[RESOLVED] MSHFlexGrid - License Info Missing

[Darkbob]

Hey people. I'm setting up a new laptop for development. I managed to get everything installed and running but I'm having a heck of a time with one control.

It's the MSHFlxgd.ocx (not the MSFlxgd.ocx - this one is the msHflex...)

I registered and unregistered, took a copy of the actual file out of the install CAB, installed and uninstalled then reinstalled SP6. Nada.

Removed the reference in the IDE, added again, even browsed to the OCX in the SysWow64 folder... still nada.

I keep getting a message saying "License information for this component not found"

Any ideas?

[Krool]

One solution could be to abandon the MS controls and use an replacement, e.g. VBFlexGrid.

[Darkbob]

One solution could be to abandon the MS controls and use an replacement, e.g. VBFlexGrid.

Good call. I was a bit surprised to see I even had it in my control. I switched over to I see the VSFlexGRid control from ComponentOne years ago.

The MSHFlex.ocx was last updated in SP4. It's not in SP6.

Getting rid of it was fairly easy because the VSFlexGrid is a drop-in replacement. The biggest problem was finding it. I have a lot of forms. I wrote a program to open each of my forms one by one and scan through them for a reference to it. Turns out there was only one in a seldom used form from from way back.

[dilettante]

Simple. VB6 was never installed properly.

We're seeing this over and over again.

[Darkbob]

Simple. VB6 was never installed properly.

We're seeing this over and over again.

I agree. Disabling the UAC and running as Admin is a must but I don't think I did that on the first go round. I decided to uninstall and try again. There was no mention of VB in my Apps so I couldn't do a normal uninstall. I also couldn't install over top of VB. On the 2nd go around, the installer thought VB was already installed and only offered to install MSDN.

I found a web site with instructions to uninstall VB. I had to muck about in the registry to delete everything VB related and manually delete the folders. Eventually I managed to get VB to install again but I'm sure it wasn't done properly.

Is there a safe way to reinstall VB6?

[SamOscarBrown]

Is there a safe way to reinstall VB6?

Buy a new computer?

[Zvoni]

Is there a safe way to reinstall VB6?

Format C:

[dilettante]

So much depends on what went wrong.

If the problems stem from virtualization during an improper install then deleting the installing user account, its registry hive, and its system drive profile folders should permit a repair install using a new account to work if run elevated.

The main issue is that there are two phase of installation, the second one originally (before NT 5.0/Windows 2000) running after a reboot. Both must run elevated in a modern version of Windows.

Even running the installation with UAC completely disabled might not work properly unless done using the (normally hidden) built-in Administrator account.

I've never had to jump though those hoops though. I just run both phases elevated separately myself without rebooting at all.

[Darkbob]

I've never had to jump though those hoops though. I just run both phases elevated separately myself without rebooting at all.

You know... there's probably a "how to" out there somewhere that tells a person how to install VB properly.. but there's just as many guides that mess you up completely. Can you point to a good instruction guide on how to install VB the best way?

[SamOscarBrown]

Absolutely....without resorting to a third party app, use this link created by Elroy...I believe it will tell you 'the best way':


http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...tall+vb6+elroy

[Arnoutdv]

Try these archived KB articles:
Q194751: FILE: VB6Cli.exe Fixes License Problems with Visual Basic 6.0
https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/194/Q194751/

Q177799: PRB: "License Information for This Component Not Found" Error
https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/177/Q177799/

Q195353: FILE: VBUSC.EXE Provides Licensing for Discontinued Controls
https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/195/Q195353/

[dilettante]

Too bad Microsoft pulled down the 2006 DevReadiness.org web site that covered this along with so many other issues for developers in the post-XP world. I have downloads of many of the videos, CHM Help files, PDFS, and PPTs but none of them have the main articles from the old site.

The last shred of it I can find is: DevReadiness - Any Relation to Truthiness ? and that seems to be satire.

[Arnoutdv]

I had the problem myself recently with the RichTextBox control. Suddenly the developers license was gone.
I don't have any control on the updates which takes place on my developer machine, so it took me a while to fix it.
I fixed it using KB177799

[Darkbob]

Microsoft used to have a file called VB6CLI to resolve this issue but it's been removed and just shows a 404 now. I found an old copy of VB6cli kicking around on some sketchy Chinese development site called "dallascao". I won't post the link because it's probably all full of ransomware but if you google around you will probably find it. Anyway VB6CLI fixes the issue.

[dilettante]

It is hard to imagine what might be deleting or corrupting the registry entries involved. I suspect something related to MS Office but I'm not sure anyone ever stated that authoritatively. Hard to imagine that any "update" of any kind would do this.

VB6CLI was produced for a reason though, so if it works for you then great.

[qvb6]

You can download VB6CLI.exe from the Internet archive here under "More information". Here is a direct link to the EXE.

[Arnoutdv]

It is hard to imagine what might be deleting or corrupting the registry entries involved. I suspect something related to MS Office but I'm not sure anyone ever stated that authoritatively. Hard to imagine that any "update" of any kind would do this.

VB6CLI was produced for a reason though, so if it works for you then great.

I think you are correct, it was indeed after an Office update recently

[dilettante]

I wonder.

Long ago there were separate "developer" SKUs of MS Office that included many of the VB6 OCXs and such. Later this turned into an add-on package for free I think, and then later still just became part of Office Pro or something.

I suppose if somebody had installed MS Office with the "developer stuff" options unchecked, one of those settings might cause installs and updates to delete the developer license reg entries for these libraries.

[Eduardo-]

The biggest problem was finding it. I have a lot of forms. I wrote a program to open each of my forms one by one and scan through them for a reference to it.

You don't need to do that to find what forms are using certain type of control.
You can perform a text search in all the files of the folder of the project, for example search for files containing MSFlexGridLib.MSFlexGrid.
You can open the .frm file of a form that you know that has one in a text editor to see how the control type is named.

[Darkbob]

I wonder.

Long ago there were separate "developer" SKUs of MS Office that included many of the VB6 OCXs and such. Later this turned into an add-on package for free I think, and then later still just became part of Office Pro or something.

I suppose if somebody had installed MS Office with the "developer stuff" options unchecked, one of those settings might cause installs and updates to delete the developer license reg entries for these libraries.

Certainly possible. I like my old school Office 2007 so when I'm setting up a new computer it gets installed. Entirely possible it went in after VB and could have messed up my OCX's. The MSHFlexGrid (not the MSFlexGrid) is from SP4 so installing SP6 won't fix the issue. In the end, getting rid of MSHFlexGrid from my program was the best option.