If you enable "git bash here" during installation of msysgit on (at least one) XP64, then right click on a folder and select "git bash here" a window opens with the following traceback:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\bin\sh.exe: *** fork: can't reserve memory for stack
0x490000 - 0x690000, Win32 error 0
0 [main] sh.exe" 4292 sync_with_child: child 4308(0xE0) died before initia
lization with status code 0x1
322 [main] sh.exe" 4292 sync_with_child: *** child state waiting for longjmp
sh.exe": fork: Resource temporarily unavailable
sh.exe"-3.1$
However if you use the desktop icon or the start menu icon to start git bash, it works perfectly.
Welcome to Git (version 1.7.10-preview20120409)
Run 'git help git' to display the help index.
Run 'git help <command>' to display help for specific commands.
myname@MYCOMPUTER ~
$
Also "git bash here" shell extension works fine on 32-bit windows XPSP3.
msysgit version 1.7.10-preview20120409
windows XP x64 Edition Version 2003 SP2
These are the shell keys:
{My Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\git_shell\command:
{Name:(Defualt),
Type:REG_SZ,
Data:wscript "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\Git Bash.vbs" "%1"}}
{My Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\Directory\shell\git_shell\command:
{Name:(Defualt),
Type:REG_SZ,
Data:wscript "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\Git Bash.vbs" "%1"}}
{My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\git_shell\command:
{Name:(Defualt),
Type:REG_SZ,
Data:wscript "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\Git Bash.vbs" "%1"}}
{My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\Directory\shell\git_shell\command:
{Name:(Defualt),
Type:REG_SZ,
Data:wscript "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\Git Bash.vbs" "%1"}}
{My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Classes\\Directory\shell\git_shell\command:
{Name:(Defualt),
Type:REG_SZ,
Data:wscript "C:\Program Files (x86)\Git\Git Bash.vbs" "%1"}}
The problem seems to stem from the fact that the git bash.vbs runs using "C\WINDOWS\system32\wscript.exe"
instead of "C\WINDOWS\sysWoW64\wscript.exe"
which ironically runs the 32bit version
The same goes for "open" for file-types with the extension .sh, which use the system32 version of cmd instead of the syswow64 version of cmd.
I was able to run the vbs just by changing the opens with to the syswow64 version of wscript, but the shell extension still doesn't work.
Oddly enough, it works on (at least one) 64 bit version of Windows 7.