PRB: "Error in Loading DLL" if Calling Multimedia API Functions (159408)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0
This article was previously published under Q159408

SYMPTOMS

When you call multimedia API functions from 32-bit Visual Basic for Windows using the Declare statements retrieved from the 32-bit API Text Viewer, the following error message appears:
"Error in loading DLL"

CAUSE

The error occurs because the 32-bit API Text Viewer incorrectly uses the Declare statements for Mmsystem.dll, which is a 16-bit DLL.

MORE INFORMATION

A 32-bit program cannot directly execute functions in a 16-bit DLL. A thunking layer is required. The thunking layer allows you to load a 16-bit DLL and place the processor in 16-bit mode so you can execute the appropriate code. However, Visual Basic for Windows cannot implement a thunking layer and its use is not supported. There are two ways around this behavior:
  1. See the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base that describes how to call the 16-bit Mmsystem.dll functions:

    141939 : How to Create an OLE Server to Implement Thunking
  2. Call the functions from Winmm.dll, the Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 library for multimedia. Winmm.dll is a 32-bit library that supports multimedia services. This method requires the proper Declare statements for Winmm.dll.

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

141756 How to Play MIDI Files Using API Calls from Visual Basic

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/29/2004
Keywords:kbAPI kbmm kbprb KB159408
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