Running 32-bit WebClient applications on 64-bit Windows

You can continue to run your 32-bit applications on 64-bit Windows as the 64-bit Windows operating system continues to support 32-bit processes. However, if you are writing your own external installer, you should be aware of registry locations and default file systems for 32-bit processes on 64-bit Windows to be able to write the correct key. For more information, see the Microsoft documentation on registry redirection.

By default, 32-bit applications are installed in a different directory than 64-bit applications, for example in North American Windows installations, 64-bit applications are installed in C:\Program Files, 32-bit applications are installed in C:\Program Files (x86) directories.

32-bit processes that access the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry have to access a sub node that is different from that of 64-bit processes. For example, for an Administrator install, the WebClient information is stored in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\PSC\WebClient.

Both a 32-bit process and a 64-bit process try to access this key, but the 32-bit process gets redirected to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\PSC\WebClient.

Personal installations use registry keys that are not redirected (for example, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PSC\WebClient), and file systems that are specific to the user (for example, C:\Users\Username\AppData).