Purpose of Registry key: Wow6432Node (does anyone know?)

The Wow6432 registry entry indicates that you're running a 64-bit version of
Windows. The OS uses this key to present a separate view of
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE for 32-bit applications that run on a 64-bit
version of Windows. When a 32-bit application queries a value under the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\<company>\<product> subkey, the application
reads from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\<company>\ <product>
subkey.

A "registry reflector" copies certain values between the 32-bit and 64-bit
registry views (e.g., mainly for COM registration) and resolves any
conflicts using a last-writer-wins approach.

--
Zack Whittaker
» ZackNET Enterprises: www.zacknet.co.uk
» MSBlog on ResDev: www.msblog.org
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» This mailing is provided "as is" with no warranties, and confers no
rights. All opinions expressed are those of myself unless stated so, and not
of my employer, best friend, Ghandi, my mother or my cat. Glad we cleared
that up!

--: Original message follows :--
"GSLockwood (IUnknown)" <IUnknown@newsgroups.nospam> wrote in message
news:6CC291AD-6C04-40A7-979E-D86515191F8E@microsoft.com...

> Hello all,
>
> Does anyone know the purpose of the following key:
>
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node ?
>
> I am trying to create my company's registry info under:
>
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\myCompanyName
>
> and it is going into:
>
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\myCompanyN ame
>
>
> What is going on here??????
>
> --
> Thanks so much,
>
> george
>
> _________________________
> George S. Lockwood
> Lead Client Developer
> peoplePC, an EarthLink company