32 bit and 64 bit software

Tried the Win7 built in XP mode ?
http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/using-windows-7s-xp...

Maybe their are 16-bit apps (win 3.x era) which are not supported under 64-bit. Try XP-mode as ksiemb suggested.

Windows XP2 environment was 32bit, correct?
You're now on Windows 7 64bit.

Those 'dictionaries on cds' might be 16bit software or have a 16bit installer routine that won't run on 64bit Windows 7.

The probably would run on 32bit Windows 7 but it's probably not worth your trouble to switch Win7 versions.

Who even uses encarta and stuff like that anymore? Most stuff can be found for free on the Internet now.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

its called the internet

its up to date and doesn't care what O/S you are running

not everything can be found or is easy to download off the internet. especially if it's something obscure but happens to be important or of interest only to you.

encarta 95 had some really interesting and inspiring audio quotes on it that i'd like to hear again or capture for my own personal use. items such as armstrong landing on the moon, dorothy's arrival in oz, , maya angelou's inaugaration poem, a reading of Ralp Waldo Emerson's poem, winston churchill during world war 2 and things like that. not impossible to find on the internet for some of them i'm sure but not all of them in one easy searchable database.

people have a myriad of reasons why they are searching for solutions to this problem and i am sure my reason is not the only one.