Problem Response Blog

Download updates for QQ IM Client or QQ Pet

cleng — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:02:00 GMT

Hello, you've likely arrived at this blog post from the Windows Error Reporting site, because you received the response that the QQ IM Client or QQ Pet caused a problem in Windows.

The module that causes this application crash is called bugreport.exe, and it will be installed by both the QQ IM Client and the QQ Pet software. You can go to http://www.qq.com and search for these two softwares. And for your convenience, I have included direct links to these two softwares below.

QQ IM Client: http://im.qq.com
QQ Pet: http://pet.qq.com

Newet versions of the two softwares are posted on the above pages. Please download them to avoid this problem. Thanks!

Download updates for your Bluetooth software

cleng — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:53:00 GMT

Hello, you've likely arrived at this blog post from the Windows Error Reporting site, because you received the response that the Toshiba Bluetooth software caused a problem in Windows Vista.

This Toshiba Bluetooth software is originally developed by Toshiba. Several computer manufacturers (or OEMs) have adopted this software, done some customization, and distributed it with their brand of PCs.

Toshiba has fixed this problem in the Toshiba version. You can download the fix from the following websites if you are using a Toshiba brand PC.
English site: http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/bluetooth/index.php?page=download
Japanese siste: http://dynabook.com/assistpc/download/modify/btstack/v6/index_j.htm

But due to the nature of this software, if you are using a non-Toshiba brand PC, you cannot use the fix on Toshiba's website. Instead, please contact your machine manufacturer's support desk for the fix of this program.

If you know the download site for other OEMs, please share the information on this blog. Thanks!

Problem caused by FormFiller.exe

cleng — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:45:00 GMT

Hello, you've likely arrived at this blog post from the Windows Error Reporting site, because you received the response that FormFiller.exe was causing the crash.

Inside the OCA team in Microsoft, we have been trying very hard to identify the vendor of this software, but are not successful. If you know who created the FormFiller.exe on your PC, please leave a comment here on the blog. We will contact the vendor and ask them to fix the problem.

Download updates for Dr Watson (drwtsn32.exe)

JohnBuk — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Hello, you have likely just arrived from the Windows Error Reporting site because you received the response that Dr. Watson (Drwtsn32.exe.) caused a problem with Windows XP.

To disable Dr. Watson so you don't get this error any more click here and follow these instructions.

When prompted, answer the following to questions like this.

Do you want to run or save the file? Click Run
Are you sure you want to add .... to the registry? Click Yes.

Is it safe? Yes, the registry file is simply changing the configuration of your system so it doesn't run Dr. Watson anymore when a program crashes.

Do you need Dr. Watson? No, the system already has Windows Error Reporting and the Dr. Watson debugger would be used by advanced users to collect more information that could be later be used by someone who knows how to use the Windows Debugger.

Why didn't this fix my problem Internet Explorer, Outlook, etc? Unfortunately, another application crashed and then Dr. Watson crashes. I'm sorry, but this only fixes the Dr. Watson crash.

Why can't I open the file? The file is a registry file (.reg) and some anti-malware program may block access to it. In which case you will need to manually change the registry using the original article. Click here to read the original article.

Why does this problem occur? This problem occurs because Dr. Watson is processing the name of a file incorrectly and it causes the crashes. The current lifecycle of Microsoft Window XP fixes only security problems and the workaround is safe and easy. Click here to read the original article.

I hope that this helps you get rid of Dr Watson crashing after you already had another application crash.

John

The problem you have encountered has multiple causes (but is usually caused by Yahoo! Toolbar)

mattweber — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:14:45 GMT

You’ve presumably reached this page after being told that the system isn’t sure exactly what caused your problem. The short story is that the error reporting system isn’t perfect, and sometimes is unable to pinpoint a specific cause. The long(er) story can be read about here.

In this particular case, the predominant reason that you’ll see this response is a problem with an older version of Yahoo! Toolbar, for which a newer version should address the failure. You can always download the latest version of Yahoo! Toolbar here.

It’s also possible that you’ve gotten this response due to one or more other, unrelated issues. If you’re not using Yahoo! Toolbar, but are using either the MSN Toolbar or Windows Live Toolbar, you could potentially encounter this problem as well. You can get the latest version of MSN Toolbar here (note that the latest version requires Microsoft Silverlight to be installed as well). You can get the latest version of Windows Live Toolbar here.

If you’re not sure which, if any, of these components you have installed, click on the Tools menu (it should be under the search box at the top right of your browser window), hover over “Manage Add-ons” and then click on “Enable or Disable Add-ons”. This will show you a list of the currently loaded add-ons in IE, and you should be able to identify one of the toolbars or the Windows Live Favorites extension in this list.

If you have trouble locating any of the components that have been discussed, please feel free to respond to this post either via a comment or to me directly (mweber@microsoft.com) and I’ll do my best to help you sort this problem out.

Problem caused by Adobe Illustrator Shell Extension (aiicon.dll)

JohnBuk — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:26:51 GMT

Hello, you just arrived from the Windows Error Reporting site because you received the response that Windows Explorer crashed due to the Icons for Adobe Illustrator (aiicon.dll) file.

Aiicon.dll is a component from the Adobe Illustrator software by Adobe Systems Incorporated and is found under the Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop installation directory.

An example of the file directory is: “C:\Program Files\Adobe\Illustrator 8.0J\System\aiicon.dll”

The absence of this file causes Illustrator thumbnails to not be visible in Explorer; however, from what I have read on the Internet, Adobe Illustrator has not shipped with the file since CS2.

If you don't use icon views much in your day to day work, here is a workaround for this problem:

Complete the following steps when Illustrator is not running,

1. Click on Start and then Search
2. Type in aiicon.dll
3. If you find the file then right click on it, hit rename.
4. Change the name aiicon.dll to aiicon.old
5. Reboot Windows.

If you don’t find the file using search method then do following when the Illustrator is not running and hidden file view option is enabled.

1. Go to My Computer
2. Double click on ‘C’ drive
3. Go to Program files
4. Go to Adobe
5. Go to Illustrator (whichever version you have)
6. Go to System
7. Right click on the file and rename aiicon.dll to aiicon.old
8. Reboot Windows

You can also use Autoruns and disable the Adobe Illustrator Shell Extension, but if it registers itself again, the problem will start occurring.

This should prevent explorer from crashing due to the aiicon.dll

John

Problem caused by ALPS Touchpad Pointing Device Driver

mattweber — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:12:16 GMT

You've likely arrived at this blog post as a result of reading the response that you should contact HP for an update to the ALPS Touchpad Pointing Device Driver software. This software is responsible for providing access to enhanced functionality in HP (and other laptop manufacturer's) touchpad devices.

The version of the software you currently have installed is not the latest available from HP. To update to the latest version of this software, you should follow these steps:

Navigate to http://www.hp.com.
Click on the "Software & Driver Downloads" link on the left hand side of the page.
Select "Download drivers and software (and firmware).
Enter your product name (e.g. "Compaq Presario C700") or use HP's automatic product detection.
Select your OS (which is "Microsoft Windows Vista" if you're seeing this response).
Find the section titled "Driver - Keyboard, Mouse and Input Devices".
Click the link titled "ALPS Touchpad Pointing Device Driver".
Under "Step 3: Obtain software:" click on the filename (e.g. "sp38629.exe") or click the "Download only" button.
Download and run the file, following the instructions in the setup utility after the program begins executing. You may have to restart your computer at the end of this process.

Hopefully this process won't be too difficult, and you should stop seeing errors related to this software after applying this update. If you do encounter problems, or feel that the response or these instructions can be improved, please leave a comment here on the blog. You can also contact me directly via email at mweber@microsoft.com.

Additionally, if you've reached this response and your computer is not branded HP or Compaq, I'd like to hear from you!

Problem caused by Morpheus Toolbar (morpheustoolbar.dll)

JohnBuk — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:20:54 GMT

Hello, you just arrived from the Windows Error Reporting site because you received the response that Internet Explorer crashed due to the Morpheus Toolbar.

If you were to call into Microsoft about this problem and get me on the phone, this is what I would tell you:

Morpheus Toolbar is a peer-to-peer client to find files on the Internet. This toolbar runs within Internet Explorer and it causes Internet Explorer to crash because it’s accessing memory incorrectly. I would recommend contacting Morpheus to ask them to fix it or just uninstalling it. I’m personally very cautious of peer-to-peer programs and only run them in “virtual computers” using Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 because I’m wary of what files my computer comes in contact with on the Internet. If something bad happens, I can just delete the “virtual computer” instead of having to rebuild my entire “real” machine.

The toolbar add-on is usually installed in the following folder:

C:\Program Files\Morpheus Toolbar\morpheustoolbar.dll

In case you can't get back to the Windows Error Reporting page:

Click here to provide feedback to Morpheus.
Click here for uninstall instructions from the Morpheus web site.
Click here for instructions on how to disable an Add On in general.

We’ve already seen that uninstalling via the Control Panel sometimes crashes, and often results in an incomplete uninstall, so I would suggest uninstalling using the Morpheus uninstaller.

In case none of the above methods work for you, please follow these instructions:

1. From the Desktop, go to My Computer or Start | My Computer.

2. Navigate to the Morpheus Toolbar folder:

a. Double click C:
b. Double click Program Files.
c. Double click Morpheus Toolbar.

3. Find toolbaruninstaller.exe and double click on it.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall.

If the above un-installation method also fails, you can manually uninstall the application by taking the same steps that the uninstall utility usually takes:

1. Click Start
2. Type cmd in the Start Search text box, right-click cmd.exe, click Run as administrator, and then click Continue.
3. At the command prompt, type cd "C:\Program Files\Morpheus Toolbar\"
4. At the command prompt, type regsvr32 /u morpheustoolbar.dll, and then click OK in the dialog box that appears.
5. At the command prompt, type del morpheustoolbar.dll

If you discover that a new fixed version becomes available, please tell me so we can stop Internet Explorer from crashing.

Thanks,

John

Problem caused by Comcast PlayGames Gamesbar (oberontbd.dll)

JohnBuk — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:37:00 GMT

Hello, you just arrived from the Windows Error Reporting site, because you received the response that Internet Explorer was crashing due to the Comcast PlayGames GamesBar.

If you were to call into Microsoft about this problem and get me on the phone, this is what I would tell you:

Internet Explorer is open to many companies to write programs that run within it and they can cause it to crash. In this case, the oberontbd.dll is accessing memory improperly and crashing. The advice I can provide, is to contact ComCast and ask them to fix it or uninstall it. Or, you could just disable it temporarily and enable it just when you want to use it's features.

We have received comments that people don't think the add-on is installed. It could be that you are viewing an old report, but if not, this error is very specific to this add on crashing.

The add-on is usually located in the following directory.

C:\Program Files\GamesBar\oberontb.dll

In case you can't get back to the Windows Error Reporting Page:

Click here to how you can provide feedback to Comcast.

Click here for uninstall instructions.

Click here for instructions on how to disable an Add On.

To manually remove, please follow these instructions.

1. Click Start
2. Type cmd in the Start Search text box, right-click cmd.exe, click Run as administrator, and then click Continue.
3. At the command prompt, type cd "C:\Program Files\GamesBar\"
4. At the command prompt, type regsvr32 /u oberontb.dll, and then click OK.
5. At the command prompt, type del oberontb.dll

If you discover that a new fixed version becomes available, please tell us and we'll change the response so everyone knows!

Thanks,

John

Update 5/27/08: Per a user comment, updated blog to reflect manual method to uninstall if it is not appears as "GamesBar" in Manage Add ons or "GamesBar" in Uninstall a program.

How to disable an Internet Explorer Add On

JohnBuk — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:27:27 GMT

An Add On runs in the the same memory as Internet Explorer and is often the cause of a crash. In order to fix the problem, you need to contact the company that makes the Add On. If you want to stop Internet Explorer from crashing because of it, you can disable it and re-enable it when you really need it. Here are some simple instructions on how to disable an Internet Explorer Add On.

Start Internet Explorer the way that you usually start it.
On the Tools menu, point to Manage Add-ons, and then click Enable or Disable Add-ons. The Manage Add-ons dialog box opens.
In the Show box, click Add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer.
Under Name, click on the add-on in the list, and then under Settings, click Disable.
Close Internet Explorer and restart it.

Download updates for the ATI Event Utility (ati2evxx.exe)

JohnBuk — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Hello, you likely just arrived from the Windows Error Reporting site, because you are receiving the error that there was a problem caused by ati2evxx.exe. We’re sorry that you are getting this error, but we have worked with AMD and they have confirmed that this issue is fixed in their newer version of their software for desktop computers.

This download will NOT fix the problem for laptops, notebooks, and other mobile computers.

Your manfucturer of your mobile computer may have an updated driver package with the fix. We're working with the various manufacturers to see if we can get the new drivers posted on Windows Update or another convenient

Download for Desktop Computers Only

To get the file that no longer has the problem, you need to download and install the “Catalyst Software Suite” which contains the ATI Event Utility (ati2evxx.exe) which is a part of the Catalyst Control Center.

1. Click on the following link Catalyst Software Suite,

2. You will see the DRIVERS and TOOLS page and under Option 1, you should click on the download link “Catalyst Software Suite (32 bit) English”.

After you install the update and reboot, you can check to make sure that you have the newest version.

1. Click on Start

2. Click Search

3. Type in Ati2evxx.exe

4. Right click on ati2evxx.exe and click on Properties

5. Click Details tab to view the version number as seen below.

The versions with the problem are 6.14.10.4188 and less. The file version 6.14.10.4190 and greater are fixed and you should no longer crash in the same way.

If you install the software and the version isn’t different, please post your comments, because we would like to figure out why the file isn’t getting updated. If it's works, feel free to let us know that as well!

In your comment please provide us with the language version of Windows and the name of the display adapter you are using.

1. Start / Control Panel / System and Maintenance / Device Manager

2. Click on Display Adapters

3. Comment with the Display Adapter name

UPDATE 5/21/08: We have confirmed that the INF package does not contain the necessary PNP ID to properly install the update on video cards designed for laptop, notebooks, and other mobile computers. We have asked AMD to investigate the problem further. We've found that the update does not work on the following adapters. (I'll update the list as we confirm more.)

UPDATE 5/27/08: Please include your adapter type and whether or not the machine is a desktop or laptop.

Adapters known not to Update

ATI Mobility Radeon X2300
ATI Mobility Radeon X1300
ATI MOBILITY RADEON Xpress 200 Series
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
ATI RADEON XPRESS 200M Series
ATI Mobility Radeon X1700
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400

Thank-You

Welcome to the Problem Response Blog

JohnBuk — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:23:00 GMT

Greetings! The problem response blog is a place to share information across the community of people who help with responses WER (Windows Error Reporting). We post solutions and attempt to prevent problems from repeating. Every time you send your error report to Microsoft, it is like a vote to improve your specific issue.

Many problems are fixed in Service Packs, where they can be broadly tested. However, we also provide shorter term fixes or work around the problem through web-responses when an issue occurs. Our team concentrates on giving you relief to your problems now. We work across several groups internally and often we also work with other software companies when possible.

Today, we read your comments and work to improve the responses. Even with mini-dumps, there are times where we still don’t know why a particular solution works in some cases, and not others. To determine that, often we may need to even live-debug a system which is reproducing the problem. Many of our blog entries are a place to discuss a particular problem that interests you; and then everyone can gain from each other’s experience.

The majority of the blog entries will be referred from the response on the Windows Error Reporting site and are meant to solve those specific problems. Many of the solutions are targeted for a particular problem and may not be apply to just any issue that might be similar and found when just browsing this blog.