MSCOMM32.OCX Help Please VB 6

Hi, I have an old version of visual basick 6.0. I never used VB very much, but over time I have created a small, program that uses the serial port. Several of my friends want to use it, and I do not wish to rewrite the code (I do not have the time). My problem is this....

The code works, but when I created the installation files I must have done something wrong, or not checked some box. The code works on my machine, but on my friends labtop, it keeps complaining that it is missing MSCOMM32.ocx. Another friend of mine had the same problem. He was able to grab the file from my computer and put it on his machine. He also had to do something so that windows would recognize the file.

So my question is two fold. First can anyone tell me how to make a installation file (I only made the one file almost a year ago so please walk me through it if you do not mind) that would also install and set up MSCOMM32.ocx? And if for some reason I can not get that to work, can some one tell me what my friend did to make windows recognize that MSCOMM32.ocx was installed on his machine? I do know that if you simply copy the file from my computer to my friends computer and put it in the same location that windows will not recognize the file. I would ask this old friend, but I have lost touch with this friend over the past year.

Welcome to the forums. :)

First, to use the OCX on a machine to which it has been copied, you need to register it with the OS.

Click Start/Run

In the Run dialog box type: regsvr32 "fullpathtoOCX\MSCOMM32.ocx"

Hit Enter.

You should receive a message box indicating that the file was successfully registered. On that PC, your program should work.

As far as making an installation package, check out this:
Using The Package And Deployment Wizard

In Terms of the Ocx you will need to register it through regsvr32.exe, either do this through cmd or pick up the file and drop it on regsvr32.exe.

This specific ocx refers to the CommonDialog does it not.. If so then there are plenty of examples of not using this code but using API calls instead that can be compiled inside your program, therefore removing the need for this control to be distributed with the program in an installation program

amx701,

It is generally a good idea to create an installation package to put your app on another machine.