>>If the runtime files were not installed and registered on each machine running the application, the problem is failure to install the runtime properly. The runtime should be load on every machine that will run the VFP app; at a minimum, the runtime and all .DLLs it needs need to be in the Windows search path, and several of the components need to be registered as well. The file VFP6R.DEP defines the dependencies for the standard VFP6 runtime. Placing the runtime locally on every machine is standard practice so that VFP is not reliant on connectivity for using VFP. See Chapter 25 and 26 of the Programmer's Reference in the OnLine Help.
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>Doesn't this take away the whole idea of making an application for a network if the application has to be installed locally? I can't just load the program using the setup.exe to a network drive and have everyone access the program and data because that is where the shared data is located? I'm missing something.

Unless you use ActiveX controls and the like or OLE Automation with Fox as the server, VFP applications and their run-time DLLs do not need to be registered. The EXE and the run time files can be copied to a network drive and run just fine.

This technique does have a flaw in that the initial load of the aopplication takes longer depending on the size of the EXE. The EXE must be downloaded over the network connection in order to run in the local machine's memory space. This slowness only manifests itself on initial startup so once its going, you're okay.