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KernelEx 4.5.2


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To my knowledge KEX works by adding core, kernel + API functions for older non-NTx apps, has nothing to do with the hardware-to-software translation layer, i.e. drivers.

To create a tool like KEX to deal specifically with drivers, opens a whole new can of worms, and probably needs huge amounts of time + programming code, and maybe even kernel/core rewrites.

IMHO, I don't see this as a feasible solution.

But there are plenty of Windows 2000 + XP drivers out there [trial-and-error in some cases, depending on your specific hardware device +/- driver] which work out-of-the-box with 98/ME, or some need to be extracted from their NTx-only installer/archive and then run separately [eventually by hand by running the 9x OS Hardware Wizard and detect your specific device], or may just need minor INF tweaking to install properly. Which means the actual driver code is ok, just needs to be recognized by the 9x OS thru appropriate INF functions.

Same goes for Vista/7 drivers that can be used [some with minor tweaking] with 2000 + XP.

HTH

For those devices that need minor tweaking in INF, Is it not better to tweak OS instead of whole millions of INF for (individual new hardwares) (with individual users who may or may not know how to tweak). I agree its a can of worms, but then you guys have already gone so far with the "messing worms" concept, it looks rather small in comparison to this KernelEx like work.

If one wants to change the way W98 reads INF files like XP, where should they start? think about it, no more need of messing with INFs and all that remains is *.SYS, *.DLL, etc where KernelEx comes into picture as MAJOR!

INF tweak couldn't possibly be the ONLY simple solution :P i came to this thread specifically because THIS is where reWriting has been happening. You all dudes know how many drivers (devices) exist for XP don't you?

edit: At the very moment, I've RadeonHD 5970 and i seriously doubt that simple change of INF text can get my job done hahaha :D

edit2: I know some standard VGA drivers exist but with this kind of hardware, I can't last in standard resolution for much longer (you know what i mean :P ) If nothing more is done to "this" pain in the "right place" problem, The inevitable demise of W98 is FINAL

Edited by lama
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For those devices that need minor tweaking in INF, Is it not better to tweak OS instead of whole millions of INF for (individual new hardwares) (with individual users who may or may not know how to tweak). I agree its a can of worms, but then you guys have already gone so far with the "messing worms" concept, it looks rather small in comparison to this KernelEx like work.

If one wants to change the way W98 reads INF files like XP, where should they start? think about it, no more need of messing with INFs and all that remains is *.SYS, *.DLL, etc where KernelEx comes into picture as MAJOR!

INF tweak couldn't possibly be the ONLY simple solution tongue.gif i came to this thread specifically because THIS is where reWriting has been happening. You all dudes know how many drivers (devices) exist for XP don't you?



Firstly, as has been stated before (by Xeno86, I think), drivers are an entirely different "kettle of fish" that is well outside the scope of KernelEx. Yes, a new project to specifically deal with this issue would be extremely beneficial, however, we need someone with the skills and time necessary for such a project.

Now, what I have found, is that for many hardware, W9X drivers DO actually exist. Unfortunately, the respective manufacturers have deleted them, for reasons that are explained here :
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=303776&prodTypeId=15179&prodSeriesId=303776&objectID=c01269023 :angry:

Edit - Above page is now gone, here's a similar one in the Internet Archive : http://web.archive.org/web/20100808085037/http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?&objectID=c01093569

If you do some hunting, and it's not easy, you may be able to find a copy of those deleted drivers at some other site (taking all possible precautions to ensure they are legitimate, of course). For example, I have managed this for a HP printer, a HP all-in-one, a Ralink PCI WiFi card and a Ralink USB WiFi adaptor. Good luck.

BTW, one think to look out for - W9X does not correctly parse INF files that exceed 64K. The first "tweak" to look out for, is to check the INF file sizes. For example, I had to edit one of the above Ralink INF's to fix just this problem (I simply deleted all the sections for one of the OEM's that was not required).

Joe.

Edited by jds
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I have come across something that may have nothing to do with the new KernelEx 4.5 RC 4 version but I am posting here to see if this has happened to anyone else or if someone can shed some light on this. I have been using the new KEx 4.5 RC 4 for about 3 weeks now ... yesterday I noticed something very strange on one of my notebook computers ... I have 4 notebooks pretty much all set up the same with Windows 98SE. Last night on my Dell Latitude I went to press Control/Alt + Delete and all the wording was no longer in English ... it could be German or maybe Swedish. Everything in the box has changed but the programs to shut down are still in English and everything else on my computer is still English, I have found nothing else on my Dell computer that has changed from English. I have a Ghost backup made in early Sept of all 4 notebooks so I reinstalled the Dell backup and when I checked the Control/Alt + Delete box, everything was in English. I did a few updates from the Sept backup and everything was still English ... Then I took off the KEx Final 2 version that I now had on the Dell from the backup and installed the new KEx 4.5 RC 4. Unfortunately, I didn't check the Control/Alt + Delete right after that ... maybe 10 minutes later after maybe another update or two ... anyway, when I did check the Con/Alt + Delete area again the language had changed from English to the other language. As I said earlier, all my computers are pretty much set up the same so this morning I am on my NEC as I type this message. All my computers have the new KEx 4.5 RC 4 installed ... so when I went to check the Con/Alt + Delete on this computer ... it is OK, everything is in English as it should be. I didn't have time to check the other two computers. So now I am puzzled why English in just that one area got changed to another language and why only on the Dell computer and not the NEC. The Dell Ghost backup from Sept is OK but something changed it after I did the updates ... but I have the same updates on the NEC and nothing has changed. As I said earlier, this may not be related to KernelEx at all since it has only happened to the one computer. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ...

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For those devices that need minor tweaking in INF, Is it not better to tweak OS instead of whole millions of INF for (individual new hardwares) (with individual users who may or may not know how to tweak). I agree its a can of worms, but then you guys have already gone so far with the "messing worms" concept, it looks rather small in comparison to this KernelEx like work.

If one wants to change the way W98 reads INF files like XP, where should they start? think about it, no more need of messing with INFs and all that remains is *.SYS, *.DLL, etc where KernelEx comes into picture as MAJOR!

INF tweak couldn't possibly be the ONLY simple solution :P i came to this thread specifically because THIS is where reWriting has been happening. You all dudes know how many drivers (devices) exist for XP don't you?

Firstly, as has been stated before (by Xeno86, I think), drivers are an entirely different "kettle of fish" that is well outside the scope of KernelEx. Yes, a new project to specifically deal with this issue would be extremely beneficial, however, we need someone with the skills and time necessary for such a project.

(((quote part removed because what you said next, is the reason why posted my initial post)))

Joe.

So far, I see we're on mercy of Xeno86, Rloew and those who still remain active. Somehow, they know internals of the OS and given that they find time to update their projects, they can do it. Somehow, even a tiny thought of "working on something old as this", will probably make them lazy to even start. SO, I'm saying it, Win98+ is pretty much dead now...

Edit: In the old days, i remember shrinking W98 to a point where it was almost INSTANT. But these days, all new OS is soooo bloated beyond the point that it feels like we're (cleaning up all their poo), (blocking spyware), (jailBreaking to breathe or breed :P), etc after OS installation. Anywaysss, if someone works on this, it will FRY up Steve Ballmers's head hehe (A simple thought of Ballmer looking at XP drivers working on 98 makes me giggle lol). It will probably take away remote control that he'z installed for everyone (deliberate back-door to Pandora's box)

Edited by lama
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KernelEx 4.5 RC 4 is breaking ODF Converter Integrator.

More accurately, it's breaking the bit that does the conversion, dependent on the .NET framework. I setup KernelEx for all programs... Could it be breaking the .net stuff again?

http://katana.oooninja.com/w/odf-converter-integrator/download

Using the "strawberry" exe.

I know it functioned with RC1. Here's a link to a file that it should easily convert:

http://examples.maartenballiauw.be/WordVisualizer/Documents/test.docx

EDIT: A simple fix, navigate into the folder the program is installed in and disable KernelEx on OdfConverter.exe

Edited by Steven W
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EDIT: A simple fix, navigate into the folder the program is installed in and disable KernelEx on OdfConverter.exe

I've always needed to do this - are you sure you were able to do without, using 4.5RC1?

@lama : And as for Vista/7 users, they are instead at the mercy of Redmond (never mind the XP folks, that are already being abandoned to their fate).

Joe.

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Control/Alt + Delete Problem Solved ...

I may have been given a solution to my problem and a simple fix ... to install the newer version of KernelEx I needed to reinstall the kernel32.dll ... for the other computers I extracted the kernel32.dll from my Windows 98SE cd ... but for the Dell when I was doing the install of the newer version of KernelEx, I did not have the Windows 98SE cd at hand and went on the internet to find a copy of the kernel32.dll. I thought I found one that looked OK but it must have been a Swedish version. They all say "kernel32.dll" I guess ... anyway, that now makes sense to me. A very knowledgeable person at the K-Meleon forum came up with the idea and a picture of what I am seeing. He had run into a similar problem with an dll needed for XP and it changed some things into Spanish on his computer. I am almost 100% sure this is what happened to that one computer.

From K-Meleon forum: I just copied what he said about his download problem.

"you downloaded the file, and replaced it in dos maybe.. but that kernel32 you got from there is swedish not english because that site have libraries in many languages and the sites never tell you the locale. It happened to me before when i downloaded an ie xp dll which i've maimed and later found out many of ie security prompts turning into spanish"

So I learned about something I was not aware of.

Edited by duffy98
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EDIT: A simple fix, navigate into the folder the program is installed in and disable KernelEx on OdfConverter.exe

I've always needed to do this - are you sure you were able to do without, using 4.5RC1?

I thought about that after I posted...You're probably right I think I set up the older version just to work with Firefox. I can't recall at the moment. Either way, it would be nice if we didn't have to do that.

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Just FYI (what's the plural of that?;-), I've found another program which needs KernelEx disabled (tried this with both 4.5RC1 and 4.5RC4) :

Easy Assembler Shell (trial installation, from http://deepsoftware.com/eas/).

Running either "eas5setup.exe" or "eas5inst.exe" (the former is a WinZip SFX containing the latter) results in the following crash :

EAS5INST caused an invalid page fault in

module KEXCOM.DLL at 017f:10002163.

Registers:

EAX=0082727c CS=017f EIP=10002163 EFLGS=00010202

EBX=81d552c4 SS=0187 ESP=0120ff40 EBP=0120ff44

ECX=00000000 DS=0187 ESI=10003168 FS=109f

EDX=00000000 ES=0187 EDI=81d5d7dc GS=0000

Bytes at CS:EIP:

8b 01 52 ff 50 50 5d c2 08 00 cc cc cc 55 8b ec

Stack dump:

00812080 0120ff64 0040254b 0082727c 00812080 81d5d7dc 004039bc 00813084 0082727c 0120ff84 004021d1 00812080 009102b4 00813084 00816090 81d5d7dc

BTW, I haven't tried the application itself yet (30 day trial;-), just the above installation package.

Joe.

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@lama : And as for Vista/7 users, they are instead at the mercy of Redmond (never mind the XP folks, that are already being abandoned to their fate).

Joe.

Can't deny the future but the most popular OS is still XP. As long as XP drivers are available out there, its safe to assume "its do-able". Redmond dudes can have their party "in their own house" till they actually come up with something that wins user's trust (which is very unlikely as one can never know the truth behind the curtain), maybe US accredited scientists and those at military get coolest OSes made by Bill Gates personally and we're thrown OSes like dogs that have remote control for authorities and #$%^$%^ virus makers. These worm makers made Redmond shamed of it's XP BTW.

Imagine a future where accredited degree holders get FINE OS and rest all people get treated like unTrustable future criminals ment to be caught "quickly" by authorities. Eventually I wouldn't be surprised if they started to control birth rate by suddenly throwing a H1N1 type virus on UN-qualified people or a TERMINATOR (inevitable lol :D yet the funny thing is they still try to calm people by showing movies in advance).

Edited by lama
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Imagine a future where accredited degree holders get FINE OS and rest all people get treated like unTrustable future criminals ment to be caught "quickly" by authorities. Eventually I wouldn't be surprised if they started to control birth rate by suddenly throwing a H1N1 type virus on UN-qualified people or a TERMINATOR (inevitable lol :D yet the funny thing is they still try to calm people by showing movies in advance).

What do you imagine HDCP and CI+/HD+ was created for?!

Imagine a scientist discovers hidden risks of a technology. A TV station broadcasts the report in TV news and people record it on their great new BluRay recorders. Afterwards a mighty company, military or whatever malicious power forces the TV station to "unbroadcast" these news by blacklisting its file ID through HD+. Now e.g. an NGO wants to clear up about the risk by showing the recording of said tv report to the public or start a lawsuit or public protest - he inserts the disc, but the screen stays black and the recorder immediately deletes the video file from the BD and internal harddrives to destroy all proves of existence. This is the mindedness DRM was genuinely designed by!

HDCP also includes fully automated firmware upgrades. Thus any BluRay manufacturer, hacker or evilminded government may easily destroy your entire HDCP capable hardware by sending through TV broadcast a malicious update that contains invalid decryption keys and blacklists all legal update sources. Because the stuff is fully "security by obscurity" and overwrites the flash rom in any connected HDCP capable hardware, it is the perfect method to destroy a nation's communication infra-structure once all people have upgraded their hardware to the allegedly so great and modern HDTV stuff.

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What do you imagine HDCP...

HDCP was probably made by Intel to make the RIAA & MPAA industry feel secure for a while ONLY :D

FIRST THIS http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1733007/potential-hdcp-key

NEXT THIS http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1733749/intel-confirms-hdcp-cracked

hehe

edit: I say they did it on purpose :P (got pressurized by bigger MAFIAAs)

Edited by lama
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Firefox 3.6.11 and QtWeb 3.5 build 051 work on Windows 2000 compatibility mode.

Although QtWeb crashes when running Peacekeeper benchmark, it still benefits from the improvement of Qt 4.7.0.

Edited by halohalo
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What do you imagine HDCP...

HDCP was probably made by Intel to make the RIAA & MPAA industry feel secure for a while ONLY :D

FIRST THIS http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1733007/potential-hdcp-key

NEXT THIS http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1733749/intel-confirms-hdcp-cracked

hehe

edit: I say they did it on purpose :P (got pressurized by bigger MAFIAAs)

Is this dragon really killed? The main evilness of HDCP is not that it is(or was considered) uncrackable, but the comprehensive fascist totalitarianism how this monster updates itself and that even filming from a TV screen is attempted to be blocked. May be it was intended to protect cinemas, but the idea sounds like a really dictatorial attempt of suppressing free speech and knowledge exchange. (I am writing a sci-fi movie script about a future where a wireless internet successor with artificial intelligence and completely uncrackable DRM turns into a dictatorship that bans all other media (to protect them from "piracy") and starts to censor all content in the name of terrorism-prevention.)

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Foobar2000 9.5.6, with at temporary registry tweak to install it, has worked with Kernelex for a while now. It is, however, getting a bit old in the tooth from the point of view of plugins. Older plugins are available here: http://foobar2000.h12.ru/components_old.html

Foobar 1.0, with the addition of dbghelp.dll from XP installation disk, installs and runs using Kernel 4.5 RC 4 in XP 2 compatibility mode. BUT external converters (e.g. Nero AAC, Flac, and Lame) all fail with with the same error: "Conversion failed: Could not start commandline encoder: This function is only valid in Win32 mode." Is there any hope of a tweak of some sort to overcome this problem? To my entirely amateur eye it might not be a KernelEx matter.

Foobar 1.1 installs but refuses to run giving the following errors: "Shared.dll is linked to missing export Kernel32.dll: HeapQueryInformation" and "A device attached to the system is not function". That presumably is a KernelEx matter, but one that is pointless if the same problem as above arises.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx.

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