Visual Basic Question

[Dave G4UGM]

The phrase "standard Windows 16bit DLLs" means Windows 3.1 DLLs. Such DLL's no longer work in a modern windows. If they directly access the hardware then they will not work on any NT based windows such as Windows/2000, Windows/XP, Vista, or 7, 8 or 9. Nor will they work on any 64-Bit windows full stop. 64-Bit windows does not support 16-bit code. If you have a Windows/95, 98 or ME environment then the code may work. 

There is information here:-

http://www.tsreader.com/docs/eng-ole.html

on how to call 16-bit DLL's from VB4.

How does the hardware physically interface? Is it a serial or parallel card, or special hardware.

Dave
G4UGM


> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctech [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Douglas
> Taylor
> Sent: 21 April 2015 15:19
> To: General at classiccmp.org; Discussion at classiccmp.org:On-Topic Posts
> Subject: Visual Basic Question
> 
> I have a software driver for an old scientific instrument that is described in a
> brief manual this way:
> 
> "The acquisition driver is a tool that allows developers to write their own
> Windows based programs that can acquire data from any Michelson series
> spectrometer. The programs can be developed with any programming
> environment that supports calling standard Windows 16bit DLLs. Examples of
> such environments are Visual Basic and Visual C++ from Microsoft ( up to
> version 1.5 ), Delphi and C++ from Borland, Labview from National
> instruments. This document assumes that the reader is familiar with all the
> concepts surrounding DLLs and Windows programming. It is a reference
> guide that explains the parameters of the functions that make up the
> Bomem acquisition driver and how they are used to acquire data."
> 
> I recently purchased Visual Basic 4.0 Standard Edition, but the first pages of
> the reference indicate that it is a 32 bit only version.
> 
> Which version of Visual Basic will allow me to call this driver?