By: Rayan Khan
When you open your computer and go to your files you see a C: drive, and you’ve likely seen a random array of folders that make no sense. You have “Program Files” right next to “Program Files (x86),” and wonder what those do. But they are actually the brains in your computer which contains one of the most important folders labeled “Win64.”
To most of you reading this you don’t even know what this does, but to a software engineer, it represents the complex way your computer functions. Now for the average person you might wonder why this matters but it functions as water for the human body. This may sound confusing at first but first you need to understand how this file system even started.
Most modern computers use x64 processors, which can handle massive amounts of memory compared to the older x86 systems. Think of this like a brain, when you’re young you think slowly but as you grow older your brain speeds up. Since Windows is obsessed with making sure old software still works, they made 2 separate worlds for these 2 systems to exist.
One of these systems is the “Win64” folders and it’s the most crucial as it houses the “high-definition” versions of a program’s instructions, allowing it to tap into your full RAM and CPU speed. To put this simply, think of a freeway, and how the normal lanes are the slow system while the express lane is the “Win64” system for the fastest speed.
Inside the “Win64” files, you’ll find a Dynamic Link Libraries. Think of these as shared instruction manuals that your computer reads super quickly. Instead of a game developer writing a thousand lines of code for how a mouse moves, they just link the program to a Win64 that already knows how to do it which saves time for all the various apps you probably use on a daily basis. These files are the reason your apps can share resources without every single program needing to reinvent the basics of an app making your entire system more efficient.
The next time you’re going through your computer and you see a “Win64” folder, try not to see it as some random file. This small folder is the reason that mainly of your apps work on your computer so remember to value it. Just remember the next time you think about deleting “Win64” you may as well delete your computer at that point.
