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Last versions of software for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008


WinClient5270

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1 hour ago, jumper said:

> "webkit.exe - Entry Point Not Found"
Use DependencyWalker to check both webkit.exe and Msvcrt.dll for _resetstkoflw.

(answers.microsoft.com)
 

I'll do that soon.

It appears that Avant browser probably has a rollback for an XP-specific version of Chromium and Vista uses the 7+ version, maybe. It would explain why Windows XP did not give a single error message but Vista had an endless, hysterical cycle that required ending the process tree.

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@~♥Aiko♥Chan♥~

Avant Browser is actually a tri-core browser (much like Lunascape): 

1. It can use the Trident rendering engine of the OS available Internet Explorer version; on fully updated Vista SP2, that would be IE9.
2. It can use Mozilla Firefox (Gecko) rendering engine.
3. It can use Chromium (webkit) rendering engine.

Their downloads page offers choices for fetching the Lite version (Trident engine only) or the Ultimate version, with all 3 engines; that last one is also available in a USB (portable) flavour...

I suspect the version you tested under Vista was the "ultimate" one... As you said, gecko.exe in latest AB build (2019 build 2, 5.18.2019) is of version 66.0.5.7070, based on Quantum 66 code, thus incompatible with Vista (and XP, of course...); if you try to manually launch gecko.exe, you'll get a "not a valid Win32 application". So the Gecko rendering engine CAN'T be used in Vista... :(

The WebKit engine is of version 74.0.3729.131 and, unlike the case of Chinese browsers, isn't patched for XP (and Vista) compatibility; if you try to manually launch webkit.exe under Vista, you get "The procedure entry point TryAcquireSRWLockExclusive could not be located in the dynamic link library KERNEL32.dll"; in other words, that engine too is incompatible with Vista...

From the above one can easily conclude only the Trident engine is usable under Vista; the frontend (GUI) of Avant Browser does run under Vista, but somehow the browser defaults to the Chromium web engine, with the behaviour you reported; but the GUI behind the error pop-ups is still responsive and one can use the Options wizard to set the default RE to IE9 standards:

mJmiNND.jpg

After that setting, you can properly launch AB under Vista and it will use Trident (IE9), but, and Vista users are already aware, IE9's engine is pretty dismal when it faces the web standards of 2019; our own MSFN Vista subforum is rendered very poorly: 

18or4B9.jpg

And because webkit.exe is still being called by the AB GUI (for several secondary functions), when you exit AB (even when Trident is the default RE), you're still gonna get webkit related popups, which you'll have to kill via Task Manager... :angry:

Summary: Avant Browser under Vista? A lost cause, TBH; only the Lite version can be installed and properly launched, but I see no real reason to, as you're in essence just getting a "re-skinned" IE9 with all its shortcomings with regards to browsing the web in the year 2019 (and beyond) ... 

:P

Edited by VistaLover
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/20/2019 at 5:14 AM, hereinthebubble said:

It’s worth mentioning that Audacity hasn’t supported Vista properly for some time now, and simply throws an error upon start on the last few versions.

I’m unsure what the last version was that worked correctly.

Welcome to MSFN hereinthebubble. The thread  Audacity 2.3.0 fails to run on Windows XP might be a good starting point for further investigation.

Edit: A better starting point might be Audacity for Windows system requirements, which show that Vista is still supported (but XP support has officially been dropped).

2nd edit: See also Audacity Wiki's Windows Vista OS page:

Quote

The current Audacity version is no longer supported on Windows Vista, it may well run - but we can no longer offer support for issues that occur when using Audacity on Vista.

 

Edited by Vistapocalypse
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4 hours ago, hereinthebubble said:

It’s worth mentioning that Audacity hasn’t supported Vista properly for some time now, and simply throws an error upon start on the last few versions.

I’m unsure what the last version was that worked correctly.

In my case the latest version of audacity (2.3.2) runs correctly on windows vista. On my desktop and laptop have you updated your os?

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  • 2 weeks later...
8 hours ago, ~♥Aiko♥Chan♥~ said:

Is it possible for someone to test these extremely obscure browsers?

https://sourceforge.net/projects/lawlietfox/
https://cliqz.com/en/download

For Vista and XP, this lawlietfox link looks much more promising: https://sourceforge.net/projects/lawlietfox/files/ESR/52.x/.

I found Release Notes for an old version of Cliqz that might work on Vista and XP, but no download.  Based on System Requirements, they have apparently not backported recent Firefox code. :(

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7 hours ago, Vistapocalypse said:

I found Release Notes for an old version of Cliqz that might work on Vista and XP, but no download.

Cliqz is just a German Mozilla Firefox fork, based on release branch source; they follow upstream development with religious dedication and are keen on removing older versions from the web, for security reasons; yet their notion of privacy/security as implemented in their product can attract lots of criticism; infamous was the Cliqz test pilot experiment pushed in Germany in 2017 by Mozilla to several unsuspected Firefox users:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/firefox-tests-cliqz-engine-which-slurps-user-browsing-data/

As you can imagine, latest (and only one offered) version is Quantum based, excluding any Vista compatibility :realmad:; Vista/XP are not supported since 2017, as per their statement:

https://cliqz.com/en/support/support-ende-windows-xp-und-vista

Use Fx ESR 52.9.0 with the "Cliqz extension for Firefox" ? Thanks, but NO thanks... :angry:

As for lawlietfox, it's just as it is described in the SF link: 

Quote

lawlietfox is My Private Build of Mozilla Firefox, Provide Better Performance than Official Build, That PGO Built Method Create by PCXfirefox.

... So the developer (I think he's Chinese) has implemented basically PGO on top of vanilla Firefox, where:

PGO = Profile Guided Optimization (more here :) )

... All in all, nothing really exciting about either lawlietfox or Cliqz browsers, at least for the Vista community... :(

Edited by VistaLover
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