I have loaded vb6sp6 on a Windows 8.1 new development PC. Unfortunately when I attempt to open a project I receive the following error:
'C:\Project Folder\MSRTEDIT.dll' could not be loaded--Continue Loading Project?
That dll is located in C:\Windows\SysWOW64 but not the project folder, however copying it to the project folder still produces the error. On my previous Windows 7 64-bit development PC the dll is just located in C:\Windows\SysWOW64. If I click Yes to get past the error I receive the same error for MSCOMCTL.OCX I can successfully register the ocx but it doesn't get rid of the error.
Any suggestions??
The installation puts msrtedit.dll in the system folder so that PCs without Access can still run the program. The problem on my Windows 8 machine is that the msrtedit.dll file installed in the SysWOW64 folder was older than the one used by Office 2013, so even though the .exe file was able to run, I couldn't modify the exe in VB6 because of the newer version of Office. I still have more configuring to do, but I at least know where the problem is now. Thanks for getting me moving in the right direction.
I'm using a very old version of InstallShield Express 4 to package my VB6 application. Installing it on XP, it works great. But when I install it on a Windows 7 box, not using the "run as administrator", everything seems to be read-only. I can't edit an INI file because access is denied. The application just doesn't function properly. It's almost like it can't even access the folder. And it's installed in the default "program files" folder. I uninstall the application, reinstall using the "run as administrator" option, set compatibility of the short cut to "run as administrator", and everything works fine.
My question is this something inherited in VB6 where the application has to run as administrator or is it an InstallShield issue? And if it is an InstallShield Express issue, would the latest version of InstallSheild Express 2012 fix this? I would prefer the user not have to worry about installing or running the application as an administrator.
Nothing is specifically wrong with your VB6 application. I would say it's the older version of InstallSheild which might be the problem in this case.
The feature is called User Access Control (UAC) that has been introduced in Windows Vista and the following Microsoft operating systems to prevent arbitrarily write access into %ProgramFiles% by applications. You can still perform it manually (by copying and pasting files into %ProgramFiles%) but UAC will prompt for your permission.
To make sure your application behaves expectedly, save application settings in %APPDATA% or in registry, NOT in %ProgramFiles% directory. During installation or uninstallation of your program which requires write access into %ProgramFiles%, you'll have to run it as administrator (unless of course you have UAC disabled which is a massive security risk and strongly recommended against).
Yes, there is something specifically wrong with your VB6 app. It is storing its data in the wrong place. Your application cannot access the program files folder, unless it is running as administrator. This is due to User Account Control, as explained in gsabil's answer.
Here are some solutions (the best one last)
Always run the VB6 app as administrator.
Turn User Account Control off. This opens some security holes and is not recommended
Make your install program change the permissions on your installation directory, granting write access for all users. This is rather a hack, but it could be a fast way to get your program working
Change your application (not your install program) so that it stores its data in %AppData% rather than in the installation directory. This is preferable. Here is some detailed advice on how to do this in VB6
I've been working with the Windows Phone SDK 7.0 for a long time on my computer. Now I installed the SDK 7.1 (RC) and for some reason I can't start the emulator. I'm getting this error:
Error: The saved-state file C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\XDE{4321-43-432-432-432343234}.dess is corrupt. Please delete the corrupted saved state file and then retry.
I tried suggestions from this article. But they didn't help. Also I tried reinstalling Windows Phone SDK.
Any thoughts how to fix it?
What I'd try:
Open a Windows Explorer window with the file shown.
Delete the file.
Launch the emulator.
Wait for the error message. If there is no error message and the emulator is working, congratulations!
Refresh the Windows Explorer window.
Is the appropriate .dess file restored into the folder? If so, then the file that is restoring the .dess file is corrupt. Reinstall the SDK until it works.
If this doesn't work, do this:
Figure out how your computer is different from the average developer's computer. Did you install some funky customization software? Did you mess up your registry?
Eliminate the differences that you can eliminate - e.g. undo any changes to the WP7 related area of your registry, find and eliminate any viruses {duh!}, kill any nonnecessary background apps like volume managers or printer software, and redownload the installer for the SDK {sometimes the installers are corrupt.}
Install it as a different user. This is the simple equivalent of some of the above steps.
Remember:
The SDK is still RC, so there may be some bugs.
After installing the SDK for the 500th time, it may be time to try something different.
Always install the x64 version on an x64 PC and the x86 version on an x86 PC.
I have got a strange problem with my deployment of an Qt application. I created a Zip with all the necessary dlls and my binary on my Windows XP 32 bit box, where the application worked just fine,
Then I tested this on my laptop running windows 7 64 bit, giving me strange results. The window icons are back to the default ones and my system tray icon is invisible. Everything else is working.
As I paint a logo from the same resource file on the window (and this works on both machines) the resource file should be loading fine.
I then copied the dlls (that I installed with the same installer) from my win7 machine to the directory of my binary and the icons work again. I checked the dlls hash and they are identical.
Also I tried these dlls on my XP machine, and this time it does not show the icons.
This is quite strange because the dlls are installed from the same package and are identical, but are not working on the other machine.
Is there anything I have overlooked?
I am using QT 4.7 and the msvs2008 installer plus addin.
If you deploy the plugins to your application directory you have to use the directories imageformats and iconengines (without the plugin/ prefix).
See the Documentation about Deploying Plugins
Edit: And if you use QML, you also have to copy the content of the "imports" directory (also without the imports/ prefix) to your application directory.
VS6 popped off a series of errors before bombing out completely during install on Windows 7. I specifically need to get VB6 functioning on Windows 7. Anyone having any luck?
Folks on the VB6 newsgroup report they have managed to get it working on Windows 7.
There's this step-by-step guide on how to install the IDE on Windows 7 (including 64 bit).
If that doesn't work (scrapes barrel) try this old tip about persuading the install not to install the Java VM? Link is now broken so here is the tip:
Before trying to install VB6. Create a new file, name it msjava.dll and place it in your windows directory. The file can be zero length. You can then happily install without the prompt to install an old version of Microsoft's flavour of Java. Once you have installed VB6, delete the msjava.dll otherwise windows update will prompt you to update it.
Or (scrapes hole in barrel) these tips from an article about getting the IDE working on Vista?
Footnote: if developing with ADO, be aware of this.
The only way I've found that works is Windows XP mode (i.e. a virtual machine). Works fine there, but otherwise, not at all.
I found ALL the answers in a thread at vbmonster.com. As mentioned above, you CAN install Visual Studio 6 with Service Pack 6 under Windows 7 by following Derek's detailed instructions at fortypoundhead.com.
I had a problem because I needed to install Service Pack 5. I use a third party program that does not work with Service Pack 6. A really smart programmer (GuideX) came up with a great hack to get around the MDAC 2.5 error.
Win 7 64 bit service pack 5 & 6. Turn compatability off and it seems to work.
Recently I had to debug an ancient application written in Visual C++ 6.0 on Windows 8.1. Tried different solutions all of them failed, only this one worked.
This guys made a special installer that allows installing VC++6, VB6, and SP6 on Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10 without any errors whatsoever.
Hope it would be helpful to someone.
I installed VB6 on Windows 7 Pro without having to use compatibility settings or run as administrator.
Doesn't really help you, but does show that it can work.
Several people in my office have installed Visual Studio 6 (without VC++) on Windows 7, both 32-bit and 64-bit with no problems. The one thing we have in common: we've all turned UAC down to it's lowest setting. Nothing else special required.
I am using vb6 on windows 7 32 bit system for a long time.
you will need to install your vb6 with compatibility of xp2.
Create a 0-byte file in the C:\Windows directory called msjava.dll.
Don't just install via the Autorun executable; instead browse the Visual Studio 6 CD (or folder), right-click Setup.exe and select Run As Administrator.
On any Program Compatibility Assistant warnings, click Run Program.
Step through the setup screens until you're able to choose Custom Setup, then click next.
On the setup options, install the following items and nothing else:
Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0
ActiveX
Data Access
Graphics
Click continue and the process will start, and (hopefully) eventually complete.
Skip the installations of the MSDN CD, BackOffice, VSS and SNA Server, and clear the checkbox for "Register Now". Setup should be complete.
Download the VB6 Service Pack 6 from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/confirmation.aspx?FamilyID=A8494EDB-2E89-4676-A16A-5C5477CB9713&displaylang=en and install.
Change the compatibility settings for Visual Basic (to get it to run a little more smoothly under Windows 7) by browsing to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VB98, right-clicking the VB6.exe file, and selecting properties.
On the Compatibility tab, check the following:
Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows XP (Service Pack 3)
Disable Visual Themes
Disable Desktop Composition
Disable display scaling on high DPI settings
When you start up the IDE, you may get a notification saying that the color scheme has been changed to Windows 7 Basic, but it will be changed back to Aero once you exit. Everything should be working fine at this point!
Note: when you first run your new install vb6 run it with admin rights and with xp2 compatibility so that your exe can run on any system.
The word "supported" is used loosely in this thread, potentially leading the unwary reader to the conclusion that Microsoft supports the VB6 IDE (that is, the integrated development environment) on operating systems beyond Windows XP. This fact clearly is stated in the table that appears on the page at this link:
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/nikosan/2012/04/20/support-statement-for-visual-basic-6-0-on-windows-8-updated/
Note that executables developed using VB6 are in fact compatible with Windows OS's from Windows XP through Windows 10--32/64-bit versions:
https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2015/06/22/getting-ready-for-windows-10-sdks-compatibility-bridges/
Anyone using non-standard methods to coax the IDE into working on OS's that Microsoft does not support is exposing themselves/their organizations/their employers to risk and is not suitable for risk-averse organizations.
Having said that, I think the purest solution is to install Windows XP onto a virtual machine and run that VM in a modern host OS, such as Windows 10. That works just fine, and you can install directly from the VB6 Setup disc without making any pre-install/post-install customizations.
I had a Vista x64 box with a working copy of the VB6 IDE (which was supported). I upgraded the OS to Windows 7 x64 and the VB6 IDE still works fine. You could try that. I know, a huge PITA and kludgy but still, it worked for me.
I run Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit, installed Windows Virtual PC - XP Mode, and that solved my problem isince I can run MSDEV 6.0 in the XP Window.
Not esay to install XP Mode though, the MS site is buggy.
The VB6 programming language is supported on the Windows 10 Technical Preview.
Visual Vasic 6 applications run and the VB6 IDE installs and works too.
I have the VB6 IDE running OK on Win-XP-16, Win-7-32, Win-7-64, Win-8.1-32, Win-8.1-64, win-10-32 and win-10-64 by using the instructions above which basically say, turn off UAC, run the installer AS ADMIN, and then set the VB6.exe file to run in XP-SP3 Compatibility mode.
I have had some issues with it and have had to do a bit more googling to solve these but I don't remember any more what those issues or solutions were.
I've even got the VB3 IDE running on the 32-bit versions of XP, Win-7, Win 8.1 and Win-10 - without even installing them - just copied the C:\VB folder from another computer and copied the *.LIC license files and *.VBX etc files as well.
I have successfully installed vb6 on win 7 32 bit by installing xp first then installing new win 7, (not upgrade), and do not format. then it will install vb6 without a problem
It's depending on your build version of Windows 7.
If your Win7's version is lower or is not updated, it has MANY PROBLEMS with compatibility.
But mine is newer Win7 version and has NO COMPATIBILITY TROUBLE.
I am currently using VB6 , VS6 and they still work fine!
If Properties->Compatibility->Windows XP doesn't help, fix it with UPDATING your Win7.