Even though SmarterMail installs by default in the (x86) folder, it WILL run as a 64-bit application if installed on a 64-bit server. SmarterMail adapts to the OS of your install. I believe SmarterTrack and SmarterStats do the same.

What you wrote doesn't make a lot of sense.   Your application "adapts"...what does that mean.   If it installs in the x86 folder it is a 32 bit application and it has been compiled as 32 bit.  32 bit applications will run in 64bit environments (assuming they aren't drivers) by running then through wow64.  That's a Microsoft provided "thunking" type process.

 

 

There's a penalty for doing it that way.

 

So I think you are saying it is NOT NATIVE 64 bit !

I made the switch to Windows 2012 R2 earlier this year from my veteran 2003 server (x86) and other than installing and enabling the various requirements, it went without a hitch. Sure, IIS 8 takes some getting used to but everything worked properly following the documentation. Sorry for your troubles.

FYI - I've only installed on a Windows 2012 server and had no issues other than finding where MS put things in IIS8 - which didn't take but a few minutes. I also looked at task manager and it shows:

 

 

Clearly, SM is running 64-bit, ClamAV is running 32-bit.

 

I also just completed the minor update with no problems what-so-ever.

The problem is not SmarterMail....the problem is windows 2012.  Nothing is installed by default. And, if you install IIS8, asp.net is not installed, and if you install asp.net, asp is not installed.  I did follow the IIS 8 install KB but its very confusing because you can tell its written by someone standing in front of a 2008 machine.  I've installed SmarterMail in 2008 as well and that is nothing special.  But in windows 2012, you literally have to enable every single program you need and some of the ones on the IIS 8 KB I did NOT install and didn't have to.  Why that is, I have no idea.  Maybe I'm just not using that feature.  However, I found it fairly non-trial compared to ALL the other installs because of Windows 2012 which is a hunk of junk IMHO.  Like I said, I have more than 4 licenses, I have installed since version 2, I have installed on every Microsoft OS.  So its not like I'm a newbie at this.  I think if I had been a newbie, I would NOT have been able to figure it out.