Member Avatar for computerlady200

I have a clien't computer that is running Win98. Someone wrote her a database program to keep track of customers, receipts, etc for her business. She is wanting to transfer this program (which she says is not very good) to a jump drive to be able to transfer the data and program (if possible) to her XP laptop. I finally got the computer to recognize the jump drive, but cannot get the files to transfer over to it. I get an error message telling me it cannot write the files to the drive. Is there any solution to this problem? I installed win98SE on the computer, and this is what allowed the computer to reognize the jump drive.

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Dani AI

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Short checklist and practical next steps for moving a DOS/Win98 database into XP (and avoiding a full manual retype).

As describes, the core issue is not the USB transfer but that the original program/runtime from a DOS/Win98 era will often not run unchanged on a newer Windows host. 's hardware-swap idea is useful for grabbing files; the next step is deciding whether to run the original app or just extract the data.

Quick diagnostics (do these first)

  • Identify the program and data file types by extension (.exe, .com, .dbf, .mdb, .dat, .fpt, .idx, .ini). Look in the program folder for DLLs, runtimes or a README.
  • Check whether the executable is a DOS/16-bit Windows app (older EXEs) or a 32-bit Windows app. 64-bit Windows cannot run 16-bit programs.
  • Note any error text exactly — that helps pinpoint missing runtimes (VB6, BDE, VFP, etc.).

Practical options

  • If you only need the data, export/import it: open DBF/MDB files with a modern tool (Access, LibreOffice, or DBF viewers) and export to CSV for import into a modern database or spreadsheet.
  • To run the original program unchanged, use a virtual machine (VirtualBox/VMware) and install the original OS (Win98 or DOS). That preserves registry and runtime behavior.
  • For pure DOS programs, DOSBox is lighter and often easier than a full VM.
  • If the app is a 16-bit Windows program and XP is 32-bit, try Compatibility mode and copy the whole application folder (including INI and DLL files) rather than just the EXE.

Tips and cautions

  • Back up everything first. Export any registry keys created by the installer on the old machine if possible.
  • If missing runtimes are suspected, search for the exact runtime name before installing random DLLs.
  • If conversion looks large, consider hiring a developer to convert/export the data into a modern format rather than manual re-entry.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

might be easier to take out the hard drive and slave it into another computer and get the files that way

Member Avatar for computerlady200

might be easier to take out the hard drive and slave it into another computer and get the files that way

Thanks for the advice - kinda solved the problem by using my data transfer cable to put data onto a computer running Xp then to the jump drive. Data saved. Now the problem is finding a program that will work in xp for this program that was written in DOS on a win98 first edition system. I installed win98SE on the older computer, but haven't been able to make the data (program created by someone else) work on an xp machine as of yet. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. We have just about decided to print out the data and hand input it into another program - tedoious, but when all else fails ......................................

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