How to register a 64bit DLL on a 64bit windows with my vb app?

[Mith]

I use the LoadLibrary API to register 32bit-DLL but it doenst work with 64bit DLLs.
I get the error code 193 if i try to register a 64bit DLL.

Does anyone know how to register a 64bit DLL on a 64bit windows with my vb app?

I cant do this with the app installer, because the installer runs as admin and the DLL is only registered for the admin account. So i need a solution to register the DLL for a non-admin account too.

[fafalone]

You would need to use the regsvr32 in System32; turn off automatic redirection to SysWOW64 with Wow64DisableWow64FsRedirection.

[Mith]

like this for example?

Call Wow64DisableWow64FsRedirection(0)
shell("regsvr32 test.dll")
Call Wow64RevertWow64FsRedirection(0)

[PlausiblyDamp]

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/...a-3f4e0cb543e5 might be useful. also if the dll is one of your own you might be better off keeping it with your application and not putting it in a System folder.

[fafalone]

like this for example?

Call Wow64DisableWow64FsRedirection(0)
shell("regsvr32 test.dll")
Call Wow64RevertWow64FsRedirection(0)

Probably still have to actually specify the one in System32.

[Mith]

I use the full paths of the regsvr32.exe and the DLL. Works very well on a x64 system!

[Elroy]

It's my understanding he's looking to register a 64bit DLL (and, of course, on 64bit Windows).

We certainly can't call 64bit API calls from VB6. We can call 64bit APIs from Office (LongPtr, etc.), but not from VB6.

Therefore, I'd think it's highly unlikely this can be done with any API from VB6.

However, if a shell command can be worked out, it can probably be done that way. I've got no experience registering 64bit DLLs, so I don't even know if there's a RegSvr64.exe. Actually, I just looked, and there doesn't appear to be. So I've got no idea how to register these things.

[xiaoyao]

These two codes are used to register DLLs, supporting 64 bit and 32-bit, and are registered in administrator mode

regsvr for 64 bit com dll:

Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ShellExecuteA" ( _
    ByVal hWnd As Long, _
    ByVal lpOperation As String, _
    ByVal lpFile As String, _
    ByVal lpParameters As String, _
    ByVal lpDirectory As String, _
    ByVal nShowCmd As Long) As Long

Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1

Sub Main()
  ShellExecute 0, "runas", "C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\regsvr32.exe", DLL, vbNullString, SW_SHOWNORMAL
End Sub

x86 ,32 bit com dll regsvr

Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ShellExecuteA" ( _
    ByVal hWnd As Long, _
    ByVal lpOperation As String, _
    ByVal lpFile As String, _
    ByVal lpParameters As String, _
    ByVal lpDirectory As String, _
    ByVal nShowCmd As Long) As Long

Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1

Sub Main()
  ShellExecute 0, "runas", "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\regsvr32.exe", Command, vbNullString, SW_SHOWNORMAL
End Sub

[fafalone]

It's my understanding he's looking to register a 64bit DLL (and, of course, on 64bit Windows).

We certainly can't call 64bit API calls from VB6. We can call 64bit APIs from Office (LongPtr, etc.), but not from VB6.

Therefore, I'd think it's highly unlikely this can be done with any API from VB6.

However, if a shell command can be worked out, it can probably be done that way. I've got no experience registering 64bit DLLs, so I don't even know if there's a RegSvr64.exe. Actually, I just looked, and there doesn't appear to be. So I've got no idea how to register these things.

It's still called regsvr32, but the one in System32 is 64bit and registers 64bit DLLs. The only issue is 32bit apps have all their calls to files in System32 redirected to SysWOW64, unless you disable that redirection with the api I mentioned. (An alternative is to use the 'SysNative' folder alias, but registration is finicky at the best of times so though a little simpler I didn't think it a good idea here).

[Elroy]

It's still called regsvr32, but the one in System32 is 64bit and registers 64bit DLLs. The only issue is 32bit apps have all their calls to files in System32 redirected to SysWOW64, unless you disable that redirection with the api I mentioned. (An alternative is to use the 'SysNative' folder alias, but registration is finicky at the best of times so though a little simpler I didn't think it a good idea here).

Yeah, I actually studied it a bit. That seems quite stupid to me to continue calling it regsvr32.

[xiaoyao]

Function RegsvrComDll(DllFile As String, Optional For32BitDll As Boolean = True)
    Dim Path1 As String
    Path1 = "system32"
    If Is64bit And For32BitDll Then Path1 = "SysWOW64"
    ShellExecute 0, "runas", "C:\Windows\" & Path1 & "\regsvr32.exe", DllFile, vbNullString, SW_SHOWNORMAL
End Function

Function RegComDll(DllFile As String, Optional For32Bit As Boolean = True)
    ShellExecute 0, "runas", "C:\Windows\" & IIf(Is64bit And For32Bit, "SysWOW64", "system32") & "\regsvr32.exe", DllFile, vbNullString, SW_SHOWNORMAL
End Function

Private Declare Function GetProcAddress Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hModule As Long, ByVal lpProcName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function GetModuleHandle Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetModuleHandleA" (ByVal lpModuleName As String) As Long
Private Declare Function GetCurrentProcess Lib "kernel32" () As Long
Private Declare Function IsWow64Process Lib "kernel32" (ByVal hProc As Long, bWow64Process As Boolean) As Long

Private Declare Function ShellExecute Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ShellExecuteA" ( _
    ByVal hWnd As Long, _
    ByVal lpOperation As String, _
    ByVal lpFile As String, _
    ByVal lpParameters As String, _
    ByVal lpDirectory As String, _
    ByVal nShowCmd As Long) As Long

Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1


Public Function Is64bit() As Boolean
    Dim handle As Long, bolFunc As Boolean
    bolFunc = False
    handle = GetProcAddress(GetModuleHandle("kernel32"), "IsWow64Process")
    If handle > 0 Then
    IsWow64Process GetCurrentProcess(), bolFunc
    End If
    Is64bit = bolFunc
End Function

[xiaoyao]

Try to use the solution of loading COM DLLs without registration as much as possible, which eliminates the need for administrator privileges and registry writing. It's like loading a regular standard DLL or an image directly.

RegComDll App.Path & "\32_MFCActiveXControl1.ocx"

'reg x64 com dll
RegComDll App.Path & "\64_MFCActiveXControl1.ocx", False

'DllUnregisterServer
RegComDll App.Path & "\32_MFCActiveXControl1.ocx", , True

Function RegComDll(DllFile As String, Optional For32Bit As Boolean = True, Optional UnRegComDLL As Boolean)
    ShellExecute 0, "runas", "C:\Windows\" & IIf(Is64bit And For32Bit, "SysWOW64", "system32") & "\regsvr32.exe", Chr(34) & DllFile & Chr(34) & IIf(UnRegComDLL, " /U", ""), vbNullString, SW_SHOWNORMAL
End Function


Function RegsvrComDll(DllFile As String, Optional For32BitDll As Boolean = True, Optional UnRegComDLL As Boolean)
    Dim Path1 As String
    Path1 = "system32"
    If Is64bit And For32BitDll Then Path1 = "SysWOW64"
    ShellExecute 0, "runas", "C:\Windows\" & Path1 & "\regsvr32.exe", Chr(34) & DllFile & Chr(34) & IIf(UnRegComDLL, " /U", ""), vbNullString, SW_SHOWNORMAL
End Function