CreateFile

[Stevie]

When I use the CreateFile API function on my machine (win2000) it works perfectly, but when I create an installation and install it on another machine (win95), I am forever getting back -1.

Any ideas why it stops working?

[Ishamel]

This page will tell you all about the CreateFile API.

http://www.vbapi.com/ref/c/createfile.html

It should work okay on Windows 95, so you might have to use the GetLastError Function to shed some light on the problem.

Good luck.

[Stevie]

I read through the suggested page, and as far as I can make out my problem seems to be, I am passing in a Security Attribute structure for the lpSecurityAttributes parameter. This works fine on NT and 2000, but not on 95 and 98. For 95, 98 I need to pass in a 0 (byval clng(0)).

The thing is how can I tell what version of windows is running?

More so, if I try to put in a condition to pass in one parameter or the other, my code won't compile as 2000 doesn't like the passing of a 0.

Help please, I'm new to API and am getting tied in knots!!!

[Hutchie]

To get Version info of Windows put this code into a module:

Option Explicit

Declare Function GetVersionEx Lib "kernel32.dll" Alias "GetVersionExA" (lpVersionInformation As OSVERSIONINFO) As Long

Type OSVERSIONINFO
dwOSVersionInfoSize As Long
dwBuildNumber As Long
dwPlatformId As Long
szCSDVersion As String * 128
End Type

And put this in your form

Option Explicit

Private Sub Form_Load()
Dim os As OSVERSIONINFO ' receives version information
Dim retval As Long ' return value

os.dwOSVersionInfoSize = Len(os) ' set the size of the structure
retval = GetVersionEx(os) ' read Windows's version information
Select Case retval
Case 1
MsgBox "Win95/98"
Case 2
MsgBox "Win NT"
Case 0
MsgBox "Win 3.x"
End Select
End Sub

Retval returns the version of windows you have.

Hope this helps,

Hutchie

[Stevie]

Excellent.

Thanks a lot.