Does the VB6 IDE run on Windows 7 / 8 / 10 64-bit?

Question

We're approaching a point of replacing several of our developer PCs and would like to move up to 64-bit to maximize the hardware/life of the PCs but we also need to support several legacy VB6 applications. That said, Microsoft says it's not supported, but that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't work. However, support's not important on a dead tool so long as it's functional.

• Does it work?
• Are there any pitfalls/workarounds needed to get it running?
• Does the installation of Service Pack 6 require any special considerations? (SP6 is basically essential for VB6 use)

Answer 1

Speaking from experience (I run VB6 almost every day in Windows 7 - 64 bit), there is no problem getting it running, in fact you do not have to run it in any kind of compatability mode. There are a couple of Caveats though:

1. Use the installer from a recent (within 5 years) version of the MSDN.
2. Install VB6 before installing any other Visual Studio product.
3. Turn off UAC, VB6 will not run with UAC running.
4. I have not successfully gotten the old MSDN Help Installed, so I wouldn't bother wasting time trying to get that installed.

Answer 2

Folks on the VB6 newsgroup report they have managed to get it working on Windows 7 64 bit.

There's this step-by-step guide on how to install the IDE on Windows 7 (including 64 bit).

If that doesn't work (scrapes barrel) try this old tip about persuading the install not to install the Java VM?

Or (scrapes hole in barrel) these tips from an article about getting the IDE working on Vista?

Footnote: if developing with ADO, be aware of this.