GIMP on Windows ME

Files you need to install the Gimp under Windows ME

The GIMP Open Source image editing program is available for Mac OS X, Linux and Windows. Gimp 2 releases are fully ‘supported’ (in the sense that bugs are tracked by the Gimp project team members for Windows 2000 and XP, earlier versions of the OS are not supported but the package will work. The Windows version of the Gimp is supplied as two installers – the first installs the GTK+ libraries and the second installs the Gimp itself. Other applications can then use the GTK+ libraries, used to render images on the screen.

To get the Gimp working on an ancient Compaq Armada 7400 laptop with 128Mb of RAM and running Windows ME, you just have to download an earlier version of the GTK+ libraries, and alter one setting on the GIMP installer.

The files above are ZIP files that contain a ‘set-up’ file. Unzip the setup files and…

  • Run the setup for GTK+ 2.4.14 first
  • There are no settings that need changing, just click continue to accept all the defaults
  • Then run the setup for the Gimp 2
  • There is a warning that there is limited support for the Gimp 2 under Windows 9xx and ME
  • There is one setting to change on a small memory computer like my Armada – the Tile Cache should be reduced from the default 128Mb. I have set the tile cache to 32 Mb on the Armada.

Setting the Gimp tile cache to 32Mb when installing the Gimp on a small memory computer

  • Accept all the defaults after that
  • The Gimp should run when you start up

The Gimp loads - menus and interface eccentric but the same on Mac OS X, Linux and Windows

My old laptop is having a second lease of life running OpenOffice 1.1.4, the Gimp, Firefox and Thunderbird as the application software. I might try putting Ubuntu on the Compaq Armada 7400 as the main operating system – but I need to know that Ubuntu will recognise the modem first!

PS - the screen grabs in this post were all converted using the Gimp. They were converted to index mode using the Web palette but without dithering, so the title bars on the windows look funny as Windows ME insists on using a gradient fill in the title bar…. I hate dithering on screen grabs.

Comments are closed.