Users often ask, “Can I play a Win-98 compatible game in Windows 7 or 8?”

Playing old games in Windows 7 or 8 is a possibility. How easy or hard it is going to be depends on how old your favorite game is and whether you use a 32- or 64-bit operating system.

If the game you want to play was made specifically for Windows 8, you may well be able to play it in new operating systems. However, playing games that were launched before Windows 98 in certain new operating systems may prove mighty difficult if not impossible.

With Windows 95, Windows became 32-bit (originally it came only in 16-bit). All the latest Windows versions, including Win 8, are released in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. With some tweaking, you may be able to play a 16-bit game in 32-bit Windows 8, 7, or Vita. However, the choices are very limited for users with a 64-bit Windows 8, 7, or Vista.

To know whether you run a 32- or 64-bit Windows 8, perform these steps:

• Click Search
• Type System
• Select Settings, and then System

Check out the information listed in the System field as the answer to your question lies there.

Similarly, users with Windows 7 can find the answer by clicking Start, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.

To run the file in a 32-bit Windows operating system, first right-click the executable file and then click Properties. Next click Compatibility, tick the box next to Run this program in the compatibility mode, and choose an appropriate option in the list before you.

If you use Windows 7 Ultimate or Professional (64-bit), to play an old game, you should install the Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode. This will allow you to run a copy of 32-bit XP operating system in a virtual environment. You can try running your game in XP mode here.

Sadly this option is not available to users with 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home, Vista, and Windows 8. Such users can install another free virtual machine program and run a copy of old Windows operating system in it.

Users with 64-bit version of Windows 8 Ultimate or Pro can create a virtual environment using the built-in Hyper-V. However, remember that you are also going to need a licensed copy of Windows XP.

The options vary from operating system to operating system and to a great measure depend on whether your operating system is 32- or 64-bits. However one thing remains the same across different windows operating systems: you must install a reliable, compatible antivirus tool to ward off security threats.