There were a number of games from that era that were 32-bit games, but shipped with a 16-bit installer. If this is the case with the game that you are tying to run, you can use a VM to track the installation process to manually install the game. I use XP Mode and TrackWinstall to do this. It will track all Registry changes and files/folders written to any system folders.

If your game is a 16-bit game, you can try installing Win3x in DOSBox to install and run the game.

Have a look at this link it may help you

http://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=90351

I am attempting to install Star Wars Rebellion on my Windows 64 bit system. The game itself is a 32 bit game, however the installer appears to be a 16 bit installer. I have DOSbox and attempted to install Win 3.1x as advised however I cannot find a working installer of Win 3.1x anywhere. I have missed this game for over 5 years and would desperately like to replay it.

Windows 3x is not freeware. You'll have to look for a copy on eBay or some such. Additionally, since the game is 32-bits, it may not run on Win3x. I am not familiar enough with it to know if it will run on 3x with Win32s. Did you try Bladeforce's link above? If that does not work and if you have at least Win7 Pro, you could install XP Mode. If not, you best bet may be to buy a copy of Win9x and install it in a VM.

EllasDad wrote:

I am attempting to install Star Wars Rebellion on my Windows 64 bit system. The game itself is a 32 bit game, however the installer appears to be a 16 bit installer. I have DOSbox and attempted to install Win 3.1x as advised however I cannot find a working installer of Win 3.1x anywhere. I have missed this game for over 5 years and would desperately like to replay it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFgVjhyij6o

Hello, I am experiencing this problem with Croc: Legend of the Gobbos and Worms 2. The games have got a 16 bits installer, which makes things difficult. Can anyone help me to bypass this problem? I would be quite thankful if someone helped me with Croc at least. Thanks for reading.

Worms 2 certainly doesn't have a 16-bit installer. I've got the initial release and it installs fine under 64-bit.

Didn't Microsoft include a special compatibility layer for certain types of 16-bit installers under its 64-bit OSes?

Yes, that is discussed in the aforementioned reactos.org link. Evidently, said compatibility layer doesn't work all the time.

Haruka wrote:

The games have got a 16 bits installer, which makes things difficult. Can anyone help me to bypass this problem?

Perhaps you should be more specific about what led you to this conclusion?

I think that it is limited to certain 16-bit IS installers.

Hello, I am experiencing this problem with Croc: Legend of the Gobbos and Worms 2. The games have got a 16 bits installer, which makes things difficult. Can anyone help me to bypass this problem? I would be quite thankful if someone helped me with Croc at least. Thanks for reading.

Croc definitely doesn't have a 16 bit installer either.

One thing to look for is that some discs would start 32-bit installers from a 16-bit autorun program or another launcher. Simply installing from the main installer directly works in these cases.

1) Copy all files from the game cd to hdd directory.
2) Check the version of setup.exe (right click, properties, version).
3) For the 5.x versions copy this file and extract setup.exe.
4) For the 3.x versions copy this file and extract setup32.exe.
5) Run the new setup.exe/setup32.exe and install.
6) Go to the registry/game .ini and change all entries which include your hdd directory.
I use this method for 64-bit OS when I test my glide games collection. All is wirking perfectly except the 6) isn't always easy...

I thank for the replies, but a friend of mine managed to create me an alternative installer and it works fine now. Thank you for your availability. 😊