How do you install Office Web Components on the Vista 64 operating system?

On Vista 32, the procedure is to download the components from the link
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=7287252C-402E-4F72-97A5-E0FD290D4B76&displaylang=en

When we tried the same downloaded installation wizard owc11.exe with Vist64, it looked as if the files were downloaded, but Visual Basic .NET programs compiled on a Vista32 machine failed because Vista64 apparently could not find the OWC. Similar programs that did not use the OWC worked fine. Also, programs that used the OWC part-way through their runs failed at the point the OWC were needed.

Part of what is happening is that on Vista32, the OWC .dll's go to pathway
C:\Program Files\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Components\11

However, Vista64 is renaming the pathway
C:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Components\11
with an "(x86)" appended to the name of the first folder.

We thought perhaps that was interfering with the registration step of the installation wizard, and that it couldn't find the .dll to register, so we tried registering with the command
regsvr32 "C:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Components\11\OWC11.DLL"

This registration command appeared to work, but it did not solve the problem. The Visual Basic programs using OWC still fail.

We note that there arethree other .dll's in the "11" folder, namely
ATP.DLL
DFUIPRXY.DLL
1033\OWCI11.DLL

We don't know if it might also be necessary to register these. We will try that as well.

Does anyone know how to install OWC on Vista64?

(Microsoft and Vista64 should take care of it for you. Perhaps the answer is that we'll have to wait until Vista64 is ready for prime time.)

I have found the reasons for your problems 64bits IE will not run 32bits Activex components so you need to make sure 32bits IE is running which goes back to you need to open the code in 64bits box to fix platform related problems.

I also know even back in 2004 to run OWC in a web application require a separate http handler so I know it is not as simple as you would want it.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282423/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/895561/en-us

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Asp.net MVP, MCPD Web C#, MCITP BI & MCTS SQL Server 2005

(However, Vista64 is renaming the pathway
C:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Components\11
with an "(x86)" appended to the name of the first folder.)

The reason is very simple there are no x64 version of Office so you have to install everything including the application in WOW64. This is a dependent dll issue if your application is Asp.net let me know so I can show you how to configure IIS7 to run in 32bits mode.

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MCPD Web C#, MCITP BI & MCTS SQL Server 2005

Hello Cadre,

Thank you for the reply. You may have to bring the level of the discussion down a notch and explain things a little more for me to understand. The application is Windows based, not ASP. It runs locally on a PC. That is, even though the OWC package is labeled Office Web Components, with "Web" in the middle, we are not using it that way.

We want to run over a hundred instances of the Visual Basic 2005 .NET applications simultaneously, and that is the reason for wanting Vista 64, so we can get the 8 GB of memory. I just had to look up what WOW64 is in Wikipedia. We built the executables on a Vista 32 machine, and just transferred them to the Vista 64 PC. When we double-click to run them, I suppose Vista 74is running them in this WOW64 subsystem without our having to do anything.

Ifwe tryexecutables that do not contain references to OWC, they run fine this way. If you can tell us how to get the ones that do access OWC to work, that is what we need.

Best regards,
Jacob

Below is the directory of 64bits operating systems created to run 32bits only applications. Your application because it uses Office component is one such application because Office currently only comes in 32bits so application using it must be 32bits. That is what I call dependent dll.

\Windows\SysWOW64 directory

Now check the thread below for known issues and what you need to get your application running.

http://forums.msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/netfx64bit/thread/c34c710d-d64c-4390-a108-98ec802a6b82/

Post again if you still need help.

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MCPD Web C#, MCITP BI & MCTS SQL Server 2005

Hello Caddre,

That same Wikipedia article I looked up says something similar to what you are saying, I think: "When executing 32-bit applications, WOW64 redirects requests for DLLs from that directory to %SystemRoot%\SysWOW64."

Does this mean that when installing OWC, we need to install it not at
C:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\Web Components\11

but instead at
C:\SysWow64

with no subdirectories, i.e., we would have the OWC DLL at
C:\SysWow64\OWC11.DLL

?

We could, I think, ask the OWC installation wizard to install it here. Would this work?

Or, could you give me a 1, 2, 3 sequence of how to install OWC so Vista64 links our 32-bit Visual Basic .NET programs to them?

Best regards,
Jacob

You need to install the Office Addin in Vista 64bits and then open your code in VS2005/8 in Vista 64bits and see if you can build it because it you cannot build it as x86 then you will get the correct error to debug your code. The reason is all known issues were covered in the thread I gave to you. So install your dll then build your code in Vista so you can get actual 64bits related error.

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Asp.net MVP, MCPD Web C#, MCITP BI & MCTS SQL Server 2005

Hello Caddre,

We don't want to have to do anything with our existing Visual Basic .NET 2005 programs as built with Vista32. In other words, what we want to do is leave our programs alone and find out how to install OWC on Vista64, so that operating system correctly links our 32-bit programs with OWC. Apparently our programs are running in the32-bit subsystem, transparent to us. That's fine. That's Microsoft and Vista64's domain. However, what we don't know how to do is get Vista64 to link our 32-bit programs correctly to the 32-bit OWC -- wherever it wants to put them.

We are going to continue to do our program development, debugging, and building executableson Vista32 machines. If we can't port them as is to Vista64 and have them run properly and access OWC properly under Vista64, we will just forgo the idea of Vista64.

Ifit is not possible yet to do this easily, then it would appear it may be another instance of what I've read about -- that Vista64 is not quite ready yet andperhaps eventually all of these things will be ironed out so that the operating system takes care of these things.

Best regards,
Jacob

(In other words, what we want to do is leave our programs alone and find out how to install OWC on Vista64, so that operating system correctly links our 32-bit programs with OWC.)

Based on the info in the thread I provided to you that is not possible because there are settings you need to change in your setup file.

(Apparently our programs are running in the 32-bit subsystem, transparent to us. That's fine. That's Microsoft and Vista64's domain.)

Your program running in 32bits subsystem is not related to Microsoft or Vista but rather because you are using Office any version dll in your application which makes your application 32bits by default.

(However, what we don't know how to do is get Vista64 to link our 32-bit programs correctly to the 32-bit OWC -- wherever it wants to put them.)

You do that by making sure you build your code in Vista so you have the correct setup files. I think you are looking for a deployment solution but this forum is for development that is you have to open your code and make changes as needed.

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Asp.net MVP, MCPD Web C#, MCITP BI & MCTS SQL Server 2005

Hello Caddre,

I think you may be getting led astray by the "Office" in the nomenclature for "Office Web Components." (You wouldn't be the first -- we've run into it a lot.) Although the package is built to mimic the functionality of Office products, and in particular the Excel chart and spreadsheet, it otherwise has nothing to do with Office. It's a stand-along Active-X control having nothing to do with Office. Office (any version) is not required. I might just as easily be talking about any old 32-bit Active-X control. From what I am hearing, Vista64 won't talk to any of them without extreme gyrations. That is, any 32-bit application containing any 32-bit dll won't work on Vista64. Is that what I'm hearing?

Best regards,
Jacob

That is wrong because most 32bits applications including ones developed in .NET 1.1 runs in WOW64 without issues. And you did not write OWC code so I know Vista sees it a must run as 32bits application. You already know your applications without issues in Vista if you are not using the component which is anative32bits dll so must run x86.

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Asp.net MVP, MCPD Web C#, MCITP BI & MCTS SQL Server 2005

Hello Caddre,

So it appears that the problem boils down to this: how do you install a 32-bit ActiveX control on Vista64? More precisely, how do you install it so thatVista64 links it to a32-bit Visual Basic 2005 .NET application, which is built on Vista32 and ported to the Vista64 machine?

So far, I haven't seen anything on how to do that. For example, do you install the control's .dll in the SysWOW64 folder, wherever it is? Is that enough? Do you also have to put your 32-bit Visual Basic application in the SysWOW64 folder before double-clicking it?

I happened to notice that I think there is someone else in these forums asking basically the same question -- with zero answers on how to accomplish this. Seehttp://forums.msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/netfx64bit/thread/1f5431cd-7d09-41b5-8552-4b6965596c46

I also found a couple of links that shed some light on the difficulty:
http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1204121,00.html#

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOW64

The first of these links is slow to load, but it eventually does come up, and is well worth reading.

Does anyone know how to do this: how or where do you install a 32-bit ActiveX control in Vista64 so Vista64 links it with your 32-bit program it apparently runs in the WOW64 subsystem?

I really appreciate your help, Caddre. This discussion has steered me towards the issues involved, anyway -- but I still do not see an answer to the question. It really ought to be something that shouldn't even come up. Microsoft and Vista64 should take care of it for you. Perhaps the answer is that we'll have to wait until Vista64 is ready for prime time.

Best regards,
Jacob

(Microsoft and Vista64 should take care of it for you. Perhaps the answer is that we'll have to wait until Vista64 is ready for prime time.)

I have found the reasons for your problems 64bits IE will not run 32bits Activex components so you need to make sure 32bits IE is running which goes back to you need to open the code in 64bits box to fix platform related problems.

I also know even back in 2004 to run OWC in a web application require a separate http handler so I know it is not as simple as you would want it.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282423/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/895561/en-us

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Asp.net MVP, MCPD Web C#, MCITP BI & MCTS SQL Server 2005

We have the same problem,but if Werun Exe with VB,It can runcorrectly.So we don't know why?

Can someone confirm that it is not possible to use OWC on IE8, WIN 7 (x64)
I tried running a website which uses OWC for reporting purposes (both in IE 32 and IE 64) but does not seem to work.
The error I get is "The query could not be processed. The data provider didn't supply anyfurther error information."

If I use a WIN 7 (32 bit) with IE8, I can run the query.

VB uses late binding so it accepts more than C# or VC++ now I am not saying that is the reason but it may be related.

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MCPD Web C#, MCTS TFS, MCITP BI and DBA

I think you will need to install Office in your x64 Windows 7 box so you can connect to your OWC from WOW64, that take us to the question can your use OWC with the new Microsoft data access binaries in Windows 7 x64because in Vista a service pack was needed for it to work in Vista.

You may need a new thread in either Windows 7 or ADO.NET forums, your needs are simple just implementation dependent.

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MCPD Web C#, MCTS TFS, MCITP BI and DBA

@ Caddre

Thanks, Office is indeed installed.
Will try in the Win 7 forum.