running 16 Bit software

Is it possible to run 16 bit software on a 64 bit system?

I know it has WOW64 to run 32 bit software and I think 32 bit Windows had
another WOW shell to run 16 bit so I guess I am asking if the old WOW shell
can be run on a 64 bit machine or if there is any other workaround that does
not involve rewriting the software.

On 26/07/2010 in message <> Lorne wrote:

>Is it possible to run 16 bit software on a 64 bit system?
>
>I know it has WOW64 to run 32 bit software and I think 32 bit Windows had
>another WOW shell to run 16 bit so I guess I am asking if the old WOW
>shell can be run on a 64 bit machine or if there is any other workaround
>that does not involve rewriting the software.

No. Even 32 bit s/w with a 16 bit installer.
It could be run in a 32 bit virtual machine.

--
Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it

> Is it possible to run 16 bit software on a 64 bit system?

Yes. Use DosBox ( http://www.dosbox.com/ ).

I don't know why MS could not build a WOW16 emulator of their
own for Win64.

Lynn

What software are you wanting to run? You can use a Virtual Machine to
build older systems in such as MS-DOS, Win 3, 3.1, 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT,
2000, and XP.


On 2010-07-26 12:51, Lorne wrote:
> Is it possible to run 16 bit software on a 64 bit system?
>
> I know it has WOW64 to run 32 bit software and I think 32 bit Windows
> had another WOW shell to run 16 bit so I guess I am asking if the old
> WOW shell can be run on a 64 bit machine or if there is any other
> workaround that does not involve rewriting the software.

And/Or using the free of charge XP mode in Win 7 Ultimate.

Carlos

"Jeff Gaines" wrote:

> On 26/07/2010 in message <> Lorne wrote:
>
> >Is it possible to run 16 bit software on a 64 bit system?
> >
> >I know it has WOW64 to run 32 bit software and I think 32 bit Windows had
> >another WOW shell to run 16 bit so I guess I am asking if the old WOW
> >shell can be run on a 64 bit machine or if there is any other workaround
> >that does not involve rewriting the software.
>
> No. Even 32 bit s/w with a 16 bit installer.
> It could be run in a 32 bit virtual machine.
>
> --
> Jeff Gaines Dorset UK
> This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it
> .
>

In message <i2knm7$93t$> Lynn McGuire
<> was claimed to have wrote:

>I don't know why MS could not build a WOW16 emulator of their
>own for Win64.

1) Lack of demand.

2) They did. Or rather, it's part of XP Mode which is included free on
the business-targeted releases of Windows 7.

Carlos wrote:
> And/Or using the free of charge XP mode in Win 7 Ultimate.
>
> Carlos


Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate.

However - that is just a virtual machine - so still falls in the original
answer scope.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

"Lynn McGuire" <> wrote in message
news:i2knm7$93t$...
>> Is it possible to run 16 bit software on a 64 bit system?
>
> Yes. Use DosBox ( http://www.dosbox.com/ ).
>
> I don't know why MS could not build a WOW16 emulator of their
> own for Win64.
>
> Lynn

Thanks - that looks promising so I will try it.

>> I don't know why MS could not build a WOW16 emulator of their
>> own for Win64.
> I think NTVDM uses virtual 86 mode which isn't available under long mode.

MS should have built their own DosBox then ...

Lynn

In article <i2mvie$u5o$>,
says...
>
> >> I don't know why MS could not build a WOW16 emulator of their
> >> own for Win64.
> > I think NTVDM uses virtual 86 mode which isn't available under long mode.
>
> MS should have built their own DosBox then ...
>
> Lynn

AFAIK DosBox is an emulator, i.e. interprets machine languages .

Guest and host machine language can be different,
but it slows down execution many times.

WOWxx and Virtualization SW 9 VirtualPC, VMWare, VirtualBox
are on the other side a kind of SandBoxes.

Guest and Host machine language have to be same
( e.g. both for x86 CPU ),
but code fragments are run natively,
with overhead of supervising .

--
Do you know what is difference
between Windows versions and guided missiles ?
None. Both are fired and forgotten.