SysWOW64 is a built-in system component used to manage 64-bit files in the Windows OS. However, sometimes the SysWOW64 folder in Windows takes a lot of system resources. In this case, immediately check your system with an antivirus and make sure that it is not infected with a crypto miner or a similar virus.

What is the SysWOW64 folder and where is it located

SysWOW64 is a system resource used to process 32-bit programs on a 64-bit version of Windows. This is a folder located in the Windows OS system and supporting devices that may be damaged if memory problems occur.

Location of the SysWOW64 folder

SysWOW64 folder is not a virus. This is a resource folder filled with system files and allowing the use of 32-bit programs in the 64-bit version of Windows 10. This process goes along with the Windows system catalog and is responsible for managing 64-bit files. The main reason why users call SysWOW64 a virus is sometimes a folder takes up a lot of system memory (40 GB or so).

However, we do not recommend deleting this folder from the system, because it is thanks to it that you can run 32-bit applications in a 64-bit version of Windows. If you have serious doubts about this folder, make sure that you double-checked your system with the help of reliable antispyware software. There is a possibility that the malware developers decided to incorrectly use the name SysWOW64 to hide their malware, for example, crypto miners.

SysWOW64 Features:

• Type - library catalog.
• Related files and folders - System32, cmd.exe, odbcad32.exe, Svchost.exe.
• Problems - sometimes it takes a lot of system resources.
• May be in Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows 10.

In short, the main purpose of the SysWOW64 subsystem is to create a 32-bit environment that helps 32-bit applications to work in 64-bit Windows without any changes, contains .dll and .exe documents. For this procedure, Windows uses a file system redirector. WOW64 uses several DLLs to implement various functions:

• dll - the main interface that is broadcast between 32-bit and 64-bit calls;
• dll - provides entry points for applications;
• dll - helps to switch the process from 32-bit to 64-bit mode.

However, as we have already mentioned, people tend to complain about the size of the SysWOW64 folder. Although in most cases it takes only a few gigabytes of computer memory, some users complained that C: \ Windows \ SysWOW64 reaches up to 40 GB. As a result, the computer may start to work slowly or sometimes even hang.

May contain viruses

It is possible that malware developers misused the name of a component of this system to help their malware go unnoticed. However, you can identify the real intentions of this component with a full system scan using reliable anti-spyware or antivirus software. You should NOT delete SysWOW64 if a full system scan claims that it does not contain any malware.

Run AdwCleaner scan

Because executable documents and DLLs run in the background, users can detect malware, for example, cryptominer, on their computer. To prevent this from happening, cybercriminals began to use the names of legitimate files to help their viruses hide and avoid destruction.

The developers point out that not every process running in the task manager is safe, and you should take care that the file takes up a lot of space or takes up the visible part of the CPU of your computer. It is highly recommended to scan the system using an updated anti-spyware program to check the reliability of the file.

Most often, these documents penetrate into the system unnoticed after the attackers deceitfully forced the victim to go on a malicious link or ad. In addition, the system can be infected through spam attachments, which are usually presented in the form of business reports or important notifications from financial / governmental bodies. After downloading, these documents launch a specific code responsible for installing the threat in the system. Regularly update your anti-malware tools and try to scan each downloaded file before opening to prevent unexpected infection!

If you have problems with your PC, you need to completely scan the device using Reimage, or Plumbytes Anti-Malware and see what is hiding there. If there is any malware on your computer, it probably uses the almost identical name for this folder because it tries to hide and prevent its deletion. In this case, delete all components that were reported after the scan, but do not touch the original SysWOW64 folder. Otherwise, you may face serious problems regarding the performance of your entire computer.

If you are still thinking about removing SysWOW64, you can try a clean boot through the system configuration.

32-bit and 64-bit computers and Windows

Since the mid-90s, almost all computers sold were 32-bit, and mostly they were installed 32-bit version of Windows. But after the release of Windows 7, sales of 64-bit computers with installed 64-bit Windows have grown significantly. In the coming years, more and more people will have a 64-bit computer with 64-bit Windows in their home or office. One of the reasons for this is that prices for 64-bit computers have dropped so much that they are almost as cheap as 32-bit computers. And people will prefer 64-bit to 32-bit because they can process much more (RAM) memory, and, as a rule, faster because they use more modern technologies.

A 32-bit computer with a 32-bit Windows operating system installed can use a maximum of 3-4 GB of RAM. Basically, about 3 GB, because most of the address space is used by video cards and other devices, such as network, sound cards, etc. Even if you install 4 GB into a computer, in most cases only about 3 GB of RAM will be used. With 64-bit computers and 64-bit Windows, things are different. A 64-bit computer with 64-bit Windows can handle up to 192 GB of RAM!

In 64-bit Windows, you can run both 32-bit and 64-bit programs. When a 32-bit program is launched in 64-bit Windows, the 32-bit emulator is started to process the 32-bit program.

The emulator will make the 32-bit application think that it works in 32-bit Windows, and the same functionality that is available in 32-bit Windows will also be available for the program in 64-bit Windows. Usually it will be difficult for a program to know if it works on a 32-bit or 64-bit system, but if the program really needs to know the difference, there are API functions available that the program can call if necessary. Exceptions are antivirus programs, etc.

Exceptions

32-bit programs running at a low level, such as antiviruses, will not always work in 64-bit Windows. then the 64-bit version of the program should be used. During installation, it is important to install documents in the correct folders.

As mentioned above, a 32-bit emulator handles situations where 32-bit programs are running on 64-bit Windows, and this usually works fine. There are special folders on the hard disk intended only for 32-bit binary files, and it is very important that the installer installs 32-bit binary documents in these folders. Some folders on the hard disk are only for 32-bit binaries, while others are only for 64-bit ones. If you put a binary file with a certain frequency (32/64 bit) in a folder intended for a different bit depth, the program probably will not be able to work properly. in many cases, the program will not even start.

Examples of binary files mentioned in this article are EXE files (program files), DLL files, and OCX documents (ActiveX components). Data files can usually be placed in the same folders and used by both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.

SysWOW64 is a special folder that exists only in the 64-bit version of Windows and is designed to store 32-bit binary files. WOW64 is short for “Windows on 64-bit Windows” (can be read as “32-bit Windows on 64-bit”). This is an emulator that allows 32-bit Windows-based applications to run smoothly in 64-bit Windows. The compatibility level is used as an interface between a 32-bit program and a 64-bit operating system.

Is it possible to remove SysWOW64

Accessing and deleting SysWOW64 can be dangerous for the normal operation of the system, since it is a special folder used by the Windows operating system. If the scan reveals a list of viruses, first take care of them, restart your computer and check its status again. If you can still find this folder after the antivirus has taken care to hide the malware on your computer, you can be sure that it is safe.

The SysWOW64 virus is a type of infection originally located in C: \ Windows \ SysWOW64 \ ... exe. Computer users usually notice the existence of the SysWOW64 virus through installed anti-virus applications such as AVG Internet Security, Norton, Microsoft Security Essentials and MalwareBytes. However, according to the hidden properties of the virus, they may not completely remove the SysWOW64 virus. Although the SysWOW64 virus has been removed once, it can come back again and again after restarting the PC, after installing it on a PC, the SysWOW64 virus can create a SysWOW64 folder on a vulnerable system that contains malicious codes and requirements.

At the same time, computer users are prohibited from entering the file location when receiving unknown system errors or warnings. In some cases, the SysWOW64 virus along with the C: \ Windows \ SysWOW64 \ ... exe field may automatically appear at startup. Some victims may also encounter the problem “Windows has recovered after an unexpected shutdown, ” and the computer continues to crash and reboot. Moreover, this type of virus is usually associated with additional threats that can cause additional damage to an infected machine. This may include browser hacking virus, trojans, worms, keylogger or fake anti-virus applications. After that, SysWOW64 (C: \ Windows \ SysWOW64 \ ... exe) should be removed from the computer after receiving information about its existence.

How to remove the syswow64 virus

Before performing a manual removal of the SysWOW64 virus, restart the computer in “safe mode with network” by constantly pressing the F8 key before starting Windows.

If you are a Windows 8 user:

• Start the infected computer and log in until you see the desktop.
• Press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del, the user switching interface will appear.
• Always hold down the “Shift” key on the keyboard and at the same time, press the “Shut down” button once in the lower right corner of the page.
• There you will receive three options: "Sleep", "Shutdown" and "Restart". Click on the reboot option.
• The message "Select an option" appears in the next window, and then click "Troubleshoot."
• On the troubleshooting page, click Advanced Options. In the next window, select the "Startup Settings".
• Select “reload” and wait a minute. Windows will automatically display the safe mode options. Finally, press the F5 / 5 key to highlight the Network Safe Mode option, press the enter key. After that, the Windows 8 operating system will be loaded in safe mode with a network connection.

Then you can clean the system and start removing SysWOW64 virus step by step:

1. Open Task Manager and terminate all malicious processes created by the SysWOW64 virus. (Ways to open Task Manager: Press CTRL + ALT + DEL / CTRL + SHIFT + ESC. Or click the Start button, select the Run option, type in "taskmgr" and click OK.)
2. Go to the Regitry Editor and delete the malicious registry entries associated with SysWOW64 virus:
   

   Regitry Editor Tab

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Active Setup \ Installed components \ random
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policy \ Explorer \ run \ SysWOW64

3. Finding and deleting malicious SysWOW64 files:

• % WINDOWS% \ system32 \ consrv.dll
• Counter-Strike Source.exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe
• exe

Since some documents may be hidden or changed, it should be understood that manually removing the SysWOW64 virus is a cumbersome procedure that does not guarantee complete removal of the malware. In addition, this kind of manual intervention can damage the system.

How to recover

In Windows 10, open the “Start” menu or search from the Cortana keyboard (WINDOWS KEY + S), enter “backup” and select “Backup and Restore”. In Windows 8, open the parameter search using the WINDOWS KEY + W key combination, enter "windows 7" and click "Restore Windows 7 files". In Windows 7, open the Start menu (press the WINDOWS key on the keyboard) and enter “backup”. Click "Backup and Restore."

To recover your personal documents or folders, click “Recover My Files” in the “Restore” section. If you need to recover documents of other users, use the button “Recover all documents of users”. To restore documents from another backup (for example, after a clean installation of Windows), click "Choose another backup to restore files."

Do not forget that the “Previous Versions” feature of Windows 7 users works automatically: this may be an easier way to recover overwritten or deleted files.

Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 users have a similar feature, File History, which you must first manually configure.

Select backup by date and files and folders to restore

By default, all documents or folders that need to be restored are selected from the most recent backup. If you want to restore something from an older backup, click “Choose another date”.

1. In the "Restore Files" window, select the time period for displaying old backups in the "Show backups from" field. The default is the last week.
2. Then select the backup date you want to use and click OK.
3. Please note that the selected date and time are now displayed in the “Browse” or “Search in backup files and folders for recovery” window.

Select files and folders for recovery

If you don’t remember exactly where the documents or folders you want to restore were, click Search:

• Enter the full or partial keyword (s) in the search field and click the Search button.
• If the search results contain the item (s) you want to restore, click to select them, or use the Select All button to select all items in the list. Then click OK to add the item (s) to the list of files and folders that need to be restored.
• In the Browse Backup Files window, find and click the item (s) you want to restore, and click the Add Files button.

Alternatively, if you click the Browse Folders button, the Browse Folders or Disks Backup window opens, where you can add selected folders to the list of recoverable items by clicking the Add Folder button. As you can see, you can also restore the entire contents of the hard disk if it is not a Windows disk. Use system image recovery to restore an entire installation of Windows 7, 8, or 10.

First, the root folder of the last backup is opened. Double-click on the hard drive that contains the folder for recovery.

User documents, videos, photos, music, and other items are located in the Users folder on drive C. Locate the folder you want to restore, click it once, and then click the Add Folder button.

Please note that you can delete individual items from the list by clicking on them and then clicking the Delete button. To clear the entire list, use the "Delete All" button. If the list of all files and folders to be restored is complete, click Next.

Restore files and folders to original location

The next question is: where do you want to restore your documents? If you deleted folders or files and want to restore them in the folder in which they were previously, leave them in the original location. If files and folders with the same name still exist, you will be asked if you want to overwrite files or folders.

Windows7 System Restore

1. Click "Restore".
2. The recovery process will begin. If files with the same name already exist, the "Copy File" window will open.
3. If you want to overwrite the existing file with the file from the backup, click "Copy and replace".
4. Если вы хотите, чтобы сохранился существующий документ, нажмите «Не копировать». Если вы хотите сравнить существующий файл с файлом из резервной копии, нажмите «Копировать», но сохраните оба файла. Восстановленный файл получит «(2)» к названию. Если вы знаете, что хотите использовать один и тот же ответ для всех предстоящих вопросов, установите флажок «Сделать это для всех конфликтов», прежде чем нажимать кнопку. Будьте осторожны с этой опцией!
5. После восстановления файлов и папок нажмите «Готово».

Восстановление файлов и папок в другом месте

Если вы хотите сравнить файлы и папки в резервной копии с уже существующими файлами, рекомендуется восстановить их в другую папку.

• Для этого выберите» В другом месте» в разделе «Где вы хотите восстановить файлы».
• Если вы хотите воссоздать всё дерево папок в альтернативном месте, установите флажок «Восстановить файлы в их исходные подпапки».

Например, вы выбираете C:\Restored в качестве альтернативного местоположения. Если вы теперь восстановите файл с именем Test.txt из папки «Документы», это создаст целое дерево папок, например: C:\Restored\C\Users\\Documents\Test.txt. Если вы не установите флажок, файл будет восстановлен в C:\Restored\Test.txt.

• Нажмите Обзор…, чтобы выбрать альтернативную папку.
• В окне «Обзор папок» выберите пустую папку. Вы также можете нажать кнопку «Создать новую папку», чтобы создать её. Введите имя для новой папки и нажмите клавишу Enter на клавиатуре, чтобы принять новое имя.
• Затем нажмите OK, чтобы выбрать папку для альтернативного расположения восстановления.
• Теперь нажмите «Восстановить», чтобы начать восстановление выбранных файлов и папок.

После восстановления элементов нажмите «Просмотреть восстановленные файлы», чтобы открыть альтернативную папку восстановления.

Восстановление с помощью стороннего ПО

Рассмотрим процесс восстановления SysWOW64 на примере стороннего инструмента Veeam Agent. Это решение для защиты данных и аварийного восстановления для физических и виртуальных машин. Veeam можно использовать для защиты различных типов компьютеров и устройств: настольных компьютеров, ноутбуков и планшетов.

1. Запустите мастер восстановления.

Чтобы запустить мастер восстановления файлов, выполните одно из следующих действий:

• Щёлкните правой кнопкой мыши значок Veeam Agent на панели задач и выберите «Восстановить»/«Отдельные файлы».
• Дважды щёлкните значок Veeam Agent на панели задач или щёлкните значок правой кнопкой мыши и выберите «Панель управления». На панели управления щёлкните панель необходимого сеанса резервного копирования. Нажмите «Восстановить файлы» в нижней части окна. Агент Veeam автоматически опубликует содержимое резервной копии в файловой системе компьютера и откроет браузер Veeam Backup.
• Дважды щёлкните значок Veeam Agent на панели задач или выберите значок правой кнопкой мыши и нажмите «Панель управления». В главном меню наведите указатель мыши на имя задания, создавшего резервную копию, из которой вы хотите восстановить данные, и выберите «Восстановить файл».
• В меню «Пуск» Microsoft Windows выберите «Все программы»/«Veeam»/«Восстановление файлов».

2. Укажите расположение файла резервной копии.

На шаге «Расположение резервной копии» мастера укажите, где находится файл резервной копии, который планируется использовать для восстановления.

По умолчанию Veeam Agent автоматически находит последнюю резервную копию на диске компьютера или в общей сетевой папке, и вы сразу переходите к шагу восстановления. Если Veeam по какой-либо причине не может найти резервную копию или вы хотите использовать другую резервную копию для восстановления, укажите, где находится файл резервной копии:

• Локальное хранилище – выберите этот вариант, если файл резервной копии находится на диске компьютера, внешнем диске или съёмном устройстве хранения, которое в данный момент подключено к вашему компьютеру. Нажмите кнопку «Обзор» и выберите резервный файл метаданных (VBM).
• Сетевое хранилище – выберите этот вариант, если файл резервной копии находится в общей сетевой папке, в облачном хранилище Microsoft OneDrive, в хранилище резервных копий, управляемом сервером резервного копирования Veeam, или в облачном хранилище, предоставляемом вам поставщиком услуг Veeam Cloud Connect. В этом случае мастер Veeam Recovery Media будет включать дополнительные шаги для указания настроек расположения файла резервной копии.

3. Выберите тип удалённого хранилища.

Шаг «Удалённое хранилище» мастера доступен, если вы решили восстановить данные из файла резервной копии, которая находится в удалённом месте – в общей сетевой папке, в резервном хранилище или облачном хранилище.

4. Укажите настройки удалённого хранилища.

Укажите параметры для удалённого хранилища, содержащего файл резервной копии, из которой вы планируете восстановить данные:

5. Выберите Backup.

Из списка резервных копий выберите ту, из которой вы хотите восстановить данные. Чтобы быстро найти необходимую резервную копию, используйте поле поиска в нижней части окна. Если вы восстанавливаете данные из резервной копии, хранящейся в хранилище резервных копий, Veeam Agent отображает только те резервные копии, которые доступны пользователю, чьи учётные данные указаны на шаге «Резервный сервер».

6. Выберите Резервное копирование.

Если вы восстанавливаете данные из зашифрованной резервной копии, созданной на другом компьютере с Veeam, вам необходимо предоставить пароль для разблокировки зашифрованного файла.

7. Выберите точку восстановления

По умолчанию Veeam Agent использует последнюю точку восстановления. Однако вы можете выбрать любую допустимую точку восстановления, чтобы восстановить папки в определённый момент времени.

8. Завершите процесс восстановления

Нажмите Готово. Veeam извлечёт содержимое резервной копии, опубликует его непосредственно в файловой системе вашего компьютера и отобразит в браузере Veeam Backup.

9. Сохраните восстановленные документы.

По завершении процесса восстановления агент Veeam открывает браузер Veeam Backup, отображающий содержимое файла резервной копии.

Вы можете выполнить следующие операции с восстановленными файлами и папками:

• Сохранить в их исходное местоположение.
• Сохранить в новом месте.
• Открыть в

После окончания работы с файлами и папками закройте браузер Veeam Backup.

Как видите, папка SysWOW64 имеет критичное значение для стабильной работы всей системы Windows. Если вы не уверены в своих силах, лучше обратитесь за помощью к профессионалам. Если вы уже сталкивались с подобной проблемой, поделитесь своими комментариями под этой статьёй.