VB6 in Windows Vista? 1

[saqi2000]

Hi all,

I have VB 6 program compiled in Windows XP? When one of my customer tried to install it on Windows Vista it came up it is not compatiable.

Do I have to re-compile in Windows Vista and create a package using Package & Deployment Wizard? Your assistance would be appreciated.

TIA

Saqi

Knowledge is something no one can steal from you and it increase as time goes by. Saqi

 

[HughLerwill]

I think you are going to have to tell us more about your application like;
What are its dependent files?
And what installation package are you trying to install it with?

 

[dilettante]

Make sure it has been compiled with the latest Service Pack applied to VB6, and that it doesn't use things that Vista doesn't have (like the old Xerox imaging components, but XP didn't have that either).

Also make sure you use HTML Help and not the ancient WinHelp format.

Also...

See:

http://devreadiness.org/

 

[kss444]

I would also just for giggles, run the vb6 runtime exe file on the vista machine.

 

[dilettante]

The VB6 runtimes are included in Vista. Attempting to install them will be ignored since they're a protected part of the OS.

 

[HughLerwill]

dilettante,
Following on from the Vb6 runtimes included with XP, I would expect the VB6 runtime included with Vista to have a (sub) version just slightly higher than the normal SP6 runtime; so a version sensitive installer would not install an earlier version in any case. Is that so?

 

[dilettante]

According to the "ISV Windows Vista Compatability Cookbook" at the link I gave above:

Application installers that attempt to replace, modify, or delete OS files and/or registry keys that are protected by WRP may fail with an error message indicating that the resource could not be updated. This is because access to these resources is denied.

I would not assume that any given DLL or OCX present in Vista as a protected resource will have a newer version than one you might try to install. Major version number are unlikely to change for VB runtime components, and on your development system you may have higher version numbers in the minor and build numbers due to hotfixes and service packs, especially as time goes on.

However...

Certain installers are "well known" to Vista. If these installer programs are detected and then they try to overwrite a protected resource (file, registry key, etc.) they will be silently spoofed by Vista. I.e. the installer will "think" it installed the item but Vista will prevent it from overwriting the existing item. This behavior only occurs for recognized installers that try to install something Vista recognizes as a "legacy application."

So in practice it is hard to say until we've had some experience. I hear reports of installs failing a first, second, even a third time... then finally working.


Ideally you will want to rewrite your applications to work properly with Vista (lots of rules here), have a proper application manifest to tell Vista you aren't some "legacy" application, and use an MSI installer package instead of a P&D Wizard or Inno, etc. package. Visual Studio Installer 1.1 is probably your best bet for VB6 programs.

Again, at the link I gave above there is a ton of information.