You might have problem in installing the older version of Visual Basic 6 in Windows 7 or Windows 8, but you need the software to work for you. Don’t worry about the issue. There is a ready-made solution available in Windows to take care of your need.

Visual Basic 6 is now completely discontinued and is not supported by the latest versions of Windows. But if you want to use the same in Windows 7 or Windows 8 you can do the same without installing the old software.

You might be knowing about a feature in Microsoft Office known as Macro which use VB codes to do automated tasks for you. The Macros are created using “Visual Basic for Applications” module which is an inbuilt feature that comes with your Office installation.

In the latest version of Office you will not find the option of macro unless you enable the same. To enable it just follow the below steps,

1. Go to File –> Options –>Customize Ribbon
2. You will find an option “Developer” which is not enabled. Check the checkbox beside it to enable the developer tab on the Office Ribbon.
3. Now you will find a new tab in your Office Ribbon called “Developer”. Under the developer tab you can now find “Visual Basic”. Click on it and it will give you your own IDE to develop VB programs.
4. In the IDE you will not find any default form control or toolbox. You need to add a form to your project by clicking on the “Add User Form” button.
5. Once you add the user form you will find all the controls activated and now you can start developing.

Now you can use the IDE to write your programs, but these projects will not be saved as standalone VB projects rather they will be saved in the office formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). You also need to save the project in a different format as Macro Enabled file.

To make an Office file Macro Enabled use the save as feature and select type as “Macro Enabled Office Document(May be word file, Excel Sheet or others). You also have the option to import or export existing VB projects to the Office VB IDE in the file menu.

So now don’t worry if you find it difficult to install the VB 6 in your latest computer. Use the inbuilt VB features in Office which will let you to code in VB 6 environment with a proper IDE.