[RESOLVED] fixmapi.exe won't run, can't install Palm on XP machine

[slhayes]

Earlier this year I had posted here and on a number of other forums trying to install the Palm software on my XP machine after it came back from repair work under warranty. I gave up after trying everything everyone suggested with no luck. Today I was browsing around and found this link where it says at the very bottom to run fixmapi.exe



http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/arch...hp/t-6367.html

But when I try to run fixmapi.exe the run box just disappears and I am assuming it does nothing. I did it in Safe Mode and even tried to install the Palm software and there it gives me the message:

1607:Unable to install InstallShield Scripting Runtime

If I try to run it on a normal boot up I still get the blue screen. I have tried everything that anyone told me to try, but it will not work. I just keep hoping something will show up somewhere that will get me over this hurdle so today when I ran across this new problem I thought maybe this might have something to do with it not installing?????


My main machine is running Vista and it does sync on Vista but with limitation the quick install doesn't work so I am unable to use the Palm like I would wish to.

Can someone at least tell me why the XP is not even running the fixmapi.exe?

[MAyers57]

I have a palm and I had it installed on three XP Pro machines so far no problem.
Can you tell me what the blue screen errors are?

[slhayes]

I had it installed on the XP machine before I had to take it in for a replacement of the hard drive. I posted in lots of forums back in March and April. I put the link to one of them below as well as the error I had written down at that time. It would be pretty much the same no matter how many times I try to do the install. If I try to install it in safe mode it gives me this:
1607:unable to install installshield scripting runtime. Believe me I did everything everyone directed me to, here is the link to that one earlier post and the blue screen message I am talking about here:

http://www.suggestafix.com/index.php?showtopic=25585

STOP:0x0000008e (0xC0000005, 0x804E6491, 0xEF325750, 0x00000000)
Beginning dump of physical memory
Physical memory dump complete

I have been wondering if I had installed the Palm as one of my first things if I could have avoided having the problems it has caused me trying to install it, but it is virtually the only problem I have with the XP and at this point I have just been doing without using it on the XP, but in all honesty I would prefer to run it on the XP since my newer Vista machine doesn't give me all the functions that the XP used to.

So when I saw this about fixmapi.exe I thought I would try it, but found out I couldn't even run this on the XP.

[MAyers57]

If you can upload the BSOD crash minidump file maybe I can see what the issue is.
I'm no expert at reading minidumps but sometimes you get lucky.

First, setup your system to create the minidump file and then upload it or email it to me and maybe I can help.
Most system are set to auto reboot on BSOD screens.
1.Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2.Double-click System.
3.Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
4.In the Write debugging information list, click Small memory dump (64k).

[slhayes]

Mike,

I can follow what you say here:

First, setup your system to create the minidump file and then upload it or email it to me and maybe I can help.
Most system are set to auto reboot on BSOD screens.
1.Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2.Double-click System.
3.Click the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Startup and Recovery.
4.In the Write debugging information list, click Small memory dump (64k)

but don't know what to do to get a file that I can send to you?

Also, should I recreate the blue screen before I try to send it?

[slhayes]

I am not sure if I got it or did the wrong thing?

[slhayes]

I can't see it the attachment is going with my posting? I put it in notepad and saved it and sent it with this message?

[slhayes]

I think I got it this time.

[MAyers57]

Sorry but the file was unreadable. Error in format? Try it once more. Should have a .dmp extension.

Here's what to do: Saving a memory dump

Right-click on My Computer
Select Properties
Select Advanced
In the Start up and Recovery section, select Settings; this displays the Startup and Recovery dialog box
In the Write debugging information section, select kernel memory dump

While still in the Start up and Recovery dialog box, ensure that the following options are checked
in the System failure section:
Write an event to the system log
Send an administrative alert
Automatically restart

The Write debugging information section also tells you where the dump file will be created. On XP and 2003 systems, mini dumps are located at %SystemRoot%\Minidump, or c:\Windows\Minidump; kernel and full dumps are located at %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP or c:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. For Windows 2000, memory dump files are located at c:\winnt\memory.dmp.

[slhayes]

I do know where the file is, and I was trying to send it last night, but it looks like the format could not be sent in Hardware Central. At any rate should I recreate the blue screen? I did have to change a couple of the settings per your instructions. I had to change to this in my settings:

In the Write debugging information section, select kernel memory dump

and this:

Automatically restart

so do I recreate the blue screen before I try to send it, plus how do I get Hardware Central to accept it as an attachment, or do I paste it in Notepad like I did before?

===============

Originally Posted by MAyers57

Sorry but the file was unreadable. Error in format? Try it once more. Should have a .dmp extension.

Here's what to do: Saving a memory dump

Right-click on My Computer
Select Properties
Select Advanced
In the Start up and Recovery section, select Settings; this displays the Startup and Recovery dialog box
In the Write debugging information section, select kernel memory dump

While still in the Start up and Recovery dialog box, ensure that the following options are checked
in the System failure section:
Write an event to the system log
Send an administrative alert
Automatically restart

The Write debugging information section also tells you where the dump file will be created. On XP and 2003 systems, mini dumps are located at %SystemRoot%\Minidump, or c:\Windows\Minidump; kernel and full dumps are located at %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP or c:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP. For Windows 2000, memory dump files are located at c:\winnt\memory.dmp.

[MAyers57]

email it to me michael.ayers@yahoo.com don't tell anyone else shzzz
and yes we need to recreate the crash so I can see what was in memory at the exact time of the crash.

[MAyers57]

Looks like it's a driver fault. The culprit is a file called mdmxsdk.sys.
I searched my XP system and that file does not exist. Quick search
online suggests it's either a modem driver or spyware, or both.
Couldn't tell for sure. Please search your system for this file and see
if you have it. If you do, I would scan my system with HiJackThis
and see if this file is legit first. Maybe the Palm software itself is installing
it and there's a problem with the driver.

http://www.merijn.org/files/hijackthis.zip

Submit resultant scan to:
http://www.techimo.com/forum/t137826.html

Hope this helps.

[slhayes]

Mike and everyone else after 6 months I do have my Palm installed on my XP machine. Mike looked at my minidump file and came back thinking the problem was the mdmxsdk.sys file. I did not do anything with this because I began to communicate with my brother who stuck with me until we resolved it by renaming the pxhelp20.sys file.

But my brother thinks the problem may have been what Mike said it was namely the mdmxsdk.sys file.

This is hard to explain but I will try. I did not do anything with the mdmxsdk.sys file because when I began to talk to my brother he said he had the file on his computer. He was reading my minidump files after he had me try a couple of things like disabling my floppy drive and I think I disabled the DVD, which I have been having problems with, but all I got was more blue screens. Then he mentioned pxhelp20.sys file and I did a search and sent him something I found. He suggested I try to rename that file and after renaming I had to load the file from my hard drive where I had copied the contents of the installation cd. After this the Palm did the installation. I still have a small problem but nothing major at this point.

Then today my brother sent me an email where he said he thougth Mike was right about the mdmxsdk.sys,
I can't go into all the details here, but I want to paste what my brother sent me in this email:

Sylvia,
I took another look at what we did and I'm not sure why what we did worked. I was looking at files that had been unloaded from memory and I would think the a file still in memory would have been the cause. I ran a program called Windbg and it says

Unable to load image \SystemRoot\System32\DRIVERS\mdmxsdk.sys, Win32 error 2
*** WARNING: Unable to verify timestamp for mdmxsdk.sys
*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for mdmxsdk.sys
Probably caused by : mdmxsdk.sys ( mdmxsdk+1273 )

I don't know if this is what Mayers57 was looking at on Hardware Central but it agrees with what he said.
It could be that mdnxsdk.sys is corrupt or something and renaming pxhelp20,sys stopped the computer from getting to mdmsdk.sys?

This is all speculation but suggests there might be a better fix for the problem. This is just something to keep in mind in case you start running into other problems.


Also Mayer57 was trying to get you to change the saettings so that you would get a kernal memory dump rather than small memory (64k minidump). But I don't know if this was accomplished since you said the file was still in the minidump directory, unless you changed the default directory name for the kernal memory dump.
This is just something to be aware of in case we decide to go further at some time.

I cannot tell you how happy I am that it is finally installed after all this time. So thank you very much Mike for all the effort you put in to steer me and my brother in the direction that allowed my problem to be solved.

[MAyers57]

Glad you took the time to post back. Always nice to hear.
Take care.