HELP !!! VB Net 2008 app wont run on Server 2008

[NJLDoc]

I have an application that uses MS Access databases. The client has just upgraded to Server 2008 and none of the application modules will run directly on the server. At a minimum, I need to be able to compact the databases on the server after hours. I have a program that I wote using VBnet 2008 and ClickOnce which works great on XP machines and SBS Serever 2003 but raises a close application window when run on Server 2008. What do I need to make compatible and are there application emulation modes to test applications before deployment?

 

[RiverGuy]

My guess is that your Server 2008 installation is a 64-bit installation. If I am not mistaken, I also believe that there is no 64-bit OLDEDB driver for Access. What this means is that you will need to compile your application to force it to run in 32-bit mode.

Right-click your project in the Solution Explorer, and go to Properties. Go to the Compile tab. Click the Advanced Compile Options button. In the TargetCPU dropdown, select x86.

 

[NJLDoc]

Awesome. Thank you. I was referencing the database paths by reading the registry also. Is this no longer possible if compiled x86? If not possible that's okay as I can hard code the paths but I would prefer to read from the registry. Your solution works wonderfully.

 

[RiverGuy]

I think your registry issue is with Server 2008. Best practices for several years has been to use your app.config file instead of the registry to store settings. It's an XML file that gets distributed with your application. You can define your settings in the "Settings" portion of your project properties, and reference them in code in the My.Settings namespace.

 

[NJLDoc]

You've been a great help. Thanks.