INFO: Visual Basic 5.0 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Microsoft Visual Basic Control Creation, Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, version 5.0

SUMMARY

This article answers the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Visual Basic 5.0.

MORE INFORMATION

The following questions are answered in this FAQ:

1. If I compile to "Native Code," do I have to distribute the Visual Basic 5.0 virtual machine MSVBVM50.DLL with my application or component?

2. Can I develop 16-bit Windows applications with Visual Basic 5.0?

3. Do Visual Basic 4.0 add-ins work with Visual Basic 5.0?

4. Why doesn't Visual Basic 5.0 come with ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)?

5. I want to use toolbars and menus such as the ones in the Visual Basic 5.0 IDE inside my applications. How can I do this?

6. Every time I exit the Visual Basic 5.0 development environment I experience a crash. What can I do about it?

7. Every time I start Visual Basic 5.0 it crashes. What can I do?

8. Why do I get the message "Internet Explorer is opening file of unknown type: <Name of Document>.VBD" when trying to access my ActiveX Document?

Questions and Answers

1. Q. If I compile to "Native Code," do I have to distribute the Visual
   Basic 5.0 virtual machine MSVBVM50.DLL with my application or component?

   A. Yes, all Visual Basic 5.0-built applications and components require
   MSVBVM50.DLL regardless of whether they are compiled to "Native Code" or
   "P-Code." The Visual Basic 5.0 virtual machine contains all of the
   functionality for Visual Basic 5.0 forms, class modules, language, etc.
   Many people confuse compiled "Native Code" with static linking. Compiled
   "Native Code" is code that does not have to be interpreted at run-time
   and can be directly executed by the system processor. Static linking is
   the process of linking libraries of functions into a single .EXE. Visual
   Basic 5.0 "Native Code" applications and components can be directly
   executed by the system processor but they must still call into the
   Visual Basic 5.0 virtual machine to access the functions providing
   Visual Basic 5.0 features.

2. Q. Can I develop 16-bit Windows applications with Visual Basic 5.0?

   A. No, Visual Basic 5.0 is a 32-bit-only product.

3. Q. Do Visual Basic 4.0 add-ins work with Visual Basic 5.0?

   A. Major changes were made to the development environment to allow for
   multiple project development. The Visual Basic product team made every
   effort to allow Visual Basic 4.0 add-ins to continue to work in the new
   environment. However, they were not able to make Visual Basic 5.0 one
   hundred percent compatible with Visual Basic 4.0 add-ins. In some
   cases, you may need to re-write an add-in for Visual Basic 5.0 or
   contact a third-party company for an updated add-in.

4. Q. Why doesn't Visual Basic 5.0 come with ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)?

   A. ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is a new technology that was not ready in
   time to be included with the Visual Basic product. However, you can use
   ADO from Visual Basic 5.0. See the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
   article for more information:

      ARTICLE-ID: Q168335
      TITLE     : INFO: Using ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) via Visual Basic

5. Q. I want to use toolbars and menus such as the ones in the Visual Basic
   5.0 IDE inside my applications. How can I do this?

   A. The Visual Basic development environment uses Microsoft Office
   Command Bars for the toolbars and menus. Currently, this is a
   proprietary technology that you cannot use in your applications.
   However, there are third-party companies that have ActiveX controls
   That look and feel the same as Microsoft Office Command Bars.

6. Q. Every time I exit the Visual Basic 5.0 development environment I
   experience a crash. What can I do about it?

   A. There is a known bug in Visual Basic 5.0 related to how it shuts
   down Microsoft Office Command Bars. This problem usually shows up after
   installing add-ins. One method that is successful to work around the
   problem is to re-order the entries in the VBAddin.INI. See the
   following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more information:

      ARTICLE-ID: Q167213
      TITLE     : BUG: Invalid Page Fault When Shutting Down Visual Basic
                  5.0

7. Q. Every time I start Visual Basic 5.0 it crashes. What can I do?

   A. This problem is usually caused by one of two things. Sometimes it is
   caused by an add-in. To work around this behavior, try editing the
   VBAddin.INI and setting every entry to zero prior to starting Visual
   Basic 5.0. It can also be caused by a problem with the persistent data
   for Microsoft Office Command Bars. To work around this behavior, try
   deleting the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Visual Basic\5.0"
   key from the registry and re-starting Visual Basic 5.0. For more
   information on this problem see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
   article:

      ARTICLE-ID: Q167346
      TITLE     : BUG: GPF Occurs When Starting Visual Basic 5.0

8. Q. Why do I get the message "Internet Explorer is opening file of
   unknown type: <Name of Document>.VBD" when trying to access my ActiveX
   Document?

   A. There are several reasons for this error message; you are using the
   wrong .VBD file or you are using an out-dated .VBD file, ACTXPRXY.DLL
   is missing or is not registered properly, the ActiveX EXE/DLL is not
   registered properly, the Visual Basic virtual machine is not installed
   or on the path, the ActiveX Document may not be signed or safe for
   scripting, a run-time error exists in your initialization code, CAB
   files are not being downloaded, or you have other problems not listed
   here. See the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for the latest
   information on the causes of this message and ways to avoid it:

      ARTICLE-ID: Q167380
      TITLE     : PRB: IE Reports Unknown Type .VBD for ActiveX Document

Keywords          : vb5all VBKBInfo kbfaq
Version           : 5.0
Platform          : WINDOWS