Leaderboard

I don't really understand your aversion for desk bands. A simple web search brings up lots of posts of people asking how they can bring back desk band support on Windows 11. StartAllBack is a perfect solution for this, except for the missing ITrayDeskBand implementation. If you could nevertheless still implement the interface, I would happily donate some money to the project. If the source code would be available, I would probably even implement it myself.

I don't use Chrome-Dome and spell checkers don't always catch errors especially in titles. Since you don't have anything "constructive" to add, run along.

I would go to a good eye doctor if a misspelled word brothers you that much !

After months of inactivity, I've finally tried running new versions of Microsoft 365 on Windows 8.1. I managed to install v2507 (the latest beta) on Windows 8.1. This is the 30th post-EOL version that can run on Windows 8.1 without an Extended Kernel (EOL: 2301, no ESU program). Windows 8.1 definitely benefits from newer APIs compared to Windows 7. Proof: imgur.com/a/microsoft-365-latest-on-windows-8-1-QKaEJhG

I saw I had to use Supermium for websites that are "too new" for Serpent/newmoon (avif support, etc.).

So yesterday LibreOffice launched v25.8, which will be released in August this year. As anticipated, this version will drop support for Windows 7 and 8.1. Nonetheless, I was curious if it will work on these OS. On Windows 7 it does not work, since Windows 7 doesn't support Python 3.9+. You will receive the error "api-ms-win-core-path-l1-1-0.dll" is missing. I used VxKex, which fixes that error, however another dependency from Windows 8+ is missing On Windows 8.1, Alpha 1 works without any errors. I copied the folder from another Windows 10 install and I could launch Writer, Calc, Office... Here, Windows 8.1 definitely benefits from higher Python support and newer APIs

Because it is literally nonsense to have two (maybe even three in a few months) ESR branches running at the same time. What was the reason for not supporting Windows 7 and 8.1 till Firefox 128 and then migrate them to the ESR chanel, when 115 ESR and 128 ESR will probably have the same EOL date? Users of older operating systems could have profited from the features introduced between 115-128 as well. Let's say Firefox 115 ESR will be extended for another 6 months -> you are patching an older version instead of a newer one with better Web Standards. Makes no sense for me. I give you another example: Microsoft not releasing IE10/11 for Windows Server 2008 SP2 was such a dumb idea, since IE9 does not feature the same HTML5/CSS standards as IE11. While these two browser version were released 2 years apart from each other, Microsoft could have ported it back for 2008 SP2 as well but they didn't. Up to this day, they continue to support IE9 on 2008 SP2 (with Premium Assurance) but it makes no sense, since you cannot browse the web with that version anymore. Most sites do not render correctly etc. IE11 would have been a huge advantage for the remaining users in literally any way possible To conclude, it is always better to have a more up-to-date version because of newer in-build web technologies. If I would have to choose, I would always pick the newer branch for my older OS

I’ve provided a detailed account here for anyone seeking more answers. https://msfn.org/board/topic/183465-windows-7-extended-kernel/page/8/#findComment-1276105

I am the guy behind i486 handle and the following repository https://github.com/i486/VxKex Here are the facts and timeline about VxKex: July 22, 2024 The account of vxiiduu (the original author of VxKex) and all of their repositories, including VxKex, were wiped for unknown reasons. This led to various rumors in different communities. Some suggested it was due to a ban by Microsoft, while others suspected malware or other issues. Around the same time, someone created fake repositories and began impersonating vxiiduu. They added a fake changelog, fake supported applications, their own Bitcoin donation address, and even claimed they were planning to release "VxKex 2.0." Fake repositories: https://github.com/VxKex/VxKex https://github.com/vxiiduu1/VxKex BTC Donation Fake changelog July 22 2024 Later that day, vxiiduu revealed that he had intentionally wiped their online presence (including Github) due to being doxxed. He clarified that the doxxing was unrelated to VxKex or any computer-related matters. I (i486) independently confirmed this information. July 23, 2024 vxiiduu confirmed that they had no connection to the fake repositories. I and many others reported these fake repositories to GitHub. At this point, I made the decision to upload the original VxKex installers and source code to my own repository, aiming to preserve the project and provide a space for users to discuss VxKex and download the authentic installers. To ensure I had the most accurate data, I used Software Heritage to obtain a complete bare clone of the original VxKex repository. A few days later, the fake repositories were archived and eventually deleted. It’s unclear if this was due to our reports or if the impersonator deleted them themselves. October 10 2024 vxiiduu silently released VxKex 1.1.2.1428 on a Discord channel they’ve always used for discussions about VxKex and Windows. November 2024 The impersonator exploited GitHub’s policy of reusing handles 90 days after deletion. They registered vxiiduu’s old handle and created another fake VxKex repository under the original URL. They included a fabricated story about taking care of a sick mother and added another Bitcoin donation address. November 9 2024 Vxiiduu confirms there is no connection between his previous GitHub handle and the recently created fake repository. Around December 2024 I discovered that vxiiduu had silently released a new version of VxKex on Discord back in October, and the impersonator had returned as well. Since vxiiduu has not returned to GitHub, and only a few Chinese sites and one fork were aware of the new VxKex 1.1.2.1428 release, I felt it was important to update my repository. I also thought it was a good opportunity to ensure people knew about the fake repository to avoid potential harm and future infections, especially given that my repository has the most followers and a place for a discussion. The original repository's URL now belongs to an impersonator, and the new version still contains links pointing to the now fake repository. To solve this issue, I initially replaced the fake repository references in the source code and compiled a new version. However, I decided against this approach to avoid any skepticism about the binary changes. Instead, I chose to hex-edit the references in binaries and repack the installer. This way, when you compare my binaries with the original setup files from vxiiduu’s Discord, the only difference you’ll find is the GitHub link – everything else remains the same. It’s worth mentioning that the fake repository isn’t only referenced in the copyright field; there's also a "Report Bug" button in the VxKex options that links to the fake repository. I felt it was critical to address this issue. December 22, 2024 I updated my repository with the source files from the new version and released VxKex 1.1.2.1428 with a warning about the impersonator and their fake repository. The impersonator responded to being called-out by pushing various changes to their repository. At one point, it was like this: Now it says that my repository is the fake one and contains malware. You can read more details in this issue thread: https://github.com/i486/VxKex/issues/43 Hope these clears things up. If something is not clear, please ask i'll try to answer. And of course, I'd greatly appreciate if anyone here could report the impersonator/fake repo to Github. ...

Well, that really is news. BTW, did I mention that I have over 38 years of DOS and over 32 years of Windows experience? The registry is so to speak my home. And where do you live?

You can assume whatever comes to your mind. I couldn't care less. I have had negative experiences, and that was not so long ago (only a month). Therefore, there cannot and will not be any anecdotes here.

I know that these settings are not just there for fun. I lost nearly all my installed extensions at the beginning of my tests with Thorium due to these registry settings. I'm not going to play around with it again. I have installed 14 extensions. Not all are enabled, of course. Some of them are permanently enabled and some only on demand.

You are using a different version of Thorium than mine. Yours is an SSE4 release, mine is the SSE2 variant. And why do you have two icons with uBlock Origin in your browser? Strictly according to the motto twice is better?

Thorium SSE2 122.0.6261.168 WINXP x32, which is actually the version 122.0.6261.169, stores extension settings in the registry. That you cannot replicate it is unfortunately not my problem. And I don't believe that this version does it only for me. Or do you think I created all these entries by myself just to confuse you? Here is a screenshot:

I'm sorry, I'd want to see a technical explanation.

And if I don't use 32 apps? Everything else fine?

Do you have an option "Allow memory remap", it usually helps, otherwise I agree, it's a bug in Windows 7, not the case with Vista, weirdly enough.

Could you please describe in details? What did you mean "kill Vista"?