Why is the 64-bit version of Windows bigger than the 32-bit version?
Problem
The difference in size for the Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO images, between the 64 bit and the 32 versions is 800 Mb or a difference of 24%. I've never seen a difference so large. Why is there such a big difference?
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1 Fix
Fix for: Why is the 64-bit version of Windows bigger than the 32-bit version?
There are several reasons for the size discrepancy: 64-bit Windows contains a translation layer (Windows 32-bit on Windows 64-bit, or "WoW64") that allows it to run 32-bit software. 64-bit Windows also contains 32-bit versions of various programs (Internet Explorer) and libraries (in the WinSxS folder). As noted in the comments, this is the most significant reason for the size difference. 64-bit memory addresses are twice as long as 32-bit memory addresses, so 64-bit pointers are also twice as …
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