Node v14.13.0-x64 does not install on Win7 x64

[tmccurdy]

Is it normal that Windows7 (x64) is not supported by the latest Node version? When and what version is Windows7 not being supported?

[MylesBorins]

@tmccurdy are you able to install the 14.12.0 msi?

https://nodejs.org/dist/v14.12.0/node-v14.12.0-x64.msi

[targos]

Support for Windows 7 was removed in #31954 (for Node.js v14.0.0)

[richardlau]

Support for Windows 7 was removed in #31954 (for Node.js v14.0.0)

Partially reverted in #33176 (in Node.js 14.5.0). The msi installer is still blocked on Windows 7 but the 7z/zip and/or exe downloads are not if an environment variable is set.

[AM4Ryzen]

Support for Windows 7 was removed in #31954 (for Node.js v14.0.0)

Partially reverted in #33176 (in Node.js 14.5.0). The msi installer is still blocked on Windows 7 but the 7z/zip and/or exe downloads are not if an environment variable is set.

Yet the environment variable does literally nothing after it's set

[Domarius]

Yet the environment variable does literally nothing after it's set

Close and re-open the command window.

[Astara]

Does the installer check if the Win7 platform is still supported through Microsoft's extended support that is sold through the end of 2023?
Since cygwin is a POSIX/Linuxish compatible platform, does node.js support run on Cygwin?

[Psychosynthesis]

Add Windows support to the 14 branch of the node!

Because of this limitation, half of the projects cannot be supported if the developer's computer has a seven.

As far as I can tell, this is essentially just a whim of the developers - "let's stop supporting this junk", despite the fact that people continue to use it, and there are no killerfits here, which could be expected in the 14th version due to the termination of support.

---

I duplicate my post also in this thread: #38761

Sorry if this looks intrusive, but because of this, I am now facing a situation in which I, apparently, have to install a virtual machine to run a new Windows under it, simply because I cannot (and do not want to) update the OS for a thousand reasons, but for work I need Win and NodeJS not lower than 14th, аnd this is real ridiculous situation. Therefore, I want the developers to pay attention to the problem. Thanks.

[K4sum1]

Afaik the latest node is able to work on 7 by changing a single function and setting the variable.

[tniessen]

Does the installer check if the Win7 platform is still supported through Microsoft's extended support that is sold through the end of 2023?

@Astara I don't think so. It's all open-source, so feel free to propose changes through PRs or recompile with your own logic. There are alternative installation methods that do not require using the MSI as well.

Add Windows support to the 14 branch of the node!

@Psychosynthesis the latest 14.x releases include this logic:

node/src/node_main.cc

Lines 30 to 50 in 9beb4f8

	#define SKIP_CHECK_VAR "NODE_SKIP_PLATFORM_CHECK"
	#define SKIP_CHECK_SIZE 1
	#define SKIP_CHECK_VALUE "1"
	int wmain(int argc, wchar_t* wargv[]) {
	// Windows Server 2012 (not R2) is supported until 10/10/2023, so we allow it
	// to run in the experimental support tier.
	char buf[SKIP_CHECK_SIZE + 1];
	if (!IsWindows8Point1OrGreater() &&
	!(IsWindowsServer() && IsWindows8OrGreater()) &&
	(GetEnvironmentVariableA(SKIP_CHECK_VAR, buf, sizeof(buf)) !=
	SKIP_CHECK_SIZE ||
	strncmp(buf, SKIP_CHECK_VALUE, SKIP_CHECK_SIZE + 1) != 0)) {
	fprintf(stderr, "Node.js is only supported on Windows 8.1, Windows "
	"Server 2012 R2, or higher.\n"
	"Setting the " SKIP_CHECK_VAR " environment variable "
	"to 1 skips this\ncheck, but Node.js might not execute "
	"correctly. Any issues encountered on\nunsupported "
	"platforms will not be fixed.");
	exit(ERROR_EXE_MACHINE_TYPE_MISMATCH);
	}

Is this not working for you, even after setting the NODE_SKIP_PLATFORM_CHECK environment variable as documented for Node.js 14? As discussed here and elsewhere, the MSI might not be working, but other installation mechanisms should.

[K4sum1]

Why even add more code that wastes cycles and makes the program bigger? If it breaks, it breaks. If it works, it works.

[Psychosynthesis]

@tniessen v.14.19.0 was not working even if i set the NODE_SKIP_PLATFORM_CHECK. However, I succeeded to install version v.14.17.6 and it work for me (at least for now).

Previously, I installed the latest available 13.x version, and then simply replaced its files with files from the fourteenth zip archive.
I don't know if it's possible to skip the step with the 13th version - I just checked if my project would work on it.

This, of course, is better than nothing, but it will be sad if the developers of any of the packages once again decide to update their dependencies without much sense (as in this case, they obviously did in typescript-eslint v.5.3).

[MyTDT-Mysoft]

soo much trouble caused by rushing drop support of something that is totally capable to run node... for no gains other than say that some newer function call that is just a convenient way (or may more linux like) way of doing what was already possible, instead of wrap such functionality on a function that does not need to be changed ever again, that would implement the same functionality even if in a slight less performant way... its lol :)