImpact X3, GIF Animator 5