Using 32-Bit Applications with 32-Bit Drivers

You can run 32-bit applications with 32-bit drivers. The 32-bit applications and the 32-bit drivers use the Win32 API.

Architecture

The following illustration shows how 32-bit applications communicate with 32-bit drivers. The application calls the 32-bit Driver Manager, which in turn calls 32-bit drivers.

How 32-bit apps communicate with 32-bit drivers

Important

Do not use the 32-bit thunking installer DLL on WindowsNT/Windows2000. Although it has the same file name as the 32-bit installer DLL, it is a different DLL.

Administration

You can manage data sources for 32-bit drivers by using the ODBC Data Source Administrator. To open the ODBC Administrator on computers running Windows 2000, open the Windows Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Data Sources (ODBC). On computers running previous versions of Microsoft Windows, the icon is named 32-bit ODBC or simply ODBC.

Components

The ODBC component includes the following files for running 32-bit applications with 32-bit drivers. These components are in the \Redist directory.

File name Description
Odbc32.dll 32-bit Driver Manager
Odbccp32.dll 32-bit Installer DLL
Odbcad32.exe 32-bit ODBC Administrator program
Odbcinst.hlp Installer Help file
Msvcrt40.dll C run-time library