MicroContainer has been a useful tool for debugging, because it is small and simple and does not use .NET.

However, some DTMs did not run in MicroContainer and the Environment() call resulted in a HRESULT 0x800A0062. This happens to DTMs which register the environment pointer in the global interface table (GIT).

This was not possible in MicroContainer because the environment pointer was a private class. Making it "GlobalMultiUse" solved the problem. However, to achieve this in VB6, the environment pointer needs to be in a DLL instead of the EXE, which makes MicroContainer slightly more complex to install: you need to register McEnvPtr.dll before running it.

With the update you will also notice that it is now possible to instantiate ActiveX Controls.

Please download MicroContainer and feel free to use it for debugging. Please note that M&M cannot provide support for this inofficial tool.
by Thomas Weller at 9:27 AM in Debugging