FIX: Error Accessing Source Code Control System

• Microsoft SourceSafe for Windows NT, version 4.0
• Microsoft SourceSafe for Windows 95, version 4.0
• The Development Environment (was Visual Workbench) included with: - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Edition, versions 4.0, 4.1

SYMPTOMS

When using Developer Studio to check out, get, or add a large number of files from Visual SourceSafe 4.0 or 4.0a, the following error may occur:

  Error accessing Source Code Control system. Check Installation

CAUSE

The Visual SourceSafe integrated with Visual C++ has encountered an error while communicating with the Visual SourceSafe server.

RESOLUTION

You can use any of these solutions:

• Install the Visual SourceSafe server on the same workstation as Visual C++.
• Do not use the integrated Source Code Control features in Visual C++. Simply check in, check out, and get the files using the Visual SourceSafe Explorer.
• Break up your project into small projects.
• Use RegEdit to edit the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Developer\Source Control key, and change the "ProjectThreshold" value to a value larger than the number of files in your project, including dependencies. Note that increasing this value impacts overall Source Code Control performance. Only increase this value as much as necessary. This solution works only in rare cases.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This bug was fixed with the Visual SourceSafe patch SSSCC.DLL version 1310. To obtain the patch, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q151411
   TITLE     : SAMPLE: New Version of Ssscc.dll Available

MORE INFORMATION

This error almost always occurs when the Visual SourceSafe server does not reside on the same machine as Visual C++. Furthermore, the problem seems to be exacerbated by high network activity during the time that the files are being checked out or when a GET is performed.

If you choose not to disable Source Code Control when this error occurs, it almost always causes an access violation in Developer Studio.