It was a laptop that was upgraded from Vista and it is 32 bit.

Download Windows Vista, reinstall it:
Windows Vista SP1:
* Windows Vista .ISO image file from Digital River
(The above Windows Vista image allows you to install the appropriate edition by having the appropriate key).
32 vs 64 bit http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions
Is my PC running the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/find-out-32-or-64-bit http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Installing-and-reinstalling-Windows-7
ImgBurn – In addtion to supporting the creation of CD’s from .ISO files,
it supports a wide range of other image file formats, and it’s free.
(BIN, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, MDS, NRG, PDI and ISO)
http://www.imgburn.com/
http://neosmart.net/wiki/display/G/Burning+ISO+Images+with+ImgBurn
Note: Always use the slowest burn speed (4x or 2x) if offered a choice.
then:
Redownload or resume
Method 1:
When you purchase Windows 8 an email with the download link and purchase details will be sent to your email address that you use to purchase/register your product, you can just access that email and use the download link in it to re-download it on your computer.
Method 2:
Below are the links that will help you download Windows 8.
Note: Please refer to option 4 in first link below and to download the correct version from second link and use the product key of windows 8.