ActiveX Deployment breaks

Hey

I have a problem with deploying an ActiveX control on an intranet. I use the PDW (Package and Deployment Wizard) to create a .CAB for the control. I get various bizarre errors throughout deployment (on browsers), and try as I might, I still seem to be missing something.

First of all, let me tell you about the control. It is a simple control with a treeview that represents a hierarchical structure in a DB. ADO is used to communicate with the DB. The control works fine on my (development) machine.

Packaging it through the PDW, I get problems on all PC's that try to install it. My PC (where the control used to work) will not even install it, let alone run it if I set the CODEBASE tag.

I worked through the Code Download Log as described by Microsoft (IE keeps a log), where the log mentioned that msado15.dll's processing failed. As a test, I removed all references pointing to msado15.dll in the inf file and recreated the cabinet (using the batch supplied for it). This created even weirder problems. Now, the control downloaded and installed on 2 of about sixteen machines (one XP pro, and one Win2K pro). But all events raised vanished... these did work while developing. So just removing the reference was no solution :)

Restoring the original .CAB gave me weird problems. Now various DLL's where apparently causing trouble (from code download error log). Even stranger, a machine might report multiple different dll's as nasty in various refreshes, without me doing anything. Before you ask me, I did check that all the Microsoft requirements are met as to the files that need special processing (i.e. download from microsoft) and so forth. I even tried going through every known iteration in the .INF file. Working through this did sometimes work, but on those working machines, no custom events could be raised. Internal ActiveX events (such as nodeclicks) did work though, but custom ones never got to my browser.

As a summary, here are my problems:
- Deployment of an ActiveX control generally fails.
- Installation at clients report problems related to dll's being installed, the OCX always installs OK.
- where the installation works, custom events are lost.

The actual error in the Code Download Log:
ERR: INF Processing: Failed (800c0300) processing: <insert dll name here>
Cannot get primary/default language!LOG: URL Download Complete: hrStatus:0, hrOSB:800c0300, hrResponseHdr:0,
URL: (http://gjs_dev:95/ids/IdsTreeMan/ocx/IdsTreeMan.CAB)

I know what the error means, I did get info from Microsoft, but their remedy does not work (set offending file to be downloaded from microsoft.com). And after each refresh, a different dll is apparently the culprit.

Knowledge base articles that I have read and tried:
- Q232077
- Q252937
- Q251325
- Ms Support Webcast: How does Internet Component Download Work?
- various others...
The articles don't help. They haven't even heard of this before.

I'm really stumped... and this control due for deployment this week :(

Information on physical configuration of my PC, software etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Running Visual Studio 6 Enterprise Edition (MSDN install) (version 8988)
Visual Studio 6 Service Pack 5.0

On a:
Hewlett-Packard
Intel Pentium 4 1.80 GHz
384MB RAM
30GB HDD

with:
Windows XP Professional ver 2002


My project references:
Visual Basic for applications
Visual Basic Runtime Objects and Procedures
Visual Basic Objects and Procedures
OLE Automation
Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.7 Library
Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects Recordset 2.7 Library
Microsoft Scripting Runtime.

My project has the following controls:
Microsoft Common Dialog Control 6.0 (SP3)
Microsoft Windows Common Controls 6.0 (SP4)
Microsoft Windows Common Controls-2 6.0 (SP4)
Microsoft Windows Common Controls-3 6.0 (SP5)


The source code for the activeX control in the browser:
<OBJECT ID=IDSdocMan
CLASSID="CLSID:1510FFA6-0B9E-4CF0-BCD9-DF652098DBF8"
CODEBASE="//gjs_dev:95/ids/IdsTreeMan/ocx/IdsTreeMan.CA#version=-1,-1,-1,-1">
</OBJECT>

Oh yes, and IE 5.0 to IE 6 throughout the network.

That is everything (AND the kitchen sink :)

If you have ANY ideas, please tell me :)

Thanks in advance!

Gerrie Swart

Have you tried to install the newest MDAC on the target machines? I've got something like you in the past, and the problem was that the target machines didn't have the right data access components installed (you can find them on the microsoft download website). It also could be that compiling on a winxp machine causes the win95 to winME machines to fail during the installation. Lastly, I suggest you to compile the executable to P - Code. That's something slower, but it can solve problems. Also try to build the setup set on a winME machine or something else like that, and then install it on the target machines. The Common Dialog Controls (CDC) could also be responsible for your problem, because of version conflicts between CDC on the develop machine and the CDC on the target machine.

hi,

I had a simillar app and had many issues...

re-my app was an activex-control written in vb and included a treeview from the common-dialogues - also had some api code to winnet. (the app view our product hierarchy nodes which where source from a db via a webserver asp..)

Anyhow I cabbed it up (using the package/delpoyment wizard) and added it to my webpage.

My user base is vary varied with users on varous different versions of nt/w2k. With different version of the browser & also difference service packs.

Although for -most- users the control delployed on first use. I did have many problems. I checked on msdn & posted things here...

In the end I decided that Cab-ing VB apps and putting them on a webpage is a bad idea and really the technology is to flaky & not something that can be depended on. (this is really dissappointing...).

I have had to issue instructions to my userbase detailing the most common stupid messages and telling them how to handle them to get it to work!!.

My most common problem was on install of the control, the system would say a .tmp file (I neither recognise or care about!)was missing when registering the vb run-time dll's. Simply skipping the message worked but make my work look amatureish.
(but I had several others...)

just to many compatiblility issues to work reliably

sorry - no solutions just a similar experience,
cheers, A.J.P

Hi,
I am curious about how u package ur activeX control. Did you indicate all microsoft support ocx will be downloaded from the same package or from the microsoft site (eg comctl,msado). How about IE settings of client (security of local intranet).

Have you u tried using single/one MS common controls, i find that this ocx are similar with some slight difference, unless you implicit implied them in your code.