older applications on newer systems

Please don't feed the trolls.

Message was edited by: beth.blakely@...

I'm sorry the only response you received was from a impolite and uneducated temporary member.

He is what we refer to as a Troll.
http://tinyurl.com/23t6rf

In answer to your question, older programs that were written prior to the introduction of the newer 64 bit systems will probably not work.
32 bit versions of Vista and XP both do have the capability to run programs in a simulated environment called Compatibility Mode but this will not overcome the problem presented by 16 bit programming.
And, yes, there are different versions of Vista and XP available and required for 32 and 64 bit systems.

I hope this answers your questions.