It is valid and feasible to have as many as three different versions of QuickTime on a Windows 95- or Windows NT-based computer.
- QuickTime 2.1.2 16-bit
- QuickTime 2.1.2 32-bit
- QuickTime 3 or QuickTime 4
QuickTime 2.1.2 16-bit
Applications written to Windows 3.1 are 16 bit applications. QuickTime 2.1.2 16-bit was written for Windows 3.1. If you install an application that was written for Windows 3.1 and that application uses QuickTime, that application needs QuickTime 2.1.2 16-bit.
QuickTime 2.1.2 32-bit
Applications written for Windows 95/Windows NT generally take advantage of the 32-bit nature of Windows 95/Windows NT. QuickTime 2.1.2 32-bit was written for this environment. Applications written for the 32-bit nature of Windows 95/Windows NT that use QuickTime need QuickTime 2.1.2 32-bit.
QuickTime 3 and QuickTime 4
QuickTime 3 and QuickTime 4 contain an entirely different and new Application Programming Interface (API). Applications written for QuickTime 3 and QuickTime 4 do not work with QuickTime 2.1.2 (either 16- or 32-bit). They require QuickTime 3 or QuickTime 4 specifically. The QuickTime 3 and QuickTime 4 API for Windows 95/ Windows NT is a port of the Macintosh version of QuickTime 3 and QuickTime 4.
Example
Here is a scenario that requires all three versions of QuickTime on one computer:
- You have an application (such as a game or other media rich application) which was written to Windows 3.1 16-bit and uses QuickTime. (You must have QuickTime 2.1.2 16-bit installed on your system.)
- You have an application which was written as a 32-bit application using QuickTime. (QuickTime 2.1.2 32-bit must be installed on your system.)
- You have an application written to QuickTime 3. (QuickTime 3 must be installed on your system because the QuickTime 3 based application will not recognize earlier versions of QuickTime.)