What is SP3? and do I need it?

[EZapps]

Could someone please tell me what is SP3 for VB5 and if I need it? The only thing I could find at Microsoft referred to SP3 for Visual Studio 97 or Win NT, neither of which I have, although I do want to write applications for NT. Thanks in advance.

[JazzBass]

Hi,

If I'm not mistaken, VB5 is part of Visual Studio 97. The newest edition of Visual Studio is called "Visual Studio 6."
The SP3 (Service Pack 3) contains bug fixes for VB and other products included in Visual Studio 97. It is very much recommended to be installed so that fixes and other files are updated prior to distributing your apps.

Just make sure if you get it, you get the one for Visual Studio 97, not Visual Studio 6. I'm only saying this because both have SP3, but VS 6 is now in SP4.

Hope that helps,
JazzBass

Service Pack 3 is a 100 odd meg download that adds the word "SP3" to the VB spash screen. Yes...very useful!

I've got no doubt that it fixes all kinds of bugs...but none that you'd really notice. Little things that annoy me (like when it sometimes doesn't restore properly from the taskbar and you just see the titlebar but no program) are not fixed.

I reccon that if you've got a fast internet connection then you've got nothing to loose and you might as well download it. If you're on a modem then it's just a waste of money.

I have a 56k modem and the downloading was surprisingly fast. Also note that the actual name is Service Pack. SP is the short form and 3 is the version number.

(like when it sometimes doesn't restore properly from the taskbar and you just see the titlebar but no program)

oh yeah I remember that,
you have to double click the title bar, to make it not-maximized, then double click it again to make it maximized, then you can see the rest of your project

That's the one, Dennis.

A while back I posted an thread about all the annoying things VB does. I really wish the service packs would fix them!!!

That one with the title bar managed to migrate from VB5 right into VB6. I think that's pathetic on MS's part.

Another really irritating one that appeared in version 6 is that VB now conveniently empty's the clipboard for you when it starts up! Very annoying when yu copy a bit of code off this site, start VB, hit CTRL+V and...voila!! Nothing happens!!! Aaaarrrrrgh!!!!

[QWERTY]

It doesn't happen on my machine (Win 98, VB 6 ent SP4). Lucky me

Which the titlebar thing or the clipboard clearing on startup?

[QWERTY]

The more annoying one: Clipboard. I still have to deal with the titlebar

Yeah...the titlebar thing's just daft...maybe they cured it in SP4...dunno...I downloaded it the other day...all the cabs extracted fine but setup reccons it couldn't open "setup.lst"...so I downloaded that cab file again...still didn't work!!! Gave up then...perhaps I will try again at work next week

As for the clipboard thing I think I am going to write a program that caches the clipboard, starts VB then restores the clipboard right now

[QWERTY]

SP4 does fix the clipboard. It doesn't fix the titlebar though. I like one more thing about SP4 - it fixed everything SP3 destroyed (I couldn't run VB, and anything else with SP3).
I LOVE SP4

Oooh! I take it back...it (clipboard problem) doesn't happen on my machine anymore...perhaps it's cos I upgraded to Win2k the other day?

It still happens to my Win98 machine at work.

Hmmm Read that post after I made my last one...
Perhaps I WILL give SP4 another go (Watch my sig!)

Clipboard still clears on my machine ;(

Win2000 Advanced Server, vb6+sp4.

Arg how i hate that!