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How to run the 32-bit Explorer shell on Windows x64
posted on Sunday, May 22, 2005 9:58 PM by bhpaddock
Why would I do this?
Before diving into the †œhow?⠃¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ question, some of you might be asking †œWhy would you want to run a 32-bit shell on a 64-bit OS?ââ‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â
One of the first things many users notice about Windows XP and 2003 x64 Editions is that they do not support any kind of shell integration (Deskbars, Toolbars, Context-menu handlers like WinRAR, etc). The reason for this is that 64-bit processes cannot communicate with 32-bit processes or libraries.
Running the 32-bit shell maintains all the benefits of having a 64-bit OS underneath, allows the full use of standard 32-bit Windows shell integration, while still allowing you to run both 32-bit and 64-bit applications side-by-side.