Hi all,

The following VB code will read the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersionApp Paths\Winword.exe key on Win98, Win NT, and Win 2K but it doesn't work for Win 95. We are certain the key exists on the Win 95 machines as we can read it using the wshShell.RegRead after installing Windows Script Host 5.6.

Why doesn't the code work in Win 95?
Why can we read the key using wshShell.RegRead but not if we are using the API directlty?
Is the Shell object's RegRead method just a wrapper for RegQueryValue?

TIA,
Daniek

Option Explicit

   Global Const REG_SZ As Long = 1
   Global Const REG_DWORD As Long = 4

   Global Const HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT = &H80000000
   Global Const HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001
   Global Const HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE = &H80000002
   Global Const HKEY_USERS = &H80000003

   Global Const ERROR_NONE = 0
   Global Const ERROR_BADDB = 1
   Global Const ERROR_BADKEY = 2
   Global Const ERROR_CANTOPEN = 3
   Global Const ERROR_CANTREAD = 4
   Global Const ERROR_CANTWRITE = 5
   Global Const ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY = 6
   Global Const ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER = 7
   Global Const ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED = 8
   Global Const ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETERS = 87
   Global Const ERROR_NO_MORE_ITEMS = 259

   Global Const KEY_ALL_ACCESS = &H3F

   Global Const REG_OPTION_NON_VOLATILE = 0

   Declare Function RegCloseKey Lib "advapi32.dll" _
   (ByVal hKey As Long) As Long
   
   Declare Function GetVersion Lib "kernel32" () As Long
   
   Declare Function RegCreateKeyEx Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias _
   "RegCreateKeyExA" (ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpSubKey As String, _
   ByVal Reserved As Long, ByVal lpClass As String, ByVal dwOptions _
   As Long, ByVal samDesired As Long, ByVal lpSecurityAttributes _
   As Long, phkResult As Long, lpdwDisposition As Long) As Long
   Declare Function RegOpenKeyEx Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias _
   "RegOpenKeyExA" (ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpSubKey As String, _
   ByVal ulOptions As Long, ByVal samDesired As Long, phkResult As _
   Long) As Long
   Declare Function RegQueryValueExString Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias _
   "RegQueryValueExA" (ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpValueName As _
   String, ByVal lpReserved As Long, lpType As Long, ByVal lpData _
   As String, lpcbData As Long) As Long
   Declare Function RegQueryValueExLong Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias _
   "RegQueryValueExA" (ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpValueName As _
   String, ByVal lpReserved As Long, lpType As Long, lpData As _
   Long, lpcbData As Long) As Long
   Declare Function RegQueryValueExNULL Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias _
   "RegQueryValueExA" (ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpValueName As _
   String, ByVal lpReserved As Long, lpType As Long, ByVal lpData _
   As Long, lpcbData As Long) As Long
   Declare Function RegSetValueExString Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias _
   "RegSetValueExA" (ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpValueName As String, _
   ByVal Reserved As Long, ByVal dwType As Long, ByVal lpValue As _
   String, ByVal cbData As Long) As Long
   Declare Function RegSetValueExLong Lib "advapi32.dll" Alias _
   "RegSetValueExA" (ByVal hKey As Long, ByVal lpValueName As String, _
   ByVal Reserved As Long, ByVal dwType As Long, lpValue As Long, _
   ByVal cbData As Long) As Long



   Public Function SetValueEx(ByVal hKey As Long, sValueName As String, _
   lType As Long, vValue As Variant) As Long
       Dim lValue As Long
       Dim sValue As String
       Select Case lType
           Case REG_SZ
               sValue = vValue & Chr$(0)
               SetValueEx = RegSetValueExString(hKey, sValueName, 0&, _
                                              lType, sValue, Len(sValue))
           Case REG_DWORD
               lValue = vValue
               SetValueEx = RegSetValueExLong(hKey, sValueName, 0&, _
   lType, lValue, 4)
           End Select
   End Function

   Function QueryValueEx(ByVal lhKey As Long, ByVal szValueName As _
   String, vValue As Variant) As Long
       Dim cch As Long
       Dim lrc As Long
       Dim lType As Long
       Dim lValue As Long
       Dim sValue As String

       On Error GoTo QueryValueExError

       ' Determine the size and type of data to be read
       lrc = RegQueryValueExNULL(lhKey, szValueName, 0&, lType, 0&, cch)
       If lrc <> ERROR_NONE Then Error 5

       Select Case lType
           ' For strings
           Case REG_SZ:
               sValue = String(cch, 0)
   lrc = RegQueryValueExString(lhKey, szValueName, 0&, lType, _
   sValue, cch)
               If lrc = ERROR_NONE Then
                   vValue = Left$(sValue, cch - 1)
               Else
                   vValue = Empty
               End If
           ' For DWORDS
           Case REG_DWORD:
   lrc = RegQueryValueExLong(lhKey, szValueName, 0&, lType, _
   lValue, cch)
               If lrc = ERROR_NONE Then vValue = lValue
           Case Else
               'all other data types not supported
               lrc = -1
       End Select

QueryValueExExit:
       QueryValueEx = lrc
       Exit Function
QueryValueExError:
       Resume QueryValueExExit
   End Function


Sub Main()

Dim strPath As String
Dim strScreen As String
Dim myAppId As Long
Dim wordPath As String
Dim strWordPath As String
Dim conWordPathRegKey As String
Dim lngVersion As Long


On Error Resume Next

lngVersion = GetVersion()


MsgBox (lngVersion And &HFF) & " OS version"
'win95
If Format$(lngVersion And &HFF) = 4 Then
    conWordPathRegKey = "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Winword.exe\"
    wordPath = QueryValue(conWordPathRegKey, strPath)
    strWordPath = "here is the reg value: " & QueryValue(conWordPathRegKey, strPath) & " length is: " & Len(QueryValue(conWordPathRegKey, strPath))
    MsgBox strWordPath
Else
    conWordPathRegKey = "Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Winword.exe\"
    wordPath = QueryValue(conWordPathRegKey, strPath)
End If



strScreen = Command()
    
MsgBox wordPath
MsgBox Chr(34) & wordPath & " " & strScreen & Chr(34)
myAppId = Shell(Chr(34) & wordPath & " " & strScreen & Chr(34), 1)    ' Run Microsoft Word.

End Sub

 Function QueryValue(sKeyName As String, sValueName As String)
       Dim lRetVal As Long         'result of the API functions
       Dim hKey As Long         'handle of opened key
       Dim vValue As Variant      'setting of queried value

       lRetVal = RegOpenKeyEx(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, sKeyName, 0, _
   KEY_ALL_ACCESS, hKey)
       lRetVal = QueryValueEx(hKey, sValueName, vValue)
       RegCloseKey (hKey)
       QueryValue = vValue
   End Function