B2SBackglassServerRegisterApp will not register. Cannot create ActiveX component

[Cliffy]

Well what the hell. Somehow I've screwed up my B2S stuff. Normally I can fix anything but a rainy day but this one has me absolutely flustered. I've talked with jarr3 and tikimaster back and forth the past couple of days and just cannot figure out how to get the dll to register again. Putting it out here in case anyone else had the same problem and solved it. I'm trying to avoid a total windows reinstall if i can help it.

Hoping the big brains will chime in and throw this old dog a bone!

[CarnyPriest]

I'll assume that this was recommended:

 

https://github.com/vpinball/b2s-backglass/wiki/DeRegister-dll

 

The program failed to deregister for me, but it was still possible to use it to delete the registry keys associated with the program. Deleting the keys doesn't clear absolutely everything. To be sure, you can follow the process here:

 

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=35047

 

This may take a while. There could be dozens of keys in your registry with some of them generated from previous versions of B2S Server.

 

Once you have cleared B2S everywhere then re-install as fresh. 

 

Not your specific issue, but be sure that you always, always, always have a backup of screenres.txt and B2STableSettings.xml. Install over them and B2S will not look like it works. Yes, this is from recent experience.

 

 

[outhere]

3 hours ago, Cliffy said:

Well what the hell. Somehow I've screwed up my B2S stuff. Normally I can fix anything but a rainy day but this one has me absolutely flustered. I've talked with jarr3 and tikimaster back and forth the past couple of days and just cannot figure out how to get the dll to register again. Putting it out here in case anyone else had the same problem and solved it. I'm trying to avoid a total windows reinstall if i can help it.

Hoping the big brains will chime in and throw this old dog a bone!

I'm having a similar problem like you're having only when I register the B2S it says it does but it will not work
After I did the 64 Bit update the Backglass server no longer run when running VPX 32 Bit or 64 Bit
The person that updated the back glass server said some people are having problems with this but if I put the Backglass server back in the tables folder it still don't work after re-registering..

[Cliffy]

I gave up and did a PC reset, ie, reinstall windows but keep personal files and such. No goodnik. Still not registering the b2s server dll for me, dammit

[LynnInDenver]

Right click on the register app, and select "Run as Administrator".

[Cliffy]

4 hours ago, CarnyPriest said:

I'll assume that this was recommended:

 

https://github.com/vpinball/b2s-backglass/wiki/DeRegister-dll

 

The program failed to deregister for me, but it was still possible to use it to delete the registry keys associated with the program. Deleting the keys doesn't clear absolutely everything. To be sure, you can follow the process here:

 

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=35047

 

This may take a while. There could be dozens of keys in your registry with some of them generated from previous versions of B2S Server.

 

Once you have cleared B2S everywhere then re-install as fresh. 

 

Not your specific issue, but be sure that you always, always, always have a backup of screenres.txt and B2STableSettings.xml. Install over them and B2S will not look like it works. Yes, this is from recent experience.

 

 

Yep yep and like you regdllview would neither reregister nor deregister anything b2s. Yes I have backups of everything but when you did manually delete everything b2s rom the registry did the reg app work after that? I think I read your arduous journey on vpf while researching this but will scour it again, thanks

[Cliffy]

3 minutes ago, LynnInDenver said:

Right click on the register app, and select "Run as Administrator".

yeah always done that but no good, same error.

[CarnyPriest]

Yes, after manually cleaning out the registry I was able to register the DLL as fresh. I also registered the context sensitive menu items for *.res, *.vpx, etc. as directed. I don't know if that makes a difference. With a fresh install, you will need to restore screenres.txt and B2STableSettings.xml from backup or else plan on configuring again, enable plugins, disable error messages, etc. Did you unblock your files prior to attempting to register?

 

I installed v2.0.0 32-bit version.

[outhere]

Yes this also did not work for me - regdllview
I will have try manually cleaning the registry
In order for me to even get the VP 64 to even open I had to update the Visual C++

[Cliffy]

29 minutes ago, outhere said:

Yes this also did not work for me - regdllview
I will have try manually cleaning the registry
In order for me to even get the VP 64 to even open I had to update the Visual C++

bah. cleaned registry of any and all b2s, shutdown to save reg, restart- try register app in admin mode, same exact error. totally at a loss now.

[CarnyPriest]

Frustrating. Can you go back to 1.41? Get that working again, relax, and play a few games. Tomorrow's another day.

[fluffhead35]

What is the exact error error message that you are getting @Cliffy

[jarr3]

I hope I have found something, @MikeDASpike has logged an issue on Github, it has a problem registering on a clean windows. I will look into this and come back!

@Cliffy If you have some more information for us, would be good...

 

What the register app does it calls:

 

"C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe" "B2SBackglassServer.DLL" /codebase

 

At least this is the path to RegAsm I have on my machine.

 

from the folder where you have your dll stored, could you please try it out with a admin command line prompt? I hope to get more information...

 

here is an old post with similar problem:

 

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=20961&p=208417

Here it was blocked dll's being the problem, or can you try to re-download the files? I ALWAYS use 7zip, which does the whole unblocking for me. I NEVER care about unblocking thanks to 7zip...

[jarr3]

I have created a quick solution for the crash @MikeDASpike reported on reported on Github. 

Hope we find a solution soon!

[outhere]

I delete all registry keys that contained this B2SBackglassServer and I was able to re register the backglass server but it still would not work
I moved the backserver back into the tables folder re-register everything worked

[jarr3]

Thanks for the information outhere!

 

From everyone having upgraded it seems there is a handful getting a problem. I have seen registration entries both in the 32 bit as in the 64 bit part of the registry.

 

But as far as I know @Cliffy did not have an upgrade problem.

[Cliffy]

I ended up putting in a new ssd and fresh install of windows 10, let it update itself and get all my vid drivers installed and such. All my vpin stuff is on a second drive and mostly windows only on the ssd boot drive. Plugged the d;\ drive back in, fired up. Installed vpinmame 3.6 x86, ran setup.exe to check that roms would load and yep, color dmds worked so off to try regging b2sserver 2.0 x86 as admin. Nope. same doggone thing.  b2sserver was not registered- could not create activex component. 

So for now I'm running 1.41 which also will not register unless I set it to windows 8 compatibility mode. All day. I'm exhausted :)

[Cliffy]

7 hours ago, outhere said:

I delete all registry keys that contained this B2SBackglassServer and I was able to re register the backglass server but it still would not work
I moved the backserver back into the tables folder re-register everything worked

Mine has always been in the tables folder. I wonder if doing opposite of you might work. Too pooped to try anymore though

[Cliffy]

11 hours ago, fluffhead35 said:

What is the exact error error message that you are getting @Cliffy

Hey fluff. It tries and you see too cmd screens pop up and go away and then it says it wasn't successfully registered - could not create activex component

[Cliffy]

9 hours ago, jarr3 said:

I hope I have found something, @MikeDASpike has logged an issue on Github, it has a problem registering on a clean windows. I will look into this and come back!

@Cliffy If you have some more information for us, would be good...

 

What the register app does it calls:

 

"C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe" "B2SBackglassServer.DLL" /codebase

 

At least this is the path to RegAsm I have on my machine.

 

from the folder where you have your dll stored, could you please try it out with a admin command line prompt? I hope to get more information...

 

here is an old post with similar problem:

 

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=20961&p=208417

Here it was blocked dll's being the problem, or can you try to re-download the files? I ALWAYS use 7zip, which does the whole unblocking for me. I NEVER care about unblocking thanks to 7zip...

I've always used 7zip but by habit I always unlock everything anyway. Heres a snapshot of the cmd line reg attempt you suggested. I attempted with your newest 2.0.1

[MikeDASpike]

27 minutes ago, Cliffy said:

I've always used 7zip but by habit I always unlock everything anyway. Heres a snapshot of the cmd line reg attempt you suggested. I attempted with your newest 2.0.1

Dont't forget to also do the regasm from the Framework64 directory !

[MikeDASpike]

8 hours ago, jarr3 said:

Thanks for the information outhere!

 

From everyone having upgraded it seems there is a handful getting a problem. I have seen registration entries both in the 32 bit as in the 64 bit part of the registry.

 

But as far as I know @Cliffy did not have an upgrade problem.

@jarr3
As mentioned, ehen I installed to a clean setup, and used the Visual Pinball installer WITHOUT installing Directb2server from that installer, I could make a fodler and copy the stuff of 2.0 in it and register (with the new register function)

b2sserver working for 32 and 64 bit, until I check the plugin.

I needed to install from the visual pinball installer and this installed directb2sserver into my root of visual Pinball folder.
Re-registration of the 2.0 from the subdirectory works and plugins64 path  is working, but plugins directory under the subfolder didn't work.
I needed to set my pluginsdirectory in \visual pinball\plugin (for 32 bit)

 

Moving the files B2SBackglassServer.dll, B2SServerPluginInterface.dll and B2SBackglassServerEXE.exe from the visual Pinball directory (which the installer created) results that I won't have my backglasses in 32 bit and not in 64 bit)

 

[Cliffy]

did it Mike, thanks. It appears b2sserver 2.0.1 is SOMETIMES working as long as I have a b2stablesettings.xml in the game folder (like back to the old ways). I added jarr3's extended path reg file and it shows as "1" in the reg but its still not looing at the main b2s xml in the tables folder.  I also no longer get the right click context menu for screenres templates of course, since the full reg app doesnt work for me

[jarr3]

2 hours ago, Cliffy said:

did it Mike, thanks. It appears b2sserver 2.0.1 is SOMETIMES working as long as I have a b2stablesettings.xml in the game folder (like back to the old ways). I added jarr3's extended path reg file and it shows as "1" in the reg but its still not looing at the main b2s xml in the tables folder.  I also no longer get the right click context menu for screenres templates of course, since the full reg app doesnt work for me

I will have a look over the weekend

[jarr3]

2 hours ago, MikeDASpike said:

Dont't forget to also do the regasm from the Framework64 directory !

Which directory are you talking about? For B2S Server we have never had to do any 64bit registering!