Jeff,

I've just starting :) working with MapPoint and you just saved me from a very stressful evening!
Opening a map during the Control_Validated() event works for me. I believe the issue with using the Form_Load() event has something to do with the control not being completely instantiated prior to the call to OpenMap(). Using the Control_Validated() event guarantees you that the control has been created (initialized) successfully.

Thanks again, Phil.