>For previous versions of VFP, executables could be built in any version and deployed under any runtime version (generally speaking). This enabled us to stagger our library file upgrade - with a couple of hundred desktops, this is a critical issue.
>
>If I gather correctly from various posts, this option is broken under VFP8/VFP8SP1. If so, we will probably never use SP1, as the logistics versus the benefits do not tally.
>
>Does anyone have a definite answer to the question: can an exe be built using VFP8SP1, and deployed to users with the base VFP8 runtimes? Are there situations where the answer changes - ie using certain features such as the cursor adapter?
>
>If the answer is no on any or all counts:
>1. Shame on Microsoft
>2. How do I remove SP1 from my PC, given that there does not appear to be an uninstall option?
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Don't ya hate it when they do stuff like that?

I am trying to do the same thing and running into problems figuring out what .dlls are needed without running the actual service pack on everyone. As to your setup, may I make a suggestion that we use which would help you with many issues like this. We actually run our .exe on their local machines, not the server, we only get the data from the server. We force the updates onto each local machine as we compile them. The way we do this is, we put it everyone's startup folder a simple little .bat (batch) file. We then made it policy to add this bat file reference on each new computer deployed. When we do an update, we just add reference in the bat to copy it to their local machine, and then all page and tell everyone to restart, or wait untill they do if not critical update to the code. We can basically force any files onto the workstations this way, it is very helpful. If you were to use this method, you would have to setup all existing workstations so the setup would be a pin, but it would eliminate the problem in the future. Then you would just have to modify one file on the server (bat) and tell everyone to restart.

Basically all I have to do is figure out what .dll files are needed and put a reference in the bat file to copy them to the local machines and the next time they restart they get the update and the required dlls for it.