C# / .Net only works with XP?

[Dannybe2]

Hi,

I have written a program that works perfectly under Windows XP and Office 2003, however I have discovered that it does not work with earlier versions of Windows or Office.

The problem is I have not got a copy of Windows 2000 to test this with to get it to work. I require the user to get the standard .Net Framework 1.1 to get the program to run.

Is there any way in which I can test the program with how it would run on Windows 2000, or if anyone knows how I might get the .Net installation to match the XP version?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Dannybe2]

Ok, having done a bit more research on this, I understand the problem is not with the OS, but the version of Office I am compiling the program with.

I have Office 2003, but I have downloaded the Office XP PIAs to make it compatible with Office XP. However, I also wish it to be compatible with Office 2000, but I cannot find the PIAs online anywhere and I do not have a copy to make my own?

Does someone have the Excel9.OLB library file on their Office 2000 disk by any chance or even the PIAs themselves?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[chiph]

If you have a subscription to MSDN, here's a good technique for doing this sort of testing:

1. Install Microsoft Virtual PC
2. Install Windows 2000 as a Virtual Machine (VM)

This produces two types of files under c:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Virtual Machines\<VMname>
[tab]*.vmc -- Virtual Machine Config file (ordinary XML file)
[tab]*.vhd -- Virtual Hard Disk -- simulated hard drive

When the VM isn't running, you can make copies of these files like any other file. So starting with a plain Win2k VM, you can make a Win2k with Office 2003 VM, a Win2k with Office XP VM, etc. After making the copy, you'd start them up and install the appropriate version of Office into it.

This gives you the ability to have many different versions of Office installed without polluting your main OS.

A nice feature of Virtual PC is that you can enable "undo disks", where it remembers the changes you make to the .vhd file, and when you shutdown/close the VM, gives you the option of making the changes permanent (or not).

So, you can install your app for testing (which makes registry changes, copies files, and otherwise dirties up your VM), and when you're done, just don't commit the changes, which leaves your VM fresh and pristine for next time.


Of course, this all depends on your having a MSDN subscription, or retail versions of the OS and Office CDs. IMO, you shouldn't develop for the Microsoft platform without a subscription (it's tax-deductable!)

Hope this helps.
Chip H.


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