Install AutoCAD LT 2000 on 64bit Windows 7 and 8

Install AutoCAD LT 2000 on 64bit Windows 7 and 8

I had a hard time installing AutoCAD LT 2000 on 64bit Windows 7 computer at work due to computer upgrade. It won’t install out of the box.

The root problem in installing is that AutoCAD 2000 has an ancient 16bit installer that won’t run on 64bit Windows. AutoCAD itself is 32bit and works once installed.

I did some research and found that I’m not the only one with the problem. One common suggestion to get AutoCAD working is installing a virtual machine called Windows XP mode from Microsoft. It would have been too slow and clumsy to use.

Another possible solution is commercial Longbow converter. I only happened to find that one after I got my AutoCAD running.

Solution

All thanks to my solution belongs to this post on Autodesk forums. What I did was make install script that basically does automatically the steps on that guide. Then I made a new modified installation CD for future use. I won’t share you the whole CD, but the files and easy guide needed to make one yourself with your own CD.

The installation

1. Copy contents of the installation CD to your hard drive.
2. Download the installation files and extract the contents in the directory containing AutoCAD CD contents. When extracting, overwrite the existing files.
3. Now burn that directory to a CD and you have a new install CD to use (or you can install AutoCAD straight from the hard drive).
4. Start the installation by running WIN7-INSTALL.bat (or WIN7-INSTALL-FI.bat for finnish install instructions) and follow the instructions on the command prompt that opens up.
5. The just made installation CD has Default programs editor in WIN7-Default_Programs_Editor\ directory. Use that to give .DWG and .DXF files fancy icons.
6. Have fun using AutoCAD! Remember: Do not expect it to work seamlessly on all conditions. It is a really old program on a new operating system and has it’s glitches. In my case the ups were bigger than the downs.