Member Avatar for bryann

Not sure if i'm posting to the right forum but basically I have an old game on CD I wanted to install (Fifa 99) but when i run it there is an error telling me that it can't run on 64-bit system. Is there any way i will be able to install it? Without having to use a VM?

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The error means the installer is 16‑bit and Windows 7 x64 cannot run 16‑bit code because the NTVDM (16‑bit subsystem) is not present on 64‑bit Windows. 64‑bit Windows does support 32‑bit apps via WoW64, but that does not help with 16‑bit installers. was right that running an older OS is the most reliable fix; pointed to DosBox, which is the usual route for DOS titles.

If the game is a DOS title, copy the CD contents to a folder and use DosBox to mount that folder and run the installer or game. Example (inside DosBox):

mount c C:\OldGames\Fifa99
mount d D:\ -t cdrom
c:
setup.exe

If the game checks for the CD, mount the ISO or physical drive as DosBox’s D:.

If the installer is a 16‑bit Windows/Win9x setup but the game binary itself is 32‑bit, a practical non‑VM route is to install it on a 32‑bit Windows machine (physical or loaner), then copy the installed program folder to the Win7 x64 PC and export/import any registry keys the installer created. Steps:

  • Install on a 32‑bit machine.
  • Copy the full program folder to C:\Program Files (x86)\ on the target.
  • Use regedit on the source to export the game/vendor keys and import on the target. (On x64 you may need to place keys under Wow6432Node; import carefully and back up the registry first.)
    This can work for simple games but will fail for titles with old copy protection or kernel drivers.

If those workarounds look fragile, running a small VM with 32‑bit Windows is the simplest, most compatible solution.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

Well, I was going to suggest a VM, like VirtualBox, that can run old 16bit versions of MS-DOS and Windows (3.x).

Member Avatar for Begginnerdev

DosBox is a good DOS emulator. You may want to give it a try.

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