Windows 7 64 bit

[nortman A]

Dear People,
I have recently purchased a new computer with Windows 7 (64 bit) installed.
I have a considerable number of disc`s that require 32 bit to open, where 64 bit won`t.
Could anyone on the forum advise whether there is an upgrade or download that is available that will allow me to access the record`s on these disc`s,
Norm.

 

[TrainableMan]

Files are not stored in "32-bit" or "64-bit", they are simply files. The programs that read those files have to be able to run in the OS you have installed though. Almost every program compiled 32-bit will run on 64-bit (exceptions are programs designed to be hardware specific to directly handle some specific task, example network encryption where you plug in a USB "key" to access work computers). So if you have a program that will not run in 64-bit then it is probably so old that it was compiled for a 16-bit OS (32-bit computers run 32 & 16-bit programs, 64-bit run 64 & 32 but not 16).

If your computer is powerful enough you could install a Virtual PC and run 32-bit XP on that and try to run your old discs/games from that. If it is a DOS-based game you might try DOSBox and see if that can help. Virtual PC-XP mode is a free download for W7 Professional and Ultimate, other companies offer virtual PC environments for free if you have Home Premium but you will need your own XP license (See the Virtualization Section of our Freeware DB).