Running the Unipus College Foreign Language Teaching Platform on Windows 10 or Windows 11

Introduction

As is well known, Internet Explorer 11 was discontinued on June 15, 2022. This day has not only arrived but has long since passed. The latest Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems have entirely replaced the system-level Edge browser, rendering Internet Explorer unusable.

Although the times are progressing and most websites are well-compatible with new browsers, there are some holdouts (I won’t name them here, but the Unipus College Foreign Language Teaching Platform is one such site) that only support the IE browser. This has led to the creation of this article: Running the Unipus College Foreign Language Teaching Platform on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Method 1: A Bit of a Hack

This method was taught to us by our teachers: right-click on this title and open it in a new tab.

The principle behind this is quite simple. By inspecting the source code, it’s not hard to find that it has already defined a link for redirection in this tab, which the browser can recognize and navigate to a new page. However, it also defines an IE browser detection function, and if it’s not an IE browser, it won’t redirect.

However:

This old system is actually Flash-based!!! As everyone knows, Chrome and Edge no longer support Flash plugins. If your computer already has a Flash plugin installed, you can consider installing an older version of Chrome or Firefox. The software download section of the Unipus College Foreign Language Teaching Platform has these options.

But this tutorial is based on the IE browser, so there’s no need to look further if you’re using other browsers.

Method 2: Enable Edge’s IE Compatibility Mode

1. Click the three dots in the upper right corner of Edge and go to Settings.

   

2. Find Default browser on the right side, change Allow to reload websites in Internet Explorer mode (IE mode) to Allow, and then restart the browser.

   

3. After restarting, click the three dots in the upper right corner and select Reload in Internet Explorer mode.

   

4. Once the icon shown in the figure appears, we log in again.

   

5. After logging in, we click the course link. We still get an error pop-up. Don’t hurry, keep reading.

   

6. Right-click on this title (this is the IE right-click menu, different from Edge) and open it in a new tab.

   

7. It will prompt us to install a Flash plugin. At this point, we should not click to install, as this Flash is default for Windows 7 and will fail to install on Windows 10.

   

   

8. For specific Flash installation methods, refer to:

   • Flash Installation Tutorial

9. After installing Flash, most pages should now be visible.

   

10. If some pages still don’t display properly, refer to the follow-up work:

    • Plugin and Font Library Installation
    • LearnX Voice Recognition and Recording Plugin

Method 3: VMware Virtual Machine with Windows 7

The Windows 7 system comes with the IE browser by default. We can use an old Windows 7 computer to run it. If you don’t have a Windows 7 computer handy, you can install it in a virtual machine.

1. Install VMware Virtual Machine

1. Search for vmware on baidu and go to the VMware official website.

   

2. Find Resources in the upper right corner.

   

3. Scroll down to Product Downloads.

   

4. In the search box, type vmware workstation pro 16 and click the small magnifying glass to search.

   

5. After searching, click the second one, as the first one is for Linux, and the second one is for Windows. Note that the official website’s labeling isn’t very clear, so pay attention.

   

6. Click into it, and you’ll see the installer in the file list. Click Download Now to download.

   

   Downloading from the official website requires logging in with an account. Here, I provide a backup link.

7. The downloaded file is a .exe file. Double-click to install.

   

8. Click Next.

   

9. Accept the license agreement.

   

10. If you have installed Hyper-V, you may see this option. To ensure compatibility, check Automatically install WHP.

    

11. Don’t change anything on this step, just click Next.

    

12. It’s recommended to uncheck both boxes.

    

13. Click Next.

    

14. Click Install.

    

    

15. After installation, click Finish.

    

2. Activate the Software

1. Open the VMware virtual machine software.

   

2. Select I have a license key for VMware Workstation 16, enter your purchased key, and click Continue to activate.

   

   

3. Create a Virtual Machine

1. Click Create a new virtual machine on the main interface.

   

2. Select Typical, then click Next.

   

3. Here, select Install operating system later, as if we choose the system image here, VMware will automatically deploy it for us. However, the system deployed afterward is quite poor, so we’ll do it manually.

   

4. Select Windows 7 for the operating system.

   

5. Set the name and storage location for the virtual machine. It’s highly recommended to place the virtual machine in a disk other than the C drive.

   

6. For the disk capacity, fill in according to your needs. It should not be less than 20GB to reserve some space for the system.

   

7. Click Customize hardware at this step.

   

8. Find the New CD/DVD option, click Use ISO image file, and select your ISO image file. Here is the download link for the Windows 7 64-bit Professional with sp1 bulk edition. It’s recommended to use Xunlei for downloading (make sure to choose the version with vl, otherwise the activation will be a nightmare).

   ed2k://|file|cn_windows_7_professional_with_sp1_vl_build_x64_dvd_u_677816.iso|3266004992|5A52F4CCEFA71797D58389B397038B2F|/

   

9. For the Network Adapter, it’s recommended to change it to Bridged Mode, but it doesn’t really matter if you don’t change it.

   

10. After closing the Hardware Settings page, click Finish.

    

11. Click Power on this virtual machine on the newly created virtual machine.

    

12. Wait for the virtual machine to start.

    

4. Install the Operating System

1. Select the language you understand and click Next – Install now.

   

   

2. Accept the license terms.

   

3. Select Custom (Advanced).

   

4. On the disk selection page, click Driver options (Advanced) (A).

   

5. Select the unallocated disk, click New, Apply, and then OK.

   

   

   

6. Click Next, and the system will install automatically. Just wait for it to finish. You can use this time to have a cup of coffee.

   

   

7. After several restarts, the virtual machine will enter the system settings page. Set a username you like, then click Next all the way. You can choose to set or not set a password. As for updates, we’ll discuss it later. Just follow the images for the rest.

   

   

   

   

   

   

8. Enter the operating system.

   

5. Install VMware Tools

1. Click Virtual Machine in the menu bar and select Install VMware Tools.

   

2. If there’s an autorun window, click Run.

   

   If no window pops up, find the DVD drive in This PC and double-click it.

   

3. The installation process is straightforward—just click Next.

   

   

   

   

4. If there are driver issues, select Always install this driver software.

   

5. If you encounter the following error, refer to VMware Tools Error Handling.

   

6. After installation, restart the system once.

   

   

7. The benefit of installing VMware Tools is that the resolution can adapt automatically, and you can also directly drag and drop files into the virtual machine.

   

Using Unipus Platform with IE8

1. Open the Internet Explorer browser that comes with Windows 7 (the system default is IE8).

   

2. When selecting courses, it still prompts Compatibility View Issues.

   

3. Click Tools in the menu bar and select Compatibility View, and the page will refresh and open in compatibility view.

   

4. After entering the course, nothing happens. There is a Flash Player add-on here, but don’t click it, as it won’t do anything useful.

   

5. In the menu bar, you can see Software Download. We find the Flash Player suitable for IE browsers.

   

6. Run it directly.

   

7. Check the license terms and install.

   

8. After installation, it should work normally.

   

9. If some pages still don’t display properly, refer to the follow-up work:

   • Plugin and Font Library Installation
   • LearnX Voice Recognition and Recording Plugin

   

Using Unipus Platform with IE11

Since Windows 7 defaults to IE8, we need to manually upgrade to IE11.

1. Search for Internet Explorer11 download on baidu and find Download Internet Explorer 11 (Offline Installer) - Microsoft Support.

   

2. On the new page, find Internet Explorer Download Center.

   

3. Choose the first Internet Explorer 11 for Windows7 64-bit.

   

4. For the language, select Simplified Chinese, then click the Download button on the right to download.

   • Backup link

   

5. After downloading, it’s an .exe file. Double-click to install it.

   

6. Click Next and wait for the installation to complete.

   

   

7. After installation, you need to restart the computer once to use it normally.

   

8. When selecting courses, it still prompts Compatibility View Issues.

   

9. Find the small gear in the upper right corner and select Compatibility View Settings (B).

   

10. Add this website to Compatibility View Settings.

    

11. After that, you can open the course normally.

    

12. If some pages still don’t display properly, refer to the follow-up work:

    • Plugin and Font Library Installation
    • LearnX Voice Recognition and Recording Plugin

Flash Installation Tutorial (Provided by Tian Yuan on Zhihu)

Don’t try to download and install the Flash for the Unipus platform, as you’ll find it impossible to install. Follow my steps to install it step by step.

Method 1: Clean Flash Player (Recommended)

This is a modified version based on the Chinese version, removing ads and malicious software, and offering a simple installation interface with one-click setup.

• Clean Flash with Standalone Player Download

• Backup link

You can find the latest version of the Installer on GitLab.

After downloading, proceed with the installation, following the illustrations and your personal preferences.

1. Agree to the terms.

   

2. Choose the version to install.

   

3. Whether to install the local player, i.e., the swf player.

   

4. Whether to install the Debug version.

   

5. Install.

   

   

6. Installation complete.

   

Method 2: Chinese Version Download (Provided by Tian Yuan on Zhihu)

Adobe’s official page no longer provides Flash downloads, advising everyone to uninstall Flash and to be cautious of malicious software on third-party download sources. However, Adobe and Chongqing Chongcheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. have provided a “special edition” FlashPlayer for domestic users.

• Flash Player Official Download Center - Flash China Official Website

Here’s a quick explanation:

Version	Compatible Browsers
Flash Center	Built-in browser or select the version to install in software
ActiveX version	IE browser
PPAPI version	Google Chrome or Chromium-based browsers
NPAPI version	Firefox

We need to download the ActiveX version. Note: This is a modified version with ads and malicious software.

After downloading, proceed with the installation.

Plugin and Font Library Installation

About Pepperservice

Pepperservice is a terminal speech evaluation service software that allows learners to practice speaking and receive feedback even without an internet connection. It’s recommended to install it before starting your learning to make the process more flexible and convenient.

Installation

1. Download and run the installer pepper_setup.exe, click Next according to the prompts, and install.

   • Windows version：Download link 1 Backup link
   • Mac version：Download link 1 Backup link

2. Click Next.

   

3. Accept the agreement.

   

4. Click Next all the way.

   

   

   

5. Install.

   

6. Run it, and the program doesn’t have a main interface; it only generates an icon in the lower right corner. Since this is a service-based software, remember to allow it through the firewall.

   

   

   

7. If you want to test it, visit http://127.0.0.1:5768/chivoxapi-js/v3.0/Examples/aipanel_enword.html，同样使用IE兼容模式打开，并同意麦克风权限。

   

LearnX Voice Recognition and Recording Plugin

About LearnX

Learnx is a voice recognition plugin developed in Japan. If the user plays a disc, such as for learning New Horizon English, it will be used. Learning the online courses of New Horizon English also requires this plugin.

Installation

1. Download and run the installer LearnX_Setup20110505.exe. You can choose any folder to store the downloaded files.

   • Windows version：Download link 1 Backup link

2. After installation, nothing happens. Restart the browser.

   

   

VMware Tools Error Handling

Encountering the following error during installation is due to driver installation issues.

The installer cannot automatically install the Virtual Machine Communication Interface Sockets (VSock) driver. This driver must be manually installed.

This is the explanation from VMware’s official website.

Essentially, it means that Windows 7 is too old and no longer receives updates, as VMware Tools use the latest code signing, which the old version cannot support.

Solution

1. Download the patch package kb4474419.

   • Download link：Official address Backup address

   Choose the Windows 7 version and click the Download button on the right.

   

   On the new page, we also need to click once more to start downloading.

   

2. After downloading, it’s an .msu file. Double-click to run it.

   

3. Click Yes to install.

   

   

4. After installation, restart the computer once.

   

5. After restarting, reinstall VMware Tools.