FIX: OLE Automation to Excel 8.0 Fails Using a 16-bit Client

If you use a 16-bit Visual Basic client to Automate Microsoft Excel 97 under Windows 95, you may receive the following error: This error only occurs on Windows 95 with Microsoft Excel 97. The error does not happen on Windows NT 4.0 or with Microsoft Excel 95.

There are several solutions to this problem.

• Use a 32-bit client, -or-
  
  
• use Windows NT 4.0, -or-
  
  
• install DCOM for Windows 95.
  
  DCOM for Windows 95 can be downloaded from the Microsoft Web Site at the following address:
  
  http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/default.aspx) A License and Distribution Agreement can also be found at the above Web Site.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem has been fixed in Microsoft Windows 98.

The following example only fails on Windows 95 using a 16-bit client application to Microsoft Excel 97. This will only fail on machines that do not have DCOM for Windows 95 installed.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Create a new Visual Basic 4.0 16-bit project.
2. Add a CommandButton to Form1.
3. Add the following code to Form1:

   Dim oExcel as object
   
   Private Sub Form_Load()
   Set oExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
   End Sub
   
   Private Sub Command1_Click()
     oExcel.Workbooks.add
     oExcel.Visible = True
     'The error usually happens on one of the next 3 lines
     oExcel.Sheets(1).Activate
     oExcel.Range("a1").Value = 1
     oExcel.Range("a2").Value = 2
   End Sub
   					

4. Run the project by pressing the F5 Key.
5. Click the CommandButton.