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I'm in a real mess now. I have a 32bit driver for my Frontech 2215 e-cam . I have searched the internet was unable to find a 64bit driver even in the manufacturer's site. Hope someone could come up with a solution.
I'm ready to go to any extent of complexities, if required to make one.
Not possible, for so many reasons. At the very least it requires a re-compile, for which you'll need the driver source code (which I'm guessing Frontech has not made public). And it'll likely require a lot of other changes as well. Driver ports are rarely trivial.
You need that 64-bit driver, or it won't work. From Microsoft FAQ on 32-bit and 64-bit
If I'm running a 64-bit version of Windows, do I need 64-bit drivers for my devices?
Yes, all hardware devices need 64-bit drivers to work on a 64-bit version of Windows. Drivers designed for 32-bit versions of Windows won't work on computers running 64-bit versions of Windows.
If you are unsure whether there is a 64-bit driver available for your device, see Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly or go to the device manufacturer's website.
You can also go online to the Windows Vista Compatibility Center, or get information about drivers by going to the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor website.
Just very belatedly seen this. I'm no device driver expert but in some circumstances it clearly is possible.
I have a Minolta film scanner for which there is no 64 bit driver, and it's an expensive piece of kit. I found the following page:
http://sabatino.name/minolta-dimage-scan-elite-5400-windows7-new-driver
which basically says: install old driver, then update with new INF file.
To my surprise it worked perfectly - and the .SYS files had all come from the old 32 bit XP installer.
So, yes, sometimes you can, and it probably all depends what those .SYS files get up to and how they were written. Exactly what you need to do to convert the old .INF file to the new is complex - fortunately he provided one in this case. If one diffs the files they are not similar at all.
.inf file, which Minolta should have provided in the first place. So you didn't actually get a 32-bit driver to install and work. Doing so is quite impossible, I assure you.
Jun 13, 2015 at 20:11
Most people say it's not possible however, it may be possible but, it is probably not going to be easy, may not be legal, could slow down your computer and may even cause programs or the computer itself to crash. If you still want to try then here are some arduous avenues that you could take to accomplish your goal.
32-bit vs. 64-bit
The difference between 32-bit and 64-bit is that 64-bit processors can handle more data at once than a 32-bit processor. However, do note that compatibility settings may be necessary.
Possibility 1 - Recompile the driver
In theory, if you can dissemble the driver to see how it works and then re-write the driver to be functional in a 64-bit environment. However, this solution may not be legal or easy to do. This would also be harder the more complex the driver is.
Possibility 2 - Emulation
I am no expert on the internal workings of 32-bit and 64-bit drivers however, If you can emulate an entire 32-bit computer on a 64-bit computer then it should be possible.
In theory, you would need to either find or build a wrapper for the 32-bit driver. This driver would be a 64-bit driver and would act as a miniature emulator for the 32-bit driver to exist in.
However, the bigger question in this case is how fast does the driver needs to operate. The reason why this is important is because if you did manage to convert the data, it may take longer for the driver to operate and if a driver requires a certain amount of speed to operate, it could cause programs and possibly your computer to crash if your computer isn't designed to deal with slow drivers.
The plus side to this method is that you would be able to avoid legal issues that may come from decompiling the driver.
Installing Unsigned Drivers:
In order to install your driver unsigned, you will have to enter into a special mode to Disable driver signature enforcement or through a different method. Here is a link to a tutorial on how to do that:
https://www.supportrix.com/kb/how-to-install-unsigned-drivers-in-windows-10/
Please be cautious when installing unsigned drivers
End Note
At the end of the day, it all comes down to how much time are you willing to spend to make a driver to function and if it is worth the risk. And so far, I have been unable to find any such drivers online.
You can force Windows to use the 32-bit driveris not possible.