With NT-based operating systems like Windows 2000 and XP, they have an
increasingly difficult time running legacy applications. The Application
Compatibility Wizard in XP may be of some help with your issue, but even it
has its limitations, especially with very old 16-bit DOS programs. There
just isn't enough DOS left in XP. One idea would be to use a virtual machine
like Virtual PC, VMware, or something similar to encapsulate a guest
operating system like Windows 98, which does have enough DOS to fully
support 16-bit programs. Virtual PC and other similar programs are able to
present a virtual interface to the guest OS, duplicating the working of a
real PC right down to the BIOS, thereby tricking the guest OS into thinking
it has a machine all to itself. This might be your best bet beyond the
Compatibility Wizard or some third-party emulator that only duplicates the
shell API and not the entire DOS environment. Experiment a little bit and
see what would work best for your particular legacy program.

Kenneth Whyman
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"Chance favors the prepared mind."

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