Hi Brynn,
I haven't been following this discussion, but I hope you don't mind if I jump in...
I agree with Alvin's suggestion and also his idea to uninstall all versions and then re-install the 64 bit version. (I would further suggest that you do a reboot prior to installing the 64 bit version, just in case.)
However, you raised some interesting points which I'll try to answer, even though I'm not much of an expert with Windows...
On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 6:35 PM, Brynn <brynn@...3089...> wrote:
But the bottom line is that over and over again, I read the Program Files is meant for 64-bit programs and Program Files (x86) is meant for 32-bit programs. I read that generally the distinction is made because Program Files is better equipped to handle programs which use a lot of RAM, and having the 2 separate directories generally helps Windows to work more efficiently.
That is partly true. However, a 32-bit version of a program and a 64-bit version of the same program are two different versions of the same program. There was a time when you had to decide which version you had to download or buy. (i.e., older versions of Microsoft Windows was like this...you had to choose one version to buy and if you bought the wrong one, you have to go out and buy the other one).
Nowadays, when you buy one, you get both versions. But it's still two different versions.
So, by this, I mean if you download the 32-bit version and it "somehow" installs itself in the 64-bit Program Files directory, it doesn't "make it" into a 64-bit version. It is actually being installed in the wrong place.
Placing them in two separate directories makes it easier to distinguish between two different versions of the same program. This is because a 64-bit Windows can run both 32-bit and 64-bit programs. But yes, 32-bit programs (running under 64-bit Windows) have access to less memory. But sometimes that's the only version available for download / purchase.
If you have a 64-bit machine and 64-bit Windows, indeed...go with the 64-bit program only.
Maybe the distinction is more and more moot, as the 64-bit type of computers are more common these days? But that's only me trying to make sense of why Inkscape wants to install its 64-bit version in the directory that's meant for 32-bit programs.
I am surprised this happened to you but Alvin's message is a reasonable guess. I *think* something is definitely going wrong...
My experience follows what I thought was true, that multiple versions of Inkscape can be installed without any problems. But I'm in no position to be able defend whether it really is true or not. Maybe I've just been lucky? (Although it should probably be cleared up, so that I don't continue to provide incorrect info to other users.)
I think a program being installed correctly doesn't necessarily mean it is a good thing. You may have mixed up versions of programs that will cause headaches for you further down the road.
Installation is a fancy term for copying a file. And often, when you copy a file, you don't check if there is a file already there and also, if that file is important to someone else. Installation programs are also like this.
Suppose version 1 copies a file called abc.bin to a directory. Version 2 copies its abc.bin on top of version 1's. Now, you uninstall version 1. abc.bin gets deleted. When you try to uninstall version 2, it might flag an error because it says abc.bin is missing... This is one scenario that I can imagine when you uninstall all your versions of Inkscape, but at this stage, it's a bit unavoidable.
I think uninstalling all versions of Inkscape is the way to go, but I wouldn't do it before a deadline. :-) Make sure you are in a patient mood before attempting.
Indeed, two versions of Inkscape should be listed as two versions in your list of installed programs. The fact that it isn't is of course not your fault. But ignoring it may not be a good idea...
I don't need a very technical explanation. But I'd really appreciate a simple answer :-)
I hope my answer wasn't very technical and that it was helpful! I'm new to Inkscape but installing multiple versions of a program on to a Windows machine is a nightmare I've had before... ;-(
Ray