[sorted] 32bit app with 16bit installer - installing on Win7 64bit

[tomos]

I wanted to install an app from 1997 on my Win 7 (64bit). The app is Adobe Streamline, discontinued since.

I got this message:

[Window Title]
D:\ENGLISH\STRMLINE\SETUP.EXE

[Content]
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.

[OK]

I also noticed that the same CD had 16 and 32bit versions of Acrobat Reader, so I presumed that the app I was trying to install was 32bit.

But it turns out that the installer was 16bit.
This 32/16bit situation has been mentioned a couple of times on dc but no direct solution given (that I found).

Source here (Stackoverflow answer).

Solution (via the above link) given here (ReactOS Forum: Installing 32-bit programs with 16-bit setup launcher stubs)

The Solution was simply to replace the installer setup.exe file with a 32bit version (setup32.exe). You may have to extract the files from the installer exe first. In my case they were all simply in a folder so it was a simple -and successful- job

My solution was probably the easiest of the lot - installer was 3.xx.xxx InstallShield installer. Solutions are also given for other versions and other installers.


__________________________
I'm posting this here partially because it's such a pia to post a comment in stackoverflow. All I wanted to do was say this answer works, but I'm not allowed to comment on another answer

Also the Stackoverflow doesnt have the text of the error message (just a screenshot) so it took me a while to find it. Hopefully this post will help others track down the problem.

[f0dder]

Interesting - I was under the impression that some 64-bit version of Windows (definitely not XP, but perhaps Vista or 7?) had introduced built-in knowledge of at least some of the most popular installers, so that situation could be handled without running the 16-bit stub?

Obviously not every obscure little installer can be supported this way, but InstallShield was quite commonplace. (Also, I've always found it whacked-out that IS used 16bit installer stubs for 32bit apps...)

[tomos]

Interesting - I was under the impression that some 64-bit version of Windows (definitely not XP, but perhaps Vista or 7?) had introduced built-in knowledge of at least some of the most popular installers, so that situation could be handled without running the 16-bit stub?

Obviously not every obscure little installer can be supported this way, but InstallShield was quite commonplace. (Also, I've always found it whacked-out that IS used 16bit installer stubs for 32bit apps...)

-f0dder (August 22, 2012, 11:53 AM)

dont know - there did seem to be lots of people out there with the same problem.
But I think a lot of people wouldnt know in advance if the app itself is 16 or 32bt -
I just presumed the app itself was 32bit, and was luckily correct

[Stoic Joker]

Really sounds like a repeating cycle to me. Ask yourself this...how many of the 64-bit programs available today are using a 32-bit installer?


Oh Yeah, nice tip tomos, thanks.