Class libraries won't run on Windows98

[tphillips]

I have this app I have been working on. I finally got the installation all completed and it runs great on windows2000 & XP.

As soon as I take it over to Windows98 (MDAC 2.7 and Framework were installed successfully) it runs until it gets to a specific point and then bombs.

 

The app is really 3 projects in one. There are two projects that are class Libraries and are imported into the third project (which is the start up project). It bombs when I load a form which contains import statements to the 2 class libraries.

 

When the installation is complete the two class libraries are dll files in the program files/app path. I know these aren't Active X dlls ( I tried to register them but found out I couldn't do that because they aren't Active X dll files) but I don't understand why it all runs on 2000 and XP but not on Windows98..

 

If anyone has run across this issue I would greatly appreciate some advice :-)

 

THANK YOU!

[tphillips]

I found this on another web site. It seems to say exactly what my problem is but it doesn't offer a solution. It almost sounds like there isn't one :-(

 

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The operating system (OS) platform you plan to target can also have a substantial impact on your .NET migration plan. When paired with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, you can take full advantage of the .NET Framework's feature set. Therefore, if your user base hasn't upgraded to one of the latest Windows operating systems, you might want to explore upgrading them at the same time you do your .NET migration.

 

Although the .NET Framework works on Windows 98 and Windows ME, these platforms don't offer full access to everything .NET offers. For example, .NET applications deployed on Windows 98 or ME won't have local COM+ support, because it's not baked into the OS (Note: Microsoft recently renamed COM+ as .NET Enterprise Services).

[divil]

You'll have to consult the documentation for each of the main classes you use. Common classes like Windows Forms work on all supported operating systems, but some not so common ones, like the FileSystemWatcher for instance, just won't work on Windows 98.

 

In the overview for every class in the framework the documentation tells you which operating systems the class will run on.

[tphillips]

Hi Divil - thanks for your reply.

 

The other classes that don't want to run are not part of the framework. I have created them. I think I have to make Active X dll files out of them only I am not sure how to do that. I have read documentation that says I can do it from the command prompt and point to a single .vb file but I actually have 2 whole projects that I need to compile into dll files. One of the smaller projects is made up of 4 class files.

 

Do you know how to create dll files from a project rather than just one class file?

 

Thanks again :-)

[divil]

Why do you think you need to create ActiveX DLLs? That sounds very odd to me. Could you describe in more detail what your application is and what it does? Are you using any ActiveX controls in your program?

[tphillips]

Hi Divil,

 

This is a program for a funeral home. They want to be able to make Tribute cards for their 'customers'. My first main project connects to access and allows them to enter all their personal information (which works fine on all operating systems), then they can create the tribute using the design surface I found as an example on the Microsoft site (I have included that sample for you). It works great. I have modified it to suite my own needs. If you open up the example I included you will see that it has 3 projects, I just included those to my own project and it runs very smooth on WindowsXP and 2000.

 

When I take it over to Windows 98 it bombs when I create a form that begins using the design surface. I think I need to make Active X dll files because I don't know what else to do to get the import statements to work right. I am not even sure this is the solution I need. All I know is that it doesn't run on 98 and does on everything else.

 

I have put 2 months into this project and I am very worried that is was all for nothing if I can't get it to work on 98.

designsurface.zip

[divil]

Unfortunately I don't have Windows 98 system to test it on. Do you have anything more specific than "it bombs"?

 

You could install a debugger on the machine in question to see how far it gets, what line the exception is thrown on, etc.