$value =~ s!\0.*!!; # we assume that the first \0 returned indicates end of the string

That is a pretty bad assumption. BSTRs are fixed length arrays of unsigned shorts with a prefix length and can contain multiple nulls.

See http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ericlippert/archive/2003/09/12/52976.aspx

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Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
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In reply to Re^2: calling a function from a dll by BrowserUk
in thread calling a function from a dll by nmeijer

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