Windows 7

[gimail]

why isn't the WinBoat service working on Windows 7, and what settings can I adjust to get it to work?

[53901]

bump

not supported yet i suppose.
but i dont imagine itll take much work to update the software to work with this version of windows

[53901]

i would rrly like to see win7 supported. it would be ideal for my purposes

[53901]

bump

please

[Ghis1964]

Windows7 would also be the main desktop on this. No win11, like at all (maybe win10.... just, maybe)
So, I'll be waiting ;)

[53901]

tiny10 for me. it works decent, but my system struggles even with that. zero chance im running 11. win7 would literally be perfect.

[gimail]

To make WinBoat support Windows 7 out of the box, you need to add the corresponding key to WINDOWS_VERSIONS and ensure that the base container image ghcr.io/dockur/windows properly handles version 7. If the image does not support Windows 7, it is safer to use the existing Custom ISO mechanism.

How to add built-in support for Windows 7

Add an entry to src/renderer/lib/constants.ts:

export const WINDOWS_VERSIONS = {
"7": "Windows 7",
"10": "Windows 10 Pro",
"11": "Windows 11 Pro",
// ...
};

The WindowsVersionKey type will update, since it is derived from keyof typeof WINDOWS_VERSIONS (constants.ts:8-18).

In the UI (SetupUI.vue), the version will automatically appear in the dropdown list because it is rendered from WINDOWS_VERSIONS (SetupUI.vue:329-340).

During installation, InstallManager will pass the VERSION value into the compose file (install.ts:85-92).
The base image in the Docker/Podman configurations is ghcr.io/dockur/windows:5.14 (docker.ts:10-12, podman.ts:10-12).

Make sure this image supports Windows 7 installation; otherwise, the built-in option will not work.

The base Dockur image supports all Windows versions. Here is the link: https://github.com/dockur/windows/pkgs/container/windows.

11 | Windows 11 Pro | 7.2 GB
11l | Windows 11 LTSC | 4.7 GB
11e | Windows 11 Enterprise | 6.6 GB
10 | Windows 10 Pro | 5.7 GB
10l | Windows 10 LTSC | 4.6 GB
10e | Windows 10 Enterprise | 5.2 GB
8e | Windows 8.1 Enterprise | 3.7 GB
7u | Windows 7 Ultimate | 3.1 GB
vu | Windows Vista Ultimate | 3.0 GB
xp | Windows XP Professional | 0.6 GB
2k | Windows 2000 Professional | 0.4 GB
2025 | Windows Server 2025 | 6.7 GB
2022 | Windows Server 2022 | 6.0 GB
2019 | Windows Server 2019 | 5.3 GB
2016 | Windows Server 2016 | 6.5 GB
2012 | Windows Server 2012 | 4.3 GB
2008 | Windows Server 2008 | 3.0 GB
2003 | Windows Server 2003 | 0.6 GB.

You need to configure it in the settings: src/renderer/lib/constants.ts

export const WINBOAT_DIR = path.join(os.homedir(), ".winboat");
export const DEFAULT_HOMEBREW_DIR = path.join(os.homedir(), "../linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin");

export const WINDOWS_VERSIONS = {
"11": "Windows 11 Pro",
"11l": "Windows 11 LTSC 2024",
"11e": "Windows 11 Enterprise",
"10": "Windows 10 Pro",
"10l": "Windows 10 LTSC 2021",
"10e": "Windows 10 Enterprise",
custom: "Custom Windows",
};

export type WindowsVersionKey = keyof typeof WINDOWS_VERSIONS;

src/renderer/data/docker.ts

    data: null,
},
services: {

    windows: {
        image: "ghcr.io/dockur/windows:5.14",
        container_name: "WinBoat",

        environment: {
            VERSION: "11",
            RAM_SIZE: "4G",

src/renderer/data/podman.ts

    data: null,
},
services: {

    windows: {
        image: "ghcr.io/dockur/windows:5.14",
        container_name: "WinBoat",

        environment: {
            VERSION: "11",
            RAM_SIZE: "4G",

[gimail]

RemoteApp Not Available: Windows 7 Starter/Home Basic do not support RemoteApp. Use Pro/Enterprise/Ultimate editions or launch the full desktop instead.

Outdated PowerShell: The app discovery script (apps.ps1) may fail on PowerShell 2.0. Update PowerShell or temporarily disable app discovery (run only custom apps).

RDP Port Conflict: Ensure the host RDP port range (47300–47309) is not in use and is properly forwarded to the container (docker.ts:28-34).

Guest Server Not Starting: Check C:\Program Files\WinBoat\winboat_guest_server.exe and review the service logs.

Solutions

Launch Full Desktop: In the WinBoat UI, select “Windows Desktop” instead of individual apps (winboat.ts:653-668).

Update PowerShell: Install Windows Management Framework 5.1 on Windows 7.

Reinstall Guest Server: Inside Windows 7, run as Administrator:

C:\Program Files\WinBoat\install.bat

or manually reinstall the service via nssm (install.bat:17-28).

Use a Custom ISO with Required Components: When building the image, ensure Remote Desktop Services and PowerShell 5.1 are included.