Installing Visual Basic/Studio 6 On Windows 10
Why install Visual Basic 6? It’s a long-dead program, all things considered. Well, like most companies out there, mine incorporates a few proprietary programs that have been written, previously, in VB6. The apps work great, in order that it just hasn’t made sense to invest the time and/or money it might take to upgrade those to VB.Net. Yet, we still ought to be able for making minor changes on the programs occasionally.
We helps keep an old XP machine around exclusively for VB6, or put in place a virtual illustration showing XP, or opt for either of these options with Windows 7 (VB6 set up on Win7, though not perfectly). Instead of going those routes, though, I decided to look into getting VB6 properly set up on Windows 10. These notes should be employed by the Pro and Enterprise editions of both Visual Basic 6 and Visual Studio 6.
Note until this tutorial is absolutely geared toward getting Visual Basic 6 working. I do not know whether some of the other Visual Studio applications works after the steps below are actually followed.
Also note that it process is not going to allow you to set up the Data Access components. They just don’t assist Windows 10.
Remove Any Remnants of VB6/VS6
If you’re at all like me, maybe you tried to setup Visual Basic 6 using your laptop the old fashioned way. When the install failed, you are then using bits and pieces of VB here and there in, with out uninstaller. Luckily, Microsoft wrote up a short article about removing Visual Studio manually (How To Manually Uninstall Visual Studio with MSDN Library). I do not believe searching your disk drive for some on the files, while they mention, is important. Here are the key steps to follow along with:
- Delete cellular phone folders for just about any Visual Studio products. Note that listed here are the default locations; the particular locations could possibly be different with your system in case you did a custom installation or in case you are with a 64-Bit computer: - Program FilesMicrosoft Visual Studio
- Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedMSDesigners98
- Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedMSDN
- Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedVS98
- Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedWizards98
- Delete set up . folders for almost any MSDN Libraries (the earlier step could possibly have deleted these should they were installed for the default location). The default folders are listed below: - Program FilesMicrosoft Visual StudioMSDN98 (for your MSDN Library for Visual Studio 6.0)
- Program FilesMicrosoft Visual StudioMSDN (with the MSDN Quarterly Library releases)
- Use Regedit.exe to delete the next Registry keys when they exist: - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftDevStudio- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftMSVSDG
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftHTML Help Collections
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftVisual Basic6.0
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftVisual Component Manager
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftVisual Modeler
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftVisualStudio6.0
- HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftDevStudio
- HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftMSVSDG
- HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftVisual Basic6.0
- HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftVisual Modeler
- HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftVisualFoxPro
- HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftVisualStudio6.0
- If you’re using a 64-Bit system, check here, too: - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeMicrosoftDevStudio
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeMicrosoftMSVSDG
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeMicrosoftHTML Help Collections
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeMicrosoftVisual Basic6.0
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeMicrosoftVisual Component Manager
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeMicrosoftVisual Modeler
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareWow6432NodeMicrosoftVisualStudio6.0
- Use Regedit.exe to delete any type of the key for Visual Studio or MSDN Library under this keys. Since you don’t offer an uninstaller, it is likely you won’t find anything here. It’s worth looking throughout the keys, anyway, to see when you find any mentions of Visual Studio or MSDN. WARNING: Do not delete the “Uninstall” key; only delete MSDN or Visual Studio keys listed there. - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstall
- 64-Bit systems only: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodeMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionUninstall
Prepare Your Files
Now, we have to get our own files set up. The tool we’re likely to use for set up . can actually read over CDs, but I think it is much quicker to get already copied the mandatory files to my harddrive. In my case, I setup my way through C:Visual Studio 6.
- First, copy the belongings in all Visual Basic/Studio 6 and MSDN CDs towards the folder you’ve chosen.
Next, download and extract the Visual Studio SP6 patch (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=9183). Place the extracted contents inside a folder named VS6SP6.
- You should end up with a list of directories that appear to be like those shown below. The names aren’t important, so long as you know what’s what.
We’re gonna use a handy tool build by Giorgio Brausi to finish our installation. It takes proper some on the trickier elements of getting Visual Basic/Studio 6 attached with a Windows 10 computer.
The first thing we have to do is setup this system’s working folder.
- Download Giorgio’s installation program from his website, nuke.vbcorner.net (http://nuke.vbcorner.net/Articles/VB60/VisualStudio6Installer/tabid/93/language/en-US/Default.aspx).
- The program does not ought to be installed. Simply extract the contents on the zip file and run vs6installer.exe.
- The first thing we should instead do is setup this system’s working folder. This is where the installer program will copy it’s working fileset to. I suggest having a folder you recognize the program should have permission gain access to. Something within your Documents folder should work.
- Click the “Set Root folder” button.
- Browse to the place you want to create the main folder, then click Make New Folder. Using the tool to produce the folder will guarantee that it has the mandatory permissions. Click “Yes” to confirm which it is the correct location.
- If you want to put in the various graphic files incorporated with VS6, and then make sure that choices are checked.
- Make sure the “Disable Data Access” choice is chosen. It should already be selected, automagically, on Windows 10 systems.
- Select the edition you'll be installing. In my case, I chose Visual Studio 6 Professional Edition. You should choose whatever matches the CDs you happen to be using for not hard to install. Your options will want to look similar to this:
- Click the “Step 1” button. The program will have you choose the source area for Visual Basic/Studio’s files. The files may be on CDs, or on your hard disk drive (as I previously recommended). Select the list of files referenced at the top with the selection window, make sure the copy procedure is correct, then wait as the mandatory files are copied on the new root location.
- Click “Step 2” and find the MSDN files. Technically, you don’t need to setup MSDN, however it doesn’t hurt. You will ought to select both CDs because of this step. After CD1 has finished copying, you'll be prompted to decide on CD2.
- On to “Step 3”. This will prepare the Service Pack 6 files. Browse to and pick the files you previously extracted on the VS6SP6 directory.
If you have an error about missing files (see below), then simply get over it with not hard to install.
- You may come across an issue here should you are installing the Professional Edition of VB6/VS6. The Service Pack 6 files which are still positioned on the Net are actually to the Enterprise Edition. I have, to date, been struggle to source a Pro version of SP6. If you will get an error about missing files (see below), then simply get over it with cellular phone. We’ll manually install SP6, later.
Install Visual Basic/Studio
Now the files are in position, it’s the perfect time to begin installing this software.
- Click the first Install button.
- Click “Yes” to ensure you wish to continue with cellular phone.
- The standard installer will launch. Make your path through it, entering your Serial Number as necessary.
- Make sure to opt for the standard Install option, NOT the Server Applications option.
- Keep clicking Next, Continue, OK, etc., until you obtain to this screen. Click the Custom button.
- The installer tool could have already made the proper selections considering what you chose before launching the installer, so there shouldn't be any need to create any changes here. I believe you may install your options besides Visual Basic 6, however they were unnecessary in my opinion. Some with the items under “Data Access” are incompatible with Windows 10. They should already be disabled when you left the “Disable Data Access” option checked from the installer tool.
- If your version of Visual Studio/Basic features a SourceSafe option, then its probably best if you uncheck that option.
- Here’s how my installation options looked:
- Click Continue and this program will install.
- Click OK when you obtain the Success message.
- You may should Restart your body at this point. If so, wait for that restart to complete, then pick up that you left off.
- The MSDN installer can launch. Make sure to UNCHECK the “Install MSDN” option, then click Next.
- Click “Yes” for the message warning you about not installing MSDN, click Next to skip any other installers, then UNCHECK “Register Now” and then click Finish.
- If that you were to check Programs and Features now, you should see that you've got a proper Visual Basic/Studio 6 uninstaller.
Install the MSDN Library
Time to put in the MSDN Library. This step is optional, but I recommend becoming Visual Basic 6 Help files are only planning to get harder to seek out on the Net over time.
- Click the second Install button.
- Click “Yes” to make sure that you want to setup MSDN, make your way through various screens.
- When you get on the screen below, go ahead and then click the “Full” option. You could go through the “Custom” button and pick what files to fit, but taking into consideration the size of modern HDDs, it isn’t necessary.
- Click OK when installation has finished, and make towards you back on the installer tool.
Install Service Pack 6
There are two ways to setup Service Pack 6. If you have the proper service pack files on your installation, then you'll be able to use the installer tool to launch not hard to install. If not, then you certainly’ll must launch the installer manually.
Note that Service Pack 6 only contains updates for Visual Studio, Visual C++, and Visual Basic, and Visual SourceSafe. If you installed another programs (FoxPro or InterDev), then you definitely should first install Service Pack 5. I still find it hard to justify installing those programs, so won’t talk about that scenario here.
- If you are able to seek out the right version of SP6 for the installation, then you may click the third Install button.
- Click “Yes” to make sure that you want to put in SP6.
- If you're unable to seek out the correct version of SP6, arehorrified to find that the folder you previously extracted the SP6 files to (throughout this step), right select the setupsp6.exe file, and select “Run as administrator”.
- From here on, mobile phone of SP6 is definitely the same for both scenarios.
- Click “Continue”, then click “I Agree”.
- If you have an option to click a “Complete” button, then achieve this.
- Click “OK” once installation has finished.
A Few More Steps
Just some more steps until we’re done. These steps will take proper a few errors/annoyances you could encounter.
- Go to your Options tab inside Visual Studio 6 Installer program and click on “Create Desktop shortcut”.
- Run the newly created shortcut out of your Desktop.
- If you receive an “Automation error”, then close VB6, return for the installer tool, and click on the “Run As Administrator” option.
- Relaunch VB6, along with the error must be gone.
- You can now return to your installer tool and click on the “Run As Administrator” option again to make off that setting. It is not needed following your necessary registrations have already been completed.
- We have only 1 more setting to vary. VB6, when operated with Windows 10, are experiencing a delay any time you draw, move, or resize objects using a Form inside the VB IDE. To correct this matter, go through the “Set Vista SP2 compatible” button.
- If the “Set Vista SP2 compatible” button can not work, then you definately may ought to set that option manually. To achieve this, navigate to where VB6 is installed (almost certainly C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual StudioVB98).
- Right click VB6.exe and judge “Properties”.
- Go on the Compatibility tab, look into the “Run the program in compatibility mode for” option, and select “Windows Vista (Service Pack 2)”.
- Click OK, then try running this course again. You should now discover that controls may be manipulated without issue.
