PCTech Forums

can anyone help me with this problem i have with my PC, i am running XP on an AMD athlon 2.6 gig with 256mb ram.........every time i shut down my outlook express after reading my emails an error message occours as shown below, it usually happens when MSN MESSENGER is open too

msimn.exe application error ....the instruction at "0x77f83907" referenced memory at "0x009a4864",the memory could not be written.

is this a hardware or software issue?
what is msimn?
can anyone help with this????

There are couple reasons why this could be happening
1. The Outcmd.dat file may be corrupted.
Rename the Outcmd.dat file to Outcmd.old and restart Outlook. The Outcmd.dat file stores toolbar and menu settings. If the file is not available when Outlook starts, the file is rebuilt using the default settings.
2. Your .dbx files are marked as Read Only.
Click Start, click Find (or Search) and then click Files and Folders.
In the Name field, type *.dbx, and then set the search to include local hard drives.
Click Find Now or Search Now, and when the results are displayed, click the In Folder column heading to group items by location. Note the locations of the files found and then use Windows Explorer to navigate to the directory that contains your current store.
Right click the first file in the folder, click Properties, on the General tab, click to uncheck the Read Only check box, and then click OK.
Repeat step 4 for each file in the folder and test Outlook Express.

cant seem to find the *.dbx file in my computer..........does it make a difference that im in the uk ??????

Some files may be hidden. To see hidden files, open explorer. Go to Tools, Folder Options, and click on the View tab. Uncheck the Hide files boxes. Then try your search again.

still struggling guys.................i should have said im on Xp !!!! and it still doesnt find the *.dbx

By default, your .dbx files, in WinXp, are stored in:C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{XXXXXXXX-XXXX-1234-ABCD-XXXXXXXXXXXX}\Microsoft\Outlook Express
brad

ok thanks brad i found it and none of them are read only, i am having trouble finding The Outcmd.dat file how will i find it!! thanks for the support guys

Try looking in: C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook
brad

still no joy chaps..........................where would i fond the outcmd.dat file!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you do a search for outcmd.dat ? Did you do, as suggested, change your file setting to "Show Hidden/System Files"?
Did you look where I suggested above? brad

brad...............ive done averything you said and my microsoft folder doesnt contain a folder called outlook!!!! anymore ideas!!!!

This appears to be my fault; the information I supplied above came from the Microsoft knowledge base it was wrong.
I am running Windows XP with Outlook Express 6.0
When I did a search of my system, I too found no Outcmd.dat file anywhere. I also run Norton Anti-virus and I have the Norton Protected files enabled. I also know that windows uses temp directories that it clears on exit of a program. So I used the UnErase feature and found the Outcmd.dat in there. So Outlook Express must create this file on startup and delete it on exit.
I remember that when I did a search at Microsoft for your problem, I also found an article about a corrupted registry could also cause this problem and there were registry edit instruction.
Let me research this again and see what else I can come up with.

thanks for you time and patients guys, i know this is a tough one as the software helpline guys are at a loss

Sorry, efiste2.... I have WinXp and run Outlook and Outlook Express 6. My Outcmd.dat is where I told you. You must not have Outlook installed. Everything I've found so far shows that Outcmd.dat is specific to Outlook and not OE.

You may want to try some of the suggestions in this . Many folks are having the same specific problem.


As far as your error message goes, have you tried updating the latest SP for Outlook Express 6?

You can also try doing a "sfc /scannow" with the Windows XP CD in your CD-ROM drive and it'll verify that all your files are okay.

Still searching... Ley us know. brad

You could have a corrupted msimn.exe file, have you installed the Q330994 service patch from Microsoft?
If not then I would suggest that you go and download this service patch.
It will replace the msimn.exe file with an updated one