Steam v2025.03.11 works on Windows 7 using VxKex

[DragShot]

Application Information:

• Application: Steam v2025.03.11 (build 1741737356)
• Download Link: https://store.steampowered.com/about/

Description:

I have updated Steam successfully from the release 2024.11.08 to 2025.03.11, the latest one available at the time of this post.

I am opening this issue in order to report my progress, for other people to try and follow; and to request Steam (the 2025.03.11 version in specific) being listed as supported in the readme, if this works for others as well.

Environment:

• Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 Spanish, 64bit, with security updates until EOL
• Antivirus: ESET Internet Security 16.0.26.0
• VxKex Version: i486 v1.1.2.1428

Preparation:

• (Steam was previously installed before the end of support, at version 2024.11.08, but you can try and get it from this Reddit thread)
• Ensure hardware acceleration is disabled in the Steam > Parameters > Interface menu, this in order to avoid some errors/delays you may face later if you don't do it.
• If you have disabled auto-updates using the steam.cfg file, enable them by moving the file somewhere outside.
• Steam must be fully closed in order to begin.
• You may want to make a full backup of your Steam folder before you begin, just to be safe.

Procedure:

These steps where figured out from this related issue and this video on YouTube.

• Temporarily disable your antivirus real-time protection, if any.
• Download the "Release" installer of VxKex v1.1.2.1428. Confirm you want to keep the installer when prompted by the browser.
• Add antivirus exception to a location where you're going to keep the installer, then move it there.
• Install VxKex from the installer you saved.
• After installation, add antivirus exception to the location where VxKex is installed (C:\Program Files\VxKex by default).
• Enable your antivirus real-time protection, if any.
• Go to the Steam folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam).
• Right-click on steam.exe and go to Properties > VxKex.
• Enable options Enable VxKex for this program and Report a different version of Windows, set it to Windows 10. Leave the other options disabled, then apply and close.
• Right-click your Steam shorcut on the desktop (or wherever you keep it), go to Properties > Shortcut, and ensure the Target field has the parameter -tcp at its end. Apply and close.
• Launch Steam, and wait for it to download and apply the update. This operation will take several minutes since there's been at least one major update since the Nov 11th release, and there are a lot of files to unpack.
• Once Steam is done applying the update, it might freeze for a bit during start.
• If Steam reports its web helper isn't responding, try the options "restart with sandboxing disabled" or "restart steam", then wait a minute for Steam to restart.
• You might have to launch Steam again by yourself if it doesn't restart on its own after a minute. Steam will then boot to the main window successfully.
• Close Steam completely.
• Go to the Steam folder. For the following files:
  • steam.exe
  • steamservice.exe
  • bin/cef/cef.win7x64/steamwebhelper.exe
• ... enable the following options in Properties > VxKex:
  • Enable VxKex for this program
  • Report a different version of Windows: Windows 10
  • Disable VxKex for child processes
• (Optional) If you had disabled auto-updates using the steam.cfg file before, move the file back in.
  • If you didn't, I'd suggest you do this by creating such a file inside the Steam folder, with the following content in it:

    BootStrapperInhibitAll=enable
    BootStrapperForceSelfUpdate=disable
    

  • This is in order to prevent future updates from breaking Steam by accident.
• You can now start Steam again, login and play games on it... at least those that are supported on your installation of Windows.

More details:

Do note that this procedure fixes Steam and its webview only. If you need to make any game work on your system, you will have to handle it by separate. There are tools aside from VxKex that help with this, depending on the engine the game was built with.

For testing I used the matchmaking in Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2, and played some matches in order to confirm VAC was okay with the resulting setup. Everything went alright.

[ForgottenAngel]

Leaving a comment since this guide was helpful. However, I encountered an error stating, "VxKex could not start because the DLL imports of the main process image could not be rewritten." (Related Issue)

After experimenting, if you rename steam.exe into anything else (I used steam_test.exe), the steps work perfectly as described here. You just have to make sure that all shortcuts you use point to the renamed executable.

VxKex Version: dotexe1337 Fork ver.20250531

[TheRealAyCe]

@DragShot You here too? :D

What is the reason for disabling child process injection? I only set the properties on steam.exe and it seems to work fine.

[VetaLioSTV]

Any thoughts how to Run Dota 2 on Win 7 / Win 8-8.1 ?

[ElijahMorrigan]

is there any way to force game overlay to work as well? it seems some games has problems with it

[TheRealAyCe]

@DragShot You here too? :D

What is the reason for disabling child process injection? I only set the properties on steam.exe and it seems to work fine.

@ElijahMorrigan I answered my own question and maybe it helps you too. It seems not doing "Disable VxKex for child processes" caused the overlay to not work for me. After doing the steps as explained in the issue, the overlay works again... for some games. :(

Edit: Those games where it DOESN'T work appear to be 32-bit games. I mostly tested Unity games, but it seems to affect all 32-bit games. For these games to launch at all through Steam, I have to manually enable VxKex for the EXE, "Report different version" is not necessary.

Also, I'm using VxKex NEXT.

[asdfwowlua]

Rewrite of the previous post: Tried these VxKex settings: 1). use VxKex for this program 2). report as Windows 10 3). disable VxKex for all child processes ...for other files than \Steam\steam.exe and \Steam\bin\cef\cef.win7x64\steamwebhelper.exe because I thought all of those .exe files with "64" in their name would need those Win10 settings as well. Turns out that was the wrong idea because it caused Steam to be unable to launch many games and prompt a "doesn't work anymore" / "not responding" error (although those very games could still be started just fine via their direct .exe file with even the Steam overlay then loading and working). So it's really just those 2 files that need their VxKex settings for things to work normally BUT...

...Steam sometimes still hangs / keeps freezing in an endless loop after logging in. The only workaround to this is to task-kill one of the many active steamwebhelper.exe, then wait 5s and keep repeating that until Steam eventually reloads its UI and starts working normally. I still don't know what's causing this and why but it's a thing. Sometimes. Probably related to the extra popup that sometimes appears when launching Steam (offers / Steam hardware survey) - maybe one of those .exe files still needs the VxKex settings as well, would need some more tinkering to find out. If so then it's likely one of the .exe files with "64" in its name, at least that's my guess.