program files directories

I have Vista Business 64 bit.

I noticed that there's a program files and a program files x86 directories
on the hard disk. I have read that 64 bit software will be installed on the
program files and 32 bit software will be installed on program files x86.

My question is there really any difference except to group the 32 and 64 bit
software together? Can I install a 32 bit software on the program files
directory and vice versa? Will there be any probelms.

Thanks.

Tony
Wed Aug 08 13:20:51 CDT 2007

If you manually intervene you'll most certainly have problems - leave it to
the system and the Installer(s). It's not like a flower arrangement to have
beauty and order in chaos. It's a functional arrangement that should keep
the two sub-systems separated because of incompatibilities that will crash
your OS. This is also precisely why you must have 64bit drivers for all
devices in the system, it cannot function through the WoW sub-system.


Tony. . .


"wli2k2" <wli2k2@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8222CC1B-B093-44E4-8940-7C90245BA94B@microsoft.com...
> I have Vista Business 64 bit.
>
> I noticed that there's a program files and a program files x86 directories
> on the hard disk. I have read that 64 bit software will be installed on
the
> program files and 32 bit software will be installed on program files x86.
>
> My question is there really any difference except to group the 32 and 64
bit
> software together? Can I install a 32 bit software on the program files
> directory and vice versa? Will there be any probelms.
>
> Thanks.
>

wli2k2
Wed Aug 08 15:10:04 CDT 2007

What if I install a 32 Bit software on the root of the C drive, for example,
C:\abcsoftware?

"Tony Sperling" wrote:

> If you manually intervene you'll most certainly have problems - leave it to
> the system and the Installer(s). It's not like a flower arrangement to have
> beauty and order in chaos. It's a functional arrangement that should keep
> the two sub-systems separated because of incompatibilities that will crash
> your OS. This is also precisely why you must have 64bit drivers for all
> devices in the system, it cannot function through the WoW sub-system.
>
>
> Tony. . .
>
>
> "wli2k2" <wli2k2@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:8222CC1B-B093-44E4-8940-7C90245BA94B@microsoft.com...
> > I have Vista Business 64 bit.
> >
> > I noticed that there's a program files and a program files x86 directories
> > on the hard disk. I have read that 64 bit software will be installed on
> the
> > program files and 32 bit software will be installed on program files x86.
> >
> > My question is there really any difference except to group the 32 and 64
> bit
> > software together? Can I install a 32 bit software on the program files
> > directory and vice versa? Will there be any probelms.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
>
>
>

Tony
Wed Aug 08 15:32:07 CDT 2007

That should be no problem, generally speaking. The system will keep things
separate, provided the installer has a properly configured INF file. The
problem is if you start moving things around manually that would circumvent
the safety measures the OS would otherwise have made.

Personally, I installed the Flightsimulator in D:\FS9, and that is working
fine, and it should continue like that as long as I don't fiddle with the
intricate parts myself.

If you were writing your own programs you would need to learn how to compose
such a INF file for the Installer you were using, and not just dump them
more or less randomly in the filesystem.

I am not the absolute authority on this issue, others may have comments,
corrections and/or additions.


Tony. . .


"wli2k2" <wli2k2@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:33C3A11C-217C-4D21-9196-15A651BD017A@microsoft.com...
> What if I install a 32 Bit software on the root of the C drive, for
example,
> C:\abcsoftware?
>
> "Tony Sperling" wrote:
>
> > If you manually intervene you'll most certainly have problems - leave it
to
> > the system and the Installer(s). It's not like a flower arrangement to
have
> > beauty and order in chaos. It's a functional arrangement that should
keep
> > the two sub-systems separated because of incompatibilities that will
crash
> > your OS. This is also precisely why you must have 64bit drivers for all
> > devices in the system, it cannot function through the WoW sub-system.
> >
> >
> > Tony. . .
> >
> >
> > "wli2k2" <wli2k2@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:8222CC1B-B093-44E4-8940-7C90245BA94B@microsoft.com...
> > > I have Vista Business 64 bit.
> > >
> > > I noticed that there's a program files and a program files x86
directories
> > > on the hard disk. I have read that 64 bit software will be installed
on
> > the
> > > program files and 32 bit software will be installed on program files
x86.
> > >
> > > My question is there really any difference except to group the 32 and
64
> > bit
> > > software together? Can I install a 32 bit software on the program
files
> > > directory and vice versa? Will there be any probelms.
> > >
> > > Thanks.
> > >
> >
> >
> >

Theo
Wed Aug 08 16:25:54 CDT 2007

Why don't you just leave the installation to the installer?
Most installers also set directory paths and registry
entries. If you put the program someplace else, it may not
run correctly.


wli2k2 wrote:
> What if I install a 32 Bit software on the root of the C drive, for example,
> C:\abcsoftware?
>
> "Tony Sperling" wrote:
>
>> If you manually intervene you'll most certainly have problems - leave it to
>> the system and the Installer(s). It's not like a flower arrangement to have
>> beauty and order in chaos. It's a functional arrangement that should keep
>> the two sub-systems separated because of incompatibilities that will crash
>> your OS. This is also precisely why you must have 64bit drivers for all
>> devices in the system, it cannot function through the WoW sub-system.
>>
>>
>> Tony. . .
>>
>>
>> "wli2k2" <wli2k2@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:8222CC1B-B093-44E4-8940-7C90245BA94B@microsoft.com...
>>> I have Vista Business 64 bit.
>>>
>>> I noticed that there's a program files and a program files x86 directories
>>> on the hard disk. I have read that 64 bit software will be installed on
>> the
>>> program files and 32 bit software will be installed on program files x86.
>>>
>>> My question is there really any difference except to group the 32 and 64
>> bit
>>> software together? Can I install a 32 bit software on the program files
>>> directory and vice versa? Will there be any probelms.
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>
>>

Charlie
Thu Aug 09 00:52:49 CDT 2007

Not a good idea. And the problem is that 32-bit and 64-bit programs have a
different view of the file system and registry. Plus, should the program in
question come out with a 64bit version, you'd end up with a mixture of
32-bit and 64bit stuff in the same directory. Definitely not a good thing.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/xperts64
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel


"wli2k2" <wli2k2@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8222CC1B-B093-44E4-8940-7C90245BA94B@microsoft.com...
>I have Vista Business 64 bit.
>
> I noticed that there's a program files and a program files x86 directories
> on the hard disk. I have read that 64 bit software will be installed on
> the
> program files and 32 bit software will be installed on program files x86.
>
> My question is there really any difference except to group the 32 and 64
> bit
> software together? Can I install a 32 bit software on the program files
> directory and vice versa? Will there be any probelms.
>
> Thanks.
>

wli2k2
Thu Aug 09 10:20:04 CDT 2007

Thanks for all the help/suggestions!

"Charlie Russel - MVP" wrote:

> Not a good idea. And the problem is that 32-bit and 64-bit programs have a
> different view of the file system and registry. Plus, should the program in
> question come out with a 64bit version, you'd end up with a mixture of
> 32-bit and 64bit stuff in the same directory. Definitely not a good thing.
>
> --
> Charlie.
> http://msmvps.com/xperts64
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel
>
>
> "wli2k2" <wli2k2@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:8222CC1B-B093-44E4-8940-7C90245BA94B@microsoft.com...
> >I have Vista Business 64 bit.
> >
> > I noticed that there's a program files and a program files x86 directories
> > on the hard disk. I have read that 64 bit software will be installed on
> > the
> > program files and 32 bit software will be installed on program files x86.
> >
> > My question is there really any difference except to group the 32 and 64
> > bit
> > software together? Can I install a 32 bit software on the program files
> > directory and vice versa? Will there be any probelms.
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
>
>