problem with 64-bit windows 7 and program that worked with XP

i'm running a 64-bit windows 7 home premium OS, and i'm trying to install a program (actually a dictionary program) with the setup.exe on a CD. i get an error message saying that the program is not compatible with the OS. since the program worked fine with XP, i'm guessing it's a problem with 64-bit (rather than 32-bit) OS. is there any workaround to get it to install and work?

 

Try this: Using Windows 7 or Vista Compatibility Mode - How-To Geek

 

Problem could be 16bit installer that will not ever run under 64bit OS, while the program itself would run if you could install it.

Can you still access the computer with XP (if it isn't the same computer), you could try simply to copy install folder to usb drive and then move it in the new computer.

 

Rouse, if you want to spend a few hours and you have a key for win XP you could set up a Virtual Machne ( Downloads - VirtualBox) and run XP under win 7. This is not an 'easy' solution as the 2 above, but can really come in handy for testing and using many 16 bit programs.

@KLF, nice tip, I just got cdplayer.exe (Circa win98) working on 7 (64 bit) by your method -Great tip!

 

WinXP with Virtual PC would also work and that is essentially same as XP Mode available in Win7 Pro/Ultimate.

Glad to help

 

i tried a couple of the compatibility mode settings, and had no success, so i thought i might try the suggestion about the install folder. was not quite sure what was meant however by the install folder. i'm working with my (new) laptop which runs windows 7, but i have a desktop still running XP. so is the idea that i could do something on my desktop and then copy this to my laptop? not quite sure what the usb drive would do.

 

rouse, KLF means go to the XP computer, find the program ;probably and .exe file and some other files
(such as If I wanted to move a screen saver in C:\Program Files\FSX_Screensaver )
Copy FSX_Screensaver (whole folder) to the USB stick then copy from usb to "C:\Program Filesx86 on the win 7 machine
Last create a short on desktop to the .exe file in the FSX_... folder and test. It may not work but worth a shot!

 

The problem with coping the folder where the program is installed is that most of the time software uses librabies from DLL's in the system folder. If you copy a folder and you don't have the correct version of the DLL the software won't run.

 

could also be a problem with .net 1/1.1 libraries on Win7.

 

Why the guessing games? What is the program in question? Are there later versions? Is there an active community of users?

To be honest, I would expect issues if you're attempting to install a legacy program on a 64-bit operating system, especially if it dates back to the 16-bit era, and yes, a number of programs were still using 16-bit installers much later than they should have been.

So the big question is what program and version are you talking about? Google it. Look for an active user base, and if not, archived forum posts that might deal with your issue. If all else fails, look for later versions, or better yet, open source alternatives.

 

To bring some closure to this thread, I tried copying the install folder but I get a similar error message regarding incompatibility. My best guess is that there might be some remnant 16-bit code which my 64-bit windows 7 OS doesn't like (the files on the original CD have dates going back to 1998).

As for the program itself, it is an multilanguage dictionary that was put out by Oxford, but a check with Oxford website shows that this particular product has been discontinued. Needless to say, this is a niche product, so I don't know of any equivalent open-source alternatives or any user-base. So for now, i'm out of luck.

 

Your best shot is to right click the application, then run for compatibility for Windows XP or other OS and see if it installs. If it doesnt work after that, your out of luck.

 

Dictionary program? Try The Sage or WordWeb. Both pretty good....

 

it's an all-in-one english-french-spanish-german dicitionary (like i said, a niche product).

tried the compatibility solution (even going back to windows 98) already, but didn't work.

 

If you upgrade to Pro and use XP Mode, you can publish the app to your Windows 7 Start Menu and it would open just the Oxford Dictionary App in a window.

Install and use Windows XP Mode in Windows 7

HTH,

 

If there's unused XP licenses around, Virtual PC+XP is pretty much same thing as XP Mode (pre-configured XP image in Virtual PC).

 

If you want to upgrade to 7 Pro I have seen the upgrade from 7 home to 7 Pro for around $60 at newegg. Even though Microsoft has made the XP mode available on computers that do not have the chip support for virtual it is still much faster if your chipset supports it.

 

Is the program in question a dictionary/theausus or an actual translator?

I seem to remember someone a few months back with a similar problem with a legacy/unsupported oxford product who found a modern Win7-friendly replacement.

 

thanks for all the responses. at the moment, it's not software that i immediately need. i was just installing a bunch of old software that i had on my previous laptop onto my new laptop, and i ran into this problem that i hadn't previously had, so i was curious if there was a easy workaround, just in case i encountered the problem again with different software.

interestingly, i ordered the new laptop with windows 7 pro (not really thinking i'd run into this problem), but someone made a mistake, and i got it with windows 7 home premium and i decided to keep it because i'd have to send the laptop back to have them correct the mistake. if i get sufficiently motivated, i might try the virtual OS route that was suggested, but which seems rather more than what i had in mind as a easy workaround.

 

If that happened to me I would ask the vendor for a 7 pro disk and new key, they should at least do that for the work it will take for a clean or upgrade install. Do you mind posting the name of the vendor? thanks Joesa