Running Python 3.9-3.11 based applications on Windows 7

YouTube · Unread post by **the_r3dacted** » 08 Dec 2022, 01:04

When trying to use Legendary, I noticed that it didn't work on 7 because the latest releases use Python 3.9, it has the api-ms-win-core-path-l1-1-0.dll error.

To solve this, grab api-ms-win-core-path-HACK, and copy the x64 dll into %windir%\System32, and then copy the x86 dll to %windir%\syswow64.

Due to the way Legendary works, it extracts a minified Python 3.9 into %temp%, then it executes the code, because using an actually good coding language is too hard I guess. This means that the dll can't be used unless it is copied to the system folders. This probably works for more applications, I just don't know much that uses anything past 3.8.

YouTube · Unread post by **the_r3dacted** » 14 Jan 2023, 14:47

I tested this with the latest Python 3.11 (portable ofc) and it works with that, so this will work for a lot of applications for the foreseeable future.

Darth Agnon · Unread post by **Darth Agnon** » 16 Feb 2023, 20:08

There is also this project which supplies Python 3.9 to 3.11 installers that support Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, basically by including api-ms-win-core-path-HACK and modifying the installers.

YouTube · Unread post by **the_r3dacted** » 16 Feb 2023, 20:35

I'd think it would be better to just remove the requirement instead of including the dll if you're already modifying source.

Lappo · Unread post by **Lappo** » 30 Dec 2024, 16:05

Im an MSYS2 user (basically the current incarnation of a mingw based toolchain) and up to python 3.10 their builds support windows 7 https://github.com/msys2/MINGW-packages/blob/234364f40842c00e1bda49db3cf8496a7e4ba205/mingw-w64-python/0111-Add-support-for-Windows-7-Python-3.10.patch this version of python is quite different from MSVC built python.org python and on top of having several patches to support building it with a mingw/windows-gnu toolchain also has patches to adapt it to the several toolchains the MSYS2 project supports, it is however another python for windows 7 alternative.

Im currently still running python 3.10 however round when the last patch for clang 20 is available i may consider bothering with looking trough the msys2 python 3.11 codebase to see if i can remove those api-ms-path calls so it can run in windows 7, any other folks that could also be bothered would be much welcome

Unread post by **Duke** » 29 Dec 2025, 23:47

Python 3.9, 3.10, 3.11 and 3.12 for Windows Vista and 7:
https://github.com/vladimir-andreevich/cpython-windows-vista-and-7

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