Gpib-32.dll is not found in win 32 apps after running a win 16 app using win16/dos suport in windows 2000

[MJones2]

I have recently being tasked with upgrading visual basic 3 programs to visual basic 6 programs. I have to run each version to make sure they both behave in the same way for testing. However for some reason after running the win16 versions the win32 programs wont work as the gpib-32.dll is reported missing. I asume the dos/win16 suport unloads the gpib-32 and replaces it with gpib.dll. Is there a workaround for this at all as it will be unpractical to have to restart the machine after every run of the win16 apps. Thanks for your time.

Mark

[Ray K]

Hello Mark,
You do not have to enable Dos support to use 16 bit applications. For 16-bit Windows applications, the special GPIB dynamic link library, gpib.dll, is copied into the Windows System32 directory (usually c:\windows\system32) when the software is installed. It is automatically used whenever a 16-bit Windows application attempts to access gpib.dll under Windows 2000/NT.(gpib.dll will actually call gpib32.dll) Nothing is replaced. Win32 apps should be accessing gpib32.dll directly.
For more detailed information, see
Language Interfaces
and click the links for
How a Win16 Application Works and
How a Win32 Application Works


What operating system are you using, what version of 488.2 are you using, and is GPIB-32.dll actually missing from system32 when you recieve the error from your 32 bit apps?
Ray K
NI Applications Engineer

[MJones2]

Thanks for that. I am using windows 2000 with service pack 3 and using the NI software version 2 on a PCI-GPIB card. What is happening is that I can run a visual basic 6 program fine up untill I run a visual basic 3 program then the vb3 program will work fine. However once I exit the vb3 program I can nolonger run a vb6 program untill I log off and back on again as any 32bit program run after a win16 program has been run will cause the 32 bit program to make an error saying that GPIB-32.dll is missing everytime (in both in visual basic and the compiled exe's). Is this a known issue? The computer has a brand new install of windows 2000 and drivers after I tried re-formating the old one but both times this problem has occured. Thanks for any help leading to a solution
to this.

Mark

[Ray K]

Hello Mark,
Is GPIB-32.dll actually missing from system32 when you recieve the error from your 32 bit apps?
What is the exact error message you get?
This is not a known issue.
Ray K
NI Applications Engineer

[MJones2]

Ok so The dll IS actualy there. The mesage is "run time errror '48' file not found gpib-32.dll" I have found out it may be because our win16 apps dont close the GPIB session. After exiting the win16 apps going into task manager I have to forcably end a program called wowexec.exe running in the background using task manager. Wowexec.exe is a win16 program and is the microsoft win16 aplication launcher however it stays open even after the win16 app has finished untill it is shut down the win32 GPIB programs wont work. This is why I had to resart or log off and back on to be able to run a win32bit program last time. I would appreciate any help you can give me on eneding this wowexec.exe after the program has run. (wowexec is in the system32 directory of 2000)


Mark

[Ray K]

I am unfamiliar with wowexec and how to terminate it's execution. I suggest searching Microsoft's website.
Ray K
NI Applications Engineer

[MJones2]

Its a windows on windows execuatable basicaly and win16bit subsystem 2000 runs all it's 16 bit programs in however it dosn't return control of the GPIB dlls untill it shuts down. Microsoft and everyone else says the only way to end it is a control alt del or an API call in the code. Thanks you your time recently and I am sorry it turned out to be a non NI problem but I would sugest that the NI drivers in future try and avoid this problem some how as is a very anyoying situation.

Mark