vb6 Setup program

[Feras]

I finished the project I'm working on, and I need to make the setup program now.
I loaded "Package And Deployment Wizard" from the Add-Ins Manager list and made a new package for my program.
But when install this package on other matchine and try to run the program an error ocure tells "Error loading DLL".
So what is the problem here?
Any body can help me? pleas!

Note: My program uses ADO with access 2000, Dataenvironment, DataReport, ODBC connection, and adodc control.
and its package splits into four .cab files.

I really need an answer because if I could not solve this one I swear I'll leave Vesual Basic, I had it, I just get tired with more and more unsolvable broblems specially with vb6.
Swetching to another language will be more easier.
What the problem with Delfi (for example) it's a powerful language and serves very well (at least more than Visual Basic with the bad six edition).

I have tow days to finish and deliver the program or i'll be from the past.

Feras Helwani : [email protected]

[mattbrown]

Microsoft's Package and Deployment wizard is notoriously bad (as expected) however you may want to try inno setup by Jordan Russell which I have found to be an excellent setup tool.

Find Inno Setup at http://www.jrsoftware.org

Inno setup is script based so unless you fancy editing miles of text files you can find an excellent front end for Inno Setup at
http://www.lerstad.com/istool/

You may also want to download Inno Setup Extensions which adds the Windows 2000 wizard style setup. Get it at:
http://www.wintax.nl/isx/

Have Fun

[Feras]

OK thanks, that was good, but how could I know the neccessary files to include it in my project setup.
For example I found a program called installshield v5.02 and it has a special wizard for Visual Basic 5 projects (that will automatically add vb neccessary files for my project).


So.. Any further help please

[coox]

Well, yeah, I think so. I looked at the Inno thing, and it looked a little complicated to simple old me, all that having to write scripts and stuff, and then I found the Microsoft Visual Installer somewhere on their website. It's a total of 17.6mb to download, and the setup files it creates are generally pretty large (several meg it seems) in comparison with the Package & Destroy 'Em Wizard that comes with VB/Studio.

But.... IT WORKS. I got VB6 to develop stuff for my job, and it was pretty embarassing to find that my stuff wouldn't even install on my other desktop, let alone their machines in Scotland/Amsterdam. Anyway, it all works ok now.

If anyone knows any more about this package, and maybe can tell me why the setup files are so huge (and probably what I've done wrong to make them so) I'd be very grateful...

[mattbrown]

Coox:

If you have a look at the link to inno tool that I provided above you have a graphical interface for Inno Setup I have never touched a script in order to create a setup routine.

Feras:

The easiest way to find out what files you need to include in your setup is to go to the support directory that the Package and deployment wizard creates and copy everything from there.

[Jimbob]

coox:

MS Visual Studio Installer makes the new .MSI files, rather than the Setup.exe packages from Package & Destroyment.

The problem is, .MSI files are a (fairly) new thing and older systems won't be able to run them, so it includes the files needed to install the setup system (if that makes any sense!?!)

Theres an option in there (somewhere) that allows you to not include these files, as you're only gonna need them the first time you run a setup package on the machine. This option is turned on by default. I f I come across what the option is, I'll post it on here for you...

I suppose in this respect it's a bit like having to have the VB Runtimes on each pc....

On a related note, how do you get it to not insist on installing MDAC 2.5 whether your app needs it or not?

[Feras]

I'm still asking for this and I had a funny answer through this.
It was from an old and good programmer here in my region, what he said is that he had the same problem and failed to solve it so he installed the whole Visual Basic 6 in the customer machine. But the strange thing here that his program worked very well after that, do you believe?!! ) ... (

[Edited by Feras on 10-03-2000 at 08:17 PM]

[coox]

Feras, yes I would believe it works well, because you've installed all the possible standard components your app could ever need (excluding bought/custom ones), and probably quite a few it won't. Interesting approach though - but is it really worth paying for a whole new VB license? Or didn't he? har har

Thanks for the gen JimBob! Re: not including Windows setup files - Project\Properties\Build Type - thanks for explaining or I'd never have thought of trying that. It's taken an installation (for example) of 5.11mb down to 2.15mb. Cool.

Dunno about the MDAC_TYP.EXE thing - I just sent that file out too... They only have to install that once on a machine.

[Feras]

Thanks every one, but Ican't download that MS Visual Studio Installer for now.
But I tried inno installer and it was very cool and I found alot of things I didn't ever think about like creatting shortcuts, filling the registry, and creating componnents and tasks.
Thanks for the program Mattbrown.
I finished building the setup program and I'll try it on my friend machine today, I'll tell you the results when return (if I could).
Thanks again Mattbrown. ~_'

[Paul282]

I've been using Inno setup for about a year and I'd definately give it the thumbs up

Multiple icons and shortcuts in startup plus configuarable uninstall and regkeys

I thought it was a little annoying at first because it had to be scripted (and I didn't like the GUI's people wrote) but check the samples, make a template and after that you can put something togther without thinking.

I used P&D for a while at first to learn which controls need which files and sometines run it to be sure but the interface with INNO looks great and the compression is better than winzip.

Best of all it's only one .exe file not setup, setup1, .1st and .cab...

Love it.

[coox]

Yeah, but what worried me was writing a script for Inno that would knacker someones registry and that. Is it really easy to do that?

[Buzby]

Is the machine you are installing this on a Windows '95 machine - if it is you may need to install DCOM on the machine first.. which can be found here;

http://www.microsoft.com/com/dcom/dcom95/download.asp

(or you may find it on the VB6 CD - I'm not sure)

If that's not it, (or the machine isn't Win '95) then check that MDAC_TYP.EXE was distributed with the program. (This is the Microsoft Data Access stuff for ADO etc).
If it wasn't distributed then it needs to be (P&D wizard normally picks this up ok, though)

If that's still not it, do a FIND FILES and search for MDAC_TYP.EXE on your PC. Ensure each copy you find is the same version - any versions that are older than the rest should be replaced with the newer version... or alternatively you can download the latest MDAC (2.5 sp1) from;

http://www.microsoft.com/data/download_25SP1.htm

The most important copy of MDAC_TYP.EXE is the one inside the VB98\Wizards\PDWizard\Redist directory - this is the one that gets bundled with your programs when you create a setup. If this one is an older version to the one currently installed on your PC you will get the error you describe. To be safe, find the newest version you can, copy it to VB98\Wizards\PDWizard\Redist and then RUN it to install it.

If you do change the MDAC_TYP file you will need to recreate the distribution files using the P&D Wizard.

Hope this helps.

[mattbrown]

Glad to hear that you liked Inno feras.

What exactly are you meaning coox? I have used inno to sucessfully build a registry structure for my progams and place default values in the keys if that is what you mean?

[coox]

Matt - point is, I'm terrified of writing my own script and then ruining someone's machine. It looked like this was fairly easy to do using Inno - am I wrong? I wouldn't mind if I was, because I'd rather use that than the MS thing...

[gravyboy]

Call me LAZY! But, I haven't really got the time to play with the MSI approach to find out how to do it. Is anyone willing to give me a crash (ie How to and nowt else) course in using this as a setup? Alternatively a site along the lines of Master MSI in 12 minutes would be good!

*Grin*

Regards

[Paul282]

Originally posted by coox
Matt - point is, I'm terrified of writing my own script and then ruining someone's machine. It looked like this was fairly easy to do using Inno - am I wrong? I wouldn't mind if I was, because I'd rather use that than the MS thing...

You're not going to ruin anyone's machine!!!! If you don't know the registry then don't touch it. they're just settings, if you don't touxh ones that have nothing to do with your software nothing bad will happen and if you do you can always put them back. test the install program on your own system too.

it's not really even scripting, just a series of commands like an INI file.

below is a script I wrote for the last company I worked for, I use this as a template

; -- Sample1.iss --
; Demonstrates copying 3 files, creating an icon, and some registry entries.

; SEE THE DOCUMENTATION FOR DETAILS ON CREATING SETUP SCRIPTS!

[Setup]
Bits=32
AppName=TikeMon
AppVerName=TikeMon 1.1
AppCopyright=Copyright © 2000 JENS Corp.
DefaultDirName={pf}\Tikemon
DefaultGroupName=TikiMon
MinVersion=4.0,4.0

[Files]
Source: "C:\Program Files\Inno Setup 1.2\tikemon\TikeMon.EXE"; DestDir: "{app}" 
Source: "C:\Program Files\Inno Setup 1.2\tikemon\stdole2.tlb"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder
Source: "C:\Program Files\Inno Setup 1.2\tikemon\olepro32.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder; Flags: regserver
Source: "C:\Program Files\Inno Setup 1.2\tikemon\msvbvm60.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder; Flags: regserver
Source: "C:\Program Files\Inno Setup 1.2\tikemon\comcat.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder; Flags: regserver
Source: "C:\Program Files\Inno Setup 1.2\tikemon\asycfilt.dll"; DestDir: "{sys}"
Source: "C:\Program Files\Inno Setup 1.2\tikemon\msinet.ocx"; DestDir: "{sys}"; CopyMode: alwaysskipifsameorolder; Flags: regserver

[Icons]
Name: "{group}\TikeMon"; Filename: "{app}\TikeMon.EXE"
Name: "{userstartup}\TikeMon"; Filename: "{app}\TikeMon.EXE"


;[Registry] (all commented out, I leave them there so I remember how to use them)
;Root: HKCU; Subkey: "Software\My Company"; Flags: uninsdeletekeyifempty
;Root: HKCU; Subkey: "Software\My Company\My Program"; Flags: uninsdeletekey
;Root: HKLM; Subkey: "Software\My Company"; Flags: uninsdeletekeyifempty
;Root: HKLM; Subkey: "Software\My Company\My Program"; Flags: uninsdeletekey
;Root: HKLM; Subkey: "Software\My Company\My Program\Settings"; ValueType: string; ValueName: "Path"; ValueData: "{app}"

[Edited by Paul282 on 10-06-2000 at 06:40 AM]

[mattbrown]

coox:

I would have to agree with Paul here. If you only modify the registry in your area, the worst you'll do is kill your own program.

The best way to do it I have found is to create a key under
HKCU/Software
with the name of your company then you only modify settings inside that key. That way you will never touch the settings of another program.

Then when you get a bit more confident with the registry you can start playing around with HKCR and start adding file associations etc.

[Feras]

What I did and what I had?
I used inno setup tool (isTool 1.0.3),
from the Project\insert menu I chosed "Visual Basic 6 System DLL's" and "DAO 3.5..." with Microsoft Jet Engine and ODBC Direct.
And added the file msderun.dll to the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Desiner" directory (that is "{cf}\Desiner") after creating this directory from "Progect\Creat Directory..." menu.
To insure thet other files that added with VB setup package like msde.dll, msbind.dll, msdbrptr.dll and others wich exists in the support folder in the package directory are not needed I run my program exe file and then moved that files from the system directory to another (if they are loaded windows will not allow to move them).

I attempt to try my setup on my friends machine but the floppy drive of the first was broken down, the second machine needs formatting, and in the third windows needs reinstall because an error in loading dll file for networks (the heart of my program).
So I hope any one to try that.

I'll format my own very soon so I can try on my machine.

The yields of my tries was: more than 25 package with three installers, two weeks or more, and three died floppy disks of 17.

Tanks you all.

Feras Helwani : [email protected]
windows 95, Visual Basic 6 SP4