The program folder x86 file can be deleted. What is the difference between the "Program Files (x86)" and "Program Files" folders in Windows
Let's start with the fact that moving the Program Files folder to another partition may not be completely correct. This folder contains hard links that do not support communication between different sections. But I won't focus on this, since you are unlikely to run ancient Windows programs.
The meaninglessness of action
What's more important is that the transfer simply doesn't make sense. It is much better to keep programs on the system partition, as this simplifies system backup and restoration of a familiar environment.
When the system is fully synchronized with the installed programs, you begin full operation immediately after restoring from the backup image.
I create incremental system images using Windows once a week. Since I have an established set of programs, the differences between them usually lie in the installed updates.
If there is no image, having programs on another partition means that after reinstalling the system you will have to reinstall many applications that require:
- registering libraries and components (example - Microsoft Office)
- installing drivers (example – Alcohol)
- association with file types and protocols (example - Opera browser, and no, manually will not be faster)
And don’t forget that you are separating programs not only from the system, but also from their data, which is stored in the %UserProfile%\AppData folder.
Reduced security
It would seem, what does this have to do with it? It's all about folder permissions! Only administrators can write to the Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders. Rights to a folder created on another partition are inherited from its root. At first glance, the Users group does not have write permission, but it is granted to the Authenticated Users group.
In practice, this means that normal permissions are sufficient to make changes to program files.
In other words, once a malware has entered your system, it can do whatever it wants to your applications, even without administrator rights.
For example, it can modify the code of executable files or replace dynamic libraries (DLLs), and User Account Control will not warn you about this.
By the way, this is precisely the flaw in the security model used by the Google Chrome browser, whose folder is located in the user’s profile. In this case, Google chooses, in its opinion, the lesser of two evils, since this location of the browser allows you to quietly update it without your participation and quickly close vulnerabilities.
Are you still moving the Program Files folder to another partition?
Of course, you can configure access control lists for a folder with programs located on another partition. But in reality, few people are puzzled by this. Do not bother yourself with unnecessary actions and arrange programs as standard - along with the system.
When you start looking at your drive on which the operating system is installed, you can find a lot of things. For example, some time ago I talked about. Today we’ll talk about a folder called Program Files (x86): what’s in it and can it be deleted?
You can find a folder called Program Files (x86) in the root of the system drive, usually drive C. You probably know that the Program Files folder itself is necessary for installing various programs - by default, programs are installed in it. But this is a folder without any annotations, but here we are talking about a folder with the additional name x86. Moreover, if you have a folder with this name, then in the root you will find the Program Files folder without any additional additions.
The casket, as they say, opens simply. There are two versions of the Windows operating system - . In short, the difference between them is that in one clock cycle of processor time the system can process a command of 32 or 64 bits, respectively. In addition, a 64-bit operating system supports a much larger amount of RAM, while a 32-bit operating system supports no more than 4 GB (in fact, even less).
If we talk about the 32-bit version of Windows, then it only supports 32-bit programs. Accordingly, if you want to run a 64-bit program on a 32-bit system, you will receive an error. True, in many cases such an application can still be launched, but only by “dancing with a tambourine.” The 64-bit operating system supports both 32-bit and 64-bit programs and applications. Accordingly, 32-bit programs and applications are installed in the Program Files (x86) folder, and 64-bit ones are installed in the Program Files folder. It is for this reason that you see two folders with virtually identical names in the root of the folder. And this is not a bug or a system glitch, as some users believe. By the way, the Program Files (x86) folder takes its name from early Intel processors: 8086, 80186, 80286, etc. So, in any case, it is believed.
How to delete the Program Files (x86) folder?
This folder can be deleted just as easily as other folders. Administrator rights may be required. Another question is why do this if 32-bit applications are installed in this folder? In addition, already installed applications will be deleted along with the folder. Why do you need all this?
I believe that this folder should not be touched at all. After all, she doesn't bother anyone.
Every PC user has explored their computer at least once, studying folders and programs, most often with the goal of freeing up space on the hard drive and deleting unnecessary files. As a rule, the largest folders include Program Files (x86) and Program Files for owners of 64-bit operating systems. They are located in the root of the OS disk at the address: C:\Program Files (x86) and C:\Program Files.
Introduction
Attention!!! Dear readers, before you begin any actions with the “Program files” folder, I ask you to think several times, because it is a system one. I want to warn you right away that any erroneous intervention can break the operation of the operating system and you will simply lose some of your data, programs, or you will not be able to turn on the computer at all. This article is written for those who have an understanding of what they are doing and for what specific purpose. I don't recommend You even think about possibly deleting the folder.
64-bit programs are installed in the Program Files folder, and 32-bit ones are installed in the Program Files (x86) folder. Some of them may be absolutely necessary for the stable operation of your computer. For example, if you installed a clean operating system without drivers, then when installing the audio driver, the default path to one of these folders may be selected. If you delete a folder in this case, you will no longer have sound.
Microsoft made sure that you do not delete the entire folder in a couple of clicks, therefore, when you try to remove it, Explorer will give you messages stating that the programs being removed are now running and will not allow you to complete the job. Of course, you can get around this by going to the Task Manager and disabling processes belonging to programs, but this is not recommended. This method can be useful when removing small viruses or utilities.
Is it possible to delete the program files x86 folder?
We can say with confidence that you should not delete the entire folder, but if you still need to free up space on your hard drive, you can remove unnecessary programs, but not manually (by deleting folders), but through the Control Panel. This method is also much better in that you cannot make a mistake when choosing an unnecessary application. It often happens that when installing a program, it is placed in a folder with the name of the company that created it, for example: Microsoft, Adobe, etc. In the Control Panel you will see the names of programs and their icons, which will help you navigate more easily. Below is a list of folders and programs that should not be deleted.
Folders:
- 7-Zip;
- Common Files;
— Internet Explorer;
— Microsoft Games;
— Microsoft Office;
- MSBuild;
— NVIDIA Corporation;
— Realtek (sound card driver) – yours may be different;
— Reference Assemblies;
— All Windows folders;
- WinRAR;
— Folder with antivirus (Avast, Kaspersky, Dr. Web, and so on).
Programs:
— Antivirus;
— Drivers (Intel, NVIDIA, ADM, Realtek, etc.);
— All Microsoft programs;
- Windows drivers.
To completely remove programs, use the Control Panel. Follow these steps.
- Open the Start panel
- Select "Control Panel"
- Click on "Programs and Features"
- In the list above, double-click on the required program to remove it, excluding those written above.
It is also worth considering that if the hard drive is divided into several, not all programs will be located on drive C, for example, you installed games on drive D, so be careful when choosing programs and applications.
How to delete program files x86 of old system?
There are also more unusual circumstances when it is necessary to delete components of the program files x86 or program files folder. This situation may arise if your disk is divided into several parts. For example, if your OS was on drive C and you installed another one on drive D and use it, then everything will remain on C. This is where the questions arise: how to delete the Windows and Program files folders?
The easiest way is to download the useful LockHunter utility. When you try to delete these folders, you will receive a message stating that you do not have enough rights. The utility allows you to turn a blind eye to this and delete absolutely any files on your computer. After installation, right-click on the required folders and select LockHunter. In the window that appears, click “DeleteIt!” and the folders will be deleted. Despite the ease of use and unlimited possibilities, you should use this utility with caution, and in normal cases use the familiar “Control Panel”
Happy using!
The intended folder is Program Files. The Program Files folder is located in the root of drive C. MS Windows 7 is a 64-bit operating system. This OS has two folders for installing programs. These are the Program Files folder and the Program Files (x86) folder. The presence of two folders for installing programs has a simple explanation. 64-bit versions of programs are installed in the Program Files folder, and 32-bit versions are installed in the Program Files (x86) folder.
It’s not a problem to find a solution to the question of how to delete the program files folder, but you need to know for sure that this will not damage the operating system and installed programs. If you are not so sure, then it is better not to touch the Program Files folder. To remove Program Files, the easiest way is to boot the computer on another operating system from a boot disk, and then delete the specified folder using Total Commander, for example.
A folder on a computer connected to a local network can be shared with other computers on the network. How to hide access to a folder from other computers? They act like this: right-click on the folder opened for public access, select the “Sharing and Security” command in the context menu, and on the “Access” tab remove the checkbox in the “Share this folder” field. Administrator rights are required to perform these steps.
When deleting files and folders, you must be extremely careful. If a folder that you need is nevertheless deleted, you can restore it. How to find a deleted folder and return it to its place? Initially, when deleted, the information goes to the “Trash” (located on the Desktop). Everything in the Recycle Bin can be permanently deleted or restored. To restore, in the “Recycle Bin” window, you need to select a folder and select the File => Restore command or select the “Restore” command from the context menu.
If Windows has been running on your computer for a long time without reinstallation, it is possible that there is little space left on the system disk, and the Windows folder has greatly increased in size. How can I make the windows folder smaller? The simplest thing you can do is delete temporary files that are stored in the C:\Windows\Temp folder. The contents of the Temp folder can be deleted without harm to the operating system and applications. It is better to do this immediately after restarting the computer. You can also use the CCleaner utility to clean your computer of unnecessary files.
Users of computers connected to a local network often use the same information, and it makes sense to share it with others rather than store copies on each computer. How to make a network folder accessible to all computers on the local network? Right-click on the folder, select the “Sharing and Security” command in the context menu, and on the “Access” tab, check the “Share this folder” box. Now the folder is accessible from any computer connected to the local network.
Program Files is a folder in the Microsoft Windows operating system where applications are stored that are not part of the operating system installed by default. Each application is located in its own folder, the name of which usually contains the name of the developer company and the actual name of the program itself.
Standard folder location - %SystemDrive%\Program Files. It can be changed before installing the system by making a change to the answer file (winnt.sif) included in the distribution, but in practice it is rarely changed. The installed operating system stores the folder path in the registry key - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProgramFilesDir and sets the environment variable %ProgramFiles%. Applications should perform expansion of this environment variable to obtain the location of the folder on the target system rather than relying on the default, most commonly encountered location. However, some unscrupulous developers violate this agreement and hard-code the location of the Program Files folder into their products.
The folder name is often criticized because it is shortened to Progra~1 when using legacy file allocation tables and the 8.3 recording format. In addition, there are problems adapting programs to other environments. For example, in 64-bit versions of Windows this problem is solved by adding additional folders - in ProgramFiles 64-bit files are stored, and in ProgramFiles (x86)- 32-bit programs.
Beginning with Windows NT, the Program Files folder is tamper-proof and can therefore only be edited by administrators, preventing accidental modification or deletion of the folder.
See also
Links
- Microsoft Windows
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
See what "Program Files" are in other dictionaries:
Program Files- is a folder in Microsoft Windows operating systems where applications that are not part of the operating system are installed by default. Each program is put into its own subfolder where all of the related binary files can be stored, this sub... ... Wikipedia
Program Files- Le nom Program Files désigne sous Windows le dossier où sont rangés par défaut les fichiers (notamment les exécutables) des logiciels installés. L emplacement de ce répertoire est défini par la variable d environnement %ProgramFiles%. La valeur… … Wikipédia en Français
Program Files- (in Computers) files that are part of applications or programs (as opposed to document files) … English contemporary dictionary
Files-11- Files 11, also known as on disk structure, is the file system used by Hewlett Packard s OpenVMS operating system, and also (in a simpler form) by the older RSX 11. It is a hierarchical file system, with support for access control lists, record... ... Wikipedia
Program database- Infobox file format name = Program database icon = caption = extension = .pdb mime = type code = uniform type = magic = owner = Microsoft released = latest release version = latest release date = genre = Debug container for = contained by =… … Wikipedia
Program Information File- PIFs, or Program Information Files, define how a given MS DOS program should be run in a multi tasking environment, notably to avoid giving it unnecessary resources which could remain available to other programs. TopView was the originator of... ... Wikipedia
program- ▪ I. program pro‧gram 1 [ˈprəʊgræm ǁ ˈproʊ ] noun 1. COMPUTING also computer program a set of instructions used to make a computer perform a particular task; = SOFTWARE...Financial and business terms
Files transferred over shell protocol- FI les transferred over SH ell protocol is a protocol to use SSH or RSH to transfer files between computers and manage remote files.The advantage of FISH is that all it requires on the server side is an SSH or RSH implementation, Unix shell and a ... Wikipedia
Program Manager- infobox software name = Program Manager caption = Program Manager in Windows 3.0 developer = Microsoft latest release version = latest release date = operating system = Microsoft Windows genre = File Manager license = MS EULA website = Program… … Wikipedia
program, computer- Set of ordered instructions that enable a computer to carry out a specific task. A program is prepared by first formulating the task and then expressing it in an appropriate programming language. Programmers may work in machine language or in… … Universalium
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