Member Avatar for kittycat_g2003

Why won't bearshare work on my new computer it has windows vista??

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by coolraj003

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This thread dates to 2007: reported BearShare failing on Windows Vista, and replies from and pointed toward compatibility/runtime and older-build differences. The steps below focus on concrete, verifiable troubleshooting and safer ways to use legacy P2P clients on an OS that enforces stricter security than XP.

  1. Installer and privileges
  • Right‑click the installer and choose "Run as administrator."
  • Use the Compatibility tab (Properties → Compatibility) and try an older Windows profile (for example XP).
  • If the installer still fails, check Event Viewer (Application/System logs) for the specific error code or message; that usually tells whether a permission, driver signing, or dependency issue occurred.
  1. Networking and firewall
  • If the client installs but cannot connect, temporarily disable Windows Firewall/third‑party AV to test connectivity, then add the client to exceptions rather than leaving protection off.
  • Ensure router NAT/UPnP is enabled or forward the ports the client uses (check the client's settings for port numbers).
  1. Drivers, architecture and updates
  • Confirm Vista edition (32 vs 64-bit). Some older installers try to add low-level components that 64-bit Vista will block unless drivers are signed.
  • Update network drivers and install current Windows updates before retrying.
  1. Using older builds safely
  • Obtaining legacy installers from untrusted sites risks malware. Prefer reputable archives such as the Internet Archive for historical files and verify installers with antivirus before running (Internet Archive).
  • Better: run any legacy file‑sharing client inside a sandbox or virtual machine (for example VirtualBox) so the main system remains protected.

For historical context about BearShare and how P2P clients evolved, see BearShare on Wikipedia.

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Member Avatar for Jolly181

Hi There..

You might want to make sure that you have the latest version of Java installed on your machine. Bearshare is very picky like that. The Latest version is V6.1

You can find it here: http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Regards

:)

Member Avatar for coolraj003

The newer version of Bearshare does not offer much either, I got my new laptop with Vista and the older version is not compatible with it and the new Bearshare would not let you do all that you could do with older version. I m talking about movie downloads here. Thenew one just allows music/MP3/Videos but not full movies. It does not offer application or image downloads either.

I have had my desktop on XP and got the older bearshare 5.2.5 downloaded after searching from google as the bearsharewebsite does not offer the older versions at all either. The only thing you can do is install teh newer version Bearshare 6.0 with limited options.

I recommend 5.2.5 through google mate.

Regards
Raj

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