>>I sense a nice trap... you have a 32-bit component, which automatically updates and goes 64 bit behind the scenes... and all of a sudden an app somewhere stops working because the 32-bit version was uninstalled, and it can't see the new one.
>>
>>Perhaps a worst-case scenario, and I guess the devil doesn't need an advocate. This will happen somewhere.
>
>I doubt that it'll happen because it's kind of "side by side" installation.

You mean the 32-bit component stays installed independently, lives in 32-bit registry and the 64-bit goes its own way? As long as no common files are overwritten in a way that may hurt the 32-bit version, that may work.