64 Bit overlay

[Scott McDade]

I am a newbie to Linux, so please be gentle. I have a system (HP xw8400) that I had accidentally loaded up with RH Linux 4 WS using the X86 media. Well according to HP I should have built it using the 64bit version of the OS to take advantage of the Intel Dual Core uProc. I am having some performance issues with this machine and before I dig to deep I would like to make sure I have the correct OS loaded. Is there a method of upgrading the OS from x86 to 64bit without having to loose the entire file system. The box is configured and functional so I would like to minimize the impact if possible.

[Alpha977]

Hello!
x86 version can be 32 or 64bit.
X86 intend the technology (Intel, AMD processor with x86 technology, from 8086 to the Pentium 4).

Try with "uname -a" to see the OS version.

You can upgrade to another Red Hat 64bit version, without loose information, but i never try to "update", i prefer reinstall all.

Backup all the files you need and try the "update" function at the installation.