Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders?


  1. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
       #1

    Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders?


    I noticed there are 2 of these folders in local disk C:

    when installing programs, which one should they go to? Are there differences between these 2 folders?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 1,849
    Windows 7 x86/x64, Server 2008r2, Web Server 2008
       #2

    Program Files x86 is for 32 bit applications and Program Files is for 64 bit applications. Windows is smart enough (well most of the time) to know which one they got into.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 41
    Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
    Thread Starter
       #3

    ahh ic

    most programs are 32 bit right?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 1,377
    Win7x64
       #4

    jstar said:
    ahh ic

    most programs are 32 bit right?
    Most of the things you'd commonly run across on the internet are (still) 32-bit. The OS "knows" whether it's 32 or 64-bit, so it suggests the corresponding Program Files folder during app installation.

    (In the interests of chaos, on a 64-bit machine the \windows\system32 folder contains 64-bit DLLs, while \windows\SysWOW64 stores their 32-bit equivalents :))
      My Computer


 

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