Determining Which Version of ADSI Is Installed
Depending on the operating system, a variety of different versions of Active Directory Services Interfaces (ADSI) can be installed on a computer. This article describes techniques that you can use to determine which version is currently installed.
In Microsoft Windows 2000, ADSI is a system component; because of system file
protection, it cannot be installed over or deleted.
On Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0,
ADSI is a separately installed component. You can obtain it from other Microsoft
products, such as Microsoft Visual Studio or Microsoft Site Server, or you can
download and install it from the following Web site:
ADSI can also be installed on a Windows 95 or Windows 98 computer by the
Windows 2000 directory service client (DSClient). The DSClient is available on
the Windows 2000 server CD, and can be used to make a Windows 9x computer
directory-aware. The installation of the DSClient also updates the computer with
a version of ADSI.
Because ADSI can be acquired in so many ways, it may be helpful to determine the
version that is currently installed on a particular computer. This information
can be derived in two ways:
Recent versions of ADSI install the following registry key, which contains the current version number:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{E92B03AB-B707-11d2-9CBD-0000F87A369E}
The following table relates ADSI versions with the values that may be found in this registry key:
Version Value ---------------- -------- Earlier than 2.5 n/a 2.5 2,5,00,0 Windows 2000 5,0,00,0 DSClient 5,0,00,0
Versions earlier than ADSI 2.5 do not have this registry key. If this key is not present, look then for the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ADs
If this key is present, ADSI 2.0 is installed. If this key is not present, you may have a improper installation, or no ADSI installation at all.
ADSI installs several dynamic link libraries (DLLs) and a type library into
the system root folder of the computer. On a Windows NT or Windows 2000 computer
this folder is usually \winnt\system32. On a Windows 9x computer, the folder is
\Windows\System.
The following table matches ADSI files with their corresponding version:
| File Name | 2.0 Web Installation | 2.5 | Windows2000 | DSClient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveDs.dll | 4.1.100.1 | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2172.1 | 5.0.2172.1 |
| ActiveDs.tlb | no version listed | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2143.1 | 5.0.2143.1 |
| adsldp.dll | 4.1.100.1 | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2172.1 | 5.0.2172.1 |
| adsldpc.dll | 4.1.100.1 | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2172.1 | 5.0.2172.1 |
| adsmsext.dll | DLL not present | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2172.1 | 5.0.2172.1 |
| adsnds.dll | 4.1.100.1 | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2143.1 | 5.0.2143.1 |
| adsnt.dll | 4.1.100.1 | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2191.1 | 5.0.2191.1 |
| adsnw.dll | 4.1.100.1 | 4.1.258.1 | 5.0.2143.1 | 5.0.2143.1 |
NOTE : An ADSI installation also updates the Wldap32.dll and Nwapi32.dll
files. These libraries, however, are also updated by service packs and other
Microsoft applications.
ADSI version 2.0 shipped through several vehicles. ActiveDs.dll version numbers
range from 4.1.100.1 (the earliest release, which was available on the Web)
through 4.1.172.1 (the release in the Microsoft Exchange BackOffice Resource
Kit).
Beta versions of ADSI 2.5 were also available from the Web prior to its official
release. The version numbers for ADSI 2.5 are in the syntax 4.1.25 X
.1, where X has the value 0 (zero) in the initial Beta release
up through a value of 8 for the final release build. You should upgrade
prerelease versions of ADSI 2.5 to the release build.
For information on ADSI, see the following Web site:
For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q223048 FIX: Using ADO with ADSI Returns 'Error 800a01ad (429)'
Q216709 PRB: Error: Incorrect INF File Syntax in Section CheckForPrevVer
Q251287 ADSI 2.0, 2.5, and MDAC 2.1 Compatibility Issues
Source: Microsoft TechNet article Q216290