Registering DLLs and .TLBs

Question

I am working for a company that registers a lot of COM DLLs in the System32 folder/SYSWOW64 folder. I recall a question some time ago where Hans Passent said that this is wrong as the folders specified are for Windows DLLs. I cannot find the post so I want to check that this is correct?

Also if I want to register a COM DLL or a TypeLibrary in a foreign folder then can I just use the following command (for COM):

regsvr32 app.dll

Finally I was reading about the CODEBASE flag of Regasm: http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?597928-RESOLVED-How-to-delete-a-VB6-Reference. Do you have to use this flag if you want to register a TypeLibrary (.TLB)? What happens if you .NET assembly uses a third party library that is not signed?

Answer 1

If you are talking about installing COM DLLs in the System folder, then you are correct. All applications, and their support libraries, should be installed under the Program Files folders, or the Common Program Files folders.

You are also correct that REGSVR32.EXE can be used to manually register DLLs and OCX. "Foreign folder" is not a Windows concept - you can register a component anywhere in the file system, including the Windows and Windows System folders. By the way, if you use an installer, then you shouldn't have to use REGSVR32.EXE.

However, TLB files cannot be registered with REGSVR32.EXE, because that application basically loads the DLL/OCX, and calls an exported function on the library, so effectively the library registers itself. Instead, you need another tool, e.g. REGTLIB.

You don't use /CODEBASE to register a raw type library, because REGASM is used for registering .NET DLLs as COM components, not TLB files.