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Windows 98 compatibility question

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October 23, 2009 - 5:39am
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Ninho
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Windows 98 compatibility question

Hi Forum! New to PortableApps & FFPortable. I've been trying portable Firefox 3.5.3 - running from system's main hard disk. Works as designed (great!) in Windows 2000, but doesn't in Windows 98 SE (this is a multi-boot system). I have Windows 98 SE with Unicows and Kernelex, and Firefox 3.0.14 runs here correctly (regular installation, non portable).

The portable FF laucher starts and then shuts itself down almost immediately :=(

1- is the embedded portable apps launcher compatible to Windows 9x ? would be my first question (I browsed this forum and it would seem this is not a problem, is it?)

2- does Firefox 3.5.3 - standalone - run on Windows 98 with Kernelex ? The reason I wanted to try the portable was to check this without having to ruin my working firefox 3.0.14...

3- If the answers to 1 and 2 above be yes, what causes the problem at hand and can it be sorted out ?

Thank you very much in advance

--
Ninho

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October 23, 2009 - 10:10am
John T. Haller
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Windows 98 Unsupported

Firefox dropped Windows 98 support with the 3.0 release. No further releases of it will ever run on Windows 98. Same with OpenOffice.org. Same with Sunbird. Same with the next Thunderbird.

You may have been able to hack 3.0 into working on Windows 98 with Kernelex, but Firefox 3.5 probably won't work in that fashion.

From this point on Windows 9x is a dead OS since no software will run on it anymore.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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October 23, 2009 - 2:28pm
(Reply to #2)
Ninho
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John, "Firefox dropped

John,

"Firefox dropped Windows 98 support..."

In what way does your kind comment relate to the questions, I wonder. Or maybe you thought I'm unaware of the (sad, stupid IMHO) end of official support for FF on Windows 98 ?

The question is, can Firefox 3.5.3 (portable or not) be run on Windows 98 SE, not is it a supported configuration.

Thank you...

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October 23, 2009 - 2:32pm
(Reply to #3)
ZachHudock
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I think u missed this part No

I think u missed this part

No further releases of it will ever run on Windows 98

The developer formerly known as ZGitRDun8705

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October 23, 2009 - 3:04pm
(Reply to #4)
John T. Haller
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Dropped Support

By dropped support, I don't mean they just don't support it (ie, they removed it from the list of support OSes but it should still work like they did when they initially dropped Windows 95 from Firefox 1.5). I mean Firefox 3.0 does not run on Windows 98. You happened to be able to enable it with a Windows 98 kernel hack. Firefox 3.5 departs even further from the old Firefox underpinnings and, thus, probably doesn't work with the kernel hack at all anymore on Windows 98.

I'm guessing that none of the Mozilla apps (Firefox 3.5, Sunbird 0.9, Thunderbird 3.0) will work with that kernel hack anymore as they are all based on the same Gecko engine underneath.

So, by not supported, I mean it will probably never run on Windows 98 again. Nearly every app has dropped support for Windows 9x... and by support, I mean it won't run on a stock Windows 9x install even with unicows. A few apps here and there may work with a kernel hack, but I'm guessing fewer and fewer will as time goes on.

At this point, the OS is over 10 years old. We've supported it at the platform, installer and launcher level because many of the apps we packaged did. Now that just about everything fails to work on Windows 98, we will be moving on as well.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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October 23, 2009 - 5:00pm
(Reply to #5)
Ninho
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Oh, right, John, I understand

Oh, right, John, I understand the future trend. Nor have I come to start a random rant, but pose factual questions. Reading between your lines I get you have confirmed that the portable launcher itself is not what's causing PFF to fail. OTOH the compatibility of firefox 3.5.3 to KernelEx you stated "probably" is broken, I hope some forum members can tell definitely. In fact I'm not running the last version of KernelEx and this may be part of the problem. I'm not ready to upgrade the resident non-portable Firefox to 3.5 unless I can be reasonably sure it will indeed work.

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October 23, 2009 - 5:12pm
(Reply to #6)
John T. Haller
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Elsewhere

To find your answer on whether Firefox 3.5.3 works with a Windows 98 kernel hack, you'll have to look elsewhere. I'd wager the kernel hack site has a forum or list of software somewhere... and that would definitely be your best bet. From a quick Google search, it looks like even on the bleeding edge alpha, Firefox 3.5 will not work: http://www.msfn.org/board/kernelex-4-0-final-2-t130936-pid-889347-page-3...

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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October 25, 2009 - 11:42am
(Reply to #7)
Ninho
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Awsome ! FF 3.5 does work above Win 98 + KernelEX (4.0)

I had an older version of KernelEx. Once updated to current KEx 4.0-2, the Portable FF 3.5 works perfectly (and, no doubt, so will standard Firefox) :=)

I'm keeping my old FF 3.0 in parallel with the Portable 3.5 for awhile, while checking stability - but, I wanted to let you know. Whatever we may think of the future Windows 9x, KernelEx /is/ awsome !!!

http://www.msfn.org/board/kernelex-4-0-final-2-t130936.html

http://sourceforge.net/projects/kernelex/

Cheers

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