Windows 10: Using 32-bit mstsc.exe on Windows 10

Hello,

I need to use mstsc.exe from SysWoW64 folder (so 32-bit one). Previously (up until Windows 8.1) I used a small batch to do it:
Code: @echo off set WinDir= start C:\Windows\SysWow64\mstsc.exe[/quote] Now on Windows 10 it doesn't work anymore. 32-bit mstsc.exe starts for few miliseconds just to launch mstsc.exe from System32.
When I copied mstsc.exe from SysWoW64 and paste it to System32 it ends up with a infinite loop of starting System32 mstsc.exe (now 32-bit but this one again tries to open the one from System32 and it goes forever).
The only one possibility to do it is to rename mstsc.exe from System32 to other one and then, when mstsc.exe from SysWow64 can't find mstsc.exe in System32 it runs itself.

However this solution is not suitable for me. I would like to do it with a batch so I wouldn't have to set it up manually on every PC I would like to use it.

Did some one find a way to do it?

:)

 

Using 16-bit applications on Windows 10 32-bit

Windows 10, 32 bit has an easy tweak to enable DOS and legacy software to work.

Search within Windows 10 for “Windows features”. Under “Legacy Components” enable NTVDM.
Then open the “Command Prompt”. Right-click over the title “Command Prompt” and select “Properties”.
Select “Use legacy console (require re-launch)”. Close and re-open “Command prompt to test.

This information was provided by Marcelo Capozzi in the following post:

16 bits applications not working at all !

My old DOS "dBase III Plus" works just fine. I don't know why Microsoft made this such a mystery. They would have had a lot more people switching to Windows 10.

 

Using 16-bit applications on Windows 10 32-bit

The following option is available in Windows 10 32 bit versions:

Windows 8 Comes with Built-in Option to Turn On/Off 16-Bit Application Support - AskVG

So, yes, you can run them.

Will my existing programs, hardware and drivers work on Windows 10?

Most applications and hardware drivers designed for Windows 7 or later should work with Windows 10. Of course, with significant changes expected in Windows 10, it is best you contact the software developer and hardware vendor to find out about support for
Windows 10.

You can also download the Download the Windows 10 Reservation App and use it to check your system readiness.

How
to reserve your free upgrade to Windows 10



Click the hamburger menu at the upper left hand corner.

Click Check your PC

 

One year later and we still don't have solution for this problem...

 

Why do you need to run the 32 bit version of mstsc.exe?

When the 32 bit version starts it checks if it is running on a 64 bit OS. If so it will look for a 64 bit version in system32 and run it if present. The 32 bit version will then terminate. This is done within the 32 bit version and is beyond user control. That is how it works in Windows7, presumably the same in Windows 10. The 32 bit version is the same in either a 32 or 64 bit OS.

Other than renaming or removing the 64 bit version I don't see how to run the 32 bit version.

 

Our 32-bit C++/MFC product uses VirtualChannel functionality of RDP and we have 32-bit DLL loaded for this purpose (it shares common libraries with product apps) and it is registered in registry under ...\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns. Mstsc.exe automatically loads DLL's when you put them there. Previously (before Windows 10) it wasn't beyond user control because there was this solution mentioned in first post. Since Windows 10 it stopped working. Currently there is no chance to migrate to x64 because it would take hundreds of hours to do so (mainly because mentioned DLL and APPs share common libraries so every app would have to be migrated - and that's few gigabytes of source code). I hope now you can understand our problem.