How to Programmatically Determine the Program Files (x86) Location in 64-bit Windows?

Program Files (x86) Location Determination in Windows 64-Bit

In an attempt to detect the presence of an application, you're utilizing `FileInfo(

System.Environment.GetFolderPath(
    System.Environment.SpecialFolder.ProgramFiles) 
+ @"\MyInstalledApp"

)`. While this approach is adequate for 32-bit Windows versions, it encounters issues in x64 Windows Vista, where it retrieves the x64 Program Files folder instead of the intended Program Files (x86) location.

To resolve this, we need to find a programmatic method to retrieve the path to Program Files (x86) without resorting to hardcoding "C:Program Files (x86)".

Solution

The following function aptly fulfills this requirement:

static string ProgramFilesx86()
{
    if( 8 == IntPtr.Size 
        || (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432"))))
    {
        return Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ProgramFiles(x86)");
    }

    return Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ProgramFiles");
}

This function reliably returns the x86 Program Files directory in three distinct scenarios:

• 32-bit Windows
• 32-bit programs running on 64-bit Windows
• 64-bit programs running on 64-bit Windows

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