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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Yes, they are a lot of work, I've tried them both (and neither worked)

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Then I think something must be corrupted in the BIAB installation. It may be some of the DLLs aren't in the right place, which might be fixable. Or it may be that some of the files are still corrupted despite you recovery. The "incompatible" popup could just as easily be caused by a corrupt executable that Windows just doesn't understand.

I think it is unlikely Windows is at fault if other things are running without a problem. So I don't think another factory reset will help.

You're probably going to have to resort to eBay or wait for the deals in December.

Andy

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Jack,

When you say that you tried all the compatibility modes, how did you 'try' them?

The file that they need to be used with is BBW.EXE -- did you right-click on this file, select properties and then select a compatibility mode?

It would also be worthwhile trying 256 colors and using 640 x 480 screen resolution -- this might help.

Regards,
Noel


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This is a long shot. I don't know if these files existed in your version. The fact that the program won't launch may be due to a corrupted configuration file(s).

Try this:

With BiaB shutdown, open your x:\bb\preferences\ folder. In that folder, rename the files intrface.bbw and Mysetup.dk (rename to anything, e.g. intrface_OLD.bbw).

(These files may be in the x:\bb\ folder depending on which version you have. You may need to search for the files: Mysetup.dk and intrface.bbw)

If you can find them, rename them.

Then try to start BiaB.

Good luck.


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HI

Indeed Video Track’s advise is good . so give it a go.
As far as running 16bit progs on W7 64 goes.
A 64 operating system on a 64 bit pc can run 32 bit programs
Normally windows put 64 prog In Program files and 32 bit programs in Program files 86, and runs them from there.
Biab does not use these locations and normally put all its self into C: bb

So the 32 bit BIAB will run fine from here on a 64 bit PC W7.
However a 16 bit program Al la BIAB version 10, will have to be run in compatibility mode with at least XP.
It would also need to be installed in a 16bit compatibility mode as well, as the 16bit installer wont work in 32 bit mode. (don’t ignore this point).

Just some more thoughts on all this.
Mike


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Also, make sure you did not install it to either of the "Program Files" folder location; Windows puts special protections on those folders that keep BIAB from running properly (mainly because BIAB wants to write back to its folder, whereas apps installed in "Program Files" generally write back to the registry instead.

Again, I'll try to install it this weekend and see what happens. But I agree. Version 10 is waaaaaayyyyyy old (the latest patch for it is from June 2001). It's come so much farther since then.


John

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This is all too much for me to comprehend, I'm just going to give up on it all.

Thank you all for your help.

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Originally Posted By: JackGreen18
This is all too much for me to comprehend, I'm just going to give up on it all.

Thank you all for your help.

Well, we tried.
If you still wish to use BiaB, I suggest to wait until December and visit the PG Music web site. There may be some good pricing offers available.

You will also be impressed with the number of excellent new features that have been included since your version.


BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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I just went through my old versions of BIAB and tried to install onto Windows 7 64-bit. It went as expected.

You cannot even install versions 8, 9, 10, and 11. They are 16-bit apps and will just not work on 64-bit Windows. That's why you get the error that it is incompatible with the version of Windows.

Version 12 will appear to install correctly (apparently the installer is 32-bit), however, it will not actually run BBW.EXE (because the main BIAB program is 16-bit).

Version 2004 is the first version that you can install and and should run in a 64-bit Windows 7 environment, but it didn't (at least initially). After a reboot, however, it did launch and seems to work. Also, as I recall, some of the add-in programs won't work, because they remained 16-bit.

From the BIAB 2004 user manual:

Quote:
All New 32-bit Program Engine
Previous versions of Band-in-a-Box were a combination of 16-bit and 32-bit
code. The new program is rebuilt with a 32-bit-clean engine. Program
operations are much faster, including up to 3 times faster notation redraws, song
and soloing generation. Playback timing is improved and rock-solid with all
versions of windows, including the newest XP and Media Center operating
systems. The GUI is enhanced with floating/dockable toolbars.


BIAB 2004 is also when we got DXi support, which allowed direct rendering of MIDI to WAV file.

That's where I stopped testing.


John

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Well after all the info we provided I hope Jack decides to join the family. Version 10 is really useless in this day and age.


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Originally Posted By: JackGreen18
Probably a stupid question (I have no shortage of those) but is it possible to purchase older versions of Band In A Box?

I was using version 10 until my computer crashed, now it's back online but the program just won't work anymore. My only option seems to be to repurchase the software, but at the moment I couldn't even afford the basic 2019 version.

So, is it possible to purchase older versions? Or am I just going to have to scrimp and save?


Hi all

What a waste of time this has all been.
I don’t see how the case stated in the opening post can be so.

It appears it never could have worked, unless we are really talking about version 2010.

Lots of folk spent lots of time on this, and I’m sure we can all accept what John says from his extensive test.
Version 10 don’t and never did work in this situation.

So where are we now?
Just what are we trying to deal with here?

Mike
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I knew that as well.Right at the start. Trying to be nice.

Last edited by silvertones; 10/17/19 07:45 AM.

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I also got hung up when he said it used to work on Win7 64-bit; I didn't see how that was possible, other than running it in a Windows XP VM (which I suggested, and which I have previously done successfully). So I tested it and confirmed my initial suspicions.


John

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Originally Posted By: jford
I also got hung up when he said it used to work on Win7 64-bit; I didn't see how that was possible, other than running it in a Windows XP VM (which I suggested, and which I have previously done successfully). So I tested it and confirmed my initial suspicions.


John, if I remember correctly I did have some 16 bit programs work in 64 bit Win 7 when I updated XP to Win 7. After a while I was having problems so I formatted the drive, installed Win 7 and then the programs would not load. There must have been something in the registry that allowed these program to run that was taken out when I did a fresh Win 7 install. I'm fairly sure about this but as I have CRS and this happened awhile ago I may be wrong.


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She got 8 out of 10.
The other 2 jumped out of the way!

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From everything I've read, 64-bit Windows will not run 16-bit applications, because the 64 bit version of Windows does not include NTVDM (NT Virtual DOS Machine) or any support for a 16 bit subsystem. You can set up NTVDM to run in a 32-bit version using a virtual machine, or something like DOSBOX or vDOS, or enabling and installing NTVDM on a 32-bit version of Windows.

Perhaps your initial upgrade to Win7 was 32-bit?

I have generally used XPMode (which is a Virtual Machine version of WinXP) to run the 16-bit Windows apps (but not all of them work). They took XPMode out of Windows 10 when they released it.


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Not too many folks used the 64-bit version of Windows 7.


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Originally Posted By: Mike Head

What a waste of time this has all been.
I don’t see how the case stated in the opening post can be so.

It appears it never could have worked, unless we are really talking about version 2010.

Lots of folk spent lots of time on this, and I’m sure we can all accept what John says from his extensive test.
Version 10 don’t and never did work in this situation.


So I'm a liar as well, am I? I'm so sorry to have wasted your time time, Mike, as well as everyone else's. Seeing as though I no longer have the software, I guess there's no point me being here, especially when I now feel unwelcome.

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For goodness sake no one is calling anyone anything just trying to make some sense of all this.

Despite all that has been said here I am running an old windows 95/98 copy of Yamaha XG Works 3 (daw) that was updated to XP when I was running windows XP.

When I bought my W7 64 for BIAB Yamaha xg works would not install under any compatibility mode (not surprising ) as even the installer would not run.
However it soon got around the Yamaha Forums that if you had an installed copy on an old Microsoft XP build you could move the whole Yamaha folder to as under.
Note I made myself way back then:

These programs will not install in W7 even under compatibility modes.
Use this pre installed copy just copy the whole folder
To program files (x86) in W7.
Also copy font file to windows fonts.
Mike Head 16-7-12.


And don’t forget the music font from the old machine,

Since that time left undisturbed in its own folder it has run in both W7 64 and is currently running in W10 64 tonight.

I am beginning to wonder if this may be the answer but you would need a working installed copy of BIAB version 10 complete in its folder from the windows OS that supported it.
Maybe this in fact this is what you may have got from Ebay originally with instruction to copy to rather than install.

Mike


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I have OCCASIONALLY seen clean retail copies on eBay that could be purchased and upgraded saving pretty substantial bucks. On the other hand there are lots of dodgy sources on eBay selling pirated good, "refurbished" versions with eDelivery. I'm amazed PG Music and other legitimate publishers don't go after eBay and make them halt this practice. I suspect a lot of unwitting purchasers send money to these clown only to find that they can't register their software once they've download it.


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Sometimes your local brick and mortar music store or online stores like Sweetwater or AMS will have an older retail version of Band-in-a-Box left over when the new stuff is released. Typically it will be a boxed version of the Pro or Mega PAK released on DVD media with the serial number printed on a sticker attached to the white, DVD protective sleeve.

+++ HERE +++ is an example for a boxed version of the 2018 Band-in-a-Box for Mac Pro PAK.


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