[RESOLVED] VB6: Deploying without dependencies

[Ellis Dee]

I'm writing a small program for a browser game to be shared with some 30-odd people in my alliance. I have no idea what OS they all have, nor do I want to have to care.

As such, I'm writing this program without any references or components; just pure VB6. Any advanced controls will be simulated with userdrawn picture boxes, and data will be handled by reading text files using unix-style Open commands.

My question is: Will they need to install anything to run my exe, or do XP and Vista both ship with the VB6 runtimes? If they do need to install something, what's the easiest way to create an install package that won't install any program, but instead will just install the VB6 runtimes?

[RobDog888]

You "could" use an all API solution but then still its only supported for Windows. There will still be dependancies as the VB runtimes are required even with an all API solution unless you create the everything including the form(s) all in a module/class.

You can not rely upon XP having the runtimes as I belive it may only be included with SP-2. I think dilettante knows for sure. Hes good at deployments

[si_the_geek]

The runtimes are included with XP, but I think they are an old version (and thus contain some bugs).

There is an installation package on the MS web site which includes the latest version of the runtimes (SP6), which you can link to or perhaps distribute (but check the terms with the download to see if that is allowed).


However, I suspect that the people you are distributing this to all have Windows 2000 or later, in which case an installation package would be relatively simple - and allow you to use proper controls etc.

[dilettante]

Yes, I've spent much of the last year on VB6 application deployment issues. We have some "legacy" VB6 software that became critical once again because several .Net conversion projects ran out of time and money over the past 18 months.

Worse yet, these have to be distributed to outside companies. This means the legal dept. here has had to go over a bunch of things - we had a software license audit a few years ago and ended up finding we were out of compliance.


Anyone with Windows XP Gold (original shipping release) will have a version of the runtimes that is VB6 SP5 level plus some reg-free COM post-SP5 fixes. If you know your application works with VB6 SP5 anyone with Windows XP should be able to run it. We did find one user who had installed some ill-mannered application built in house there... that managed to overwrite the VB6 runtimes with old SP3 versions though!

One safe package that users can self-install is the one at Service Pack 6 for Visual Basic 6.0: Run-Time Redistribution Pack (vbrun60sp6.exe). It works for Windows from 95 up to (but not including) Vista. Vista actually has a later version than that and silently ignores attempts to overwrite it with an old version. XP SP3 installs the same version Vista has.

The story I was given is that the package at that link is legal for users to install as long as they (1.) have a legal Windows license and (2.) only use it to support legally developed VB 6 and VC++ 6 programs. The latter means that the developer had a legal copy of VB6/VC6.

VBRun60sp6.exe installs Visual Basic 6.0 SP6 run-time files discusses this in terms of VB6 programs:

The VBRun60sp6.exe file is not intended to replace the Package and Deployment Wizard (PDW) for distributing Visual Basic applications. For example, if your application includes components such as ActiveX controls or DLLs, use the PDW or a third-party setup package for distribution. However, if your Visual Basic application depends on only the files that are included in the VBRun60sp6.exe file, you can distribute your application by providing the executable (.exe) file and VBRun60sp6.exe to end users.

[Ellis Dee]

Perfect! That's way easier than I even hoped it would be. Thanks much, guys, you rock.

Sorry, dilettante:

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to dilettante again.

Let me say for the record that you made my day.

[dilettante]

Glad to be of help.

I only wish everyone would move to Vista. The VB6 runtime issue goes away for good there.

Until then we have to think about runtime deployment and decide whether to roll the dice or go ahead and distribute the stuff. Testing on old runtimes can improve your odds when gambling though.

The only VB SP that seems to have broken anything serious was the first version of SP6 Microsoft put out. This was a big enough headache that some VB6 programmers still won't install SP6 today - even though there have been two fixed versions since the original SP6.

So if you test thoroughly against SP5 runtimes your program should work even with any SP6 runtimes out there "in the wild." The bad SP6 seems to be very rare out there, and I suspect it was a problem with an OCX in the package, not the runtime libraries:

VB6 SP6 BUGS: MSComCtl Listview control cashes - REPOST