32-Bit Applications On 64-Bit Computers - Symantec WINDOWS INSTALLER EDITOR 8.0 Reference

32-bit Applications on 64-bit Computers

Resource
Program files (default
directory)
Operating system components
and shared libraries
Registry keys
Windows Installer Editor Reference
Custom actions
Windows Installer Editor does not contain 64-bit versions of custom actions, however:
When you create a custom action that calls a JScript or VBScript file, a check box
lets you indicate that the script needs to access 64-bit functionality and run in a 64-
bit process.
The following Call Custom DLL actions can call 64-bit .DLLs:
Call Custom DLL From Destination
Call Custom DLL From Installation
Call Custom DLL From Installed Files
Because .DLLs are processor-specific, the .DLL that you call must target the same
platform (32-bit, x64, or 64-bit Itanium) as the installation. In a mixed-target
project file (.WSI), condition each Call Custom .DLL custom action for the
appropriate platform.
WOW64 (Windows On Windows 64) is an emulator that lets 32-bit applications run on
64-bit versions of Windows. To prevent file and registry collisions, it isolates 32-bit
applications from 64-bit applications by:
Redirecting 32-bit applications to the Program Files (x86) directory.
Redirecting system calls from 32-bit applications to the SysWOW64 directory.
Providing separate logical views of key portions of the registry, intercepting 32-bit
registry calls to each logical registry view, and mapping them to the corresponding
physical registry location. The reflection process is transparent to the application.
Therefore, a 32-bit application can access registry data as if it were running on 32-
bit Windows even if the data is stored in a different location on 64-bit Windows.
When an installation contains both 32-bit and 64-bit components, place files and
registry keys in the appropriate location for the platform they target.
Place 32-bit versions in
Program Files (x86) directory
Windows\SysWOW64 directory
Do one of the following:
Place the keys in the 32-
bit registry view. They will
be installed in the
WOW6432Node (for hives
that have a WOW6432
node).
Do not mark the
component as 64-bit.
Search for "Running 32-bit Applications" and "WOW64 Implementation Details" in the
MSDN Library (msdn.microsoft.com/library/).
Working With Wise Installation Files
Place 64-bit versions in
Program Files directory
Windows\System32 directory
Do one of the following:
Place the keys in the 62-bit registry view.
Mark the component as 64-bit on the
Component Details dialog box.
65