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Re: Install i386 or amd64?



> Would Wine/i386 run native 64 bit Windows programs?

Erm...excuse me, but how could a 32-bit system run a 64-bit application?
Wine on an i386-system is restricted to the 32-bit world. The 64-bit
world isn't just "doubly sized pointers" and "doubled number of
bits for memory address space".
There is a perfectly good reason, why it's a complete port of its own,
and not just a switch during install-phase.

While it is possible to run 32-bit applications on an
amd64-architecture / platform, the reverse is impossible, because on
32-bit systems the CPU is running in a mode that not just restricts
pointers and address-space to 32-bits, but also hides a number of
registers and other things from the running applications. 
All registers required for 32-bit Applications are accessible all the
time when running in amd64-mode, but the amd64-enhancements are not
available when running in 32-bit mode.

tl;dr: No, it's not possible due to the architecture's design.

- Volkmar

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