Follow identity, not filenames
- Capture the ProgID or CLSID requested and activation error.
- Resolve it in the correct 32-bit registry view.
- Verify the registered server path, file version and architecture.
- For in-process servers, inspect dependent DLLs; for out-of-process servers, inspect launch/permissions and process behavior.
- Compare interface/type-library versions with the client’s compiled reference.
Common distinctions
| Class not registered | Identity is absent or visible only to the wrong architecture. |
|---|---|
| ActiveX cannot create object | Registration, server launch, dependency, permission or licensing failure. |
| Method/property unsupported | Activated component exposes an incompatible interface/version. |
| Intermittent remote/server failure | Out-of-process lifetime, identity, configuration or concurrency issue. |
Successful regsvr32 output proves only that the registration entry point completed. It does not prove client compatibility.
Related diagnostics
Use registration errors when registration itself fails, OCX diagnostics for an identified control and DLL analysis for native dependencies. The VB6 pillar covers recovery and modernization decisions.
Provide error number, CLSID/ProgID, registered path, component/type-library versions and a working-machine comparison.