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Instructions: Google Chrome End of Support Vista/XP


sdfox7

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All:

 

Today I received a message that

 

This computer will soon stop receiving Google Chrome updates because Windows XP and Windows Vista will no longer be supported.

 

untitled3.jpg

 

This post is not to start a flame war or to debate running an unsupported operating system; rather it explains how to continue running Google Chrome on these platforms in spite of the notification. Some of us have legitimate reasons for running these older systems, particularly in controlled environments, due to legacy hardware or legacy software dependencies. After all the US Army and US Navy still uses it.

 

Step 1: Right-click on the Google Chrome icon on your desktop, and select "Properties" at the bottom of the list.

 

properties.jpg

 

Step 2: In the resulting window, select the middle tab "Shortcuts".

 

--disable%20infobars.jpg

 

Step 3: On the line "Target", go to the end of the line, after the quotes press the spacebar once and then type --disable-infobars

 

--disable%20infobars.jpg

 

Step 4: After entering this code, press the button at the bottom of the windows "Save".

 

Relaunch Chrome, the message will no longer appear.

 

untitled4.jpg

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Yep. But again, this is a really bad decision made by Google chrome. 

There are plenty computers still around with XP...!

I wonder if, compiling chrome from chromium source codes ourselves will still work in making it running on Windows XP.

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Yep. But again, this is a really bad decision made by Google chrome. 

There are plenty computers still around with XP...!

I wonder if, compiling chrome from chromium source codes ourselves will still work in making it running on Windows XP.

 

I agree this decision by Google will cost them many users. The Google Groups are blowing up right now with people unhappy by the decision.

 

I would still highly recommend switching to Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or any of the many other supported browsers.
 
While my fix turns off the message, you will NOT receive further Google Chrome updates. 
 
Since Microsoft will be supporting Vista for at least another year, I don't comprehend Google's reasoning for dropping support this early.
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I expect that the version of a browser released today will remain fully functional for at least a couple years. So there is little immediate effect from them ending support. I am using Firefox 22 released in 2013 on one of my computers (I notice there is no copyright year in the About box), as my fallback browser for when Opera can't be used on a certain site, and so far it hasn't yet failed. I have the program customized, and don't feel like going over all settings in a more recent version to check what has been changed/removed.

The corporations have needlessly hooked users into the "rapid" release cycle as the only right way. I fear this is part of a grand design to move everyone onto 'the cloud'. The version number race was after all started by Google, an internet-oriented company.

Would all other rebranded Chromiums, including modern Opera, also cease compatibility with XP? Perhaps a company like Opera wouldn't want to risk appearing "backwards" by catering to users of older systems.

I feel Firefox is the better choice for old systems anyway, because it handles more functionality in itself – certificates and proxy servers – whereas Chromium/Opera[ium] relies on system components.

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I wish this fix worked for Google Chrome Portable.

 

Bluebolt

 

Is there a reason you can't go to the /GoogleChromePortable folder, and then right-click on the shortcut and add the --disable-infobars to the end of the Target line?

 

If a shortcut doesn't exist and you only have the executable, then create a shortcut.

 

Or you could just use Firefox, which I suspect many people (including me) will now do.

 

The appearance of Google's persistent nagging infobar every single time the browser is launched will send people running to the arms of Firefox as the only remedy.

 

If the notice appeared every month or so that would be understandable/acceptable, but it is clear Google wants to annoy people into submission, which will actually have the opposite effect.

 

 

untitled3.jpg

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Adding the “disable-infobars” to the end of the Target line on Chrome Portable kills the home page rather than the notification.

 

I also use Firefox (current), with one exception:  I use Google Chrome when I need its integrated translator.

 

The appearance of Google's persistent nagging infobar every single time the browser is launched will send people running to the arms of Firefox as the only remedy.

 

If the notice appeared every month or so that would be understandable/acceptable, but it is clear Google wants to annoy people into submission, which will actually have the opposite effect.

 

Precisely.

 

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I use Firefox 44.0 as the main browser, Pale Moon 26.0.0 as the second alternative and IE8 as the third.
But some months ago I was forced to add Chrome (as of today: v.48.0.2564.97 m), because none of the 3 above can play H.264 (HTML5) video (on XP SP3, obviously -- this issue doesn't exist on 7 or 8.1), while Chrome can, and many sites I read have changed to non-Flash content, so I had to cave in. :puke:  I did try the new Opera (which I never liked either, but I do have Opera 12 on my other day-to-day desktop), but it too isn't able to play H.264 (HTML5) video. Does anyone know of any good add-on for FF or PM, capable of solving this issue. I'd gladly remove Chrome from my machine, in case the other browsers became capable of playing H.264 video. TIA.

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Adding the “disable-infobars” to the end of the Target line on Chrome Portable kills the home page rather than the notification.

 

Please follow the instructions in this thread and let me know if it works.

 

Basically, you need to create a GoogleChromePortable.ini file in the same directory as GoogleChromePortable.exe.

 

http://portableapps.com/comment/217400#comment-217400

 

Once creating the .ini file, then add a line with --disable-infobars. Should look something like this:

[GoogleChromePortable]AdditionalParameters= --disable-infobars

I should note most reasonable people won't bother with all this, they will simply switch to another supported browser.

 

I have been active in the Chrome Help forums, and it is clear that many people will take the path of least resistance, which is Switching Browsers > Upgrading operating system.

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I use Firefox 44.0 as the main browser, Pale Moon 26.0.0 as the second alternative and IE8 as the third.

But some months ago I was forced to add Chrome (as of today: v.48.0.2564.97 m), because none of the 3 above can play H.264 (HTML5) video (on XP SP3, obviously -- this issue doesn't exist on 7 or 8.1), while Chrome can, and many sites I read have changed to non-Flash content, so I had to cave in. :puke:  I did try the new Opera (which I never liked either, but I do have Opera 12 on my other day-to-day desktop), but it too isn't able to play H.264 (HTML5) video. Does anyone know of any good add-on for FF or PM, capable of solving this issue. I'd gladly remove Chrome from my machine, in case the other browsers became capable of playing H.264 video. TIA.

 

Disabling Flash in Firefox should force HTML5 automatically.

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Adding the “disable-infobars” to the end of the Target line on Chrome Portable kills the home page rather than the notification.

 

Please follow the instructions in this thread and let me know if it works.

 

Basically, you need to create a GoogleChromePortable.ini file in the same directory as GoogleChromePortable.exe.

 

http://portableapps.com/comment/217400#comment-217400

 

Once creating the .ini file, then add a line with --disable-infobars. Should look something like this:

[GoogleChromePortable]AdditionalParameters= --disable-infobars

 

Good grief, that worked (assuming the rest of you are still getting the nag).

 

Wow.

 

Thanks, sdfox7.  Nice job.

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Did you try it yourself? Can you play H.264 on FF + XP SP3 ?  Are you sure?

Try this test: Scroll down. Can you play the video marked "H.264/MP4" ? Really?

 

Yes, I can actually play HTML5 on SP2 and Firefox ESR 38.6.0.

 

Normally, when Flash is installed, Firefox will play YouTube videos with Flash:

 

flash.jpg

 

 

However, after disabling Flash in Firefox > Add-Ons, the video will play by default in HTML5:

 

html5.jpg

 

PS: Right-clicking on the video is how you can see whether it is using Flash or HTML5, as you can see above.

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Apparently H 264 under Firefox requires Windows Media Foundation which is not a component of Windows XP.

 

Apparently I don't need WMF either; all the websites I use play with either Flash or Silverlight. Bloomberg, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube to name several examples.

 

I won't be losing sleep over it, because it appears that websites fall back to those two standards.

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