regsvr32 fails in windows docker container

Question

When trying to register a DLL specifically (DAO350.DLL) the regsvr fails with exit code 5. Command:

$process = Start-Process "regsvr32" -ArgumentList "/s "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\DAO\DAO350.DLL"" -PassThru -Wait; $process.ExitCode

Container images that I have tried to run with:

• mcr.microsoft.com/windows:ltsc2019
• mcr.microsoft.com/windows/server:ltsc2020

I have tried a few things:

Removing the UAC using the following:

Set-ItemProperty -Path REGISTRY::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System -Name ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin -Value 0

Set-ItemProperty -Path REGISTRY::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System -Name ConsentPromptBehaviorUser -Value 0

Set-ItemProperty -Path REGISTRY::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System -Name EnableLUA -Value 0

Running in isolation using:

--isolation=hyperv

Running using different account, specifically:

--user "NT Authority\System"

Taking ownership to ContainerAdministrator of the registry nodes and subnodes, following this account:

https://rnd-solutions.net/2017/05/09/resolve-dao350-dll-registration-issue/

Checking the dependency using dependency walker.

Not sure what I can try more :/ One weird thing, is that I can see that the registry key entry is added once I run the command to:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\TypeLib{00025E01-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}\4.0

with the correct values, etc. but the process still returns an exit code 5.

When trying to run Add-Type of the said .DLL I have the following errors, so maybe some missing dependencies?

Add-Type : c:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Temp\q1ro04mp\q1ro04mp.0.cs(1) : Unexpected character '' c:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Temp\q1ro04mp\q1ro04mp.0.cs(1) : >>> C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO\DAO350.DLL At line:1 char:1

Another approach:

Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

PS C:\> whoami
nt authority\system

# Install Microsoft Data Access Objects - from here https://archive.org/details/microsoft-data-access-objects-dao-3.5
PS C:\> $process = Start-Process ".\DAO\SETUP.EXE" -Wait -PassThru; $process.ExitCode
0

# Confirm that Dao2535.tlb is present
PS C:\> cd 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO\'; ls
    Directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO
Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                -------------         ------ ----
-a----        12/5/1996  12:00 AM          73184 Dao2535.tlb
-a----        12/2/1996   6:44 PM         582144 dao350.dll
-a----        9/15/2018   9:29 AM         610304 dao360.dll

# Start CMD
PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO> cmd
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17763.5329]
(c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

# Run regsvr in the local folder
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO>start /wait regsvr32 /s dao350.dll

# Error level
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO>echo %errorlevel%
5

Using Simon's tool to get the proper error code:

PS C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO> C:\RegsvrCli.exe "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO\dao350.dll"
RegsvrCli 32-bit - Copyright (C) 2023-2024 Simon Mourier. All rights reserved.

Registering 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\DAO\dao350.dll' returned: 0x8002801C (-2147319780)

And the meaning of the error code:

C:\User> .\Err_6.4.5.exe 0x8002801C
# for hex 0x8002801c / decimal -2147319780
  TYPE_E_REGISTRYACCESS                                          winerror.h
# Error accessing the OLE registry.
# 1 matches found for "0x8002801C"

The original error:

2024-02-01 21:21:56.444   Spawning 32-bit RegSvr32: "C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe" /s "C:\Program
Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\DAO\DAO350.DLL"
2024-02-01 21:21:56.491   Registration failed:
                          RegSvr32 failed with exit code 0x5.
2024-02-01 21:21:56.491   Defaulting to Abort for suppressed message box (Abort/Retry/Ignore):
                          C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\DAO\DAO350.DLL

                          Unable to register the DLL/OCX: RegSvr32 failed with exit code 0x5.