How do I fix the error “Cannot load control SSPane

Question

I have a VB6 legacy program which I need to change. I am unable to run the program from the IDE. When I activate one of the forms in the IDE I get an error which refers me to an error log file. The log file has the following in it

"Cannot load control SSPanel; license not found"

The SSPanel is part the Sheridan 3D controls (THREED32.ocx) and the component is selected.

How can I fix the error?

Answer 1

Having come across this question, and tried all the answers without success, I thought I'd add an additional piece of information that solved the issue for me.

The problem appears to be linked to a Windows 7 update pack. A colleague running a slightly out of date version of the OS managed to get our VB6 projects working fine, but my new machine with an up-to-date Win7 install had this problem.

Anyway, the solution is this:

• Locate regtlibv12.exe (it's normally in C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\[version] .. e.g. C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319 if that's what you've got installed)

• Run a command prompt as administrator and navigate to that files' location

• Execute regtlibv12.exe C:\Windows\SysWOW64\msdatsrc.tlb for 64bit windows

• Execute regtlibv12.exe C:\Windows\System32\msdatsrc.tlb for 32bit windows.

Answer 2

I registered the DLL using cmd window (run as administrator):

%systemroot%\SysWow64\regsvr32 threed32.ocx

Then using the folder that VB6 was stored in

(\Visual Basic 6\en_vb6_ent_cd1\Common\Tools\VB\controls)

I ran vbctrls.reg

The error is gone and my old programs that have ThreeD Panel now load and run properly.

Answer 3

Just had to deal with this in some legacy code. The issue seems to be with controls that were discontinued before vb6. Didn't have the setup disk readily available, so i did a little digging and found an executable that you can download from microsoft.com.

Microsoft had a kb article which addresses this issue: https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/177/Q177799/ (archived copy)

The file VBUSC.exe seems to have fixed it.

Answer 4

• unregister the all your threed32.ocx if you have registered in multiple places.

• register the threed32.ocx in sys32 folder.

• run the VBCTRLS.REG (some times it will be in sys32, some times it will be in common/tools/VB/controls)

now try i am sure it will work

Answer 5

One possibility was in Microsoft article kb177799 "License Information for This Component Not Found Error" (also Q177799)

Though the original article is gone, an archive is here and here and relevant text reproduced as follows:

SYMPTOMS

When you try to add a control to a form, the following message may appear:

License information for this component not found. You do not have an appropriate license to use this functionality in the design environment.

CAUSE

When a control is installed for run time use only (such as those installed by an application created with Visual Basic), if the Visual Basic Development Environment is installed onto the same machine afterwards and the existing control is of equal or higher version than that from the CD, the license key for that control is not updated.

RESOLUTION

If the control in question is any of the ones listed below, then find and double-click on the file Vbctrls.reg on the Visual Basic CD-ROM:

• AniBtn32.ocx

• Gauge32.ocx

• Graph32.ocx

• Grid32.ocx

• KeySta32.ocx

• MSOutl32.ocx

• Spin32.ocx

• Threed32.ocx

This will update the design-time licenses for these controls.

For Visual Basic 5.0, Vbctrls.reg is found in the \Tools\Controls folder. For Visual Basic 6.0, it is found on Disk 1 in the \Common\Tools\Vb\Controls folder, and for Visual Studio 6.0, it is in the same folder of Disk 3.

The Visual Basic 6.0 CD-ROM also contains these files for the Visual Basic 5.0 Custom Controls that were discontinued in Visual Basic 6.0:

• Dbgrid.reg

• Mschart.reg

If the control in question is not among the controls listed above, please do the following:

1. Locate Regsvr32.exe on your machine. Note its path.

2. Locate the offending OCX file(s), usually found in the Windows\System folder...

3. On the Start menu, click Run.

4. In the Run dialog box, type the following:

   <Path to RegSvr32>\REGSVR32.EXE /u <Path to OCX>\OCXFILE.OCX

5. For example:

   C:\Devstudio\VB\REGSVR32.EXE /u C:\Winnt\System32\COMCTL32.OCX

6. If you are reinstalling an older version of the control, you should delete/remove the .OCX, .OCA and .DEP files so they will be replaced.

7. Repeat the previous 3 steps for each offending OCX.

8. On Control Panel, click Add\Remove Programs.

9. Select Visual Basic, and click Add\Remove.

10. Click Reinstall when the options (Add\Remove, Remove All, Reinstall) dialog box appears.

11. Reapply the latest Visual Studio Service Pack

Answer 6

Another possibility was the Microsoft article Q195353 FILE: VBUSC.EXE Provides Licensing for Discontinued Controls which is archived here and here.

Key summary: VBUSC.EXE installs the design-time licenses for the controls listed above if Visual Basic is detected on the computer.

The VBUSC program can be downloaded here (still direct from Microsoft).

---

Original article text was:

SUMMARY
=======

VBUSC.EXE is a file that installs the Design-Time Licenses for ActiveX controls
that shipped with earlier versions of Visual Basic, but are no longer supported
and have been discontinued with the current version.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download
Center:

  VBUSC.exe
  (http://download.microsoft.com/download/VB60Pro/Install/2/Win98/En-US/VBUSC.exe)

Release Date: August 15, 2000

For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click
the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

  Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current
virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was
posted. The file is stored on secure servers that prevent any unauthorized
changes to the file.

   FileName               Size
  ---------------------------------------------------------
  VBUSC.EXE                88k

The following controls are no longer supported by Microsoft Visual Basic:

ActiveX Control Name                Filename
------------------------------------------------
Desaware Animated Button Control    ANIBTN32.OCX
Microhelp Gauge Control             GAUGE32.OCX
Pinnacle-BPS Graph Control          GRAPH32.EXE
Microsoft Grid Control              GRID32.OCX
Microhelp Key State Control         KEYSTA32.OCX
Microsoft Outline Control           MSOUTL32.OCX
Outrider SpinButton Control         SPIN32.OCX
Sheridan 3D Controls                THREED32.OCX

The ActiveX controls listed above are no longer supported, but ship with the
Professional and Enterprise Editions of Microsoft Visual Basic for backward
compatibility when upgrading existing projects.

These controls do not ship with the Learning Edition of Microsoft Visual Basic.

For the Professional and Enterprise Editions, the controls are located on the
installation CDs at the following locations:

Microsoft Visual Basic Edition        Location
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Professional 6.0                      \Common\Tools\VB\Controls
Enterprise 6.0                        \Common\Tools\VB\Controls
Visual Studio Professional 6.0        \Common\Tools\VB\Controls (CD2)
Visual Studio Enterprise 6.0          \Common\Tools\VB\Controls (CD3)


Each of these directories contain a README.TXT with instructions on how to
install the controls for design-time use.

NOTE: Using the Learning Edition to upgrade a project developed in an earlier
version of Microsoft Visual Basic might result in licensing problems for these
controls.

The VBUSC.EXE installs the design-time licenses for the controls listed above if
Visual Basic is detected on the computer.