If you get an automation error when opening the IDE, ensure you have registered the DAO350.dll manually via the command prompt.
The VB6 IDE and runtime have not been supported by Microsoft since 2008. However, the is officially “supported” for the life of Windows. The original installer ( SETUP.EXE ) faces significant compatibility hurdles on 64-bit Windows, primarily due to deprecated 16-bit components and strict User Account Control (UAC) restrictions.
Some third-party projects have extracted the VB6 IDE and runtime into a portable ZIP. You unzip and run VB6.EXE without any installation. Caveat: Not officially supported, but works for legacy maintenance. microsoft visual basic 6.0 installer
Set the installer's compatibility to Windows XP (Service Pack 3).
For long-term support, consider upgrading your VB6 projects to (using the built-in upgrade wizard from Visual Studio 2003-2010) or rewriting in C# . This is costly but future-proof. If you get an automation error when opening
: Follow the prompts to set the installation title, Start Menu group, and destination folders. : The wizard generates a file containing your application and its dependencies. Option 2: Professional Third-Party Installers
With the release of Windows Vista, 7, and beyond, Microsoft introduced User Account Control (UAC) and stricter system file protection. Consequently, the legacy VB6 installer began to fight with the operating system, leading to installation failures and compatibility errors. The original installer ( SETUP
While the (the installer and development environment) is officially "unsupported" by Microsoft, the VB6 Runtime is still shipped and supported in Windows 10 and 11. This means that as long as you can get the installer to work, your compiled applications will continue to run on modern machines.
If you pop an original VB6 CD into a Windows 11 machine, you will likely encounter:
A: Yes – Microsoft has committed that the VB6 runtime will continue to work on Windows 10, 11, and Server 2022. However, they do not support the IDE or provide technical support for development.
Microsoft no longer sells VB6 licenses. However, if you have an MSDN subscription from the era or a physical CD, you can use it. For legal use in maintenance scenarios, Microsoft has explicitly stated that , and developers may continue using existing licenses.