KernelEx 4.5.2

[CyberyogiCoWindler]

For me, the most important software BY FAR to get to work on Windows 98 is Opera, followed by K-Meleon and Adobe Flash. No other software is important to me. Maybe the project would demand less time If the developer(s) focused on these programs only, especially Opera.

To me fixing Firefox 4 will be most crucial once Firefox 3 will finally become discontinued. (Or is it impossible to run version 4 on AMD K6-3+@550 MHz ???)

Edited May 14, 2011 by CyberyogiCoWindler

[Lipper]

What is the correct process when updating KernelEx?

Do we just un-install reboot then install the newest?

I don't know for sure, but I installed over 4.5, rebooted as prompted and it seems to be working OK.

Glad it's still working, still be interested to know the correct method though.

Both methods are correct

Thank you for confirming.

[Vehudis]

Hi Xeno86,

please could you answer PM, that I sent you a few months ago?

[loblo]

Print preview and print with "Acrobat Distiller" (from Acrobat 5) or "Adobe PDF" (from Acrobat 6 Pro) seem both to work correctly without issues here.

[Xeno86]

Also I've noticed some of you (M()zart and Spunker88) started to add some new entries to the WIKI which is nice and welcomed by me. But I've also got some suggestions for you.

@M()zart

Mind checking your dictionary "user interface is c...ped" doesn't look nice in the wiki

@Spunker88

Try to be more descriptive (VLC)

@Everyone

When you add an entry, try filling all entires in the infobox - including a screenshot and an icon.

I've fixed the Infobox today which was broken since I upgraded MediaWiki.

The list of compatible applications (Compatibility database) should now automatically update when you add new entries.

[herbalist]

Xeno86,

Could you be a bit more specific regarding "stalled"? I'm hoping that this means that you need a break from it or are short on time ATM, and that stalled doesn't mean stopped, done, or abandoned. Your KernelEX combined with Revolutions Pack have made 98 into an excellent and stable OS that far exceeds anything that MS ever did for it. IMO, they've made 98 just as much a viable alternative to the current versions of Windows as Linux is, without the need to learn an OS all over again.

[Steven W]

Just tried Sumatra PDF 1.5.1 portable, noticed that if I opened a PDF once, the program crashes, open it again it renders fine. If I change KernelEx compatibility to Win2k SP4, it works fine. It has something to do with the creation of (or adding entries to) sumatrapdfprefs.dat that occurs in the folder with SumatraPDF.exe when Sumatra opens a file.

Edited May 22, 2011 by Steven W

[CharlesF]

Pdf Writer, is displayed as a printer and I don't know where to find it.

Xeno86,

I have done a search with Filemon in Maxthon, and I've found 4 files running for PDFWriter:

PDFWIN32.DLL

PDFWRITR.INI

PDFWLIB.DLL

PDFWRITR.DRV

Unfortunately, the only one with a KernelEx (compatibility) tab is PDFWIN32.DLL.

If I disable KernelEx extensions for this Dll (and reboot), it doesn't avoid the crash.

For the 'Print preview', I don't know if there is a specific Dll that could be targeted.

Yet no idea for the Print preview.

Edited May 24, 2011 by CharlesF

[jds]

@Spunker88

Try to be more descriptive (VLC)

Encouraged by this report about VLC, I downloaded and installed version 1.1.9 and it worked just fine on my P3 machine with KernelEx default mode. So, nothing particular seems to be required, other than having KernelEx 4.5.1 installed.

Then I tried to do the same on my P2 machine (with P3CPU.VXD and FineSSE23.exe installed) but although it installs and initializes its font cache OK, it crashes when trying to display any video (no error message).

Joe.

[Usher]

Encouraged by this report about VLC, I downloaded and installed version 1.1.9 and it worked just fine on my P3.

[...]

Then I tried to do the same on my P2 machine (with P3CPU.VXD and FineSSE23.exe installed) but although it installs and initializes its font cache OK, it crashes when trying to display any video (no error message).

You should try to install VLC on Pentium II without P3CPU etc. You don't need these extensions for any application that I know. Newer apps are compiled for i686 architecture and it starts from Pentium Pro, see i686 processors list.

[jds]

You should try to install VLC on Pentium II without P3CPU etc. You don't need these extensions for any application that I know. Newer apps are compiled for i686 architecture and it starts from Pentium Pro, see i686 processors list.

Well, P3CPU and FineSSE only come into play when an invalid instruction exception occurs. However, just for completeness, I temporarily removed these and tried VLC 1.1.9 again on the P2.

Unfortunately, same result. The main GUI appears and seems functional, but when a video is loaded, the player window appears for a fraction of a second, before VLC comes crashing down without any sort of error message (on restart, VLC says that it just crashed and offers to send a report).

So with KernelEx, I can get VLC 1.0.3 to work fine on my P2 (except that two colours are swapped, yuk!), but not VLC 1.1.9. Yet on my P3, VLC 1.1.9 works great. It may not be a CPU issue, but I wonder if anyone else has managed to get VLC 1.1.9 to work on a P2 (with KernelEx)?

Joe.

PS. Well, perhaps it is a CPU thing after all. All versions 1.1.* seem to have the same problem on my P2. And occasionally, FineSSE does report an illegal instruction : 63881DCD:0F AE F8 0F 77 8B 44 24:SFENCE =>90 90 90 0F 77 8B 44 24

Edited June 2, 2011 by jds

[jds]

KernelEx-4.5-Final causes a GPF when the DR-DOS 7.03 "lock.exe" utility exits :

LOCK caused a general protection fault

in module LOCK.EXE at 0001:000001ee.

Registers:

EAX=01b70000 CS=57a7 EIP=000001ee EFLGS=00000246

EBX=17bf0228 SS=579f ESP=00001a7c EBP=00001a7e

ECX=004d579f DS=579f ESI=00000000 FS=5797

EDX=16d7022d ES=579f EDI=00000538 GS=0000

Bytes at CS:EIP:

ff 1e e4 01 ff 1e e8 01 ff 76 04 90 0e e8 c8 fe

Stack dump:

1a880532 00000212 00000000 00b21a91 000057a7 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 1aac1aa1 1aa0000a 00001adc 1adc1aa1 00000000 1aa00004 1e940000

If you need a copy of this "lock.exe" utility (to reproduce this problem), DR-DOS 7.03 can be obtained ...

Well, a new clue : This errant behaviour is not present in KernelEx 4.0-Final2, but is present in 4.5-Beta2 and 4.5-RC1 and all subsequent "4.5" versions.

Joe.

PS. Hey, today this problem is gone! I applied the Unofficial Q932590 hotfix yesterday, so that must have done the trick!

Edited June 1, 2011 by jds

[rainyd]

Xeno, I'm really pleased that you've released 4.5.1 version.

Finally, it was possible for me to install and successfully run VLC Player 1.1.9 - then, I've updated it to the most recent 1.1.10 version.

Also some small glitches with one or two programs has disappeared.

Btw, I would like to know (like others as I guess) there's chance for next update in upcoming months?

Edited June 6, 2011 by rainyd

[schwups]

Has somebody already installed Java 6 Update 26? The msi install with an error: Javaw has caused an error in JVM.DLL. Javaw will now close.

It seems that the silent install of Java 26 doesn't run for me no more. 

Simply changing the two files (Javaw and JVM.DLL) to version 25 doesn't help.

[rainyd]

Yes, I've installed successfully update 26 using a silent mode.

Edited June 10, 2011 by rainyd