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Skype Portable v6.6.0.106 Won't Launch

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July 11, 2013 - 7:44pm
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Skype Portable v6.6.0.106 Won't Launch

I'm upgraded Skype Portable from v6.5.0.158 to v6.6.0.106 on my fully patched Windows Home XP SP3 machine and now when I go to launch it, absolutely nothing happens. The splash screen doesn't even show up nor does it appear listed anywhere in the Task Manager. The previous version worked fine and I haven't made any modifications to any hardware or software on my system.

Does anyone have any ideas what the problem could be? If it can't be resolved, and because there's an online installer involved, is there any way to downgrade it to the previously installed version that worked?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

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July 11, 2013 - 7:48pm
John T. Haller
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Run Directly

Can you run skype.exe directly within the App\Skype directory? Note that this will run in local mode, of course.

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July 11, 2013 - 8:05pm
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No, Sir

When I try to do this, I get the message that Skype.exe is not a valid Win32 application.

Huh?

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July 11, 2013 - 8:15pm
(Reply to #3)
John T. Haller
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PC Issue?

It's either a PC issue (infection, corruption, etc) or Skype for some reason gave you a 64-bit app, which I'd doubt. I've confirmed it downloads and runs properly on Windows XP SP3 here. Have you tried a local install?

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July 11, 2013 - 8:28pm
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I would be quite surprised if

I would be quite surprised if there was an infection on my system, but would there be any specific places to look for a corruption issue? I haven't tried a local install, but I did try to re-install it and the same thing happens.

Is there any way to determine if Skype did give me a 64 bit app?

Would I be able to download a 32 bit version of Skype directly to my USB stick from their website?

Thanks for your help on this, John.

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July 11, 2013 - 9:14pm
(Reply to #5)
John T. Haller
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Local

You can try a local install but that will be an actual local install of Skype itself. You can't install the local version to your USB stick. Well, you can, but it'd still be in the registry, etc.

I can't assist further on the corruption/infection other than the usual suggestions to scan for errors, etc. Also, have you tried installing Skype Portable locally to the Desktop directory just to see if it works there (thus confirming or ruling out it being drive specific).

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July 12, 2013 - 12:35am
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Being the huge fan I am of

Being the huge fan I am of PortableApps, I am not too fussy about doing a local install of anything if possible, so I would prefer to not go that route.

As expected, all scans came back normal.

After doing some searching, it seems that this type of problem affects some Skype users for whatever reason after an upgrade. Upon trying several of those suggestions, none worked. I have, however, been able to find the previous full version of Skype that did work on my system. My question now becomes how can I trick the PortableApps installer into installing the downgraded and previous working version of Skype on my USB stick?

Hopefully, this would solve my problem and allow me to have Skype up and running once again.

P.S. Can anyone suggest a comparable alternative to Skype? It seems since Microsoft acquired them, that... well, Microsoft acquired them.

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July 12, 2013 - 9:52am
(Reply to #7)
John T. Haller
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Temporary

I'd meant a temporary local install. You can even use Regshot to ensure you can manually remove any stray bits after uninstalling. That would determine if the new version of Skype simply doesn't work on your PC. I know Microsoft is still supporting Windows XP for now unlike some publishers which have started to drop it in anticipation of its death date (less than 9 months and counting down).

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

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July 12, 2013 - 1:55pm
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I have determined that the

I have determined that the latest version of Skype also does not work on a 64 bit fully patched version of Windows 7 Home Premium SP1. The problem is duplicated exactly as it happens on my XP machine when trying to run it from both the PortableApps menu and skype.exe directly within the App\Skype directory. The exact same error message also appears which states that Skype.exe is not a valid Win32 application.

Again, huh?

Also, as previously mentioned, is there any way to trick the PortableApps installer into installing the downgraded and previous working version of Skype on my USB stick?

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July 12, 2013 - 4:53pm
(Reply to #9)
John T. Haller
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Fine Here

It works fine here under every OS it supports. And you're definitely getting the same Skype download that I am, since the MD5 matches and the download URL is the same. So, I'd again suggest you try installing it locally to figure out what's up with these machines.

I have the old 6.3 release for Dell Laptop users with buggy webcams here: https://portableapps.com/node/37627

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

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August 14, 2013 - 5:24pm
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Update - Skype v6.7.59.102 Works

I had all but given up on Skype ever working for me again on the PortableApps platform. Nevertheless, I decided to take another shot at it and install the latest version (6.7.59.102) and lo and behold, much to my surprise, it works!

I have no idea what the problem was, but whatever was causing it has apparently been "fixed" in this version to allow me to use it again.

Strange.

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