How to get old programs to run on new computers.

**Ticky** · 3rd May 2012, 01:32 AM

My problem started when I decided to get rid of my old computer (32bit XP) & replace it with a server. This left me with my Laptop (64bit Vista)

My old CAD program, AutoCad R13 would not run on Vista64.
The obvious solution I suppose would be to get another version or another Cad program that would run on Vista64, but I don't want to learn a new program, & I am very happy with what I can do with R13.

THE SOLUTION.

I installed a Virtual Machine program called Oracle VM VirtualBox.

When this program opens, (in Vista64) The laptop see it a a new PC.

You have to allocate resources such as Ram, Video etc to the new PC, I allocated about 1/3 of everything.

Then I loaded XP onto the Virtual Machine (running on Vista64), just the same as loading it onto a new PC.

Then I loaded Autocad R13 onto XP, just as you normally would.

the only problem I had was when I went to print, the Virtual Machine (XP) had no printer installed. An easy fix.

The really cool thing is I can be using Autocad on XP & with the click of a mouse, I can be doing calculations on Excel using Vista64.

When I finish, I have to shut down XP just as I normally would, wait for it to shut down & the exit out of VirtualBox, & I am back in Vista with all of my resources working for me.

This is so cool, & a really great solution to my problem.

Steve

**_fly_** · 3rd May 2012, 08:44 AM

I've had to build virtual machine for friends so they can play very old games. So I give them a DOS box set, windows 3.11 set and even 98 machines. Means they can play all their old games from when they were kids. It all works well.

**arose62** · 3rd May 2012, 12:03 PM

You don't have to shut down XP before you shut down VirtualBox - that's another cool thing about virtual machines!

You can have the virtual machine set up & ready to go at a particular state - I've used this in testing environments. For example, you can get the virtual machine to boot, open some programs, then save the state of the VM. Next time you open it, you don't have to wait through booting, or opening programs. It just opens where you left it.

You can also take snapshots of the VM, say, before installing some horrid program which stuffs everything up. Just restore the snapshot, don't pfaff around with trying to uninstall.

It's also a good way to experiment with other operating systems - and here I try valiantly not to jump onto a Linux soapbox

Cheers,
Andrew

**Master Splinter** · 3rd May 2012, 05:17 PM

If you really want to be silly with your virtual environment, install the game Minecraft with the red power mod that lets you build an in-game computer; that way you can write computer programs inside a game that runs in a virtual environment that runs on your virtual PC on your real PC......its turtles all the way down, I tells ya!

I'm just waiting for someone to write an implementation of Java for the Minecraft in-game PC so you can run Minecraft on it!

**petersemple** · 3rd May 2012, 05:24 PM

If my Minecraft loving sun ever sees that post you are toast!

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