That is not what I have ever gotten. I have an ISO of Windows x64 Ultimate straight from the MSDN and I burn it to a dvd and it boots right up every time. I have been running Windows 7 x64 since the RTM leaked years ago.
this is very interesting! I got mine from the Volume Licensing Service Center and it never worked. after googling around I found the how-tos I posted and they lead to success.
BTW: we are pretty much off-topic...