How to install Visual Studio 6 on Windows 7 professional 64bit

To install on Windows 10/Pro I used Visual Studio 6 Installer v.4.5 (wizard)
from VBCorner Home page[^]

Giorgio Brausi (gibra)
www.nuke.vbcorner.net

It was once Bill Gates's own vision that one day, Windows apps would be as easy to write as a basic program was back then. And that path was followed for a while (VB6). But then the world crumbled and what was to follow only succeeded in putting programming out of reach of the masses. I don't doubt that some programmers at system level want and need something real powerful (OOP and it's paradigms) etc.. but for one techie that wants to wet his dreams with OOP and polymorphism, there are hundreds who simply need to fire an IDE and write a custom spreasheet for their office, or a bill calculation, or... the list is endless.

To all these people, MS is saying : NO. You want the Windows programming experience? Be ready to feel the pain.
Look at simplest way to write a Metro APP. Borderline ridiculous : lots of very advanced computer topics you have master before even doing the simplest thing.
In my view, there is no reason WHATSOEVER for which you could not write the "Hello World" app for any platform anymore complicated than a simple: print "Hello World"
VB6 can do that with the less amount of effort in Windows history. A true RAD. Wake up MS, this is what we expect from you : write a compiler where YOU take care of the nitty-gritty, and leave us, common mortals, more time to achieve productivity and write products instead of being swamped by the complexities of the programming system.
With it's constant change of directions, MS, the very company that writes the OS is trailing the pack as far as writing portable applications is concerned. IE is the worse of the browsers. It's laughable really. Better watch out if someday, Google or Java decides to venture into the OS business.
OK, so MS fanboys can revel in their C++, C# or .NET, why not a parallel product? I am just saying here, out of my head ... let's call it : VB7-64 bits. My bet is that it would outsell in a flash any of the VS products.
Actually, I don't only see it as an alternative, but rather as a Golden Opportunity to get back to bases, and re-engineer the product almost from scratch, keeping of course its governing principles and easy syntax while aiming at the same time at platform portability. Truth is VS has become a much too big animal, and admit it MS, you barely have the resources and qualified staff to continue mantaining and growing this thing much longer and keep up tying up the loose ends.
Oblivion is menacing a company that does not fullfill the real needs and desires of it's user base, much less acknowlodging them. Win 8 was lesson... a while back NASA was served a lesson too, comittees concluded a CHANGE OF CULTURE was the biggest element to bring about solutions for their problems. I find the term wholly appropriate to the situation at MS.
Later on , srfreeman writes and concludes :
"The current state of affairs paints a bleak picture for the part of the IT world represented in this thread. As Windows 10 becomes a continual work in process, it seems that the stream of complaints will only be stemmed through attrition in the ranks."
Feels like déjà vù!

Excerpt from a Win10 TP exchange about Win 10's ugliness.
srfreeman wrote : "As I've mentioned before, Windows like anything else is a product sold by a business. It is the responsibility of the business to built a product that their consumers want. If customers are saying they are not interested without these customizations available, then there is no argument to be made. Microsoft has only three choices: Lose the customers, hope they will invest in all those third party utilities, or give them what they want.
While you may find the 2nd approach viable, many other people do not. I prefer my system running with minimal modification. The ability to have everything I need out of box without modifying system files or installing tons of extra system services to hijack various operations on the system is more than just convenient to me..."
.Net is to VB6 what Win 10 is to Vista/Win7 users : an ugly duck!

As a business principle, a company ought to bring consumers the product they want. In many business schools, that would be the number one rule for success.
MS is doing some of that : in VS, you got your C#, C++, VB, use whatever you prefer. But the Classic VB way of doing things is gone. Of course, VS has a few tricks easier to do than VB6, but that is only because MS has been putting their money on the framework only for now ohhh so many years. And they are pretty much s*** deep into it to recognize that a vast number of people just don't like those managed languages. It's not a secret that internally, the OS people loathe managed code, and that there is nothing wrong with COM (windows is mostly COM, framework more like a layer on top) if it benefits from continued development. The Windows kernel (low level api, gdi, MCI, COM) MS will never be able to get rid of and may very well outlast framework and managed code. If that's the case, come Win 11, 2018, 2024 and well after that, VB6 could still be a desired option for which it will not be wise to end support. Industry likes long lasting standards... CNC machining is still being done with HPGL or G-Code engineered in the seventies, just like a car still has four wheels, and for a simple good reason : IT WORKS!
Who can tell where and what VB6..7.. could do nowadays if development had been put on it at the same rate as the hit-and-run (and flee the scene) products MS has been serving for years (obsolete framworks that will still need be supported, Win RT, Silverlight, etc.)

don't install the OLE components. See http://www.itwriting.com/blog/?p=167[^]

Also ensure that you install sp6. You will not be able to do this if you install the OLE stuff.

regarding slating of vc6 in the previous comments. Nothing has changed. With the latest versions of visual studio you are *still* locked in to the supported operating system of the moment. Integrated Development Environments promote Disintegrated Development. Use emacs. Enjoy Smile | :)

jolyon

I use VC 6.0 on windows XP for developing device driver for many years.
Your great trip make me to migrate my original sources to windows 7.
A lot of thanks.

PS. as link no.2 ,I have done before, it is not work.

I was required to make minor modifications to a legacy app written many years ago in VC++6. Your tip was a great help. Thanks!

Yup, it works. I was worried that I could not complete my project as it involved old code. Your guidance helps me.

If anyone has some problems after installation, try this site also
http://superuser.com/questions/459396/how-do-i-run-visual-c-6-ide-on-windows-vista-or-higher[^]

Why don't u use Oracle VirtualBox. it's free.

Hi.

Thanks for your reply.

I downloaded vs6sp6b.exe (from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5721),
then I launched this vs6sp6b.exe, then SETUPSP6.exe.

But this setup is also an update : it searches for previous VB6 installations.
And I can't success this initial installation from CD ...

Best regards.

thank you for your persistence. you are half done:
you need to copy SETUPSP6.exe inside the folder and put it the same level as
Vs6sp6.exe. run this setupsp6.exe, then you will see Vs6sp6.exe is an executable.

then just run Vs6sp6.exe and you have SP6 installed successfully.

usability & truth

Hi "Southmountain".

Thanks a lot for this share !
I also got these two links, and many others, but I never success the installation of VS6
on W7 64bits (integral version). In all cases, setup.exe crashes.

Could you explain me how you succeeded your installation from Visual Studio SP6 ?
The corresponding exe (Vs6sp6.exe) is an updater module : when I launch it, it first looks for previous installations, and - of course - fails.

How did you success your INITIAL installation ?

Thank you for all, in advance.

Best regards.

P.

you asked good question. there is one trick I missed to put here.
I find it soon for you.

usability & truth

here are the missing links (wierd steps):
download vs6sp6b.exe from here
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5721

run this vs6sp6b.exe.
When you run this, it asks for a folder. You should use something like.... C:\TempVB6SP6B

But, what exactly has it done? it actually unzipped the real install. It hasn't actually installed anything.

Next, open explorer and navigate to the folder you told it in an earlier step (C:\TempVB6SP6B). In that folder, you will find SETUPSP6.exe. When you

run this setup, your version of Vs6sp6.exe will actually be executable. then you can install SP6.

usability & truth

Why the hell would anyone install Visual Studio 6? Why is anyone using that load of crap? I'm sorry, but if you still rely on using that, you shouldn't call yourself a programmer.

actually I am working on numerical algorithms to solve a dubious classical math question.
you can not escape from reality.

usability & truth

Going to rate my comment a 1, because you lack the concept of using modern software. What's the point of using a pre-ansi C++ compiler, which you can't even use templates correctly in VC6. Relying on a old IDE and compiler for work? Or even for personal. What do you benefit from, except writing awful code that won't even really compile in new modern C++? Yeah, my comment really deserved a 1, from someone who can't even use a modern free compiler that actually conforms to standards. Yeah, you go buddy. I just won't ever bother reading your code. Probably too buggy for use, since you still use VC6.

sorry I did not mean to give you one. just now I know I can give rating to comments.
thank you for honest feedback and I will think about your input.

usability & truth

You are missing three very important points:

- It is not the tool (modern or aged), but the skills, that make you a good (or bad) programmer.
- Sometimes one have to use very old tools not by its own will but due to external conditions.
- If you can successfully manage to use an old tool, it is very likely that you will find little trouble with a modern one.

Regards,
Daniele.

you are absolutely right for my situation. The core part of logic is mathematical algorithms, which were implemented in C/C++ with 40 years old and I have to reuse them.

usability & truth

We still have to use VS6 in some legacy situations, and for industrial scanners with Windows mobile or maintaining addins for third party products.

That is like saying that a movie actor is more skilled than a theater actor because movies are more modern than theaters. The best movie actor proves his skills by playing in theaters.

What is the skill in getting help from Intellisense, auto-completion, code navigation, assisted refactoring, NuGet packages, RegEx, Reflection, Linq, etc.?
If you are "addicted" to such tools than you would be lost in a vintage programming environment.
Being able to use efficiently old coding environments, where you have to count (almost) on your sole forces, will make you stronger and more skilled!

I bought Win7 Pro x64 mostly for the Win XP VM. VC++ runs uneventfully in the VM.

yeah. i thinks this is the best approach to do.
don't mess your 'sophisticated' system with some old legacy application, unless you will use it regular.

Thirst for knowledge ...

How to install Visual Studio 6 on Windows 7 professional 64bit

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