WOW64 stopped working?

[squirrel]

I got a strange problem on a xp64 pc that I set up for my father. A lot of programs recently refused to launch, among one is the 32 bit version of IE, 64 bit works fine though.

I have tried to reinstall 32 bit IE but installation stops saying this version is not possible to install on my system.

Another thing that is not working is the 32 bit folder in control panel, this is one of the reasons that I suspect the fault is related to WOW64.

Does anyone know if it is possible to disable/enable WOW64 or do you have other suggestions how to proceed?

I did try system restore which did not fix anything.

I allso tried the sfc command wich fixed some problems. For example my Intel Raid software did launch after this.

I have browsed the net for information on WOW64 failures but it seems like the problem is quite rare, or maybe too elementary to write someting about?