Windows 7 compatibility issue

[Kenneth Brody]

On 9/3/2013 2:36 PM, Coleman, Don wrote:
> Long-time client with relatively new fP user suddenly cannot start her fP
> application.  When starting either my app. directly or even P.EXE,
> Windows 7 issues the following error:
>
> "This program or feature cannot start or run due to incompatibility with
> 64-bit versions of Windows"
>
> I configured this work station for fP myself last year when it was
> replaced by their I.T. vendor (formerly an XP machine).  It has run fP
> w/o issue until today.  Client is not aware of any changes made to this
> machine since she last used her fP application (this past Friday).  Any
> idea what may have changed or been changed to suddenly cause this?  To
> avoid possible changes made to the shortcut, I had her try starting the
> fP app. directly from her network drive (bypassing the shortcut) and
> starting P.EXE directly, both now cause the incompatibility error.  At
> the moment I cannot confirm the version of fP since I cannot start fP,
> but know it is either v4.8 or v5.0 because I use the PFPOSTPRINT feature
> in conjunction with PrintWizard.

Is there more to that message?

If you are trying to run an ancient MS-DOS version of p.exe for some reason 
(still supported by 32-bit Windows, but not supported by 64-bit Windows), 
then you would get a popup with something like this:

==========

---------------------------
Unsupported 16-Bit Application
---------------------------
The program or feature "\??\c:\appl\fp.old\P.EXE" cannot start or run due to 
incompatibity with 64-bit versions of Windows. Please contact the software 
vendor to ask if a 64-bit Windows compatible version is available.

---------------------------
OK
---------------------------

==========

Now, as to why it would have worked and now doesn't, perhaps you have two 
copies of p.exe on your system, and something changed to cause Windows to 
now run the "wrong" version.  I have heard of some anti-virus programs 
picking up p.exe as "infected" for some reason, and silently 
deleting/quarantining it.


-- 
Kenneth Brody