Windows 7 and Hanyu Da Cidian

[HuShifang]

Hey -
Does anyone know of any ways to install the Hanyu Da Cidian （汉语大词典）3.0 on WIndows 7? I just purchased a new laptop, and whenever I try to get the program running, the installer claims that I'm running an out-of-date operating system. I know that there are XP emulators out there - Microsoft apparently offers one for Windows 7 Professional users (I have the 64 bit Home version) and I've heard that VMWare has something similar - but I'd rather not go that route unless I have to...

Thanks!

胡仕方

 

[AP 阿皮]

This probably happens because the installer is checking for Windows versions that it recognizes as "modern". It's probably checking for Windows XP (version 5.1) and Windows Vista (version 6.0). It's confused about Windows 7, which was *supposed* to be numbered 7.0 but was numbered 6.1 to avoid problems with stupid programs like this one.

Here's what you do: right click on the icon for the program installer. Click "Properties" and a box with tabs will come up. Pick "Compatibility" and select "Run this program in compatibility mode". Choose Vista and you'll be set. Windows will lie to the installer to tell it that you're running Windows version 6.0.

You may have to repeat this once it's installed by setting compatibility on the actual program.

And please, please, please tell the people who wrote that program to look at a couple of MSDN blogs: http://blogs.msdn.com/cjacks and http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing.

 

[HuShifang]

Thanks a bunch - afraid that didn't work, though... I did some checking, and it seems that the publisher knows the program is incompatible with Windows 7, and is working on an upgrade. We'll see what happens...

 

[stephanhodges]

Could you give a link to the publisher? Might hurry things along if more people expressed interest. Also, when I search for it, all I find is version 6.18 and 6.19

 

[HuShifang]

Stephan - Sorry to have never replied... After several attempts over several months, I finally got a reply from the publisher: due to basic design errors, the original version of 3.0 is incompatible with Windows 7, and it seems that the Securom DRM protection they placed on it precludes use of the updated Windows XP Mode virtual environment to run the disc. In what I consider to be a disgraceful move, the publisher has elected to release an other-wise identical (and full-priced) new version of the disc rather than to provide a free patch to users. I'll certainly urge all my friends and colleagues to never give the Commercial Press a penny - throughout my efforts, they have been consistently unprofessional and unreasonable. It's unconscionable to sell a product that ceases to work in so short a time...