# WINVER - How to hack Windows into reporting a different version number?



## Completely Bonkers (Jun 7, 2011)

I've giving up trying to ORCA an .msi installer to allow software to install on W2K3 (v5.2). It take so much time and effort.

What about a simpler way? Just hack or replace a dll so that winver reports XP SP3 rather than W2K3 SP2. Then all XP software will load on my workstation. Including .exe installers.

Does anyone know how to do this? Must say, didnt find any useful tips after googling.

PS. pls dont suggest "right click properties run as..." This questions is for installers that are bombing saying "windows unknown" etc.


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## Completely Bonkers (Jun 7, 2011)

LOL. I just did another hopeful google and came up with a GREAT hot link!







Clicked on the link and came back to this thread!  Man, this site is well SEO'd


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## Deleted member 3 (Jun 7, 2011)

Compatibility hardly works. The main way to get applications to install that refuse to install on a server is to edit config files or the MSI itself. Or to get the server edition. Why are you using server 2003 anyway?


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## Completely Bonkers (Jun 14, 2011)

I vant ze anzers not qvestions! 

Well, let me provide the info you ask for in case it is helpful:


Quite a lot of software is completely happy on XP, Vista, or 7, but the silly people who wrote the installer put in install conditions and completely forgot to ALLOW (as opposed to DENY) W2K3. Examples, opensource installers, accounting software, shareware, antivirus, etc. As I said, one can ORCA the .msi but this is unnecessarily time consuming and horrible if the software is frequently updated with new .msi
Sometimes editing the msi isn't enough, since within the msi in another .exe setup, where the .msi was just a wrapper. Bad programming, but lots of software is like this unfortunately
"Server" editions are not available, or in the case of antivirus, are horrendously expensive, but this is not a "server" or "enterprise" environment, but W2K3 as a workstation in a non-profit  educational environment
"Server" editions are irrelevant, e.g. CAD software, or single-application-install like basic accounting software or stuff from the Finanzamt, or in my particular case today, the .inf drivers for a mobile phone. Note that the phone is a regular USB, but requires the correct .inf which is BURIED within a .exe or .msi installer blocking W2K3
Another example is the FEAD compressor buried within many .msi/.exe installers. The compression is proprietary and the manual expand /switches check the OS before allowing the decompression to go ahead. Grrr.
Why 2K3? It's on there already. It works. This is not a games machine. AND
Thank you kindly, but at this time I will not be upgrading to W7-64.  Yes, it is better, but no, it isn't needed

I guess I could run an XP virtual machine and decompress in that? But what a convoluted walkaround!

For anyone that might want to chirp in and suggest "XP and W2K3 software is incompatibile", this statement is just untrue and FUD. Did you know that XP-64 is *based* on the W2k3 kernel sans the server stuff? It's 100% compatible.

The must be an easy dll hack so that all installers "read" windows 5.1 rather than 5.2


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## lemonadesoda (Jun 14, 2013)

ROFL. I've got exactly the same problem trying to load iTunes on 2K3. NO DONT COMMENT ON WHY! LOL 

I've found this and will report back if I'm successful http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12018

Has anyone else done this or solved the problem? Actually, if this problem can be cracked it would be very helpful for a whole bunch of software like games and AV that, by default, don't allow installation on 2K3


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