Solved What is the purpose of 2 instances of Internet Explorer folders

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jsquareg

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I just discovered I have have two instances of a folder name Internet Explorer on my Win 7 64 bit system drive (C:). One is in Program Files and the other in Program Files(X86). Iexplore.exe is in the Program Files folder and not in the X86 one.

What is the purpose of the X86 Internet Explorer folder? Can I get rid of it?

Thank you.
 

My Computer My Computer

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Windows 7 Home Premium (Retail) Full version ...3.10 Gig Intel Core i5-3350P8192 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
Computer type
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Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS-8500
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium (Retail) Full version - With SP1
CPU
3.10 Gig Intel Core i5-3350P
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Dell 0NW73C A00
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cox high speed
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The above taken with Bel Arc Advisor
Hi,

The x86 one is for 32 bit IE, the other is for 64 bit IE. I think its just a default installation thing, but I'm not sure it should/can be removed.

Regards,
Golden
 

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What is with people always trying to delete things...? D:
 

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I agree with you Logic. Hey let`s mess up our pc then ask for help on the W7F. Everyone needs to just use their computer and stop messing with it. If your going to experiment you should be doing it on a test pc not your pc you use everyday.
 

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IE comes in both 32 and 64 bits, and each of those folders is for those 2 versions. In the default start menu it also includes shortcuts for both versions, each pointing to one folder.

I would not touch either of them. Not because they are useful (why would you need both versions at the same time?), but because IE engine is bundled with Windows in a way that you can't get rid of it, as it's used in many places internally by the system. If you delete one, you risk strange errors in either 32 or 64 bits programs that may happen to use it.
 

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Windows 7 Ultimate x64
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Alejandro85 said:
IE comes in both 32 and 64 bits, and each of those folders is for those 2 versions. In the default start menu it also includes shortcuts for both versions, each pointing to one folder.

I would not touch either of them. Not because they are useful (why would you need both versions at the same time?), but because IE engine is bundled with Windows in a way that you can't get rid of it, as it's used in many places internally by the system. If you delete one, you risk strange errors in either 32 or 64 bits programs that may happen to use it.
Click to expand...

Thank you Alejandro85. I don't understand why the 32 bit version in there. My initial installation was the 64 bit version on Win7. What is the 32 bit version of IE doing on my machine. Oh well, it doesn't really matter. I will leave things alone.

Thanks again.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7 Home Premium (Retail) Full version ...3.10 Gig Intel Core i5-3350P8192 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Dell XPS-8500
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium (Retail) Full version - With SP1
CPU
3.10 Gig Intel Core i5-3350P
Motherboard
Dell 0NW73C A00
Memory
8192 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster [Monitor] (19.1"vis, s/n HVELA10194, Octo
Screen Resolution
1024 X 768
Hard Drives
INTEL SSDSA2CW120G3 ATA Device [Hard drive] (120.03 GB)
INTEL SSDSA2CW080G3 ATA Device [Hard drive] (80.02 GB)
Keyboard
HID Keyboard Device (HP)
Mouse
Dell (came with computer)
Internet Speed
cox high speed
Other Info
The above taken with Bel Arc Advisor
There is a 32 bit version because not everything is 64 bit. 32 bit applications that need IE can only use the 32 bit version, same with plugins. 32 bit version of Flash can only be used in the 32 bit version.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10 Pro (x64)Intel Core i7-3930K (3.2GHz - 4.5GHz)4x Samsung 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (16GB 1600MHz)Nvidia Geforce GTX 690
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Alienware Aurora ALX R4
OS
Windows 10 Pro (x64)
CPU
Intel Core i7-3930K (3.2GHz - 4.5GHz)
Motherboard
Alienware Aurora-R4 x79
Memory
4x Samsung 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (16GB 1600MHz)
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia Geforce GTX 690
Sound Card
SteelSeries Siberia Elite
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell UltraSharp U3011
Screen Resolution
2560x1600
Hard Drives
Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB, Seagate 1TB Desktop Hybrid HDD, 2x Western Digital 4TB Green HDD
PSU
875W Some Dell PSU <.<
Case
Alienware Aurora ALX
Cooling
Custom Liquid Cooling (EK CPU & GPU blocks) dual EK 480RAD
Keyboard
Logitech G710+ Mechanical
Mouse
Logitech G700s
Internet Speed
Verizon Fios (50 mbps average)
Other Info
Server: Intel NUC D54250WYK: i5-4250U, 16GB, 256 GB mSATA, Windows Server 2012 R2
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