Windows 11 update 24H2 crashed my WB6 IDE

[FinnAm]

I make VB6 programs for a living. Alas, yesterday, the Win 11 update 24H2 killed VB6 on my desktop machine. Compiled programs run fine, but the IDE development part crashes on startup. Some time ago, I updated the machine from Win 10 to Win 11. No problems with VB6 whatsoever. But then 24H2 came along… and effectively made updating my 100 VB6 apps impossible.

Any ideas anyone?

Yes yes,already went back to Win 10 and reinstalled VB6 Enterprise to no avail. My other pc, a Win 11 laptop runs VB6 just fine however. But the 24H2 has not hit the laptop yet...

If I have to re-install Win 10 and then VB6 again + a vast number of other apps, I’ll go really mad. And should such a thing happen again, I’ll lift everything over to Unix and ban M$. VB6 can be developed on that platform, then copy the compiled apps to Windows. With the trail of last years’ update disasters in mind, seems like you cannot trust M$ updates anymore. I’ve now blocked further updates on all my machines. No further updates until they have been tested for some months.

Right, VB6 is a prehistoric relic, but thousands of users/programmers like myself are still using it. Many big companies have made heavy investments in their VB6 base. Cannot be re-programmed “just like that”. For users, VB6 is often the fastest possible path from idea to realization. At least when you have VB6 “in your fingers” like me. C-Sharp could be an alternative in future, though.

[wqweto]

> seems like you cannot trust M$ updates anymore

You cannot trust Ubuntu with updates too. It's an OS they are updating, not a VB6 line-of-business POS application.

I'll now deliverately enroll in Windows Insider Program specifically Release Preview channel just to get 24H2 on my dev machine w/ Win 11 Enterprise (these are late updaters) and confirm there is a problem w/ IDE or not.

cheers,
</wqw>

[fafalone]

Windows 11 is garbage anyway... the best version of Windows 10 also gets security updates through 2032, so I'm going to wait out 11 for 12, hopefully they get the damn message with Win10 becoming another XP and 7 because they shat the bed so bad. 11 is out 3 years now and even with them trying to shove it down peoples throats its only 1/3rd of Windows installs.

Follow instructions to do a complete uninstall (making sure you get all the registry keys etc) of VB6 and reinstall; if that's no help maybe try different sets of compatibility shims.

C# etc are alternatives but they'll always be 'trash everything and start over' rewrites. More and more twinBASIC is starting to become a viable option for a modern IDE and modernization without rewrites; keep an eye on how well it supports your apps, especially after the big forms engine compatibility update currently scheduled for the 15th.

[Argus19]

Probably, the situation depends on the version of the Win build.
I have WB IDE installed on Windows 10, but SP6 does not install. A year ago, on the same build, everything installed successfully.

[VanGoghGaming]

You could probably grab a fresh image of 24H2 with Rufus but that won't do an upgrade, needs to be installed from scratch, probably best in a virtual machine.

It was just a question of time when a new Windows update would finally kill the VB6 IDE!

[qvb6]

Try disabling all Addins from this registry key, just in case one is responsible:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Visual Basic\6.0\Addins

[zx81sp]

I'm using in one of my VMs (Parallels Desktop under MacOS) Windows 11 24H2 (LTSC version) and works fine but I installed all from scratch. May be something in the upgrade has broken your VB6 IDE, try to reinstall it because it works.

[el84]

It was just a question of time when a new Windows update would finally kill the VB6 IDE!

I've stayed with W10 and all my apps are simple. The IDE and all my apps work fine, except recently I lost MouseWheel and had to re-instal it.

[fiamund]

Well, fixed it. Had to re-install Windows 11 Enterprise 23H2 and everything else from scratch. What a waste of time, but at least VB6 is up and running again. Maybe woud've been wiser to choose Win 10, but wanted to give Win 11 it another try. Now have to set some tweaks to prevent further Win 11 updating. Received a lot of comments and good advices yesterday, thank you so much folks! Believe me, tried every possible way to avoid re-installing everything but finally gave up. Think I'll switch to C-Sharp eventually, have had enough of M$ nonsense. Again, thank you folks, love you.

[VB6 Programming]

Right, VB6 is a prehistoric relic, but thousands of users/programmers like myself are still using it. Many big companies have made heavy investments in their VB6 base. Cannot be re-programmed “just like that”. For users, VB6 is often the fastest possible path from idea to realization. At least when you have VB6 “in your fingers” like me. C-Sharp could be an alternative in future, though.

You really need to take a look at the twinBASIC programming language. It can import existing VB6 source code and forms and can compile to 32-bit and 64-bit. It has its own IDE (Monaco based).

https://www.vbforums.com/forumdisplay.php?108-TwinBASIC

[fiamund]

Thank you so much for the tip. Had a brief look into it today, looks promising. Will certainly give it a try.

[xiaoyao]

USE XP MODE LIKE WMWARE?HYPER-V? SETUP VB6 ON host windows START UP PATH?

[fmpfmp]

For some reason, after the 24H2 update, the horizontal scroll bar of the calendar control of a compiled program that I support no longer works. It used to work on Windows 11, and it also works on 10 and 7. Removing support for VB6 without notifying users is irresponsible to say the least... I hope it's just a bug that they will fix in the future.

[Episcopal]

For some reason, after the 24H2 update, the horizontal scroll bar of the calendar control of a compiled program that I support no longer works. It used to work on Windows 11, and it also works on 10 and 7. Removing support for VB6 without notifying users is irresponsible to say the least... I hope it's just a bug that they will fix in the future.

Something always happens with new updates... they always fix it...

[Eduardo-]

Something always happens with new updates... they always fix it...

Always??

My Windows 11 file explorer crashes after some days, and have been happening for months. I saw a long thread in their support site with many people reporting it. They never fixed that.

[Episcopal]

Always??

My Windows 11 file explorer crashes after some days, and have been happening for months. I saw a long thread in their support site with many people reporting it. They never fixed that.

I'm actually referring to bugs that affect VB6.

[qvb6]

For some reason, after the 24H2 update, the horizontal scroll bar of the calendar control of a compiled program that I support no longer works. It used to work on Windows 11, and it also works on 10 and 7. Removing support for VB6 without notifying users is irresponsible to say the least... I hope it's just a bug that they will fix in the future.

Which of these controls are you talking about?

1 - Microsoft Calendar Control 8.0 (MSCAL.ocx)
2 - MonthView Control from Microsoft Windows Common Controls-2 6.0 (SP6) MSCOMCT2.ocx. MonthView doesn't exist in version 5.0 of the common controls.

Press F2(Object Browser), then click the dropdown combo on the top left, then select the control. The full library name will be shown at the bottom.

I don't see scrollbars in Calendar Control, but I see left/right arrow in the MonthView control, resembling a scrollbar. If it's MonthView controls, check the codebank for alternatives.

[Eduardo-]

i'm actually referring to bugs that affect vb6.

ok.-

[wqweto]

Just updated Win11 Enterprise to Version 24H2 (OS Build 26100.2605) -- IDE works ok. Everything else works ok too.

Complete list of add-ins enabled here: MouseWheelFix, Tab-Strip AddIn and VB 6 MZ-Tools 3.0

cheers,
</wqw>

[Elroy]

Personally, I'm just curious about what WB6 is.

[wqweto]

WB6 works too :-))

[Givisor]

Pessoal do VB6:
Uma hora ele vai parar. E não podemos forçar nossos clientes a usarem windows velho e sem segurança.
Migrem para o VBnet.
Não é tão dificil assim.
É só copiar e colar o código e fazer alguns ajustes.
Tem que mudar a mentalidade.
Usem o chatGPT pata corrigir o código. Vai ajudar bastante.
Criem uma versão .net do seu projeto e escolham um cliente que vai recebendo as atualizações e servindo de beta.
Aproveitem o tempo enquanto podem fazer a migração.
Vcs vão ver que é muito mais simples, fácil e tranquilo de cuidar dos projetos.
Só para ter uma ideia da simplicidade:
o vbnet usa o framework que já esta no windows 11.
O .net framework, é uma biblioteca gigante com tudo ali dentro. Então a instalação não carrega quase nada.
Daí no "programa" é só dizer qual parte da biblioteca irá usar. Raramente irá usar dlls externas. É muito simples e "gostoso" de trabalhar.
Façam isso o quanto antes, para evitar graves problemas para vcs e seus clientes.
Um abraço.

[Arnoutdv]

Givisor, this an English forum only
Post translated by Google Translate:

VB6 people:
It will eventually stop. And we can't force our clients to use old, insecure Windows.
Migrate to VBnet.
It's not that hard.
Just copy and paste the code and make a few adjustments.
You have to change your mindset.
Use chatGPT to fix the code. It will help a lot.
Create a .net version of your project and choose a client that will receive updates and serve as a beta.
Make the most of the time while you can do the migration.
You'll see that it's much simpler, easier and more peaceful to take care of the projects.
Just to give you an idea of ??how simple it is:
VBnet uses the framework that is already in Windows 11.
The .net framework is a giant library with everything inside. So the installation doesn't load almost anything.
Then in the "program" you just have to say which part of the library you're going to use. You'll rarely use external DLLs. It's very simple and "pleasant" to work with.
Do this as soon as possible to avoid serious problems for you and your customers.
Best regards.

[wqweto]

So it's just another FUD. . . but in Spanish?

cheers,
</wqw>

[Episcopal]

So it's just another FUD. . . but in Spanish?

cheers,
</wqw>

Portuguese, what he wrote was clear to me.

[wqweto]

Portuguese, what he wrote was clear to me.

Oops, my bad! Mixing these up must be a nuisance for native speakers.

[jdelano]

CoPilot is a help with this kinds of things

Sure! Here's the translation to English:

"VB6 People: At some point, it's going to stop working.
We can't force our clients to use old, insecure Windows versions.
Migrate to VBnet. It's not that difficult. Just copy and paste the code and make a few adjustments. You need to change your mindset. Use chatGPT to correct the code. It will help a lot. Create a .net version of your project and choose a client who will receive the updates and serve as a beta tester.
Take advantage of the time while you can migrate. You'll see that it's much simpler, easier, and more manageable to take care of projects. Just to give you an idea of the simplicity: VBnet uses the framework that is already in Windows 11. The .net framework is a giant library with everything in it.
So the installation doesn't load much. Then in the "program," just specify which part of the library you'll use. You will rarely use external DLLs.
It's very simple and enjoyable to work with. Do this as soon as possible to avoid serious problems for you and your clients.
Best regards."

[gaouser]

Windows always has sucked after NT6 kernel, It's unstable as hell, They peaked at XP with NT5 Kernel. Simply create an XP VM and enjoy a stable, reliable OS.

[gaouser]

USE XP MODE LIKE WMWARE?HYPER-V? SETUP VB6 ON host windows START UP PATH?

1. are you bad at typing or just screaming
2. It's a better idea to refer it as an XP VM and not XP Mode, XP Mode is an Virtual PC-based self-installing Windows XP installer made by MS for Win7.

[gaouser]

Pessoal do VB6:
Uma hora ele vai parar. E não podemos forçar nossos clientes a usarem windows velho e sem segurança.
Migrem para o VBnet.
Não é tão dificil assim.
É só copiar e colar o código e fazer alguns ajustes.
Tem que mudar a mentalidade.
Usem o chatGPT pata corrigir o código. Vai ajudar bastante.
Criem uma versão .net do seu projeto e escolham um cliente que vai recebendo as atualizações e servindo de beta.
Aproveitem o tempo enquanto podem fazer a migração.
Vcs vão ver que é muito mais simples, fácil e tranquilo de cuidar dos projetos.
Só para ter uma ideia da simplicidade:
o vbnet usa o framework que já esta no windows 11.
O .net framework, é uma biblioteca gigante com tudo ali dentro. Então a instalação não carrega quase nada.
Daí no "programa" é só dizer qual parte da biblioteca irá usar. Raramente irá usar dlls externas. É muito simples e "gostoso" de trabalhar.
Façam isso o quanto antes, para evitar graves problemas para vcs e seus clientes.
Um abraço.

muito trabalho. (esta parte é pessoal. não se zangue se discordar) e também o VB.NET é literalmente uma porcaria, é incompatível com o VB6. e é melhor reescrever para C# do que para VB.NET.

[gaouser]

Personally, I'm just curious about what WB6 is.

Widual Baesic seeks.

[gaouser]

So it's just another FUD. . . but in Spanish?

cheers,
</wqw>

This forum really has no language barrier

[gaouser]

> seems like you cannot trust M$ updates anymore

You cannot trust Ubuntu with updates too. It's an OS they are updating, not a VB6 line-of-business POS application.

I'll now deliverately enroll in Windows Insider Program specifically Release Preview channel just to get 24H2 on my dev machine w/ Win 11 Enterprise (these are late updaters) and confirm there is a problem w/ IDE or not.

cheers,
</wqw>

Counting every single bug in new updates to mock it to MS. (there often is [insert a word that would make shaggy ban me for 7 days] tons of new bugs )

[Episcopal]

Oops, my bad! Mixing these up must be a nuisance for native speakers.

kkkkkkkkkkkk, of course not my friend, I don't care... relax.

[wqweto]

kkkkkkkkkkkk, of course not my friend, I don't care... relax.

This is like mistaking Serbian for Bulgarian for me. . . and I don't care at all :-)) All's good here!

cheers,
</wqw>

[gaouser]

It's so damn simple to add stuff like dark mode to Win32. Microsoft really is lazy nowadays, they don't get the fact that nobodys using UWP apps

[frankmoris]

I have the same problem with VB6.

After the command
createobject("outlook.application") , outlook does start but the vb-program crashes with : run-time error : interface not registerd. (80040155)

This error started only after the windows 11 24H2-update.

I make VB6 programs for a living. Alas, yesterday, the Win 11 update 24H2 killed VB6 on my desktop machine. Compiled programs run fine, but the IDE development part crashes on startup. Some time ago, I updated the machine from Win 10 to Win 11. No problems with VB6 whatsoever. But then 24H2 came along… and effectively made updating my 100 VB6 apps impossible.

Any ideas anyone?

Yes yes,already went back to Win 10 and reinstalled VB6 Enterprise to no avail. My other pc, a Win 11 laptop runs VB6 just fine however. But the 24H2 has not hit the laptop yet...

If I have to re-install Win 10 and then VB6 again + a vast number of other apps, I’ll go really mad. And should such a thing happen again, I’ll lift everything over to Unix and ban M$. VB6 can be developed on that platform, then copy the compiled apps to Windows. With the trail of last years’ update disasters in mind, seems like you cannot trust M$ updates anymore. I’ve now blocked further updates on all my machines. No further updates until they have been tested for some months.

Right, VB6 is a prehistoric relic, but thousands of users/programmers like myself are still using it. Many big companies have made heavy investments in their VB6 base. Cannot be re-programmed “just like that”. For users, VB6 is often the fastest possible path from idea to realization. At least when you have VB6 “in your fingers” like me. C-Sharp could be an alternative in future, though.