ODE: Comcat.dll Can't Register If Image Built on IE 4.0 Computer

• Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition Tools
• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 for Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you run the Setup Wizard for your custom application on a Windows 95 computer that is running Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0, and then you install your application on a computer that does not have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 installed, you may receive the following error message

   Comcat.dll was unable to register itself in the system registry

CAUSE

When you run the Setup Wizard for Office 97 Developer Edition Tools on a computer that has Internet Explorer version 4.0 installed, a newer version of the Comcat.dll file is added to the disk images.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, create your Office 97 Developer Edition Tools distribution disks on a computer that does not have the newer version of the Comcat.dll file installed (the one that is distributed with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0).

-or-

Ensure that all of the workstations that you are distributing your application to have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 installed.

To accomplish this, do any one the following:

• Create the Office 97 Developer Edition Tools distribution disks on a workstation that does not have Internet explorer version 4.0 installed.

      -or-
  

• Create the Office 97 Developer Edition Tools distribution disks on a Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 workstation or server.

      -or-
  

• Change the version of Comcat.dll that you are distributing with your custom application to a version that is compatible to all workstations.

MORE INFORMATION

NOTE: After recreating disk images using solutions 2 or 3, you must rename or delete the newer version of Comcat.dll on any computers that you attempted to install your original run-time application to before you reinstall your application.

Solution 1

Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

You can successfully distribute your application to all workstations that have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 already installed on their workstations.

Solution 2

Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

Run the Setup wizard and build your disk images on a computer that does not have Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 installed or on a Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 workstation or server. Disk images that you build on a computer that does not have Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 installed or on Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 platforms will install properly on a target computer, regardless of the version of Microsoft Internet Explorer that is installed because the version of Comcat.dll on either platform will be compatible with Windows 95.

If you distribute an application using the Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition and Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 from Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q174508
   TITLE     : ODE: Run-Time Application Built on IE 4.0 Computer Breaks
               IE 3.x

Solution 3

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

NOTE: A file is available for download from the Microsoft Software Library (Mdtupdtr.exe) that automatically carries out the manual steps listed below for Solution 3. For more information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    ARTICLE-ID: Q179567
    TITLE     : SetupWizard Template Files Updater Available on MSL

WARNING: Because the following solution will modify the Setup Wizard's default tables, you should back up the following two tables for reference. If you completed a default installation of the Microsoft Office 97 Developer Edition, move to the following folder:

   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ODETools\Setup Wizard\Msaccomp

   01Microsoft Access Run-Time Version.MDT
   07Microsoft Graph 97 Run-Time Version.MDT

1. Copy a version of Comcat.dll that will register correctly into C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ODE Tools\Setup Wizard\Redist folder on your development computer.

   NOTE: Version 4.71, which is on both the Office 97 Professional CD-ROM and the Microsoft Access 97 CD-ROM, will work.

2. Start Microsoft Access.

3. In the Microsoft Access dialog box, select Open An Existing Database, and then select More Files in the list box. Click OK.

4. In the Open dialog box, select All Files (*.*) in the Files Of Type box, and move to the following directory:

         C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ODETools\Setup Wizard\Msaccomp
   

5. Select and open the file 01Microsoft Access Run-time Version.MDT.

6. Open the SHAREDMSO table and find the line with the following values:

         LineID: add Comcat_dll
         Param2: $(WinSysPath)
         Param3: C:\Windows\System\COMCAT.DLL
   

   Change these values so that they read as follows:

         LineID: add Comcat_dll
         Param2: $(SwizSetupFilesPath)
         Param3: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ODE Tools\Setup Wizard\
                 Redist\COMCAT.DLL
   
   

7. Close the database.

8. Select and Open the file 07Microsoft Graph 97 Run-Time Version.MDT and repeat steps 6 and 7.

STATUS

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

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about other issues involving Office 97 Developer Edition and Internet Explorer 4.0, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q174508
   TITLE     : ODE: Run-Time Application Built on IE 4.0 Computer Breaks
               IE 3.x

   ARTICLE-ID: Q160870
   TITLE     : ACC: VBA Functions Break in databases with missing
               references

   ARTICLE-ID: Q162884
   TITLE     : ODE97: Troubleshooting ODE Setup Wizard Problems