From the March 2015 Issue of Prestwood eMag

Paradox Installation, Setup, & BDE: Install Paradox 9 on Windows 7 64bit By Mike Prestwood

Posted 13 years ago on 1/23/2011 Take Away: Paradox 9, 10, 11, etc. install easily on Windows 7! You do have to download WinHelp to get the Paradox help files to work properly. KB102247

Updated Saturday, May 20, 2017.

Step 1: Install Paradox

Run through the normal installation steps for Paradox 9 standard, developer edition, or WP Office 2000 Pro Edition. If you‘re installing WP Office Pro Edition, you can install the full suite or just Paradox (your choice).

Note: There are optional components you can also install (by default, they are not installed). Optional components include:

• Paradox ODBC driver - Great ODBC driver for ASP.Net, Delphi, etc.!!
• Delphi Add-On Kit
• SQL Links (Paradox to SQL servers such as MS SQL and Oracle)
• Paradox Web Forms
• more...explore the options especially if you‘re a Paradox developer.

After installation, open Paradox:

Step 2: Enable Paradox Help

Microsoft has shipped the Windows Help program since Windows 3.1 (the 32-bit version filename is WinHlp32.exe). Windows Help displays help files with a .hlp file name extension. Starting with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Microsoft no longer includes Windows Help. Microsoft made this decision because they have deprecated Windows Help and want to discourage its use in favor of their new help system. However, Windows Help is still available for download. 

Paradox 9 (and all versions of Paradox including Paradox 10 and 11) still ship with a Windows Help file. When running Windows 7, you will get the following dialog when you call for help:

Download WinHelp update:

To resolve this error, install Windows Help. Download from Microsoft.

For convenience, you can download these files from PrestwoodBoards:

• For 32bit Windows (Not for 64bit Windows.): WinHelp61x64.zip (685KB)
• For 64bit Windows (Use this one!): WinHelp61x64.zip (699KB)

Put unzipped file in a short path like C:\Temp\.

Step 3: Work with Windows 7  Application Virtualization

Application virtualization was introduced with Vista and creates application-specific copies of all shared resources. It separates the application configuration layer from the OS making deployment easier in some cases.

Application Virtualization Symptoms:

• Change your working directory to the default samples folder. (If you‘re in WPO 2000‘s Paradox 9, that directory is located at C:\Program Files\Corel\Shared\samples.) Create a form in Paradox and save it to that folder. Now go out to Windows Explorer and try to find the file, you can‘t because it‘s been virtualized for the specific instance of Paradox running and exists only for that application.
• One more example, create a form that exports a spreadsheet. In the Project Viewer, switch to the Custom View. You should see your spreadsheet in the Project View. Try to open the spreadsheet, you can‘t. Even though you can see it in the Project Viewer, application virtualization has made a copy of it specifically for Paradox. When the file is passed to Excel, Excel can‘t find it.

Solutions to defeat application virtualization:
If you want to make your application data available to multiple users of a single computer running Windows Vista, you can...

1. Place the data in a sub-folder of the Public folder.  Vista does not virtualize this folder and it is available to all users on a PC. 
2. You can also set the permissions on the files or folders you want to share to allow all users full permissions. For example, add Everyone to the Samples folder security with Full Control.
    
   This is the solutions I usually use for the default sample and other files:
   
    
3. Run Paradox as an Administrator (perhaps even deploy a manifest file).

By default, Paradox puts certain folders like the samples folder mixed in with the program files. You need to move those folders to a folder that is NOT virtualized such as your Public folder. If you don‘t, then you should at least be aware of what it does. Or, grant those folders full rights.

• Definition: Application Virtualization
• Definition: Windows Virtualization
• Tip: Application Virtualization and Sharing Data
• FAQ: Do I have to code for virtualization?
• Article: Application Virtualization - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

• Vista / Windows 7 and sendKeys

  SendKeys is a Windows feature that Paradox, Access, VB Classic and other older development environments make available with a programming command. Starting with Vista, Microsoft has disabled SendKeys by default -- a security precaution against hackers. Also, many antivirus programs will enforce the disabling of SendKeys. So, to use SendKeys going forward, you have to disable UAC and make sure your antivirus program does not enforce the disabling of SendKeys.

  sendKeys Tips:

  1. Use sendKeys as a last resort because sendKeys is and has never been super reliable. This is true not just for Paradox but also for other environments such as Access and VB Classic.  You almost always can find another way to accomplish the task.
  2. In place of {ENTER}, you can use a tilde ~.
  3. Use a False value for the optional wait parameter. Windows sometimes stops responding when the wait parameter is set to true (from the ObjectPAL help). The default is True so it is highly recommended to use False.
  4. You may want to try {delay 100} at the beginning of your string to tell ObjectPAL to delay a 10th of a second "between" keystrokes. 
  5. If you are using Paradox 9, make sure you upgrade to SP3 or SP4. Sendkeys does not work on at least the initial developer edition.
  6. For Vista/Win7, disable UAC.

  Here is a working example:

  method pushButton(var eventInfo Event)
  ;sendKeys("%FOTCustomer{ENTER}")
  sleep(50)
  sendKeys("{delay 50}%FOTCustomer~", False)
  sleep(50)
  endMethod

  I have found that the {delay 50} is required at least for Windows 7 64bit.

More Info

KB Post:	Can I install Paradox 10 or 11+ on Windows 7? Vista?
KB Post:	How to run Paradox for DOS on Vista
KB Post:	Install Paradox 9 on Windows 7, or even Vista!

Linked Message Board Threads

Comments 1 Comments. Share a thought or comment...

First Comment
Rutger.B	Comment 1 of 11 Is there someone who can share their original WPO 2002 Pro cd ? I am migrating to windows 7 but cannot find my install cd anymore. I do have an original license key. Thanks in advance. Posted 13 years ago

Anonymous

Comment 2 of 11 I just recently installed paradox 9 on a new windows 7 PC and when browsing my paradox files in windows explorer the right click function that used to bring up my utility choices (add, subtract etc etc) is no longer there. I need to actually open the file in paradox and go to tools, utility, and then select which function I want. This is time consuming and it also does not let you select multiple files to add and subtract from. Any solutions would be appreciated. --- Tony Posted 13 years ago

Anonymous

Comment 3 of 11 My Client uses a business application written in Paradox 4.0 running under Windows XP machine and now the application needs to be moved under Windows 7 64 bit in lieu of OS compliance. Can someone help me to get a Paradox version that can run under Windows 7 64 bit? Can I download a trial version before I purchase a licensed version? Your immediate response is highly appreciated. --- Jyotish Posted 13 years ago

Anonymous

Comment 4 of 11 How could I possibly install (or have available) the MICROSOFT PARADOX DRIVER in ODBC Data Sources in Windows 7 64 bit! Which is the easiest way to have this driver available so that I can set up my software (Delphi Tools / Access combination). MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE Evros --- Evros Michael Posted 12 years ago

Anonymous

Comment 5 of 11 How could I possibly install (or have available) the MICROSOFT PARADOX DRIVER in ODBC Data Sources in Windows 7 64 bit! Which is the easiest way to have this driver available so that I can set up my software (Delphi Tools / Access combination). MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE Evros evrosmic@hotmail.com --- EVROS MICHAEL Posted 12 years ago

DanHo

Comment 6 of 11 I have the same need. I have spent a great deal of time tracking this down. Any solution yet? I found my copy of the Paradox 9 Developer's Edition, but cannot figure out how to get it installed. danho@cox.net Posted 12 years ago

Anonymous

Comment 7 of 11 how can I distinguish 64 bit from 32 bit OS with Opal? Sysinfo does not make any clear difference between vista 32 and w7 64.thanks --- marco Posted 12 years ago

alan_doran

Comment 8 of 11 I cannot load Paradox 9 on Windows 7 64- bit. I get the following message:- File copy error: An unknown error has occurred(with version checking): C:_windows_system32_bdeadmin.cpl. Can you please tell me how to get round this? many thanks Posted 9 years ago

Anonymous

Comment 9 of 11 Thanks for all the great help getting my old Paradox applicaiton workingh on nwer versions of Winodws.  Today's issue is the Intersolv ODBC diver in Windows 10.  Paradox installed OK and with all the windows 7 tricks native Paradox is OK.  I've exhausted all the tricks I know that worked in wodnows 7 to get the ODBC driver working--mostly disabling any kind of security--and I cannot get the ODBC driver to work.  All attempts results in "[INTERSOLV][Paradox ODBC driver][Paradox] Network Initializatrion Failed]".  Any suggestions are appreciated. --- Walt Barnes Posted 8 years ago

Anonymous

Comment 10 of 11 I useed to use Paradox for windows back in early 1990s and really liked it.  I recently found some applications that I wanted to run and perhaps port to another DB program.  I'm running Windows 10 64 bit.  Is there any version of Paradox that can be setup to run under it?  From some comments above, the ODBC driver working would be great.  Please let me know if there is any path forward.  Thanks, Mark Rowland --- Mark Rowland Posted 8 years ago

Latest Comment
Mike Prestwood	Comment 11 of 11 Hi Mark, The funny thing, or good news, is that Paradox runs better on Windows 10 64bit than on Windows 7 and Paradox runs better on Win7 than Vista. Backwards compatibility is getting better with each version of Windows after Vista. So, use either Paradox 9, 10, or 11. Posted 8 years ago

 

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