If you have ArcSDE 9.2sp3 and ArcGIS 9.2sp6 on the same host, they will both have
a DLL named "SDE.DLL", but one will be SP3 and one will be SP6. The LoadLibraryEx()
function is used to load dynamic libraries, and it searches directories in the order
specified by the PATH variable. If your SP3 bin directory is before the SP6 directory,
then the 92sp6 ArcGIS will use the outdated DLL, making it unreliable.
There are a multitude of reasons to install ArcSDE 9.2 SP6 and the post-SP6 patches;
eliminating search order conflicts as a possible problem is one of the less pressing ones,
but if it works, then the other issues won't give you trouble either.
- V