BUG: "Old format or invalid type library" error when automating Excel

• The method requires an LCID (locale identifier).
• You run an English version of Excel. However, the regional settings for the computer are configured for a non-English language.

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• Install the Multilingual User Interface Pack for your version of Office.
• Execute the Excel method or property by using InvokeMember so that you can specify the CultureInfo for the call. For example, the following code illustrates how you can invoke the Workbooks object Add method with "en-US" as the CultureInfo:

  Dim oApp As New Excel.Application()
  oApp.Visible = True
  oApp.UserControl = True
  Dim oBooks As Object = oApp.Workbooks
  Dim ci As System.Globalization.CultureInfo = New System.Globalization.CultureInfo("en-US")
  oBooks.GetType().InvokeMember("Add", Reflection.BindingFlags.InvokeMethod, Nothing, oBooks, Nothing, ci)
  

• Or, set the CultureInfo prior to calling the Excel method. For example:

  Dim oApp As New Excel.Application()
  oApp.Visible = True
  oApp.UserControl = True
  Dim oldCI As System.Globalization.CultureInfo = _
      System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture
  System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = _
      New System.Globalization.CultureInfo("en-US")
  oApp.Workbooks.Add()
  System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentCulture = oldCI

• Create a 1033 directory under Microsoft Office\Office11. Then, copy excel.exe to the 1033 directory, and rename it as xllex.dll.
  
  For more information, click the following link:
  http://blogs.msdn.com/eric_carter/archive/2005/06/15/429515.aspx (http://blogs.msdn.com/eric_carter/archive/2005/06/15/429515.aspx)

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Steps to reproduce the behavior

1. Verify that the locale for the computer is set to a language other than English.
   
   For Windows 2000:
   1. In Windows Control Panel, double-click Regional Options.
   2. On the General tab, select a location, and then click OK.
   For Windows XP or Windows Server 2003:
   1. In Control Panel, open Regional and Language Options.
   2. On the Regional Options tab, select a locale, and then click OK.
2. Start Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.
3. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Project. In the New Project dialog box, under Project Types, click Visual Basic Projects. Under Templates, click Windows Application, and then click OK. By default, Form1 is created.
4. On the View menu, click Toolbox, and then add a button to Form1.
5. To display the code window for the form, double-click Button1.
6. In the code window, replace the following code

   Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
                             ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _
                             Handles Button1.Click
   End Sub
   					

   with:

   Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
       Dim oApp As Object
       Dim oDoc As Object
       oApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
       oApp.Visible = True
       oDoc = oApp.Workbooks.Add
       oDoc.Close()
       oApp.Quit()
       oDoc = Nothing
       oApp = Nothing
   End Sub
   					

7. Add the following line to the beginning of the Form1 code module:

   Option Strict Off

8. Press F5 to build and run the program.
9. To generate the error, click Button1. The error occurs on the line that reads:

   oDoc = oApp.Workbooks.Add
   					

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