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KernelEx 4.5.2


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As exciting as it is to be modernizing 98, we may also be introducing NT system vulnerabilities into it, which we will most likely have to patch ourselves or find other ways to mitigate, since we no longer exist as far as the security software vendors are concerned. But thanks to the work you've done, we now have the opportunity to try.
Interesting point. However, if you're worried, choose the paranoid mode. I should neutralize any virtual vulnerability.

Thanks again Xeno86! Will upgrade as soon as I can. :thumbup

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Never thought this info would come in handy for Win 98/ME user, but Xeno86 says TextMaker Office 2008 is working so...

If you want Ashampoo Office 2008 (This is TextMaker's version with the Ashampoo "brand" slapped on it) for free:

Visit:

http://www.softmaker.de/reg/ash08_en.htm

Note, free registration required

Download the program here:

http://download16.ashampoo.com/m/ashampoo_...2008_310_fm.exe

There's an update here:

http://www.softmaker.net/down/ofw505.exe

Additional dictionaries and proofing tools here (link should be provided in the email with registration info):

http://www.softmaker.net/down/smw08dict.exe

Swiss German, French, French (Canada), Italian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Dutch, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.

Edited by Steven W
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Excellent update guys :thumbup

Gimp 2.4 and 2.6 which were slow as a pig with the previous version now run beautifully (but the very latest Gimp 2.6.8 does not run at all as the Gimp devellopers felt they needed to add a new dependency in a file that doesn't even exist on 9x systems, dnsapi.dll :angry: )

It's now possible to register and use 2K/XP only shell extensions. I am currently testing Open++ and it's all good so far. http://dengdun.webs.com/en/openxx.htm

The superb fractal flame renderer Apophysis 2 is now fully functional and runs without a hitch when put in 2K compatibility mode. http://sourceforge.net/projects/apophysis/ (The more featured Apophysis7x variant has the same issues as the regular version but they don't go away when changing compatibility mode btw http://sourceforge.net/projects/apophysis7x/)

The latest version of the Riot image optimization tool is now running fine. http://luci.criosweb.ro/riot/

The latest version of the excellent free photoshop plugin SmartCurve is now fully functional. http://free.pages.at/easyfilter/curves.html

All VST audio plugins compiled with the latest (and still beta) version of Synthedit now run as normal instead of failing to initialize.

Cheers :hello:

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I'm terribly sorry for my previous post. :blushing: I indeed shoud have read the previous pages before it.

I've read Compile.txt attentively (as I thought) several times when trying to build KernelEx, but somehow missed the Platform SDK mention every time until was PM'ed by Tihiy.

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Just like with RetroOS, I'm having a similar issue with internet Explorer with this version. Disabling Kernel Extensions and it is fine but will then report that shockwave 10 is not installed. However, enabling them will cause my ability to POST information to be lost (no data transfer or any indication of a file POST occuring) such as a file upload via imagecross.com for example. Oddly enough, it's fine under my laptop but that one doesnt have shockwave installed.

.. will have to do more fiddling around and see what happens from there.

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...

Bugs:

SSL (https) pages in Internet Explorer 6 SP1 do not work. They start loading and then hang, or don't load at all.

The same pages in Firefox 3 work with no problem.

Also, in Internet Explorer 6 SP1, after browsing for only a short time, going to a new web page does not work.

The IE globe spins and nothing happens. At all... A restart of Windows is needed to get it working again.

The Save As... dialog box is having problems.

In Internet Explorer 6 SP1, it will hang for about a minute before showing the folder list.

In Office Word XP (2002), it hangs indefinitely.

...

The Save As.../Save dialog box problem seems to be gone now.

I'm not sure why, but I have never seen it before I updated to KernelEx 4.5 Beta 1.

It may be an intermittant KernelEx 4.5 Beta 1 problem.

The other IE problems are still outstanding.

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Woo! Inkscape finally works! Pango-Cairo finally works!

The bad news are, I don't need it anymore. I've found a much better SVG library for Java, and for my browser I've switched to K-Meleon, the Win32 port of the Gecko engine, which works just fine on 9x (actually, I should say "it works faster than any browser I've used to date", but, you know...).

Well, apps have never been a good reason to do hard OS works. Someone, somewhere, has already made a more compatible and better featured version.

So I'll be testing out various games soon. Will report if I find anything of interest.

By the way, if I'm reading the source correctly, there is no more need for code generation to create a new API in v4. Rather, the APIs are compiled directly. Is that correct?

I may consider porting my filename extra compatibility filter to the new architecture. Actually, from the looks of it, it won't require too much porting.

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Hi Tihiy and Xeno86,

nice job once again! :thumbup KernelEx v 4.5 Beta 1 working nice here!

* No more crash with FSViewer :whistle:

* Maybe a small glitch I didn't noticed before (so I'm not sure that it is coming from KernelEx, could be from RP9 or else): transparency of skins is broken in WMP9. Have a look at the screenshots.

* BTW, do we have to uninstall previous version of KernelEx first, or we can install the new one 'on the top'? (I didn't find an answer on this thread).

* @Chozo4: try this: in Compatibility tab of IEXPLORE.EXE, tick first (in Advanced options) 'Don't use these settings in child processes' before 'Disable KernelEx extensions'. I have no problem with Shockwave 10 and Flash 10 players, or to post here (but https pages still do not work).

* Is there a way to make last VLC 1.05 working?: the exe is running, but no more displaying the text of the menus.

Charles.

post-200646-1265241053_thumb.png

post-200646-1265241085_thumb.png

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Hmm... I've been looking up information on VxDs recently, and found out something interesting. Apparently, Win9x's file system manager, ifsmgr.vxd, as part of Microsoft's effort to be backwards compatible with NT4, uses unicode strings to identify resources. The kernel-mode ZwCreateFile takes a unicode string, which may be generated from a wide-char string, and this apparently applies to 9x.

So, the theory is, if these calls are made directly from a KEx API, 9x can be made to support real unicode versions of CreateFile and similar functions. In other words, 9x can support filenames in any given locale on any given version. And this does not require any VxD patching or rewriting.

Now, obviously there are a few issues.

The first of all being, can Kernel32 truly call VxD or DDK functions directly?

Secondly, what sort of conversion might be required between a handle returned by the kernel-mode ZwCreateFile, and the handle used by user applications for calls such as FileReadA? Are they identical? Does Kernel32 keep its own objects and/or handles?

Short of decompiling Kernel32 (I've yet to find a half-descent PE-file disassembler), I guess the only way to test is with trial and error. Of course, kernel-level error can be very risky.

One thing I was wondering about is if the pre-application KEx configuration can be extended. If true unicode file access is a possibility, it would be nice to set the code page for ANSI file functions, such as CreateFileA, on a per-program basis. But there is a question of whether that configuration can be read from the overridden CreateFileA itself (or if that would create some sort of infinite loop).

P.S. Does anyone ever read my posts? I never seem to get a reply, and I can't help but wonder if they are even visible to other people.

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The kernel-mode ZwCreateFile takes a unicode string, which may be generated from a wide-char string, and this apparently applies to 9x.
Yet to be tested. I'm afraid it's not that easy.
The first of all being, can Kernel32 truly call VxD or DDK functions directly?
Only those which "win32 services" are registered for. Not much for ntkern.
Secondly, what sort of conversion might be required between a handle returned by the kernel-mode ZwCreateFile, and the handle used by user applications for calls such as FileReadA? Are they identical? Does Kernel32 keep its own objects and/or handles?
9x already has hideous support for NT device namespace. For example, you can do CreateFileA \\?\C:\file.txt and you'll receive handle for file opened with NT minikernel. This handle is limited to only certain apis so reimplementing whole certain apis and kernel driver will be required.
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The kernel-mode ZwCreateFile takes a unicode string, which may be generated from a wide-char string, and this apparently applies to 9x.
Yet to be tested. I'm afraid it's not that easy.

I'm basing this on the FileMon code. I've actually ran FileMon on my 9x, so I know it works.

If I knew how to load and call VxD functions directly from KernelEx, it wouldn't be too difficult for me to create my own VxD to do the Zw stuff, if necessary.

Hmm... In fact, maybe I can create a namespace which takes hexa-decimal strings, and converts them to unicode, then relays to the appropriate sub-driver. Then, the only thing I would have to do is add a bin2hex in CreateFileW, and pass the result to CreateFileA. The question is, would that method be enough to support all basic file operations?

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Guest taunus20m

Thanks to: Xeno86 and Tihiy. My WIN98SE becomes more modern from year to year with KernelEX.

But now there seems a bug in V 4.5 beta 1 : My Windows Media Player 9 crashes after few seconds I play

a mp3-music. It does not with KernelEX 4 final 2 !

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

AppName: wmplayer.exe AppVer: 9.0.0.2980

ModName: kexcom.dll

ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 00002753

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

:unsure:

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Yet to be tested. I'm afraid it's not that easy.
I've tested and unfortunately it's a failure. Calling NtCreateFile with unicode characters just turns them into underscores (any non-english char).
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My Windows Media Player 9 crashes after few seconds I playa mp3-music.
Hi taunus20m,

I have tried with mine (WMP9 upgraded with MP9URP9X.EXE from erpdude8), and no problem here.

I have tried with two files: Mpeg1 layer3 and Mpeg2 layer3. :)

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