Probably, there is no need to explain that many users often at the most inopportune moment observe a message on the monitor screen that some executable file is not a Win32 application. Let's see what Win32 is and why architecture or file system errors occur. Having considered these two questions, it will be possible to find a solution to the problem of non-compliance of the application with this standard.
What is Win32?
If we talk about the concept as a whole, it is usually referred to as the "OS" architecture and the applications supported in it for launch and operation.
From the history of the creation of operating systems it is known that at first they were 8- and 16-bit, a little later they were transformed into 32-bit and, finally, into 64-bit. Along with the evolution of the operating principles of the "OSes" themselves, file systems also changed. Until recently, the FAT32 file system was considered the most common . It has gained such popularity that the developers of the IT giant Microsoft still do not rule out its support in the latest versions of Windows.
By the way, the concept of what Win32 is is equally applicable to “operating systems” like XP and Vista, because even with the NTFS file system replacing FAT32, the OS versions themselves remained 32-bit in terms of architecture.
With the advent of Windows 7, the transition to 64-bit architecture was made, however, for a custom installation, you can also find a 32-bit version of any of the four assemblies of the "seven".
Why errors occur
Now let’s take a look at everyone’s exciting question: What is “Not a Win32 Application” (such and such an installation or executable component). Firstly, the simplest reason is the file itself, created, for example, on Linux or Mac OS X, which, of course, is simply not recognized on all Windows systems because the OS does not know, so to speak, this component and how to open it. Very often, such situations can be observed when working with disk images such as .dmg or some archive data.
On the other hand, errors can occur with native Windows applications. When answering a question about what a Win32 application is , it is worth noting that it is a program, dynamic library or driver, originally created using the 32-bit architecture. Now it’s probably clear that a 64-bit application or driver will not work in a 32-bit system.
Errors of opening executable files or archives are less common. Here the problem may lie in the fact that the file was not downloaded (copied) in its entirety or crashes occurred. In this case, the system can also give a message about the discrepancy between the format or type of the opened file and the requirements of the system itself.
The simplest troubleshooting methods
However, there are many methods for resolving such problems. The simplest solution is to download the specialized Win32.reg file from the Internet and then run it.
What is win32.reg? This is a system registry file that makes specific entries and keys in it to simplify the process of opening problem applications.
Sometimes a situation may be related to file system inconsistencies. In this case, you will need to format the disk or partition using, for example, FAT32 (especially when switching from OS 64 bits to 32 bits).
There are situations when updating the Microsoft .NET Framework is required, where in the platform settings you need to specify support for absolutely all processors, including x86. In general, a lot of examples can be given.
If it is a virus
The most unpleasant case of such failures is the impact of viruses and malicious codes that disguise themselves as system services responsible for launching or calling 32-bit applications such as rundll32, svchost, etc.
Consider one of the most famous threats. What is Trojan: Win32 (Gatak or some other modification)? Yes, an ordinary computer virus (trojan), which, using security holes, tries to gain access to a remote user’s computer in order to steal information or gain complete control over a computer terminal.
Here, of course, you need to have a high-quality full-time antivirus or the maximum powerful system scan tool in the form of a scanner (for example, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool or Rescue Disc), since sometimes it is not possible to track the appearance of a threat in the system using standard methods.
Conclusion
Here, in fact, albeit briefly, we examined the question of what Win32 is. Of course, the information is presented in a compressed form, but an ordinary user does not need to crawl into the jungle of programming and understanding the principles of using the architecture of the “OS” or file system. In an extreme case, it is enough to find out the problem of the occurrence of errors and choose a method for eliminating them.