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Title
msxml3.dll error -
Description
Getting a "Spotlight encountered an error" message and cannot connect to 2nd diagnostic server. -
Resolution
The Spotlight client uses the msxml3.dll library to write changes to its configuration. This library is provided by Microsoft, and is subject to permissions enforced by Internet Explorer options.
The file it is trying to write to is found in a folder similar to:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Quest Software\Spotlight\1CE97E8D38AE
Three points to note:
- "username" will be the account name of the person who installed/runs the Spotlight client
- The "AppData" folder is hidden by default, so it may not appear in Windows Explorer.
- The folder starting with "1CE9..." will be called something else on another machine. (This is a machine-generated folder name)
In this folder is a config.xml file. Open the file with Notepad, and without changing it, press Ctrl-S to save it...
If you get a "save as" dialogue, then chances are the file is set to be read-only, or has some other file-level permissions issue preventing Spotlight from updating it.
If the file saves properly, (no noticeable behavior from Notepad) then the problem will be due to your Internet Explorer settings.
Try to explicitly launch Spotlight as the administrator. (If you launch Spotlight from a shortcut on your desktop or the start menu, right click and choose "Run as Administrator") You should then try to change the Diagnostic Server address. If your administrator has sufficient rights, this will allow the setting to be persisted. After this, you can close Spotlight and restart it normally.