How well do Win3.1 apps run in Win2000?

If I can get Win2000 installed, I will have to keep a few Win3.1 applications around. Win32 replacements either don't exist or are too expensive.

 

I do not get it?
What is your problem?

 

The first problem is a successful install of Win2000. What I can do with Win2000 does not matter if I never get it installed in the first place.

But when and if it is up and running, I will need to continue using some Win3.1 applications that I now use in Win98. I hope I will not have to use dual boot, but that may be the price to pay.

 

Just off the top of my head, one problem that may crop up depends on how the software accesses any hardware. W2K doesn't like applications directly accessing hardware.

 

hotaru--Any reason for wanting to upgrade from Win98?
And if yes, why to Win2000?
WinXP has a compatibility mode procedure for running old apps. You access it by right clicking on the executable and go to Compatibility tab. I do not know if Win2000 has this.

 

Reasons to upgrade
1. My GDI resources are always low. Don't get me started on how much I hate GDI resources
2. Win98 barfs on RAM >=512M.
3. Win98 doesn't like really big hard drives.
4. FAT32 forces you to 8G max partition sizes unless you like wasting space with clusters the size of Texas. 4K is wasteful enough.
5. If I had a dollar for every time I have had to reboot 98 (regardless of the reason), I could buy out Disney.
6. Slowly but surely, hardware and software products that do interest me but do not run in Win98 are appearing.

Why 2000
1. To me, XP just looks like 2000 with more bloat and more eye candy, and a different set of security problems. May as well buy a used 2000 CD and download SP4.
2. Uncle Bill gets less access to my system in 2000.
3. You can change your system freely in 2000 without wondering if this change is the one that will finally deactivate you.

 

hotaru--You have put a lot of thinking into this, and it boils down to what will actually happen. And I do not know, since I never ran Win2000.
I hope someone with the experience you seek will join in.
The article below (see sixth paragraph) suggests that precisely because Win2000 has eliminated the GDI Resources limitations, it may not offer the needed compatibility to run old programs.
http://wittswallpapers.com/MyArtic/winresources.html
And low GDI Resources, also as stated in the article, are not necessarily a problem. Rather the problem often is with Windows memory management.
So, I do not know if WinXP is any better than Win2000 in running old programs, but I do know WinXP has the Compatibility mode for doing so.
http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/1474061

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...Windows/XP/all/reskit/en-us/prmb_tol_rjfi.asp

Finally, Win2000 is further along in its "life cycle" than is WinXP, but I believe you still get security updates free until sometime in 2010.
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2005/05/27/422721.aspx

 

This may or not help but I have some software that is designed for win 3.1/95/NT. Note the NT. Win 2000 is based on NT. Not saying there isn't any but I've never had a problem running older software as long as it was also for NT.

Other than that it's gonna be hit and miss. Some will and some won't.