B4J Question 'How to' B4J on Windows Xp 32 bit

amorosik

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I would like to install the B4J ide on a PC with Windows XP 32 bit to create procedures that will then be used on other PCs with Windows XP 32 bit
I have already followed the procedure indicated on the product page but obviously being recent programs and libraries they do not work on the operating system indicated above
I would therefore need to understand:
- which is the most recent version of B4J Ide that works correctly on Windows XP 32 bit
- which jdk to use
- what procedures / settings to follow for correct ide activation
 

rboeck

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@amorosik I have used a vm of windows 2003 server, which is the same generation like xp i think. I used java 8.144 and B4J 6.0.
In a form i took menubar, command button, label and datepicker and all worked; B4j 6.0 was asking for net framework 4.0;
this installation worked. The installation of java reported possible problems, but was installable.
If you want, you can send a zipped demo project and i try to compile.
 
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Chris2

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A slight advance on @rboeck;
I have B4J 6.51 installed on an old Windows XP laptop that seems to be running OK.
It too has .net 4 installed, but is only using JDK 8.65.
 
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amorosik

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A slight advance on @rboeck;
I have B4J 6.51 installed on an old Windows XP laptop that seems to be running OK.
It too has .net 4 installed, but is only using JDK 8.65.

Thank you very much, for the new configuration
Could you please tell me where to find B4J version 6.51?
 
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Chris2

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Thank you very much, for the new configuration
Could you please tell me where to find B4J version 6.51?
I can't answer that I'm afraid. I don't know if old version B4J installations are still available anywhere.

You can get past Java 8 JDK versions though from https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase/javase8-archive-downloads.html

I've run a few tests myself with a simple, single button app running in Debug, and get the same error as you (post #5) when I click the button with JDK 8u152 or 8u151.
As per the suggestion from @Daestrum in post #11 and @rboeck in #21, the latest JDK that works for me is 8u144.
 
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rboeck

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I have B4J 6.0 and 6.1 stored. I think, the last version for your use could be 6.9; because the next version 7 included one step to java 11.
 
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amorosik

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Thanks to the help of @Daestrum I had the necessary information to have the 6.51 version of B4J
Going to Wayback Machine I was able to see the B4J product page where you can see how in most of the pages from year 2016 onwards they indicate the jdk 8u40 +
So I think that the combination B4J + Jdk 8U40 (even if version 8 of the jdk seems not recommended for Xp) should work correctly
As soon as possible I will try and report here the experience for those who need the same information that I am looking for
In the meantime, I thank all the colleagues who are worjing to help me
 
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amorosik

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------------------------------------------
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
------------------------------------------
The initial problem was to correctly execute a procedure built in B4J environment, originally developed on PCs with Windows 10 64bit + B4J 9.00 + Jdk 11, on old computers that mount the Windows XP 32 bit operating system and which for various reasons cannot be updated
The first attempt was to use an older jdk and for 32bit systems, so I tried to use the Jdk1.8.0.220 x86 on the development pc
The program worked correctly on the development pc, but once it was ported to the target pc, and after installing the Jdk1.8.0.220 x86, it did not start at all, only a splash-screen appeared and then it crashed
Assuming it was some command that was not executed correctly, I thought of installing the B4J development environment on the target pc and recompiling the procedure to be performed
I have tried many versions of B4J, 2.80, 4.20, 4.70, 6.51 which I thought was the last version that can be installed on Windows Xp 32bit like Jdk, again for 32bit, I tried from version 6 to version 8, and usually finding indications on old pages of the site www.b4x.com to use jdk8u40 +
I chose to use the Jdk1.8.0.40 x86 The development environment B4J 6.51 + Jdk1.8.0.40 x86 + Win XP 32bit starts correctly and allows you to create new programs, which are then correctly executed both on the development pc and on other pc, after installing Jdk
So the configuration described above works correctly for new projects, but in my case I couldn't compile the project originally made on Win10 64bit + B4J 9.0 + Jdk 11
The problem was the lack of a fundamental library the B4XCollections to be able to use the B4XByteBuilder functions And this library, in the B4J 6.51 environment, is not present, despite having physically placed the file in the internal libraries directory
Thinking it was a problem related to the library format, readable only by more recent versions of the IDE, I looked for a B4J later than 6.51
Fortunately finding version 7.32 Installed correctly on Win Xp 32bit, now also the B4XCollections is loaded correctly and the procedure is compiled and working
All this ink to help those who, as I had to do, build procedures that will have to work on WinXp 32bit

Then the most recent and certainly functioning toolchain form Win Xp 32bit is:
- B4J 7.32
- Jdk-8u40-windows-i586.exe (even more recent versions)
- Dot net framework 4.0

Later versions of the Ide B4J, even the first ones as at 8.3.0, do not install correctly on Win Xp 32bit
 
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EnriqueGonzalez

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do not install correctly
There is a distinction between installation and usage, Erel has mentioned that you can install b4j and make it portable for other computers if you handle the folders it depends on correctly

This is because b4j uses inno installer, some years ago the installed was changed for its x64 version,

Try without installing, just copying the folders and executables more recent versions of b4j
 
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amorosik

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There is a distinction between installation and usage, Erel has mentioned that you can install b4j and make it portable for other computers if you handle the folders it depends on correctly

This is because b4j uses inno installer, some years ago the installed was changed for its x64 version,

Try without installing, just copying the folders and executables more recent versions of b4j

I tried B4j 9.10, 8.50, 8.30 copied from directory taken from Win 10 where they work correctly
But put on Win XP the ide does not start
Based on my experience, made up of countless tests, the most recent Ide B4J version that works on Win Xp is 7.32
 
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amorosik

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Additional information for those wishing to use the B4JPackager on Win Xp
Inno Setup version 5.6.0 and above must be installed
Otherwise during the creation of the final package the executable iscc.exe does not recognize some directives such as 'DisableWelcomePage'
 
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mcqueccu

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Guess what I found on my old laptop

b4j versions.PNG
 
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matt humphreys

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Looking at my recently retired WXP32 the last versions to install and run as expected:
B4J 7.32
jdk1.8.0_144
DotNet4

I still have B4J.exe 7.32 installer if that's helpful/permissible to share.

B4A last version to install without error was 9.0.12.
 
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