Question About C:\Program Files (x86)

Jonathan_King said:

You have a 64-bit system, and the 32-bit program you are installing works fine if you install it to the default location, but not when you install it to another location?

Now you got it, Bro. I suppose I could just do some research on it myself. I thought this would be an easy question to answer for our members. That's why I even bothered posting it. No need to go out of your way to find a solution. Unless of course, your bored and need something to do....LOL

To sum it all up...32-Bit applications only work on a 64-Bit OS when they are installed at C:\Program Files (x86). So there has to be something special about that specific folder, one way or another.

I'll give you a for instance. I have a game program called Escape Rosecliff Island. It's programed for the x86 architecture. If I install it at C:\Program Files (x86) it works great. If I try to install it anywhere on D:\ drive it won't run at all. So, there has to be something special about the C:\Program Files (x86) directory.

Or it is just a badly written program that won't run from anywhere other than C:\.

I have all my games installed on a separate drive and have never run into one that won't run from there. As far as that game you mentioned,



Just installed it and it runs just fine. Beginning to think that there is a problem with your Windows install more than a problem with the game than anything.

Jonathan_King said:

What if you install it to another location on the C drive, like in the normal program files folder?

That's defeating the purpose. I don't want it anywhere on C:\ drive.

stormy13 said:

Just installed it and it runs just fine. Beginning to think that there is a problem with your Windows install more than a problem with the game than anything.

Come to think of it, I only tried that single program, and it was right before that D:\ drive HDD failed (Western Digital...go figure). Perhaps it was just an issue with the garbage HDD? I'll have to check into that.

MadMaxData said:

Jonathan_King said:

Right, those apps are just not compatible with x64.

That's one of the downsides to using 64-bit; there are a handful of programs that just won't run.

But they run fine out of C:\Program Files (x86). I think perhaps your missing what I'm driving at here, Bro.

Relocating that folder is not as simple as drag and drop to another drive. You also have to tell Windows where it went.... It's actually a shell folder. Under XP there was a registry entry in HKLM\software\windows\currentversion\shell folders for it but I see it's not there in Win7... Hmmmmm....

MadMaxData said:

Perhaps it was just an issue with the garbage HDD? I'll have to check into that.

That could certainly be the problem, even more so if it runs fine from one drive and not the other.

I just installed a 32-Bit application on my secondary drive, and it ran perfect. Therefore, it had to be the bad HDD I tried it on at first. So.....nevermind. LOL