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Why can't Windows 7 64 bit run 32 bit programs?

Fresh7 days ago
Mar 15, 20264494 views
Confidence Score0%
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Problem

From what I understand of it, the architecture hasn't changed as much as it did from 16 bit to 32 bit so why do we need XP mode and the like to run 32 bit apps in Windows 7 64 bit? Or have I understood it wrong?

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1 Fix

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New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Fix for: Why can't Windows 7 64 bit run 32 bit programs?

Low Risk

it can run 32 bit programmes fine. It can't run 16 bit programmes. XP mode is a bit of insurance - if a particular software won't run on 7 (32 OR 64 bit - xp mode is available for professional edition and up on both) then you can run it in XP mode. …

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