I seem to have damaged something on one machine, probably in the registry,
that is preventing access to DCOM servers when they have a space in their
paths - unless that path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VB98"
which seems to be treated a little differently. Can anyone help me locate
the cause?

As soon as I try to instantiate one of the classes of such a VB6 ActiveX EXE
project (new or old), then I get the above error, plus an Event Log entry of
1000:

Unable to start a DCOM Server: {137DA12F-A721-45C3-9FD4-D44DE1B9E82A}.
The error:
"C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding is not a valid Win32
application. "
Happened while starting this command:
C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding

This was all working until about one week ago. Also, the same projects still
work fine on a separate W2K machine that has an identical directory layout.

If I put quotes around the path in the LocalServer32 sub-key of the CLSID
entry in the registry then it works, but it never needed this before.

If anyone is interested, here's some further background on the symptoms:
http://groups.google.ie/group/micros...9f5f4d5fc08cd3

Tony Proctor

"Tony Proctor" <tony_proctor@aimtechnology_NoMoreSPAM_.com> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I seem to have damaged something on one machine, probably in the registry,
> that is preventing access to DCOM servers when they have a space in their
> paths - unless that path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual
> Studio\VB98"
> which seems to be treated a little differently. Can anyone help me locate
> the cause?
>
> As soon as I try to instantiate one of the classes of such a VB6 ActiveX
> EXE
> project (new or old), then I get the above error, plus an Event Log entry
> of
> 1000:
>
> Unable to start a DCOM Server: {137DA12F-A721-45C3-9FD4-D44DE1B9E82A}.
> The error:
> "C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding is not a valid Win32
> application. "
> Happened while starting this command:
> C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding

Any other files named "AIM" in C:\ ?

>
> This was all working until about one week ago. Also, the same projects
> still
> work fine on a separate W2K machine that has an identical directory
> layout.
>
> If I put quotes around the path in the LocalServer32 sub-key of the CLSID
> entry in the registry then it works, but it never needed this before.

You should never rely on this. See:
http://www.idefense.com/intelligence...lay.php?id=340

>
> If anyone is interested, here's some further background on the symptoms:
> http://groups.google.ie/group/micros...9f5f4d5fc08cd3
>
> Tony Proctor
>
>

> Any other files named "AIM" in C:\ ?
I do have other top-level directories beginning "AIM"<space> Ben. For this
reason I was briefly interested in Q185126
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q185126/). However, that applies to NT
rather than W2K, and I believe the problem is now fixed. What I can't
understand is that I haven't consciously changed anything. Both the projects
and the directory layout are identical to what they were before the problem
arose.

> You should never rely on this. See:
> http://www.idefense.com/intelligence...lay.php?id=340
Sorry Ben. I can't see the relevance of this post. Are you sure you posted
the right one?

Tony Proctor

"Ben Voigt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:udz3#(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Tony Proctor" <tony_proctor@aimtechnology_NoMoreSPAM_.com> wrote in
message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> >I seem to have damaged something on one machine, probably in the
registry,
> > that is preventing access to DCOM servers when they have a space in
their
> > paths - unless that path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual
> > Studio\VB98"
> > which seems to be treated a little differently. Can anyone help me
locate
> > the cause?
> >
> > As soon as I try to instantiate one of the classes of such a VB6 ActiveX
> > EXE
> > project (new or old), then I get the above error, plus an Event Log
entry
> > of
> > 1000:
> >
> > Unable to start a DCOM Server:
{137DA12F-A721-45C3-9FD4-D44DE1B9E82A}.
> > The error:
> > "C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding is not a valid Win32
> > application. "
> > Happened while starting this command:
> > C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding
>
> Any other files named "AIM" in C:\ ?
>
> >
> > This was all working until about one week ago. Also, the same projects
> > still
> > work fine on a separate W2K machine that has an identical directory
> > layout.
> >
> > If I put quotes around the path in the LocalServer32 sub-key of the
CLSID
> > entry in the registry then it works, but it never needed this before.
>
> You should never rely on this. See:
> http://www.idefense.com/intelligence...lay.php?id=340
>
> >
> > If anyone is interested, here's some further background on the symptoms:
> >
http://groups.google.ie/group/micros...9f5f4d5fc08cd3
> >
> > Tony Proctor
> >
> >
>
>

I take that back Ben. I catch your drift now. Thanks for the tip!

Sure enough, I looked at my top-level directory on the C: drive and there
was a mysterious 0-length file called "AIM". Heaven knows where that came
from but it was the cause of all my problems.

Many thanks

Tony Proctor

"Ben Voigt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:udz3#(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Tony Proctor" <tony_proctor@aimtechnology_NoMoreSPAM_.com> wrote in
message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> >I seem to have damaged something on one machine, probably in the
registry,
> > that is preventing access to DCOM servers when they have a space in
their
> > paths - unless that path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual
> > Studio\VB98"
> > which seems to be treated a little differently. Can anyone help me
locate
> > the cause?
> >
> > As soon as I try to instantiate one of the classes of such a VB6 ActiveX
> > EXE
> > project (new or old), then I get the above error, plus an Event Log
entry
> > of
> > 1000:
> >
> > Unable to start a DCOM Server:
{137DA12F-A721-45C3-9FD4-D44DE1B9E82A}.
> > The error:
> > "C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding is not a valid Win32
> > application. "
> > Happened while starting this command:
> > C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding
>
> Any other files named "AIM" in C:\ ?
>
> >
> > This was all working until about one week ago. Also, the same projects
> > still
> > work fine on a separate W2K machine that has an identical directory
> > layout.
> >
> > If I put quotes around the path in the LocalServer32 sub-key of the
CLSID
> > entry in the registry then it works, but it never needed this before.
>
> You should never rely on this. See:
> http://www.idefense.com/intelligence...lay.php?id=340
>
> >
> > If anyone is interested, here's some further background on the symptoms:
> >
http://groups.google.ie/group/micros...9f5f4d5fc08cd3
> >
> > Tony Proctor
> >
> >
>
>

"Tony Proctor" <tony_proctor@aimtechnology_NoMoreSPAM_.com> wrote in message
news:e%(E-Mail Removed)...
>I take that back Ben. I catch your drift now. Thanks for the tip!
>
> Sure enough, I looked at my top-level directory on the C: drive and there
> was a mysterious 0-length file called "AIM". Heaven knows where that came
> from but it was the cause of all my problems.

I would rather say omitting the quotes and trusting the search mechanism is
the cause of the problems. Without quotes you are vulnerable. If that file
called "C:\AIM" hadn't been zero-length, but executable, *anything* could
have happened.

>
> Many thanks
>
> Tony Proctor
>
> "Ben Voigt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:udz3#(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> "Tony Proctor" <tony_proctor@aimtechnology_NoMoreSPAM_.com> wrote in
> message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> >I seem to have damaged something on one machine, probably in the
> registry,
>> > that is preventing access to DCOM servers when they have a space in
> their
>> > paths - unless that path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual
>> > Studio\VB98"
>> > which seems to be treated a little differently. Can anyone help me
> locate
>> > the cause?
>> >
>> > As soon as I try to instantiate one of the classes of such a VB6
>> > ActiveX
>> > EXE
>> > project (new or old), then I get the above error, plus an Event Log
> entry
>> > of
>> > 1000:
>> >
>> > Unable to start a DCOM Server:
> {137DA12F-A721-45C3-9FD4-D44DE1B9E82A}.
>> > The error:
>> > "C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding is not a valid Win32
>> > application. "
>> > Happened while starting this command:
>> > C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding
>>
>> Any other files named "AIM" in C:\ ?
>>
>> >
>> > This was all working until about one week ago. Also, the same projects
>> > still
>> > work fine on a separate W2K machine that has an identical directory
>> > layout.
>> >
>> > If I put quotes around the path in the LocalServer32 sub-key of the
> CLSID
>> > entry in the registry then it works, but it never needed this before.
>>
>> You should never rely on this. See:
>> http://www.idefense.com/intelligence...lay.php?id=340
>>
>> >
>> > If anyone is interested, here's some further background on the
>> > symptoms:
>> >
> http://groups.google.ie/group/micros...9f5f4d5fc08cd3
>> >
>> > Tony Proctor
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

Unfortunately, the VB6 IDE created that LocalServer32 sub-key, and there's
no direct control over it during the build process. Having read that
article, I agree it's a potentially serious problem Ben

Tony Proctor

"Ben Voigt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Tony Proctor" <tony_proctor@aimtechnology_NoMoreSPAM_.com> wrote in
message
> news:e%(E-Mail Removed)...
> >I take that back Ben. I catch your drift now. Thanks for the tip!
> >
> > Sure enough, I looked at my top-level directory on the C: drive and
there
> > was a mysterious 0-length file called "AIM". Heaven knows where that
came
> > from but it was the cause of all my problems.
>
> I would rather say omitting the quotes and trusting the search mechanism
is
> the cause of the problems. Without quotes you are vulnerable. If that
file
> called "C:\AIM" hadn't been zero-length, but executable, *anything* could
> have happened.
>
> >
> > Many thanks
> >
> > Tony Proctor
> >
> > "Ben Voigt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:udz3#(E-Mail Removed)...
> >>
> >> "Tony Proctor" <tony_proctor@aimtechnology_NoMoreSPAM_.com> wrote in
> > message
> >> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> >> >I seem to have damaged something on one machine, probably in the
> > registry,
> >> > that is preventing access to DCOM servers when they have a space in
> > their
> >> > paths - unless that path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual
> >> > Studio\VB98"
> >> > which seems to be treated a little differently. Can anyone help me
> > locate
> >> > the cause?
> >> >
> >> > As soon as I try to instantiate one of the classes of such a VB6
> >> > ActiveX
> >> > EXE
> >> > project (new or old), then I get the above error, plus an Event Log
> > entry
> >> > of
> >> > 1000:
> >> >
> >> > Unable to start a DCOM Server:
> > {137DA12F-A721-45C3-9FD4-D44DE1B9E82A}.
> >> > The error:
> >> > "C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding is not a valid Win32
> >> > application. "
> >> > Happened while starting this command:
> >> > C:\AIM Tech\Server\MyExe.exe -Embedding
> >>
> >> Any other files named "AIM" in C:\ ?
> >>
> >> >
> >> > This was all working until about one week ago. Also, the same
projects
> >> > still
> >> > work fine on a separate W2K machine that has an identical directory
> >> > layout.
> >> >
> >> > If I put quotes around the path in the LocalServer32 sub-key of the
> > CLSID
> >> > entry in the registry then it works, but it never needed this before.
> >>
> >> You should never rely on this. See:
> >> http://www.idefense.com/intelligence...lay.php?id=340
> >>
> >> >
> >> > If anyone is interested, here's some further background on the
> >> > symptoms:
> >> >
> >
http://groups.google.ie/group/micros...9f5f4d5fc08cd3
> >> >
> >> > Tony Proctor
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>