My optical drive quit working for DVD's (nothing happens/no errors displayed) and startups prompt... "Program Error - VMIS.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error log will be created" and prompts that Wnspi.dll cannot be found, attempts at starting that program's VAIO Media Console's start/stop server fails to start server. Likely this's due to my having removed my VAIO's Media Center and associated VAIO media/server programs: And as the DVD play issue existed before doing that and the removals didn't restore the DVD play, I restored these programs using system restore. Used the VAIO help & support troubleshooter w/o remedy. The only thing I haven't been able to troubleshoot there, involves the optical drive's drivers and decoders which might fix things if I update or reinstall them but the VAIO links are broken to the listed driver and decoder sources. Plus, even if I do google and locate sources for drivers and decoders, I'm only guessing that by following the drive's properties>drive updating prompts that at least I can reinstall or update the drivers. As for the decoders, I'm at a loss as to how to install them. Also, I cannot get Sony e-Support to answer whether or not the Maxell HS and TDK DVD's can damage the VAIO's Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-K12D driver and recorder. It seems they absolutely refuse to answer in e-mail form even though both DVD mfgr's 'clearly' state that VAIO's w/my specific Pioneer drive "may" be damaged and to contact Sony for updating the drive before using the DVD's. As Sony refuses to answer in writing my simple question and their website fails to address anything about the HS DVD's problems if used on VAIO's, I double-checked their available updates and no Pioneer drive updates are available and yet the mfgr's specify my particular drive and computer mfgr. Regards and hap-e-trails, Steve Hopper

I'll bet the file it's looking for is WINASPI.DLL. If so, do a goolge search for a program called Force ASPI. There are many places you can download it from. Download it and run it and it will replace the missing/corrupt winaspi.dll file. Reboot and you should be fine.

Are you running SP2 on a Sony VAIO and you have such a dll? Why would you believe I need that dll? And oddly, for whatever reasons, quite some time after installing the "Wnaspi32.dll", 'my' Intervideo's WinDVD5 quit prompting about that missing dll. I searched my OS for your mentioned dll and it is not on my OS. Regards and hap-e-trails, Steve Hopper

I just downloaded ForceASPI 1.8 and using it to get the ASPI layers straightened out as far as players and recorders go. As for the VMIS.exe errors and getting the VAIO Media Center and associated VAIO media/server programs working again, and whether or not I'll need to work on the optical drive's drivers and decoders, I'll have to get back with everybody on that. Thanks again for the reply. Regards and hap-e-trails, Steve Hopper

Well I've done it now. After installing the ASPI layers and then removing the problem drive (so it could reinstall it's driver), while that restored my ability to play DVD's again, I then tried getting the VAIO Media program to work (at least to get it and its VAIO Media Integrated Server to 'start the servers'. All attempts fail as it repeatedly times out. So it seems I really put my foot in it by first unistalling the VAIO Media suite (using add/remove as no uninstall files are afforded VAIO users). Then I tried reinstalling it, but after using the exe's, none of the VAIO Media programs would show up in my add/remove programs list. So like an idiot, figuring that the VM suite wouldn't work (wasn't working) as I still couldn't get the servers started, I used system restore to try and get the suite (I was guessing) 'fully reinstalled' by at least being able to see the suite in the add/remove programs list. In that my model of VAIO is disallowed from being afforded an "Application Recovery" CD (for reinstalling individual programs that become corrupt or erased), I figured to get the suite back into the A/R progs list that I needed to use system restore which reconfigured the computer back to the time to just before I 'removed' the suite from the A/R progs list. While that succeeded, I still couldn't get the servers started. Frustrated, I decided to dumo the damned suite (again) and found I can't get the suite off the A/R progs list. All the right pops are seen when 'removing' the VM 4.0 part of the suite, except the unloading bar won't advance (indicating it isn;t unloading all the files). Plus the other VM suite applications (seen in the A/R progs list) produce an error everytime I try to 'remove' those VM suite applications. The error says 'Setup.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close..sorry for the inconvenience'. That error is accompanied by another popup titled "Program error" and it's message body says "set18.tmp has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error log is being created". Checking the VAIO's error log shows nothing more except the same details. And contacting Sony eSupport and Customer Service results in them telling me that I must have a virus or spyware that's causing the problems, and to format! Except for all the rootkits that Sony, Symantec and likely Big Brother's as well, despite my using RootkitDetector to try and see if I have any identifiable rootkits installed (scans show none but the usual dozen or so), I'm left now to try using HJT to verify that I have no spyware or viruses. I doubt HJT will resolve anything as I religiously use an array of free and paid for AS progs and keep my NIS 2005 updated and scanning almost daily. So it looks like I'll be formatting the damned machine. And I may decide to (as other recommend) not install any updates or patches (Sony or MS) and simply rely on using a complete backup (kept on my external HD) to restore the machine anytime it begins to look like it has any issues. Get this, Sony tried telling me that they would be requiring me to pay for support and admitted after I refused to pay them anything, that regardless if I paid or not that 'all they could do is to tell me to format'! It seems obvious that Chrony, oops, Sony knows they have bugs (like all software providers) and refuse to fix them and instead are telling their customers to format to 'workaround' (key word is "WORK") the issues by formatting. Since the OS is still working (less the VM suitein which it's single potential advantage is that users can store their media on the VAIO servers instead of our own HD's), I've a mind to wait for XP to come out with their latest fiasco and try that instead of wasting time formatting to the present XP. Ans as I can't even "upgrade" to Pro because Chrony' is holding my OS hostage by refusing to give me the missing XP Home's files, and as XP Pro is required to install the full version of VAIO Media ("Center Edition"), it looks like I will be needing to buy XP Pro. My friends all warned me about buying a Chrony. Regards and hap-e-trails, Steve Hopper