I have Live 9.0.2 32bit version installed on my system since it was released. It works quite well and I do not want to mess with it for the moment.
Now I would like to install Live 9.7.1 64bit (only the 64bit version) on the same system.
My question is: Is it possible to do that safely? That is without affecting the current 32bit installation in any way?

My worries are partly rooted in the fact that the installations have different 'patching' methods, if you get what I mean... See the sister site for details

Oh and forgot to mention we dealing with a PC with Win7pro on it here!

 

No, sorry, even if you separate install folder to c:/programdata/ableton/live9_64/ both of installations will used shared db folder:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Ableton

No, I speak rubbish, it is possible! Thanks pinkman

 

Last edited: Dec 30, 2016

Totally safe.
When asked to specify an install location in the C:\ProgramData\Ableton folder just create a new directory to keep the 32 bit version.
e.g In my C:\ I have C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 9 Suite which is the 64 bit version and C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 9_x86 which is the 32 bit version.

 

Did you tested this? Sometimes in past it was impossible

 

This doesn't affect either installation negatively in any way. It basically just keeps your Instruments, Effects, Sounds, Clips and User Presets synced across both versions.

Yup. I have both versions installed right now.

A little useless but you can even run them at the same time.

 

Last edited: Dec 30, 2016

Ok, changed my post

 

@nikon You're good, brother.

@onhappin If you use Max4Live devices you will need to install both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Max 7 to use with the respective versions of Live.

 

Last edited: Dec 30, 2016

Thanks alot Pinkman for your answers. What versions are the 32bit and the 64bit respectively? Anyway do they differ?
And as asqued in my first post, does the fact that I use different "patches" to authorize it affect the situation in anyway?

 

I had 9.2 (32-bit) and 9.5 (64-bit) but I've updated both to 9.7

Yeah but not too drastically. https://www.ableton.com/en/help/article/live-9-beta-release-notes/

With the older versions I had to patch the .exe to produce an Authorization file so patching two different versions was no problem as I could select what version to patch.
When I updated (both to 9.7) I only had to use the keygen once for them both to be activated.
If you're worried about breaking the 9.0 version by installing and patching 9.7 I would just back up the auz.file you have already created for 9.0 as this is what tells Live if it's unlocked or not. If somehow the keygen for 9.7 breaks 9.0 you can just copy the auz.file back into C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 9 Suite\Program\

Don't forget to turn off Auto-Update in Live's preferences.

I know you said you didn't want to mess with your existing installation but I've always been able to install over and replace my existing Live installation and retain my custom folders/locations and presets. I always keep a backup of my database (files.db located in C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live 9.7\Database) in case something goes wrong.

I haven't ever had as big of a gap between versions like you're looking at though (9.0 - 9.7), so I'm not sure what restoring the database will do if something did go wrong.

 

Last edited: Dec 30, 2016

Thanks again, Pink! Hopefully things will go as planned. I'll come back a bit later to confirm if it's working or not.
On a side note, I have no worries with auto-update stuff as I've long ago disconnected my music making computer from the big web! It helps performance wise and keeps you focused.
And yes... I'm aware there's a significant gap between the versions of Live... from 9.0 to 9.7. My question was related to the difference between versions - e.g. 32 bit 9.2 and 64 bit 9.7 - and you covered that too.

By the way... As 9.5 was a major update... is it possible to open/import say a 9.2 project in a post 9.5 Live?

 

Last edited: Dec 30, 2016

You can open 9.2 projects with 9.5, for sure.
You can't open 9.5 projects with 9.2.
If you do open an older project with a new version, use Save-As and rename so you don't overwrite the original project.

 

i just want to tell everybody it's perfectly feasible to install newer versions of 64bit Live 9 on top of 32 bit versions. As discussed above, this doesn't affect at all previous installations.
I now have a working fresh Live 9.7.1 64 bit alongside the old but productive 32 bit Live 9.0.2. The process in itself is extremely simple and fast as long as you have certain experience with this app's settings.
Kudos again, Pinkman for your advices!