Program File 폴더와 Program Files(x86) 폴더가 뭐야..?

윈도우 8의 Program Files 폴더와 Program Files(x64) 폴더는 무엇인가?

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​윈도우 8.1 64비트 os를 설치하고..기타 SW를 설치하면 Program Files라는 폴더와 Program Files (x86)이라는 폴더가 생선된다.

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Program Files는 64비트용 SW가 설치되는 폴더고..Program Files (x86)폴더는 32비트 SW가 설치되면 생선되는 폴더인가 보다.

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이 두개의 폴더는 절대 삭제하면 안된다. MS에서 의도적으로 만들어 놓은 것이다. 그 의도는 아래에 설명하겠다. 이 두개의 폴더는 어떤 32비트의 SW가 컴에 설치될 때는 "Program Files x86" 폴더에 들어가게 되고..어떤 64비트 SW가 설치되면 "Program Files"에 들어가게 된다.

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What is Program Files (x86) Folder in Windows 8.1 / 10 64-Bit (x64)?

This is for clarity and order on the computer, but this has no effect for the programs. A x64 program is a x64 (64bit) program and x86 is a x86 (32 bit) program, no matter which folder it is stored. Don't delete th x86 Program-Files folder..!!!

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그렇다면 왜 이처럼 Program File/Program Files(x86) 폴더가 생기는 것일까?

​한마디로 말하자면.. 64비트 OS에서 여전히 사용되고 있는 구형 32비트 SW(프로그램)가 설치되었을 때 64비트 OS와 문제없이 작동 되도록 하기 위한 것이라고 한다. 따라서 이 두개의 폴더는 삭제하면 안된다.

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Why do I have both a “Program Files x86″ and regular “Program Files” folder?

It’s difficult to find a cogent reason why Windows has both a Program Files x86 and traditional Program Files folder. The two folders seem redundant just like these two sentences. The two folders seem redundant just like these two sentences.

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But seriously: what does that little x86 suffix mean and where it the real location where all your program files live? In this guide I’m going to delineate the differences between these folders and help you understand why Windows actually needs both of them.

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The short answer: Anyone running the 64 bit version of Windows will see both the normal Program Files folder and a new enigmatic folder with an “(x86)” ending.

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The funny and somewhat ironic thing about this whole setup is that the term “eighty six”, when used as a verb in American English, is actually a colloquial expression for getting rid of something. For example, someone might say they “eighty sixed” the project because the CEO yanked the budget.

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So I have to ask: Is Microsoft surreptitiously telling us to “eighty six” that mysterious x86 folder? Good guess but no.

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My astute readers may have noticed that those esoteric x86 Program Files folders are only extant in 64 bit versions of Windows. Every 64bit version of Windows from Windows XP to Windows Server 2012 has dual Program Files folders. 32 bit application are installed in Program Files (x86) but native 64-bit application run in the “normal” Program Files folder.  The x86 version is there for backwards compatibility so that you can run 32bit applications on a 64bit OS.

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So you need both  folders and shouldn’t “eighty-six” any of them. If you’re confounded by all this 86 stuff keep reading and I promise I’ll confuse you a little more.