BUG: Welcome Screen Continues to Redisplay (188065)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows 6.0
This article was previously published under Q188065

SYMPTOMS

The "Welcome To Visual FoxPro" screen appears on subsequent starts of Visual FoxPro even though the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box was selected in the previous Visual FoxPro session.

CAUSE

This occurs if you display the Options dialog box from the Tools menu and select the "Set as Default" button during the same Visual FoxPro session that you select the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box.

RESOLUTION

Here are a few ways to get around this behavior:

  • After checking the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box, click the "Close this Screen" button, immediately quit Visual FoxPro and then restart Visual FoxPro. Then you can use the "Set as Default" button from the Options dialog box without the Welcome screen appearing again.
  • Remember not to select the "Set as Default" button in the Options dialog box in the same session that you select the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box. This is almost the same as the first option except this technique presumes that you are working in Visual FoxPro before quitting and restarting the program.
  • Before using the "Set as Default" button in the Options dialog box, clear the Startup Program under the File tab. Then if you select "Set as Default", the Startup Program is blank.
  • After opening Visual FoxPro and selecting the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box, issue the SYS(3056) command and force Visual FoxPro to read the registry settings and update itself with the current registry settings. You can then use the "Set as Default" button in the Options dialog box without the Welcome screen appearing again.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The Vfp6strt.app, found in the Visual FoxPro root directory, displays the Welcome screen. The system memory variable, _Startup, holds the name and location of the Vfp6strt.app. When you install Visual FoxPro or when you select the "Set As Default" button to set the default values, the values of the system memory variables are stored in the Windows registry. When the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box is selected, it clears the _Start system memory variable and also clears the registry setting. However, it does not clear the value of the Startup Program in the Options dialog box. When the "Set as Default" button is chosen, it rewrites the name and location of the Vfp6strt.app into the _Startup setting in the registry.

The registry settings for the Visual FoxPro options are stored in the following: 
   My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualFoxPro\6.0\Options
WARNING: Changing registry values manually can cause programs or the computer to become unstable. Users unfamiliar with the registry should not attempt this.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

If Visual FoxPro is being started for the first time:

  1. Select the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box in the Welcome screen.
  2. Click the "Close this screen" button.
  3. From the Tools menu, Choose Options.
  4. In the Options dialog box, click the "Set as Default" button.
  5. Quit Visual FoxPro and then restart Visual FoxPro. The Welcome screen appears.
If you started Visual FoxPro previously and the Welcome screen has not been appearing:

  1. From the Tools menu, choose Options.
  2. In the Options dialog box, click the "File Locations" tab.
  3. Modify the Startup Program line to point to the Vfp6strt.app located in the Visual FoxPro home directory. For example: 
          File Type         Location
      --------------------------

      Startup Program   c:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\vfp98\ 
                        Vfp6strt.app
  4. Click the "Set as Default" button and then click OK.
  5. Quit Visual FoxPro and restart the program. The Welcome screen still appears.
  6. Select the "Don't display this Welcome screen again" check box and click "Close this screen".
  7. Open the Options dialog box, click "Set as Default" and then click OK.
  8. Quit Visual FoxPro and then restart the program. The Welcome screen still appears.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:8/24/1999
Keywords:kbbug KB188065
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.