jnowlin
asked on
HELP! Media Player .OCX and SHELL32.DLL - Lost Playing Capability
Hi.
Recently, I created a simple Visual Basic program which used the MS Media Player Control, MSDXM.OCX. It was a little program which would show my brother and his new son and play two .WAV files.
Yesterday, I got to see my new nephew and attempted to run the Setup from the CD I brought with me.
Everything went wrong.
First, I received an error message saying that Setup could not register MSDXM.OCX. I uninstalled the application I had tried to install.
Then I tried to run a MPEG file and got the error message:
"The MSDXM.OCX file is linked to missing export SHELL32.DLL:ExtractionExW"
[OK]
Then,
"A device attached to the system is not functioning."
My brother called me this morning to tell me he's having some problems with the computer. He is having the same problem as was happening yesterday, with the same messages.
He HAS downloaded Media Player from Micorsoft's site, but he still cannot play anything that his version of media player can play.
Congratulations to me, I look like a total moron.
HOW CAN THIS BE FIXED and FIXED QUICKLY, without the need to re-install Windows95?
The date of his SHELL32.DLL file is December, 1996.
Jim
Recently, I created a simple Visual Basic program which used the MS Media Player Control, MSDXM.OCX. It was a little program which would show my brother and his new son and play two .WAV files.
Yesterday, I got to see my new nephew and attempted to run the Setup from the CD I brought with me.
Everything went wrong.
First, I received an error message saying that Setup could not register MSDXM.OCX. I uninstalled the application I had tried to install.
Then I tried to run a MPEG file and got the error message:
"The MSDXM.OCX file is linked to missing export SHELL32.DLL:ExtractionExW"
[OK]
Then,
"A device attached to the system is not functioning."
My brother called me this morning to tell me he's having some problems with the computer. He is having the same problem as was happening yesterday, with the same messages.
He HAS downloaded Media Player from Micorsoft's site, but he still cannot play anything that his version of media player can play.
Congratulations to me, I look like a total moron.
HOW CAN THIS BE FIXED and FIXED QUICKLY, without the need to re-install Windows95?
The date of his SHELL32.DLL file is December, 1996.
Jim
ASKER
How is MSDXM.OCX linked to SHELL32.DLL and why?
How was this link "severed"? SHELL32.DLL is an 'export'?
How was this link "severed"? SHELL32.DLL is an 'export'?
ASKER
Looking out on the Web, I see many FAQs talking about SHELL32.DLL. It appears to me to be one of Windows95's "heart and soul" entities. Some of the suggested solutions are to uninstall IE 4.0, or to install IE version 6.0.
I downloaded what may be the version of SHELL32.DLL - dated August 24, 1996.
One post stated it was only a file containing icons, a response to that post pointed out just how vital this is to Windows.
I'm not sure my brother has his Windows95 CD. He may have had it installed by a local PC person. So, if he can't re-install Windows95, if that turns out to be the solution, should he go for Windows ME, XP? He'll be so thrilled!
I could not find any info regarding a problem between Media Player (MSDXM.OCX) and SHELL32.DLL, nor was I able to find out info on the tail-end of the error message, after the colon:
SHELL32.DLL:ExtractionExW
:ExtractionExw??
I downloaded what may be the version of SHELL32.DLL - dated August 24, 1996.
One post stated it was only a file containing icons, a response to that post pointed out just how vital this is to Windows.
I'm not sure my brother has his Windows95 CD. He may have had it installed by a local PC person. So, if he can't re-install Windows95, if that turns out to be the solution, should he go for Windows ME, XP? He'll be so thrilled!
I could not find any info regarding a problem between Media Player (MSDXM.OCX) and SHELL32.DLL, nor was I able to find out info on the tail-end of the error message, after the colon:
SHELL32.DLL:ExtractionExW
:ExtractionExw??
From my understanding of the phrase "linked to missing export", I believe it is saying that msdxm.ocx is calling a routine called ExtractionExw that it expects to find in the file shell32.dll, but is not finding. Did your program replace the shell32.dll that was on your brother's computer? If your brother doesn't have the installation CD for his Win95, perhaps he has the .cab files in a directory called Windows\Options\Cabs. If no such directory exists, do a search for *.cab on his C: drive. Then follow the instructions in this MS Knowledge Base article to extract the file shell32.dll:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q129605
Q129605 How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files
If you have to choose between replacing his Win95 with either WinME or WinXP, I believe most experts at this site would probably recommend XP.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q129605
Q129605 How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files
If you have to choose between replacing his Win95 with either WinME or WinXP, I believe most experts at this site would probably recommend XP.
It might be a good idea for you to read this MS KB article, also, given the fact that your first error message was about Setup being unable to "register" msdxm.ocx, which I assume it is talking about the services of regsvr32.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q249873
Q249873 Explanation of Regsvr32 Usage and Error Messages
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q249873
Q249873 Explanation of Regsvr32 Usage and Error Messages
ASKER
LeeTutor,
"Did your program replace the shell32.dll that was on your brother's computer?"
>>I don't know for sure as yet.
Do you think this is a definite problem with SHELL32.DLL?
Couldn't my brother
1) copy the existing SHELL32.DLL into a temporary folder
2) copy the SHELL32.DLL I give him onto a floppy, start Windows in DOS (single-tasking) mode and attempt to overwrite it?
This, after probably changing its attributes with the attrib command.
Jim
"Did your program replace the shell32.dll that was on your brother's computer?"
>>I don't know for sure as yet.
Do you think this is a definite problem with SHELL32.DLL?
Couldn't my brother
1) copy the existing SHELL32.DLL into a temporary folder
2) copy the SHELL32.DLL I give him onto a floppy, start Windows in DOS (single-tasking) mode and attempt to overwrite it?
This, after probably changing its attributes with the attrib command.
Jim
ASKER
What if, by running the setup I ran, my setup installed a newer version of MSDXM.OCX than what WMP for Win95 requires? I remember a WMP version 6.4 for the older Windows Media Player. I believe that the VB program I used uses a later version of WMP.
Could the MSDXM.OCX Windows Media control be re-named and the WMP Setup be re-run?
???
Could the MSDXM.OCX Windows Media control be re-named and the WMP Setup be re-run?
???
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ASKER
OK. I seems like a good and simple starting point. I just need my brother to give me his current email address so that I can email him the potential steps he needs to take and telephone him to help him through it.
I'm fairly certain he told me his WMP was version 6.4.
I have 2 MSDXM.OCX files:
1 in D:\WINNT\SYSTEM32, dated 12/7/1999
the other is in Visual Basic's \Package\Support folder, dated 8/9/1999.
It's possible that even though this WMP control file didn't get registered properly, it got copied to his system folder and overwrote his original version of this file.
JN
I'm fairly certain he told me his WMP was version 6.4.
I have 2 MSDXM.OCX files:
1 in D:\WINNT\SYSTEM32, dated 12/7/1999
the other is in Visual Basic's \Package\Support folder, dated 8/9/1999.
It's possible that even though this WMP control file didn't get registered properly, it got copied to his system folder and overwrote his original version of this file.
JN
ASKER
That was it!
I had my brother rename the MSDXM.OCX - dated 12/7/99, same as mine - and he re-ran the WMP Setup.
All's well in the family once again!
Thanks.
Jim Nowlin
I had my brother rename the MSDXM.OCX - dated 12/7/99, same as mine - and he re-ran the WMP Setup.
All's well in the family once again!
Thanks.
Jim Nowlin
I had this very same problem and I found an article about it on Microsoft's knowledgebase. Basically the article said to rename any copies of msdxm.ocx to msdxm.old and to download Media Player 6.4 (in the case of Windows 95). After downloading, reinstall the media player and the correct version of msdxm.ocx will be installed. It worked perfectly for me.
ASKER
His wife is quite upset - "We look at these movies EVERY DAY."
Boy, I'm sure beginning to 'love' computers!
JNowlin