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I have a Windows XP 64 bit version and all applications work as 32 bit.

I'm having difficulties running these applications.

How can I make them work as 64 bit?

4 Answers 4

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The only way you'll make the applications work as 64-bit applications is to compile them as 64-bit applications. Til you do that, they'll run as 32-bit. They should work fine, but will have most of the same limitations they've always had.

There are ways to help ensure that code will be compatible with 32- and 64-bit processors. Make sure you don't do int-->pointer and pointer-->int conversions, or rely too much on the size of ints, longs, etc.

If you don't have the original code, you're kinda screwed, and will have to wait for whoever does have the code to release a 64-bit version of the app.

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  • Thank you for the fast reply, but how can i compile them as 64-bit applications?? and i'm not using any codes because i'm not programming
    – Ayman
    Aug 17, 2010 at 23:52
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    Then you're probably screwed. Only someone who has the source code can (re)compile the application. And that someone would usually be whoever made it, unless the app is open source.
    – cHao
    Aug 18, 2010 at 0:00
  • what's the source code about?? and how can i get it?? Note: those applications worked well before on the 64bit version of windows without programming issues. Thanks
    – Ayman
    Aug 18, 2010 at 0:04
  • The source code is what gets compiled and turned into the application. If the app is open source, you should be able to google it and find a site with download links for the source. If it's not, you probably won't get the source code. Either way, though, it's not a process that anyone but a programmer should really be doing, at least on Windows.
    – cHao
    Aug 18, 2010 at 0:12
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    To summarize and simplify - applications need to be compiled, that is, written and assembled, for either 32-bit or 64-bit operating. This is not something you should be trying to do if you know nothing about programming, and it's not something you CAN do without access to the original code anyway.
    – Shinrai
    Aug 18, 2010 at 14:51
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See this article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896456

From the article:

The WOW64 subsystem does not support the following programs:

  • Programs that are compiled for 16-bit operating systems

  • Kernel-mode programs that are compiled for 32-bit operating systems

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The only way to make an application compiled for 32 bit execution run as a 64 bit application is to recompile the source code into a 64 bit executable.

There are too many side effects of the 32 bit to 64 bit transition to do this automatically to an app that was written only with 32 bits in mind.

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Aside from getting the source and rebuilding yourself (not trivial) or having the vendor rebuild these for you, as others have suggested. And since you probably have not worked with developed based on your comments...you probably should just get Virtual Machine software (such as VMware or Microsoft's VPC, though I don't know if either provide a version for Windows XP 64-bit) and and install a 32-bit Windows on it in which to run your applications.

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