Unlike other operating systems, which have a much more logical directory structure, Windows essential directories are much more chaotic. Especially in 64-bit versions. For this reason, surely, if we have ever taken a look at our hard drive, and especially the Windows directory within it, we will have taken our heads with the infinity of folders, subfolders and files that are inside. And, if we have looked at the directories that occupy the most, two specifically have caught our attention: System32 and SysWOW64.
Within these folders what we are going to find are mainly all the system files. They are the most important folders in Windows 10 and, therefore, they are folders that we should never touch.
System32, the heart of Windows 10
System32 is the main Windows directory without which it couldn’t even start to boot. This directory is full of all kinds of 64-bit DLL libraries , and other executables, necessary for the operating system to start up and function. Windows comes by default with a large number of DLLs necessary for everything to work properly, but some programs can install their own libraries here as well so that they can be used when needed.
64-bit programs are usually installed in the “Program Files ” folder. Within each directory of the programs we can find other own DLL libraries, necessary for the program in question to work. But, if any are missing, this program will look for them directly in the System32 directory of our Windows 10. Moreover, if the program is well designed, instead of duplicating libraries it will access the ones offered by Windows in this directory.
Within this folder we can also find specific 64-bit driver libraries, although the drivers have other specific folders.
SysWOW64, the 32-bit compatibility layer
Although in its name we can see a 64, and most likely we think that this folder is related to 64 bits, in reality it is just the opposite. The SysWOW64 folder is the folder responsible for storing all the libraries and programs necessary for 32-bit software to run smoothly on a 64-bit Windows 10.
This folder is, broadly speaking, the necessary compatibility layer to guarantee that all the programs that we can install work, regardless of their structure. Thus, when we run a 32-bit program (which will be installed in the Program Files (x86) folder), if it does not find the necessary libraries or dependencies within its directory, it will go here. This is absolutely necessary since, if a 32-bit program were to load a 64-bit library, it would directly crash. Therefore, this folder is another essential for the proper functioning of Windows 10.
As in System32, within this folder we will also find 32-bit driver libraries.
Windows 10 32-bit does not have this folder
If we have a 32-bit operating system installed, the SysWOW64 folder will not be present on the system. This is because the System32 folder stores all the libraries, programs and dependencies of the operating system inside it and, therefore, the other folder is unnecessary as it does not need a compatibility layer.
In 32-bit systems, the programs are installed directly in a directory called “Program Files”, and it is the only one that we will find on the computer. 64-bit programs will not work on the computer as it is not compatible with this architecture, while 16-bit programs will run without dependency problems, but without the need for additional directories.
Delete or clean the System32 and SysWOW64 folders
It is true that Windows sometimes creates folders on our hard drive that can be deleted to free up a few gigs of space. Especially after every update. And if we use a space analyzer we can see that System32 and SysWOW64 are two folders that occupy a lot ; the first can occupy more than 6 GB and the second is close to 2 GB.
However, deleting them would only bring a catastrophic result for our computer. Especially the first one. If we modify or delete the SysWOW64 folder, what we will achieve is that 32-bit programs and games will not work on the PC. And we could also have a serious error, since some Windows tools still need 32-bit libraries. However, the smallest change in System32 could wreak havoc on the system. We can make programs stop working, blue screens appear and even the operating system is not able to boot.
Therefore, now that we know what these folders are for, we should never modify or delete them. They are Windows folders, so only he should make the appropriate changes.
What to do if System32 and SysWOW64 are corrupted
Being critical folders for the operation of the operating system, they should never be touched. But there are occasions, which do not depend on us, in which modifications can be made in these directories. And this is when the problems begin.
For example, a virus may make changes to this folder without our permission. Or that some program, when trying to update or replace files, corrupts the integrity of some libraries. If this happens, our PC will start to have all kinds of problems.
What we must do, in this case, is to repair the system. We can do this in several ways, either by updating the Windows version (if we do not have the latest one), using the tool to reset the PC and even, if we are lucky, resort to a restore point when everything was working properly.
In case the problem is very specific, and we see error messages that indicate that a specific library is missing, we can try to solve it ourselves. For example, we can find and download the DLL that has caused the problems from the Internet and copy it to System32 or SysWOW64 (as appropriate). If Windows does not start, and we know what the problem is, we can copy the missing library from an Ubuntu Live to solve the problem.
However, if the error has been so critical that Windows can’t even boot, and we can’t fix it, then we’ve got bad news. The only thing left to do is reinstall Windows from scratch so that everything works normally again.
