Why are "amd" files installed in Win7 X64 Pro on Intel machine?

[minimalist]

Is there any significance to the "amd" name on most of the files in Win7 install?

Does Microsoft anticipate I might boot this disk on different CPU hardware?

There sure are a lot of them ... and I'd like to remove the unnecessary ones to conserve space on an SSD drive, and avoid the voluminous Microsoft Updates every couple of days.

 

[almartin]

Win 7 does not know what CPU you will be using so you get files for both types of CPU. I use an AMD CPU but I also have Intel files on my computer. Usually Microsoft only updates on the second Tues of the month but sometimes they will do an important update sooner.

 

[minimalist]

I did not get the answer I was searching for.

Win7 doesn't know what cpu I will be using? How about the one I installed with?

The real question is ... can I remove all of those amd64 files and directories.

 

[sminlal]

The "amd64" files are required for a 64-bit system. They have the initials "AMD" in them because the 64-bit extension of the Intel x86 architecture was actually created by AMD, and the first 64-bit x86-compatible processors were AMD processors. So when Microsoft first started adapting 64-bit Windows they were designing it for AMD processors.

Intel attempted to create a new RISC-based architecture called Itanium, but it failed to take hold in the marketplace. They were forced to belatedly came out with their own version of AMD's 64-bit design in order to stay in the market, and that's what everyone is now using.

 

[minimalist]

So "inertia" is the answer. Yes, HP and Intel had a consortium related to Intel Architecture (ia64),
which other vendors ( IBM "Monterey" and Sun ) avoided, for obvious complexity reasons.
Microsoft has given up on ia64 as well, and I think we only have HPUX in the ring on this architecture left.

AMD + Sun collaboration was very effective, and of course Intel caught up with their own 64-bit architecture
that was not risc based. And there are some "intel" identified install images loaded.

Looking through the list of stuff on my C: drive that I obviously don't need, just invites the mass destruction of all amd* files. There are two goals to this minimization effort:
- reduce the amount of junk in the installation.
- reduce the amount of UPGRADES against files that will never be used
- smaller installation means more effective use of an SSD
- smaller installation footprint means a smaller virtual disk image

I was looking for some deep understanding of the issue, and/or some tools to help clean out the inventory of installed files. I'll leave it at "requires more study" ... I no longer have the patience to deal with the daily mental lapses coming from Microsoft.

The "amd64" files are required for a 64-bit system. They have the initials "AMD" in them because the 64-bit extension of the Intel x86 architecture was actually created by AMD, and the first 64-bit x86-compatible processors were AMD processors. So when Microsoft first started adapting 64-bit Windows they were designing it for AMD processors.

Intel attempted to create a new RISC-based architecture called Itanium, but it failed to take hold in the marketplace. They were forced to belatedly came out with their own version of AMD's 64-bit design in order to stay in the market, and that's what everyone is now using.

 

[minimalist]

So "inertia" is the answer. Yes, HP and Intel had a consortium related to Intel Architecture (ia64),
which other vendors ( IBM "Monterey" and Sun ) avoided, for obvious complexity reasons.
Microsoft has given up on ia64 as well, and I think we only have HPUX in the ring on this architecture left.

AMD + Sun collaboration was very effective, and of course Intel caught up with their own 64-bit architecture
that was not risc based. And there are some "intel" identified install images loaded.

Looking through the list of stuff on my C: drive that I obviously don't need, just invites the mass destruction of all amd* files. There are two goals to this minimization effort:
- reduce the amount of junk in the installation.
- reduce the amount of UPGRADES against files that will never be used
- smaller installation means more effective use of an SSD
- smaller installation footprint means a smaller virtual disk image

I was looking for some deep understanding of the issue, and/or some tools to help clean out the inventory of installed files. I'll leave it at "requires more study" ... I no longer have the patience to deal with the daily mental lapses coming from Microsoft.

 

[minimalist]

Best answer selected by minimalist.

 

[sminlal]

So "inertia" is the answer.

Names are hard to change. For a humorous take on this, see: http://xkcd.com/910/