Win11 vs Crystal Reports 32-bit

Get this ... am So surprised to get all these dinosaur "apps" (what they call software now?) working on Win8.1 and now on
Win11 laptop, forced to buy in order to continue to use H&B Block Tax software again:

1. Packrat Pro (PIM+ from pre-XP days)
2. Time$heet Pro 7 (last upgraded to win8.1)
3. Calendar Creator Plus (Broderbund software from win95 or before, upgraded since)
4. Juno internet & email, call logs preserved
5. Windows Fax & Scan, contacts preserved, not sure about logs (this was tough)
6. Windows Live Mail, contacts preserved, not sure about logs (this was tough)

BUT NOT what Timesheet Pro needs in order to see & print invoices = Crystal Reports
Have the disk, even made an ISO, changed compatibilities all .exe on CD, those copied to HDD
checked all explorer files & hideouts, even registry.
STRIKE OUT!
There is NO timesheet software out there that spoils one as much, have tried them all and own one or two contenders, only to think it best to continue with Timesheet Pro on an old XP laptop!?!?!? What a pickle.

SAP will sell Win11 upgrade for $350
but am screwed (no refunds & NO direct communications ... their "Chat" has only the powers of a butler)
if this version doesn't connect with Timesheet Pro, whose support/company doesn't respond (out of biz assumed).

I read everywhere that THIS TIME, MS Win11 promises to be compatitble with even dinosaur software that worked on some of the earliest Windows versions.
What gives?
What hiding place have we not skulked yet to get CR to work on Win11?

Sample error messages:
This version software cannot be loaded - check with vendor for proper version ....
CR print engine ... not found ... not loaded/started ....
Must install CR first ....

Win11 is available only as x64/64-bit but it still runs a lot of the same x86/32-bit programs that Win10 x64 will and even some from further back such as WinXP games [WinXP was x86 but the Pro version was also available as x64]. There are some that won't run but probably too old and forget 16-bit programs. I've run into CDs with installable programs that won't install with the autorun feature but would using the setup.exe file on the disc. One issue may be with the discontinuance of Internet Explorer 11 and earlier, I've a disc with IE 5 as part of the install and it doesn't install and no choice to avoid it.

Indeed, thanks for chiming in

Hello TGIV,

Did you resolve your issue? - I have the same and after over 25 years of using TSP I have megabytes of data that I refer to and I love the program. For the last year and a half I have been using a win xp machine that works but is terribly slow. I did have it working fine on win 10 but somehow the software fell apart when trying to print - I am not sure what triggered it. I am hoping you have solved the issue that so far has eluded me. Thanks for your thoughts.

One answer is to run Windows XP in a virtual machine. Ask in the virtual machines forum.

If everything except crystal reports runs on your Windows 11 system, then I think the first issue is that it uses a 16 bit installer.

Aaron Margosis posted a blog about this, and a complicated way of fixing it which involves a 32 bit Windows system and Process monitor and some fancy powershell scripting. I think it was about Crystal Reports.


Otherwise, the following attempts to answer the problem by dismantling the installer and figuring out how to run the 32 bit installer which does the registry settings.



The commonest issue is registering COM objects, but doing it without knowing what needs registering is tricky.

Which should suggest that the XP VM is probably a more straightforward choice.

Thank you, more avenues to try that I have not. I will let you know how they work.