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

• Microsoft Visual Basic Professional and Enterprise Editions, 16-bit only, for Windows, version 4.0 on the following platform: Win95
• Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows, version 3.0 on the following platform: Win95
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

If you use a 16-bit Visual Basic client to Automate Microsoft Excel 97 under Windows 95, you may receive the following error:

  "<application> caused an invalid page fault in module kernel32.dll"

RESOLUTION

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://www.microsoft.com/oledev
  

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this bug and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

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.