Go Up to 64-bit Windows Application Development. If you have a code base of 32-bit Windows Delphi applications that you want to convert to 64-bit Windows, you should. Pseudo-random tech thoughts: BDE and Windows 7, 32 and 64 bits. The Borland Database Engine (BDE) and Delphi versions prior to Delphi 2009 were created before 64 bit Windows 7 and thus the default installations need some tweaking. Applies to: Borland Delphi, BDE, Paradox Databases, Windows 7. Windows 7 can be very restrictive towards applications written for the previous versions of Windows.
I have a commercial app that is developed with Delphi 6. Ive been developing under windows xp 32 bit, but am about to get a new development machine with Windows 7 64 bit. Will Delphi 6 install and work in the new environment? The developed app also uses the BDE, on vista I couldnt get it to work at all, which meant my customers had to remain on windows xp. I dont want this to be the case for windows 7. Does the BDE have any problems working with windows 7?
(or is it best to use virtualisation ). My development machine has been running Windows 7 64-bit for almost a year now, with UAC enabled.
I do daily development in Delphi 6 without problem. I do have one recommendation, but this holds true for installing any version of Delphi before Delphi 2007 on Vista or higher: Rather than installing to Program Files, install to a non-system protected folder. For example, I installed Delphi 6 to C: Programs Borland Delphi6 (and the Common Files folder to C: Programs Common Files). This avoids the problems related to Delphi 6 not being UAC friendly. The file virtualization feature, where Windows redirects Program File writes to a virtual store causes additional confusion for Delphi 6.
However, the approach I describe works very well. As Jon Robertson stated in his answer Delphi 6 should work under Windows 7 64-bit. But I would highly recommend to use the Windows 7 Professional edition which comes with XP Mode support. So you get a Windows XP virtual machine.
With the free you can convert this Virtual PC VM and use it with the VMware Player which provides better performance than the XP Mode. To work with Delphi in a VM gives you several benefits. So it's very easy to backup your development system and you can easily transfer it to another machine.
Another big advantage is, that you can avoid component version conflicts between your products or product versions, if you use separate VMs.
We have a customer who needs to run our CB3 application on 64 bit Vista. We're under a time deadline because if we can't do this quickly, his time to return the computer will run out.
Microsoft Drivers For Windows 10 64 Bit
Our current build fails completely because we're using the old InstallShield that came with CB3 which is apparently 16 bit. We're trying to build a new installation for the old program using the InstallAware that came with CB2007. We can figure out easily enough how to set it up to get our stuff installed but we're less confident about getting the BDE installed and we don't have a 64 bit machine to test on. InstallAware lacks the 'install the BDE' option that the old InstallShield had so we're going to have to do it by hand. I don't think we can even use Borland's 'BDE stub' because that probably also contains InstallShield stuff that will fail on 64 bit.
Has anyone been down this road? What files do I need to copy where? Will I need to make any registry entries or can I avoid that with configuration files? I know that even on 32bit Vista I need to check the option box about Win3.1 to force the use of the cfg file instead of registry keys. We'll try having the installation program set that one key. I'm hoping that with that set we can just copy files and let our program take it from there without help from the BDE Administrator.
Cook Bill Todd TeamB 17.06.08 15:15. Thanks, Bill. I've had that article of yours bookmarked for a long time and I sent my programmer home with a copy to read tonight. If no one comes along tonight who has actually done this, we'll see if we can get the installation program to create the keys from your CreateKeys method. We probably don't need to use ini files though. We'll just point the keys to the locations the installer copied the files. However, I don't see a list of the files that need to be copied in your article.
Is it going to be the same set of files that a clean installation puts into Program Files Common Files Borland BDE? Cook Bill Todd TeamB 17.06.08 18:03. InstallAware did run on Vista 64 although we're having some difficulty getting it to put the files where we asked it to. Not sure yet if that was our error or Vista protecting Program Files tree. Because time is short, our next step will be to attempt to simply copy the BDE files in manually without using an install program, and then to create the Registry entries manually.
That should let us know if the BDE runs in this environment. If we get over that hurdle, we can also copy our application files from another computer at the site and see if our stuff works. We think it should if the BDE is working properly underneath our stuff. And if we get over both hurdles, we can return to automating the process using InstallAware. I'll keep you all advised. Cook Leslie Milburn 19.06.08 2:26.
Remember the key even for 32 bit Vista is to ensure the cfg file is outside of the program files folder and that the BDE is configured to use the cfg file rather than the registry. We've had no trouble on 32bit Vista leaving the cfg file in Program Files Common Files Borland BDE. Where are you putting it? We create an OurCompany directory under the root and put out data there to get it out of Program Files. Should we create a BDE folder under our folder or should put it in the hidden Application Data folder? We are resisting putting our data files in Application Data because that would make it too difficult for our users to back up or to transfer data to new computers. Oracle ops center 12c update solaris 11.
It looks like they've done some housekeeping and eliminated old messages as I don't find anything helpful in the old messages. I do have Bill Todd's network installation instructions. What we're trying to do now is manually set Registry entries for ConfigFile01, DLLPath, BLAPIPath, and SaveConfig. We think if we get these four keys set, our application should be able to take it from there. If manually setting the four keys gets us working, we'll figure out how to get InstallAware to automate this process. So far, we seem to have InstallAware setting keys on XP but not Vista64.
Is our list of keys correct? Cook Steven Green 19.06.08 7:46. We've had no trouble on 32bit Vista leaving the cfg file in Program Files Common Files Borland BDE.
Where are you putting it? Based on the theory that the users will not universally have full rights to the entire drive, you can't use the registry, you can't Program Files, and you can't use anything else that is an 'ordinary' Windows folder. Between the info here, and the info on the various Paradox and/or BDE newsgroups elsewhere, you will see many examples of that logic. The 'collective wisdom' is to make you own paths for everything, and to default the BDE to use you own cfg files (the old Win 3.1 default) - Steven Green - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina USA Diamond Software Group Paradox Support & Sales Diamond Sports Gems Sports Memorabilia and Trading Cards 'Frank M. Cook' wrote in message news:485a65c7@newsgroups.borland.com. Cook 19.06.08 9:08.
based on the theory that the users will not universally have full rights to the entire drive, you can't use the registry, you can't Program Filesand you can't use anything else that is an 'ordinary' Windows folder. between the info here, and the info on the various Paradox and/or BDE newsgroups elsewhere, you will see many examples of that logic. I haven't checked the Paradox groups. That's a good idea even though we use dBase files. the 'collective wisdom' is to make you own paths for everything, and to default the BDE to use you own cfg files (the old Win 3.1 default) we do use cfg files.
I'm a little confused by the notion that you make your own paths but don't use 'ordinary' windows folders. We've been putting our data in our own path but that is what I'd call an ordinary folder. I don't see the issue in some users not having rights to that folder. If a user wants to create a rights system to limit access to our program, why should I defeat that by putting my data in all users application data? Cook Steven Green 19.06.08 9:35.
I'm a little confused by the notion that you make your own paths but don't use 'ordinary' windows folders. Don't use Program Files or any other folder that Windows put there by default. The ability to put your own stuff under there depends on.many. things under Vista.
It would be so much easier to say 'don't use Vista'. But not everyone has that option. Steven Green - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina USA Diamond Software Group Paradox Support & Sales Diamond Sports Gems Sports Memorabilia and Trading Cards 'Frank M. Cook' wrote in message news:485a846a@newsgroups.borland.com. Cook 19.06.08 9:58.
I'm a little confused by the notion that you make your own paths but don't use 'ordinary' windows folders. don't use Program Files or any other folder that Windows put there by default ah, now I understand. By ordinary you meant the folders that are normally there and not files that aren't special in some way. Yes, I fully agree that database files don't go under program files and for simplicity we've had most of our Vista users install our whole program elsewhere. Cook Frank M.
Cook 19.06.08 11:11. So far we are totally failing. We can open the BDE Administrator (which we run as administrator) and we check the win3.1 box but whenever we try to save the configuration file it says it can't write to it.
We've tried relocating the files and changing the registry keys but no matter what we do the BDE Administrator seems be running itself from Program Files Common Files etc. Unfortunately we're a 1000 miles from the customer. It feels like something may have hardcoded the default location unless something is getting lost trying to instruct the user over the phone.
We may have to buy a 64 bit machine to debug this but I hate to do that if this is hopeless. Does anyone know for sure whether it is possible to get the BDE to work under 64 bit Vista? If it can be done, I'll figure it out for this customer even if I have to buy a computer here to test on. But if others have already been down this road and failed, I'd sure like to know that now.
Cook Bob Swart 19.06.08 11:15. Hi Frankdoes anyone know for sure whether it is possible to get the BDE to work under 64 bit Vista? A client of mine has tried for a long time, and failed, which has lead to a migration project from BDE to dbExpress.
I'm 99% certain that the BDE will not work on 64-bit Windows Vista. Groetjes, Bob Swart - Bob Swart Training & Consultancy (eBob42.com) Forever Loyal to Delphi CodeGear Technology Partner - CodeGear RAD Studio Reseller (BeNeLux) Delphi Win32 &.NET books on Lulu.com: Personal courseware + e-mail support Blog: - RSS: Frank M.
Cook 19.06.08 11:58. I'm 99% certain that the BDE will not work on 64-bit Windows Vista. That's also the conclusion we were coming to. We've got a long term plan to migrate out and have even bought a Nexus license although I suppose the CodeGear sale will eventually create other options if we wait long enough. We're table driven so going to an SQL back end isn't our first choice.
I suppose the last hope for this customer to avoid taking back this computer would be to abandon his plan to use it as a server and make it a workstation. Perhaps then we could just edit the Registry on this computer to tell it to run the BDE off a 32 bit server. That would push all the issue of writing the config file to the other computer.
We'd have to leave drive letters off the registry entries (or use a subst on the other computer) to get around the problem of having the files be in C: something on the server and Z: something when we map in but it might work. However, I think this customer has run out of time and is probably returning the computer as I write this. He had until the close of business tonight to do so and last time we called he was out so we think he's on his way to the store. Cook Frank M.
Cook 19.06.08 13:15. On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:58:52 -0400, 'Frank M. Cook' wrote: I suppose the last hope for this customer to avoid taking back this computer would be to abandon his plan to use it as a server and make it a workstation. Perhaps then we could just edit the Registry on this computer to tell it to run the BDE off a 32 bit server. That would push all the issue of writing the config file to the other computer.
We'd have to leave drive letters off the registry entries (or use a subst on the other computer) to get around the problem of having the files be in C: something on the server and Z: something when we map in but it might work. However, I think this customer has run out of time and is probably returning the computer as I write this. He had until the close of business tonight to do so and last time we called he was out so we think he's on his way to the store.
Install VirtualPC and run the BDE in a XP environment Regards from Germany Franz-Leo Frank M. Cook 19.06.08 15:25. Cook' wrote in message news:485aa156$1@newsgroups.borland.com. Hi Frank, Place the entire BDE in a folder lets say: Legacy BDE and ensure that all BDE registry settings point to that folder. Ensure that permissions are set to allow Limited Privilege Users to read/write/execute the contents of that folder and you may even have to set permissions of the Registry Keys as well (I cannot remember and do not currently have a 64 Bit OS available to me). Whilst running as Administrator you should again try the Win3.1 option.
Then you need to reboot. I cannot guarantee for sure under Vista 64 but I see no reason why not as it works fine under XP 64 and the only real difference is the enhanced Permissions enforced by Vista. Cook 20.06.08 6:42. Thanks, Leslie but we ran out of time. I think this is something we won't be able to solve without getting our hands on an actual Vista64 computer. Doing it over the telephone didn't work.
You may be on the track of the issue when you suggest some permission error with respect to the registry. We never could get the BDE Administrator to save the configuration file regardless of where we located it. Unless someone else actually does this and posts a solution, there's a good chance that we'll migrate to a different backend before we buy a 64 bit computer solely as a test bed. Cook 04.08.08 12:28. We tried that without success. I think part of the problem may be that the installshield version that we had been using from CB3 is an old version that is itself incompatible with 64 bit.
We tried to use the InstallAware version from CB2007 but it doesn't have an automatic installation program for the BDE so we were trying to install it by hand simply by copying the appropriate files and making the registry entries manually and it just fought us. (we were trying to talk a user through the process over the telephone and who knows what might have gotten lost in translation.) I'm thinking we might need to be using an installation program that knows how to install the BDE and lets us tell it where to put it and how to setup the registry.
Anyone got a recommended installation program that knows about the BDE? Also where are these paradox groups you want me to look in? I don't see them on borland.public. Frank M.
Cook Bill Todd TeamB 07.08.08 9:35.