This is a very strange one. Let me explain it as short as possible to
you:
I have two PCs. Let's call them "PC-A" and "PC-B". Both are running with
windows xp SP1. On PC-A gimp 2.8.2 portable runs perfectly. On PC-B gimp
2.8.2 portable doesn't even start.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The error messages on PC-B are:
Error 1:
SideBySide:
Syntax error in the manifest or policy file
"I\71tools\11grafic\gimp\22run\GIMPPortable\
App\gimp\bin\gimp-2.8.exe" in line 3.
Error 2:
Activation context generation failed for
"I\71tools\11grafic\gimp\22run\GIMPPortable\
App\gimp\bin\gimp-2.8.exe". Reference-error
message: The procedure has been stopped successfully.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Some Infos:
Both PCs, A and B, are very similar - they're nearly the same: Same CPU
PIV 2,53Ghz, same Motherboard: ACER-Pentium ... , same BIOS ... only
different software is installed.
Note: The reason for not upgrading to SP3 (windows XP) is: Particular
audio-applications (DAWs) with specific drivers work best with SP1 and
not with SP3. The next upgrade would be a step to Windows 7 (or even
Windows eight) in the future.
Back to PC-A and PC-B (win-xp sp1): The phenomenon is the same if I
start Gimp from usb-stick. It is also the same on older Gimp-versions
since 2.7. In contrast to that the 2.6-versions of Gimp start on both
PCs perfectly. Also other portable apps (e.g. blender 2.62) start on
both PCs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The strange riddle is:
Why does GimpPortable 2.8.2 start perfectly on PC-A, and why NOT on PC-
B? What property can cause this behaviour? Where should I begin to
search? Any ideas?
Greetings, Syna.
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GIMP 2.8 itself is listed as compatible with WinXP SP3 and up.
There are any number of things with running an app on an unsupported OS that could cause it to work despite being unsupported, or to not work at all.
Unfortunately the only things I can recommend are update to a supported OS, or use an outdated version of GIMP such as 2.6 which you say works fine on both PCs.
I'd wager that winterblood is right. Could you also try it in a less convoluted directory structure, something like C:\PortableApps\GIMPPortable to rule that out, too?
Finally, I think that GIMP 2.8's manifest is fully valid and will work on any modern (fully patched) Windows system. I checked all sections against the documentation online and they all checkout. Just to confirm it is the manifest, replace your gimp-2.8.exe file with this one and see if that works. Note that this isn't a true fix as we won't be stripping the manifest off real releases (since it does things like appropriately indicate Vista/7 compatibility and instruct Windows that it is DPI-aware, which can be important), just a quick check on the theory.
I would highly suggest upgrading to SP3 ASAP as SP1 is extremely vulnerable to security issues and no longer supported. It definitely shouldn't be connected to the internet.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
@winterblood + @John T. Haller:
Thank your for your fast reply!
Yep, John, I'll try gimp2.8.exe - and tell you! Thanx!
~~~ syna ~~~
Hello John, here's the result with the alternative "gimp2.8.exe"-file:
Nothing happens. Gimp again doesn't start, but now there is
no "SideBySide"-error-message. Instead there is no
error message at all. That means: Something changed a
little - but still no real success.
Ok, it stays a mystery ... any new ideas, thoughts or suggestions are still welcome! Thank you for your efforts.
Greetings, Syna.
~~~ syna ~~~
I think the only other suggestion is to patch Windows as that's really the only other thing odd about the machine if you've already tried a more normal install path.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Now I have the solution: Both windows-XP-versions did slightly
differ. Not in the version No., but in the "sub-id". So the result is:
Gimp portable 2.8.2 does not work with:
Windows XP SP1
Version 5.1. Service Pack 1 Build 2600
Sub-id 520 000 680
Gimp portable 2.8.2 does work with:
Windows XP SP1
Version 5.1. Service Pack 1 Build 2600
Sub-id 520 000 757
So you can use GIMP on windows xp service pack 1, but
you need "sub-id 520 000 757" at least.
~~~ syna ~~~