The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Does it make a difference if a 64-bit program is installed in the program files (x86) folder?

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by vestibule1443, Jan 31, 2011.

  1. vestibule1443

    vestibule1443 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    377
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I install programs to whatever location it provides as the default, and I'm wondering if a 64-bit program like iTunes or Microsoft Office installs itself to the program files (x86) directory if that will restrict the 64-bit program to running in 32-bit mode.
     
    vestibule1443, Jan 31, 2011
    #1
  2. Terry Kennedy

    Terry Kennedy Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    55
    Messages:
    115
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I think it is just a convenience mechanism. I've used the opposite (installing 32-bit in the non-x86 Program Files directory) with no trouble for over a year now.

    The program in question is Daemon Tools Lite - I have some web pages that use its command-line interface via a custom ActiveX control, and in order to work on XP and 7, I need the files in the same place. [Too bad the windows command-line "start" command doesn't look at installed apps to find them.]
     
    Terry Kennedy, Jan 31, 2011
    #2
  3. vestibule1443

    vestibule1443 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    377
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    well, i know there wont be a problem because the worst it would do is throttle the 64-bit program. But that's what I'm wondering, does it throttle 64-bit programs to 32 bit?
     
    vestibule1443, Jan 31, 2011
    #3
  4. Pirx

    Pirx Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    3,001
    Messages:
    3,005
    Likes Received:
    416
    Trophy Points:
    151
    It doesn't matter, and there is no such thing as a "32-bit mode" for 64-bit applications. A 64-bit program uses the 64-bit instruction set and addressing conventions, and cannot run in any other way.

    See above. 32-bit versus 64-bit has nothing to do with "throttling" or not. It's different code. As an aside, 64-bit code does not necessarily run faster than 32-bit code. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn.'t.
     
    Pirx, Jan 31, 2011
    #4