Why Does 64-Bit Windows Need a Separate Program Files (x86) Folder?
Program Files, which contains 64-bit programs and applications.
A 64-bit Windows OS has backward support for 32-bit applications.
Windows runs smoother if it keeps these two very different types of code separate.
Therefore, keeping them in separate folders is the simplest way to avoid such problems.
So, is it the 32-bit folder called (x86)?
x86 is another way to refer to 32-bit processors.
Originally, 16-bit processors specifically, the 8086 and 8088 processor architectures were referred to as x86.
This name was later extended to include the 32-bit 80386 and 80486 processor family.
Source:Superuser
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source: www.techworm.net