VBA compatibility issues: 64-bit Windows7 (MSINET

Question

I'm trying to upgrading a VB Excel application working on Windows XP 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit operating system. There are two issues affecting such operation. I have found that these topics are not uncommon.

1. The VBA script has to connect to a server requiring Microsoft Internet Transfer Protocol 6.0 (SP 6.0) - MSINET registered in System32 directory. Unfortunately the aforementioned library works on 32-bit operating systems only and no release is available for 64-bits. I've tried to import to Reference List: this seems to work, however once I restart the application no dll (merely a ocx file - Active X) could be found. Obviously the dll cannot be registered through regsvr32 application. There's something similar to MSINET working on 64-bit version of Windows?

2. The second issue I found is not related to the previous one. The application need to parse an input string removing white spaces. The old VBA uses TRIM and I suppose I have to make no changes about it. However the compiling operation results in the following error: "Compile error: Can't find project or library". No references are missing (except for MSINET).

I'm on a 64-bit Windows 7, Office 2010, microsoft.office.interop.excel.dll 14 installed. Thank you

Answer 1

In some windows instalations i wasn't able to register OCX under System32. As this became a normal issue in my company, my method to solve this is:

• Create a folder called OCX in the Drive ( it can be anywher you want )
• Place the OCX there
• Start cmd.exe as Administrator

• Register the OCX in that folder:

  C:\Windows\System32> regsvr32.exe C:\OCX\mscomctl.ocx 
  

This works everytime.

Do not delete the OCX folder.

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EDIT:

In a fresh windows 7 / 8 install, i've been able to run the same applications without registering the OCX by running the Office App ( i.e. Access) with Administration Previleges. Discovered it because of a print server that was giving the same OCX problems. Probably this can be fixed by editing the OCX permissions rather than run as Administrator.

Answer 2

1. 32-bit software works just fine on 64-bit systems. You don't want a 64-bit ocx, you won't be able to use it anyway. There are plently manuals available on Google on how to register a 32-bit ocx on a 64-bit Windows 7, such as this one.
2. As soon as you fix the missing ocx reference, the missing trim function will fix itself. Again, you could find this out yourself with a search.

If, however, you have 64-bit office, you will not be able to use msinet control at all, and the trim function will not reappear until you remove the reference to msinet.