Question

I made an application, and i had to compile a 32bit and a 64bit version of it. I saw some application, like ProcessExplorer acting as follows. On 32bit OS it runs a 32bit app, but on a 64bit OS it extracts a 64bit version of the same exe and this will be executed. So how can i make such an application from my app? What settings should i make in Visual Studio?

Answer 1

Process explorer works like this:

• You download a single 32 bit executable.
• When you run that executable on a 32 bit OS, that’s it.
• When you run that executable on a 64 bit OS, the 32 bit process detects that on startup and to disk extracts a 64 bit executable that is stored as a resource in the 32 bit process. And then it runs that 64 bit executable.

There aren’t any settings in Visual Studio that would automate that process for you. You’d have to write that part for yourself. You could have a build process that built the 64 bit version first. And then you could compile that executable into a resource which you link into your 32 bit process. Which is what you ship.

I myself am not convinced it’s worth all the effort. Personally I’d be inclined to ship two different executables, but I guess only you know your own requirements.