Installing Windows Live Wave 3 Beta Programs (include Messenger) on Unsupported x86 and x64 of Windows Server 2003 or 2008

[TheGreatOne]

For Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 users who download and try to install any of the Windows Live Wave 3 beta programs such as Windows Live (MSN) Messenger, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Movie Maker, etc. would have been disappointed and frustrated.

The integrated and unified installer for Windows Live Wave 3 beta programs, namely wlsetup-web.exe or wlsetup-all.exe, does not allow nor permit installation on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 or other server based operating system, affecting both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) platform, which is unsupported operating system.

In order to make the Windows Live Installer works to install on unsupported operating system (only Windows XP SP2/SP3 and Windows Vista is supported), use the hack below to remove the OS check from the unified Windows Live Installer executable so that it will “support” installation on unsupported OS:

1.Download Resource Hacker.
2.Open the Live installer executable
(either WLSetup-All.exe orWLSetup- Web.exe) inside Resource Hacker.
3.Locate CONFIG -> CONFIG0 -> 0
4.Strip out the following XML, leaving the surrounding text:

<rule name=”IsValidOs” logic=”or”><group logic=”and” name=”vista+”><os version=”vista” condition=”greaterthanorequal” /><os productType=”workstation” /></group><group logic=”and” name=”xpsp2″><os version=”xp” servicePack=”2″ condition=”greaterthanorequal” /><os version=”vista” condition=”lessthan” /><os productType=”workstation” /><os cpu=”i386″ /><fileVersion path=”CSIDL_SYSTEM” file=”msi.dll” version=”3.1.0.0″ condition=”greaterthanorequal” /></group></rule>

5.Compile the script.
6.Save the modified executable.
7.Run the modified executable, and the OS check is no longer there!

[Ernest]

Is Downloading and runnig Resource Hacker is safe? It seems risky for system.