Does Framework 2.0 trash COM for everyone else ?

[Lee Gillie]

We are running Server 2003 for our critical server applications. We
have been updating a number of core software pieces to VS2005 /
Framework 2.0. This software is installed and pretty much working as it
should.

The PERPLEXING issue to me is that I have antique VB6 COM components
that are failing after adding Framework 2.0 to this server. Usually when
the component is done after a lengthy process, and is returning to the
caller. The VB6 component seems to have completed successfully, but the
exception "Object variable or With block variable not set" is being
thrown to the calling script.

I have a VB6 test application which invokes the same VB6 COM component,
and it also fails with the same error, at this server. We are talking
about software that has been in there doing its job for years.

Wanting to see it fail first hand I ran the test application on a
development computer, W2K, and it of course runs fine.

Besides a few isolated and unrelated VS2005 applications of our own, the
only thing new on this computer is Framework 2.0 redistributable
installation. I have to be suspicious that this has some how trashed COM
for others.

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Very odd. If I understand you fully, you're not running this as Interop with
..Net, but just on a machine that has the Framework installed on it? Very
bizarre. What sort of stuff does it do?

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
You can lead a fish to a bicycle,
but it takes a very long time,
and the bicycle has to *want* to change.

 

[Lee Gillie]

Kevin -

Seems odd to me as well. This VB6 component parses a data file (textual
with proprietary structure), and adds the extracted records to SQL
Server via ADO. Fairly simple really. The object has properties for
input file path, log file path, and a connection string. IIRC the
"Process" method returns a boolean indicating that it worked or not. It
does not call anything that is dependent upon .NET. It is a component
developed a few years ago, and has just been a work horse for us, and
not needed much tweaking over the years.

Also I installed framework 2.0 as part of Visual Studio on my
development workstation, which is W2k, and it runs fine there.

- Lee

 

[Michael D. Ober]

Have you checked the file system permissions on the problem machine? I have
..NET 2.0 and COM based applications happily running together on a Windows
2000 Server.

Mike Ober.

 

[Kevin Spencer]

I think Mike is on to something. The biggest difference between Windows 2003
Server and almost every other Windows operating system is security. I was
unable to find any specific information about what sort of security changes
the .Net Framework 2.0 would make on a Win2K server, but it is possible that
something was changed that affected your VB apps.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
You can lead a fish to a bicycle,
but it takes a very long time,
and the bicycle has to *want* to change.