Run 16 bit apps in 64bit Windows 7?

[Muse]

Oh, man, if I knew my 16 bit apps wouldn't run in Windows 7 64bit, I wouldn't have installed it. What is the point? Do I have to start over on this machine? :whiste: The programs run in XP Pro SP3 OK, I chose compatibility with that in Win7 here, but they still will not run.

 

[Cogman]

virtual box?
Or, if they are dos programs, DOSBOX will also work.

 

[Steltek]

Agree with Cogman here.

Before you wipe and reinstall, try installing VMware Player or Virtualbox and install your XP Pro within a virtual machine for running your 16 bit software. I recommend trying VMWare for ease of use (copying and pasting between the VM and the host OS is much simpler in Player than it is in Virtualbox).

 

[Muse]

Is VMware free or is it for a trial period? If the latter, how much does it cost?

 

[Cogman]

Is VMware free or is it for a trial period? If the latter, how much does it cost?

VirtualBox is free (but oracle now owns it...) and works pretty well. VMWare has a free evaluation version.

 

[Muse]

VirtualBox is free (but oracle now owns it...) and works pretty well. VMWare has a free evaluation version.

Does the evaluation VMware version work for a specified time and then require purchase? Which version is appropriate here, VMware Player? How much is it?

 

[Modelworks]

I would use virtual box. I have both vmware and virtual box and I prefer virtual box for things like older applications.

 

[Muse]

I would use virtual box. I have both vmware and virtual box and I prefer virtual box for things like older applications.

Gonna go for it. Thanks!

 

[Anarchist420]

Get two hard drives and have two operating systems, one on each hdd.

Using virtualization sucks because there aren't any virtualized drivers, so no AA/AF/Vsync, unless the game has the option, which would be unlikely for a game needing virtualization to run. If I'm not mistaken, current video cards don't even have hardware support for v-drivers.

7 32 has even better compatibility than XP. Somehow, Indiana jones and the infernal machine works under 7 32, but not XP32. Rayman 2 doesn't work under 7 64, so I run it in XP32, but that won't run the infernal machine, so I'm going to get 7 32 when I can afford it.

 

[Muse]

Get two hard drives and have two operating systems, one on each hdd.

Using virtualization sucks because there aren't any virtualized drivers, so no AA/AF/Vsync, unless the game has the option, which would be unlikely for a game needing virtualization to run. If I'm not mistaken, current video cards don't even have hardware support for v-drivers.

7 32 has even better compatibility than XP. Somehow, Indiana jones and the infernal machine works under 7 32, but not XP32. Rayman 2 doesn't work under 7 64, so I run it in XP32, but that won't run the infernal machine, so I'm going to get 7 32 when I can afford it.

Well, gaming is a whole 'nother thing. I just presently want to run a couple of 16 bit apps that I'm accustomed to using on my XP machines, one a legacy database application I need to edit sometimes (could use a different machine as a workaround and move my changes) and the other is Mailwasher Free, a spam filtering program that deletes unwanted emails (and hides, if so configured) on my ISP's server, prior to my downloading emails to my email client (which further filters and sorts).

The machine in question is a laptop with one HD. It is partitioned into OS_Apps and Data volumes. I didn't know that my 16 bit apps wouldn't run on a 64bit OS. I did do some research and people were just saying, no real problem, there might be a few things you have to configure, etc. I don't have time this week to figure it all out and get things running, I guess it will have to wait until next week. I'm flying OOT tomorrow morning, full plate today. I'll try setting up VirtualBox next week and see if that works out. I did register at VMware and have a key for a download of their trial version, but I probably won't bother doing that.

 

[Modelworks]

Get two hard drives and have two operating systems, one on each hdd.

Using virtualization sucks because there aren't any virtualized drivers, so no AA/AF/Vsync, unless the game has the option, which would be unlikely for a game needing virtualization to run. If I'm not mistaken, current video cards don't even have hardware support for v-drivers.

7 32 has even better compatibility than XP. Somehow, Indiana jones and the infernal machine works under 7 32, but not XP32. Rayman 2 doesn't work under 7 64, so I run it in XP32, but that won't run the infernal machine, so I'm going to get 7 32 when I can afford it.

Virtualbox has 3d support and is improving with every release. It also uses drivers to access usb devices. Install virtualbox, then in the guest OS load the virtual box drivers.

 

[Mem]

Only things I run thats 16 bit software is my old games,so DOSBox takes care of that which has already been meantioned,you might be able to find 32 bit software version for some of your older 16 bit software if you don't want to use VirtualBox.

I was lucky since only had one old 16 bit paint/graphic software package which I upgraded to the newer 32 bit version.


Bottomline it may worthwhile in the long run for you to try and upgrade your older 16 bit software(non-games).

Oh, man, if I knew my 16 bit apps wouldn't run in Windows 7 64bit, I wouldn't have installed it. What is the point?

You have to remember nowadays 32/64 bit is the norm,its called progress.

 

[bruceb]

Latest version of Mailwasher runs on Windows 7, but website does not if ok for 64 bit.

http://www.mailwasher.net/frequently-asked-questions

 

[craftech]

I think one of the problems here is that Windows 7 64-bit is much more heavily promoted than Windows 7 32-bit for some reason.

Newegg is a classic example. Whether it is for combo packs or just a reduced price, Newegg search pulls up the 64-bit version 9 out of 10 times. I don't get it.

John

 

[Steltek]

Is VMware free or is it for a trial period? If the latter, how much does it cost?

VMware Player is free for personal use. Prior versions allowed you to use pre-packaged virtual machine "applicances", while the present version is a subset of VMware Workstation and allows you to actually create virtual machines (you can also use the free VMware Converter to convert existing machines into a virtual machine).

I have both VMware and Virtualbox installed and use both. I like the simplicity of VMware's ability to cut and past between host and guest and its 3d acceleration support for Windows guests; however, I also like Virtualbox a lot as well (especially with various linux distros - it is supposed to support 3d acceleration in both Windows and non-Windows guests, something VMware doesn't do, but I haven't managed to get this to work yet excepting in one single Ubuntu session and nothing since).

You really can't go wrong with either one, in my opinion.

 

[Steltek]

I think one of the problems here is that Windows 7 64-bit is much more heavily promoted than Windows 7 32-bit for some reason.

Newegg is a classic example. Whether it is for combo packs or just a reduced price, Newegg search pulls up the 64-bit version 9 out of 10 times. I don't get it.

John

I suspect that the reason that it is promoted more heavily is due to to the proliferation of systems with total system memory (RAM+video card memory) which exceed the 4GB addressable space of 32 bit Windows.

 

[lxskllr]

For really simple I like MS VirtualPC best. It's the least powerful of the bunch, but it's straightforward, and easy to setup.

 

[lxskllr]

I think one of the problems here is that Windows 7 64-bit is much more heavily promoted than Windows 7 32-bit for some reason.

Newegg is a classic example. Whether it is for combo packs or just a reduced price, Newegg search pulls up the 64-bit version 9 out of 10 times. I don't get it.

John

32bit is on it's way out. There's currently plenty of use for it, but it's being relegated to niche applications. There's little reason to choose 32bit over 64bit anymore.

 

[craftech]

32bit is on it's way out. There's currently plenty of use for it, but it's being relegated to niche applications. There's little reason to choose 32bit over 64bit anymore.

Well,

My primary "niche" application is Sony Vegas for professional video editing. While there are both 32-bit and 64-bit versions available with the license, it appears evident from participating in the Sony User Forum for years that there are far fewer problems with the 32-bit version than with the 64-bit version. However, many of those problems are often due to Windows 64-bit problems rather than Vegas 64-bit problems once the problems are diagnosed.

John

 

[Nothinman]

32bit is on it's way out. There's currently plenty of use for it, but it's being relegated to niche applications. There's little reason to choose 32bit over 64bit anymore.

For most apps 32-bit still makes the most sense because they don't require large amounts of VM and the additional memory used just by making something a 64-bit, while small, offers no real benefit. MS should've taken an cue from Linux and releasing Windows as one 32-bit build but with 64-bit and 32-bit kernels so that you can run both types of binaries while having the majority of the system 32-bit.

 

[craftech]

For most apps 32-bit still makes the most sense because they don't require large amounts of VM and the additional memory used just by making something a 64-bit, while small, offers no real benefit. MS should've taken an cue from Linux and releasing Windows as one 32-bit build but with 64-bit and 32-bit kernels so that you can run both types of binaries while having the majority of the system 32-bit.

Or put both versions on the OEM and other less expensive W7 discs instead of just on the full retail version.

John

 

[Nothinman]

Or put both versions on the OEM and other less expensive W7 discs instead of just on the full retail version.

John

OEM install/restore discs are the responsibility of the OEM. And that's completely unrelated to having a 32-bit userland and 64-bit kernel, which is what MS should've done.

 

[RebateMonger]

MS should've taken an cue from Linux and releasing Windows as one 32-bit build but with 64-bit and 32-bit kernels so that you can run both types of binaries while having the majority of the system 32-bit.

How does that affect memory access? Will applications have access to memory above 4 GB?

 

[Nothinman]

How does that affect memory access? Will applications have access to memory above 4 GB?

It'll be the same as running current releases of 64-bit Windows, 32-bit apps will have 2G of VM by default with 4G available with hacks and 64-bit apps will have their normal however many TB of VM.

 

[RebateMonger]

It'll be the same as running current releases of 64-bit Windows, 32-bit apps will have 2G of VM by default with 4G available with hacks and 64-bit apps will have their normal however many TB of VM.

And drivers...would they be 32-bit or 64-bit?