What are the apps? Can you share details? Are you sure it’s not the missing VB6 common controls DLLs (easily fixed with a download)?
I am an EE, by the way, and I routinely work on a very large system that has been optimized down to the “bare metal”, SIMD instructions, analysis for cache impact, etc. Lots of software at Microsoft is that way. For example, there was a team at MS that re-ordered fields in C structures within SQL Server to maximize what would fit in an x86 cache line. I’m working on hardware acceleration of data center apps currently. So the “whole world” hasn’t forgotten - just less people worried about that sort of thing as the hardware is so much more powerful. Only a very small number of companies have people developing software at that level - and the OS makers are one example.
BTW, there are many many PCB design packages written in this century and compatible with Windows 10. I know you’re retired, so it may not be practical to replace that aging copy of PCAD with Altium Designer, but just pointing out that you’re a bit of an exception.
Ah, I see your target resolution is finely tuned! ;-D I sort of pride myself in being an exception. I am also a tight wad.
I use Eagle for schematic capture and PCB layout. I use Alibre CAD/CAM. The heavy expenses are in the assortment of device programmer/debuggers for PICs, Atmels, Coldfires, as well as several CPLDs and FPGAs. That equipment is expensive and some of it is no longer on a ungrade path. All of if still programs modern ICs. I have a number of pieces of PC-tethered test equipment in the same boat.
It isn't practical to change all of that just now. My PC doesn't have enough gas to run some of the newer IDEs since they were goofy enough to write them in interpreted languages. I disagree with the entire .NET paradigm, and believe that native code is what should be used. Also, Microbloat is just unnecessary. It doesn't take 100 megabytes of code to do a 1 megabyte or less job. That stuff is simply unneeded creeping crud.
Microbloat and others need to return to the KISS principle. All software doesn't have to do everything.