If 32-bit processor support is disabled in Windows Server 2008 R2, how does the operating system run 32-bit programs?
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x64 CPUs can actually run 32-bit (x86) code in parallel to 64-bit code. The WOW64 layer of Windows translates the system calls of 32-bit programs to the 64-bit system routines.
Malte Clasen
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The lack of 32-bit processor support simply means that Server 2008 R2 will not ship with a 32-bit edition, which means it requires a 64-bit processor to run.
It still runs 32-bit applications through the WOW64 compatibility layer.
Mark Henderson
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