ok now i've found a "easy to use" version 🤣 its called D-Box and its gotten farther than i could but im still running into problems
this is what it says in the DOSbox window after D-Box tries to run the disc

Z:\>mount c "E:\SIMTOWER"
Drive C is mounted as local directory E:\SIMTOWER\

Z:\>mount d "E:\" -t cdrom
MSCDEX installed.
Drive D is mounted as CDRom E:\

Go go go!

Z:\>c:

C:\>-c
Illegal command: -c

but this gets me to the "C:\>" step i cant get to on my own which then i try these commands to try to get the game to run but this happens

C:\>simtower>simtower
This program needs to be run under Microsoft Windows

C:\>simtower>simtower.exe
This program needs to be run under Microsoft Windows

C:\>simtower>setup.exe
This program needs to be run under Microsoft Windows

still not getting it

The answer is pretty obvious, as the message states it literally: the program needs to be run in Windows. It is not a DOS program. DOSBox is intended to run DOS programs, not Windows programs (although it is possible to install Windows 3.1 inside DOSBox).

finally got it figured out i think but still running into issues :(
so i've entered this and this is what happens

Z:\>mount c c:/DOSbox
Drive C is mounted as local directory c:/DOSbox\

Z:\>c:

C:\>cd games

C:\GAMES>cd simtow

C:\GAMES\SIMTOW>setup.exe
This program requires Microsoft Windows

and i've went in and changed the setup file and unchecked the "read only" option in the properties

also tried opening it from the disc again

Z:\>mount E E:/ -t cdrom
MSCDEX: Mounted subdirectory: limited support
Drive E is mounded and CDRom E:/\

Z:\>e:

E:\>setup.exe (then it just automatically enters the next line for me after i hit enter)

E:\>win SETUP.EXE
Illegal command: win.

E:\>

thank you caption obvious i know i cant run the program under DOSbox hence posting how do i solve this problem i've been sitting here for 3 hours trying to run different commands getting the same results

You can't. That's what it's trying to tell you... It's telling you the problem: don't try to run this game In DOS or DOSBox. Blindly entering more commands in DOSBox isn't going to change that. So close DOSBox and just run the setup file directly from Windows explorer. If that refuses to run it (which happens if this is a 16bit program being run on Vista or XP 64bit) then you'll need another Windows install. As I said you can install Windows 3.1 inside DOSBox (or MS Virtual PC or some other virtualisation software).

If the message is so obvious to you, why do you just ignore it and keep trying like a headless chicken?

ok then if im not doing something wrong with DOSbox then i need a windows 95 OS to install the game, i've been seeing stuff about a virtual pc which its "sometimes" supports windows 95, i tried downloading the virtual pc software and i cant install it so im at a loss

did you try right clicking the setup.exe and running it under compatibility i assume you tryied running by Just clicking on it and it would not run. i'v got 95 err
a games to runn under xp and Windows 7

zak ill make it easy for you
"DO NOT USE DOSBOX"
SIM TOWER NEEDS WINDOWS NOT DOS

read this:
http://www.ntcompatible.com/thread31793-1.html

z_a_k wrote:

i tried downloading the virtual pc software and i cant install it so im at a loss

Did you download Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 from here? That's the one you need. You may have gotten to the VPC beta for Windows 7, which will be useful in the future, but is not what you need now.

it runs fine under xp you just need the win-G files, wavmix16.dll and you need to create a wavemix.ini file