Repository Applications Update Information

Thanks, guys. FWIW, I also tried Calibre 6.0.0, but it was also built using 6.3.1, so same results.

At Glenn's suggestion, I joined forum.qt.io, as bplastos, and posted the following post:

I also messaged the guy that had posted the 6.3.0 files with this message

I'll let you know if I get any response.

@Glenn, I don't know who nickdademo@gmail.com is. Can you please enlighten me?

 

That eMail address is the uploader of the latest 6.3.0 compiled version on the thread you linked to. I just happened to notice it and thought it would be a good way to get their attention (if they still checked that eMail).

 

Ah, I finally saw where you found his email address. He's the one I PM'd the message above, but that's a good idea to also email him. The original guy who opened the thread has already responded, but not with anything helpful, yet.

 

FileZilla.FTP.Client_v3.60.2.0_x64+x86_ppApp.apz fixed (had missing "xrc" resource folder).

 

Regarding Calibre:

I was able to get in touch with Nick D'Ademo Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the author of the Qt patches, and he was kind enough to produce an updated set of Qt 6.3.1 patches. (they are available here - https://web.tresorit.com/l/iWnTl#yGMg45iqZObF8miEZt7FaA - and in the thread referenced above) Unfortunately, applying them made no difference in trying to launch Calibre 6.0.0 or 6.1.0. The patches have been tested by others in the https://forum.qt.io/topic/133002/qt-creator-6-0-1-and-qt-6-2-2-running-on-windows-7 thread and verified to work, at least when compiling a new Qt 6.3.1 Widgets app, so there seems to be something else preventing the newer Calibre apps from running under Windows 7. Maybe Python changes, but most likely something in the Calibre files themselves. It will take someone with more diagnostic smarts and app hacking abilities than I have to solve this.

 

How did you apply these?

 

I installed Calibre.Portable_v6.1.0_x64_Win8-11_ppApp.apz then copied the 3 patched files over the existing ones, then tried to launch the app.
I also tried it by installing calibre-portable-installer-6.0.0.exe, downloaded directly from Calibre, copied the 3 files, then tried to launch the app.
In both cases, nothing happens that I can tell. I was hoping a simplistic fix would work, but no.

I've just noticed these 2 posts in the originally referenced thread, which seem to indicate that it is Python that is the source of the continued problem:

hskoglund about 9 hours ago

Hi, Calibre 6.1 uses Python 3.10 which does not work on Windows 7 :-(

Grdes about 3 hours ago
@hskoglund and @bplastos
Use the QT6 files from the link above (great work btw) and then run Calibre using this: https://github.com/vxiiduu/VxKex in Win10 compatibility for calibre.exe It should work now just fine. At least it starts for me.

Trouba, hopefully you can understand what @Grdes is talking about?

You also might be able to utilize what hskoglund referenced above, the link is https://discuss.python.org/t/windows-7-support-for-python-3-9-or-3-10-without-a-fork/13842

 

Too bad there isn't an OS-wide patch or something

It may be useful for some apps, like newer Topaz or such which rely on Qt6.x

 

Progress.

@Grdes said in Qt Creator 6.0.1 and Qt 6.2.2 running on Windows 7:

@hskoglund and @bplastos
Use the QT6 files from the link above (great work btw) and then run Calibre using this: https://github.com/vxiiduu/VxKex in Win10 compatibility for calibre.exe It should work now just fine. At least it starts for me.

@Grdes - Please forgive my ignorance, but can you explain in detail, or point me to some detailed instructions, of how exactly to run Calibre using that project? And please be clear. Are you talking about running the portable version of Calibre (I hope)?

EDIT: I THINK I figured out how to install VxKex v0.0.0.2. I installed https://github.com/vxiiduu/VxKex/releases/download/Version0.0.0.2/KexSetup_x64Rel.exe. But still no success.

I installed https://download.calibre-ebook.com/6.0.0/calibre-portable-installer-6.0.0.exe, which seems to install. I replaced the Qt files with the latest patched Qt 6.3.1 files from @dmginc, then enabled VxKex for Calibre\calibre.exe and set it for Win 10 compatability. (Was that the ONLY file that needs VxKex enabled?) Again, nothing happens when I try to launch the app. Did you have to do anything to get around the Python 3.10 incompatibility issue?

EDIT2: Partial success! If I get a version of api-ms-win-core-path-l1-1-0.dll from here - https://github.com/nalexandru/api-m.../0.3.1/api-ms-win-core-path-blender-0.3.1.zip - and copy it to Calibre\app\bin, then Calibre will indeed launch. But it won't do many of Calibre's functions. The eBook viewer doesn't work, it won't edit an eBook, nor will it convert to or from any of the eBook formats. I tried enabling VxKex for ALL of the Calibre exe files I could find, but no change. It launches, but doesn't really work. So a step in the right direction, but...

 

Here's the final response I got from @Grdes above:

@bplastos

1. Download normal nonportable MSI Calibre Version: 6.1.0 installer from here:
   https://calibre-ebook.com/download_windows
2. Remove the Windows version check from the installer using SuperOrca MSI editor
   https://www.pantaray.com/msi_super_orca.html
   That means open the msi in SuperOrca, go to LaunchCondition and edit the Win version there or fully drop that row (right click, drop row) and save the edited msi file in SuperOrca as new file.
3. Install Calibre from edited installer without the win version check
4. Go to the installed Calibre folder and replace there QT files with the modified files from this topic.
   That means replace Qt6Core.dll and Qt6Gui.dll inside bin folder and also replace qwindows.dll inside plugins/platforms folder.
5. Right click calibre.exe and go the the VxKex tab. Enable here:
   a) Enable VxKex for this program
   b) Report a different version of Windows and set that to Windows 10
6. I have also copied the dll from api-ms-win-core-path-blender-0.3.1.zip to my Windows/System32 folder in the past, so maybe this has also some effect to this.

I didn't have much time to test Calibre functions yet, but I've tried to convert some PDF to MOBI and it works for me.

edit: but yeah the ebook editor and internal ebook viewer doesn't work for me as well. Those are external exe files and it doesn't launch at all. Maybe some more QT files needs to be patched?

 

It's interesting, but obviously very hairy. I don't think this provides much hope in general, but maybe for specific apps that one would really need or want to run. At least it seems that way, as things are now.

 

I agree with Ghost, the version of Calibre that functions perfect on Windows 7 will continue to do so and offers all the functionality you need. the newer versions will get newer features, but in the grand scheme of things, these are not needed to convert and upload your existing eBooks to your existing devices and possibly even newer eBooks will not change formats with new features for quite some time. Eventually you will be forced to use a different OS to windows 7 on your actual hardware if you intend to stay online, there is nothing I can do (like with SOX, Secure Open XP) that would still allow you to use the internet without being prone to being targeted to hacking. It's just the way the tech industry functions. If someone can steal data or money, they will, worst of all they Automate it and sell it anonymously, so you really can't trust your main OS to be that unsecured. Yes you can lock ports and use firewalls, but the fact is once MS stop patching the bugs in their actual OS, many system .dll's will have access to the internet even with all the methods you add to lock down your OS.

Security is the ONLY reason you can't stay on older Windows and only if your online with it. So the choice is potentially being hacked or upgrade to a newer "more secure" OS.

 

I have attempted to make a script for AIMP to monitor for those darn RunDLL errors you get (but only on a fresh install), AIMP always worked fine even with the errors, but they are unsightly, so hopefully it fixes that.

-EDIT-

Yep fixed it

-EDIT-

ssRegen would try to re-run the script and throw and error, so I renamed ssApp.cmd to StopError.cmd and added it to the .app file, now it works as we want.

 

Nah, portable apps that have dependencies will still not function without the correct system APIs available to them. If it were possible to just include extra runtime files then it would work, but this uses a new method to draw the widgets used on the forms and no amount of including extra files will allow this kind of low level access to a OS not designed to do what it calls. You can write a wrapper layer that converts to usable system calls, but once you get to that level of hacking it to work it can be unstable and problematic and very hard to keep updated. So if the old version still does everything you need, you are stuck on that one as the OS has been abandoned by the app creator for whatever reason they choose to do so.

 

Thanks for your interest, @vanTorX. Calibre v5.44 still works fine for me on Win 7. Yes, the main use of Calibre for me is it's ability to convert book formats. That includes downloading books from Amazon Kindle, when used with an older version of Kindle for PC, removing the DRM for local storage and then being able to store and read the ebooks on other devices and readers.It also has some useful addons to assist in removing DRM, downloading online posted stories into locally stored epub versions, and then being able to update those stories as additional chapters are added, etc.

You are correct that if all I wanted to do was read an epub it would be easier to read it in another standalone reader. Thanks for the recommendation of the IceCream reader.

 

Added ImgDrive (virtual drive software). I had been using it for a little while; before that I used DVDFav Virtual Drive for a long time but had some issues with it on Win11 every now and then. ImgDrive had one issue, though, and that is it didn't have silent switches. So I made it in to a ssApp a little while ago but didn't put it in the repo because it won't install silently. I commented on the YubSoft page that I liked it but that it needed silent switches and today I got an email back that they added switches! So that's great, but... it opens the website upon install (loads browser). So one thing at a time, I don't want to spoil the good vibes at this moment and so will request they change that later It adds a "Mount image" context menu so you can right-click an .iso easily; once mounted, it adds an unmount context as well. The installer I used in the ssApp is a combined x64, x86, and ARM64 instalelr, but they do have dedicated x64 and x86 installers as well.

 

Yes, I did this recently and was reminded of that limitation, so locally I made this ppApp: "Kindle.for.PC_v1.19.2.46095_(works.with.Kindle.Converter)_ppApp" to remind myself what the last version of Kindle for PC was that worked for that

 

I haven't tried Kindle Converter. Are it's capabilities similar or better than those of Calibre with DeDRM plugins? Since it seems that you might convert more books than I do, at least to PDF, it probably is.

I've tended to convert to DOCX and read with Atlantis quite often, allowing me to easily provide edited feedback as appropriate.

To get the books into the format I need, I use Kindle for PC v1.17 (one of the versions also recommended by Kindle Converter), and Calibre.Portable_v5.44.0_Win7-11_ppApp (thanks, T!) with the plugins: KFX Input v1.49, KFX Output v1.64, DeDRM v7.21, Obok DeDRM 7.21, and FanFicFare v4.16 - most of which are regularly updated. Then I just need to get the books into my Kindle account, including via Kindle Unlimited where possible, download the books with Kindle for PC, copy the azw form of the book into Calibre, then convert it into whichever format I want. Many format options are available including, PDF, epub, mobi, DOCX, txt, and several others. I can then copy the book, which is now named correctly and DRM free, from the Calibre library to wherever I want to read, edit, or whatever.

It would be ideal if Calibre, or another app such as Kindle Converter, was able to download directly from my Kindle account and do the conversion, but I have not seen anything that makes that possible. This method works for me and it looks like the method using Kindle Converter is similar. Both, though multi-stepped, are easy, straight forward, and fairly quick.

 

ImgDrive call to website has been fixed in v1.9.6

I'm not sure, I haven't really used Calibre for that... I've only converted a few books from Kindle as I never got invested in the platform. More than 95% of books I have are in PDF format to begin with, usually real book scans with OCR layer. In the case of documents (.doc(x), .rtf) I use Atlantis, it is the best text processor for my use. I then use DoroPDF to export to PDF as Atlantis doesn't have native PDF export (SoftMaker's TextMaker -- also good -- does). I use Calibre sometimes to change fonts in pdf, it seems to be better at that than some PDF editors. eBook formats have a lot of limitations as far as formatting, layout, etc., which makes reading them (or creating them!) less enjoyable. For anything with tables, pics, diagrams, PDF is the way to go anyway. Reading for longer periods of time I don't enjoy on PC, for that I prefer tablets. So usually when I make PDFs myself from .docx/rtf I save in A5 format with 3 or 4 pt margins and with 12pt font size or so. I don't like a lot of the ebook fonts like Droid Serif etc, so I usually go with something more classical like Linux Libertine, especially since it includes all the diacritical marks that TNR does, which only a few fonts do.