Windows 10: Does 16 bit work yet on a 64 bit windows 10 OS?

On 64 bit linux version I ran was Ubuntu 14.04.1 and I installed Wine and was able to run some 16 bit applications. Is Wine really that hard to make? For some reason Ubuntu is the only 64 bit distro that works on my system so far.

 

16-bit applications (installers, etc.) will not run natively under 64-bit Win10TP (or Win8.1 or Win7, etc.) As others have mentioned, you can run emulator software like Dosbox that will allow you to run 16-bit applications & installers under 64-bit Windows (my version of dosbox-svn includes a 64-bit version of dosbox.exe that's pretty cool.)

There is no "yet" to it, in reference to your question--this will not ever happen and it is by design. 32-bit versions of Windows are backwards compatible (to some extent) with 16-bit programs and applications; 64-bit versions of Windows are backwards-compatible with 32-bit programs and installers. At some point in time Microsoft will no longer be offering 32-bit versions of its OSes at all, but until then a 32-bit version of Windows is a necessity if you want to run 16-bit applications & installers...(but the preference is that you run a 64-bit OS and use emulators to run older 16-bit programs.)

Back in the 16-bit Windows era all applications were not pure 16-bit applications but often a combination of 8-bit & 16-bit code that was compatible with Windows at the time--itself a combination of 8-bit and 16-bit code. 64-bit cpus offer superior security features to 32-bit & earlier cpus, and they have more internal registers, and will support vastly greater amounts of RAM.

If you have a 64-bit cpu then I'd advise you run the 64-bit version of Windows with it and use emulators to run any 16-bit software you may be clinging to for some reason...*Wink Unless you have some kind of mission-critical 16-bit program that you absolutely and without a doubt must use on a regular basis, which will not run on any software emulator you know of, then I'd advise you migrate to 64-bit Windows ASAP.

 

YES.

Emulating a proprietary operating system without access to the source code is always very difficult. Even if source code access was available the licensing terms specifically prohibit using it for such purposes. Wine has been under development for more than 20 years, is still incomplete, and has many compatibility problems.

 

waltc,
Thank you for your comments. Is there a new version of DOS box that support 16 bit apps on Windows 7 64bit, if so where do I get it from and is it free? How did you get the 16 bit app to work without Windows 3.1?
I think you might of misunderstood me. My main operating system I am using is Windows 7 64 bit. When the 10 preview release came out, I tried the 64 bit briefly, got rid of it and switch to the 32 bit operating system. I was curious to see if my 16 bit program would work and if windows had drivers for my computer. The answer yes to both.

My System is right now
Windows 7 64 bit Partition One
Windows 10 32 bit Partition Two

Sorry about the typo folks, fixed with edit.

 

DosBox is a 32 bit application that runs on either a 32 or 64 bit OS. It is free and can be obtained here:
DOSBox, an x86 emulator with DOS

Note that this only runs DOS applications, not 16 bit Windows applications.

 

Lmiller 7, I misunderstood Waltc, I didn't read it correctly. I assumed Waltc compiled dos box 64 bit version that ran windows 16 bit programs. I was wrong, sorry.

 

The reason your computer came with 64-bit Windows 7 is because it is faster and more secure than the 32-bit version, and allows you to use 64-bit software, which has all the same advantages as using a 64-bit OS. Another thing is, upgrading the RAM in a computer is a fairly simple task. It is usually the first thing people do when they want to give their computer a performance boost. Imagine buying more RAM, only to realize you can't use it unless you do a clean install, which is a much more daunting task, especially for inexperienced users. There is really no reason for OEMs to not install the 64-bit version by default.

As others have said, Microsoft will most likely stop providing 32-bit versions of their operating systems in the future. There was a lot of serious doubt that Windows 10 would have a 32-bit version. You may want to try playing around with VirtualBox. You can use it to setup virtual machines. Make a VM with Windows XP 32-bit or something similar and run your 16-bit programs in that. But, I really feel the need to ask, what 16-bit program do you have that you really need to use? Is there really not a modern alternative? The only 16-bit programs I've ever felt the need to use were old games, but I ended up deciding that they were not worth the hassle.

 

DOS Box DOES (I repeat) DOES run 16 bit Windows applications. I simply set up a DOSBox.conf file/session, installed Windows 3.1 inside it, and even the Calmira desktop, to give it a Win9x look with a Start Menu. I have used this setup ever since I migrated to Windows XP x64 Edition.

My issue is, I wish there was a 32 bit version of the original Jezzball. Then I'd have no need for 16-bit Windows emulation.

 

Yes, you can install Win 3.1 inside dos box that everyone know that but you need to have a license for that, I actually bought them but through out the w 3.1. floppies. Just installing dos box alone won't let run any windows program. I think that what Lmiller 7 was saying.

 

Gotcha! I was just figuring Windows 3.x was easy enough to get one's hands on.
*Smile

 

I'm somewhat confused.
We are here trying to learn and help make W-10 a better operating system and somehow we got in 16 bit 3.1 system.

This coffee I'm drinking must be to strong.

 

The whole thread was about someone wanting to run 16 bit apps in an x64 OS (namely Windows 10 in this case). It may have sidetracked a wee bit, but we're on topic).

Good coffee? *Smile

 

What Petey7 is trying to get across is that this is not something that's in Microsoft's control to a great extent.

The Intel and AMD 64 bit processors are physically incapable of natively running 16 bit applications when running 64 bit operating systems. It's impossible, and no amount of hacking or fiddling can make it work. That means, Windows will *NEVER* support 16 bit applications on a 64 bit OS, at least unless Intel changes the architecture of the CPU to support this.. and it's unlikely that will happen.

32 bit Windows (including Windows 10) runs in 32 bit mode, and thus supports running native 16 bit apps (although there are still compatibility issues to deal with from multiple upgrade versions)

Now, note that I did say "natively" up there. It's certainly possible to emulate a 16 bit virtual machine and run 16 bit applications. 64 bit Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 professional and Enterprise all come with Client Hyper-V, and you can run a 32 bit version of Windows, or even a 16 bit version of DOS or Windows in a VM. You can also run other VM software, including DOSBox. DOSBox, I believe is completely emulated (non-virtualized) and is quite slow. But, it works. This is no different from running a Nintendo emulator, or whatever.

Wine on Linux is a totally different beast. Wine stands for "Wine is not an emulator". Wine is a "translator". It translates 16 bit Windows applications into a native 32 or 64 bit Linux application, this is what allows Wine to run 16 bit apps on 64 bit OS's. It's no longer a 16 bit app.

Could Microsoft do something similar for Windows? Sure... if they wanted to... but it's unlikely they will. And yes, it is a lot of effort, and very costly. Wine has been in development for over a decade and is still only about 60% effective.

 

Can you explain something Mystere in a little more detail. I do know some of the answer or at least I think do. How come you can install a Windows 32 bit operating system on a 64 bit machine and run both 32 bit and 16 bit applications if the processor doesn't support it?

 

A 64 bit capable computer has a CPU that can as either 32 or 64 bit. When running a 32 bit OS the CPU is in 32 bit mode with all it's attendant capabilities - including the capability to run 16 bit code. When running a 64 bit OS the CPU is in 64 bit mode with all of it's attendant capabilities. The ability to run 16 bit code is not one of them.