I have a really old installer (legacy app) that we are trying to get running on a Windows 7 64 bit os.
Previously it has only been installed on Windows XP 32 bit. I get the following error when I try to run it:
The version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check your computer's system information to see whether you need an x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then contact the software publisher.
Contacting the software publisher is not an option (software is super old).
Is there a way to get this to work? Some sort of compatibility mode?
The only thing I have heard of that will work is a Virtual XP on the Win 7 box. The problem is that this software is a part of a whole software set. I would have to put all of the pieces on the Virtual XP or none at all.
Before I go down the road of putting it all on the virtual xp I would like to know that there is no way to get it all on the Win 7 os.
55 Answers
You say it is a really old installer, is it a 16-bit application? All 16-bit application support was dropped from Windows 7 x64 - It will not run, at all. You will need to use an emulator or move back to 32-bit Windows. XP mode in Windows 7 might be an easy solution to get this application up and running seamlessly.
6With legacy installers you really just have to fiddle around with the settings. Try setting compatibility mode to Windows XP SP 3 and Set run as administrator.
Some legacy installers can be "unzipped". Meaning some zip utilities can actually unzip the files the program is supposed to install. Now I don't recommend it, but you could try to manually move the files yourself.
1If running the installer in compatibility mode with UAC turned off (registry change) doesn't work, the next step is to try a manual install. This is where you use file comparison techniques to find what the installer actually does to your computer and mirroring that to your windows 7 machine. If you've never done this before, I wouldn't recommend it because you can run into a lot of problems trying to get everything working. Which I know from experience is a real pain to get everything.
The better option is to download and enable XP mode in windows 7 (doesn't work with win 7 home or starter). This would at least give you desktop shortcuts that launch the VM on demand. You can find it here.
I have had the exact same error message for a corrupt installer.
An installer that was created for Windows 7 (32bit/64bit) in the first place, got corrupt while being transferred via email, showing this message (on Windows 7 64bit). The non-corrupt file installed fine.
So, I suggest you try the installer on a Win XP machine before trying more technical operations.
If the installer is indeed corrupt, then you will have to find a backup or get it somewhere else.
This error can also appear when you create a script and save it as *.exe instead of *.bat. Switching to *.bat can solve the problem.
