Separate application from data
- Identify DOS versus 16-bit Windows executable and original OS.
- Inventory database files, engines, drivers, configuration and locations.
- Preserve installer media, runtimes and a disk image of any working system.
- Use an isolated emulator or virtual machine to observe workflows where lawful and safe.
- Test direct read-only extraction without requiring the old UI.
Select the recovery path
| Data healthy | Extract and migrate with schema and semantic validation. |
|---|---|
| Runtime missing | Reconstruct only enough environment to inspect/export. |
| Behavior still required | Capture requirements and plan a replacement. |
Use 16-bit replacement, DOS database recovery, data recovery and the database pillar.