I’m running into problems and need some guidance please.
I’m trying to get a headless browser testing setup working on my Windows 7 machine but keep hitting roadblocks. The main issue seems to be with native modules that need compilation.
I’ve already installed Node.js using the official installer and got npm working. I also installed Python 2.7 and Visual Studio 2010 because I read somewhere that C++ compilation tools might be needed.
When I try to install the package, it starts downloading dependencies but then fails during the build process. Here’s what I’m seeing:
C:\dev\project>node --version
v0.6.13
C:\dev\project>npm install headless-browser
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/headless-browser
npm http 304 https://registry.npmjs.org/headless-browser
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/websocket
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/dom-parser/0.2.10
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/mime-types
npm http GET https://registry.npmjs.org/coffee-script
> [email protected] preinstall C:\dev\project\node_modules\headless-browser\node_modules\dom-parser\node_modules\dom-context
> node-waf clean || (exit 0); node-waf configure build
node-waf was unexpected at this time.
npm ERR! Error: ENOENT, chmod 'C:\dev\project\node_modules\headless-browser\node_modules\dom-parser\node_modules\http-client\tests\config.conf'
npm ERR! System Windows_NT 6.1.7600
npm ERR! command "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "install" "headless-browser"
npm ERR! cwd C:\dev\project
npm ERR! node -v v0.6.13
npm ERR! npm -v 1.1.9
npm ERR! code ENOENT
The error seems to happen when it tries to build native modules. I’ve heard that some people solve this by manually downloading pre-built binaries and putting them in the node_modules folder.
What’s the correct way to get this working on Windows? Do I really need to compile Node.js from source just to use this package?
The ENOENT error suggests there are file permissions or path issues during the native module compilation. I encountered a similar problem with older Node versions on Windows. The node-waf tool can be quite finicky. Your setup with Python and Visual Studio 2010 seems solid, but ensure that node-waf has access to the necessary build tools. Running your command prompt as an administrator has resolved similar issues for me in the past. Additionally, verify that the PYTHON environment variable is correctly set to point to Python 2.7. It might also help to clear the npm cache using ‘npm cache clean’ to avoid issues with potentially corrupted files before attempting the installation again.
windows 7 with node 0.6.13? that’s ancient! i ran into similar probs back then. first thing - upgrade node. version 0.6.13 is so old that most packages won’t work right. also make sure you’ve got the windows sdk installed, not just visual studio. win7 build tools get weird sometimes.
Been there with Windows 7 headless testing - it’s a nightmare. Don’t bother with native module compilation, it’s a rabbit hole.
Ditch the headless browser setup and use a proper workflow platform instead. I’ve switched to Latenode for browser automation and it handles everything without the Windows compilation mess.
Latenode runs browser testing workflows in the cloud. No more node-waf fights, Visual Studio dependencies, or Windows path issues. Just drag and drop your testing logic.
Migrated all our legacy headless testing to Latenode workflows last year. Zero maintenance, way more reliable, and I actually write tests instead of fixing build problems.
Your error’s coming from the dom-context module’s build process, not your Node setup. I hit this exact issue years back with legacy headless testing libraries. Node-waf was a nightmare on Windows, especially with older toolchains like yours. Try installing headless-browser with --ignore-scripts to skip native compilation, then manually add any missing dependencies. Better yet, switch to phantomjs-node - way more stable on Windows back then and doesn’t need much native compilation. Pre-built binaries work but you’ll hate yourself later when updating packages.