Whats the current situation with windows 7 64 bit? (Sep 2019)

I’m setting up a Python training course where the students turn up with their own laptops variously running all flavors of Windows, Macs, some Linux and Chromebooks. So I’ve no control over them but want to install docker at the start so we can move on knowing there are no platform issues.

Well, first of all, is this a good idea?

I then downloaded the Docker Desktop on Windows installer from Docker Hub and it installed perfectly on Win 10. With Win 7, it died silently. The PC HW is in virt mode and runs VMware, VirtualBox etc fine. I launched from the command line and get

System.Windows.Markup.XamlParseException: Set property 'S
ystem.Windows.FrameworkElement.Style' threw an exception. ---> System.IO.FileNot
FoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'PresentationFramework.Aero2, Pu
blicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot fin
d the file specified.
   at System.Reflection.RuntimeAssembly._nLoad(AssemblyName fileName, String cod
eBase, Evidence assemblySecurity, RuntimeAssembly locationHint, StackCrawlMark&
stackMark, IntPtr pPrivHostBinder, Boolean throwOnFileNotFound, Boolean forIntro
spection, Boolean suppressSecurityChecks)

It did exactly the same on a second Win 7 install I tried. Googling that takes me down a rabbit hole my gut tells me I shouldn’t be following, nor should my students at 9.00am whilst the others are surfing pron, err researching python,

I see talk of Docker Toolbox on WIndows. Is this my only option for Windows 7, or is there something I missed regarding the Docker Desktop on Windows installer I downloaded? Thanks.

Unfortunately yes. You will need a lot of time if your students show up with so many different systems and you have to help them to install Docker. And there will always be differences between Toolbox on the one and Desktop or native installations on the other side.

Thanks for the reply. Just to be clear - the other platforms are Ok, it’s just Win 7 that’s the problem?

With Win 7 you’ll have problems, but there are still some differences between a native installation and Docker Desktop, for example in the way that local folders are mounted to the container.