32bit installation path on 64bit

[Caimbeul]

Hi,

Hopefully a very simple question. I am running Win7 HP 64 bit and have noticed that when i install 32 bit app, the default installation path ins C:\Program files (x86)\...

My questions is: Will changing this make any difference ie: instead of installing to this location to change it to C:\Apps or C:\games etc

May thanks for your helps

D

 

[Scotteq]

There is a subsystem in (XP/Vista/7)x64 called "WOW64" - This stands for "Windows on Windows x64". What it does is provide a 32 bit execution path within a 64 bit environment.

How that works is: On the processor side, 32 bit binaries execute natively - so overall speed is unaffected. On the OS side, there needs to be native 32 bit libraries for the 32 bit apps to execute against, as well as the facility to transparently track and play traffic cop with the various 32 bit code paths and registry entries so they're kept separate from 64 bit ones.

So, as the name implies, you essentially have a 32 bit version of Windows running inside a 64 bit version of Windows.


I strongly recommend you do not change the installation paths.

 

[Caimbeul]

Many thanks for the reply - so would this also hold true if i decided to install game to my 2nd HDD. eg: "D:\Games\..." would i have to put i have to put "D:\Games (x86)\..." or is it simply a case of wherever windows decides to install it is where it has to go (this would be annoying) as i have only 250Gb for my main C: drive.

Thaks again.

 

[Scotteq]

It won't hurt you to run the game from elsewhere - I have a couple games installed on other drives for the same reasons.

 

[sminlal]

It actually doesn't matter what folder you install your programs to - for 32-bit programs WoW is used based on information in the EXE file headers, not based on what folder the program is in.

It's handier to use the default install directory because that's where people expect to find things, but if the application is written properly then you should be able to install it in any folder regardless of whether it's a 32- or 64-bit program.

 

[chillrobot]

What about environment vars like PATH? For example the Eclipse IDE relies on PATH to find java. Although I've switched to Win 7 64-bit, I need to use Eclipse with a library that's 32-bit only, so I also needed to install 32-bit Java. As of Java 1.6 update 25, the installer doesn't add java to PATH, so I will have to do that myself.

But if I add 64-bit apps that could use 64-bit Java, and I therefore install both Java builds, would 64-bit apps be able to find the right Java via PATH?