CAPI_Worker module
Posted: Fri 28 September, 2007 Filed under: Customer Services, Geeky, Getting Organised 18 Comments »A while back, I upgraded my phone to the Sony Ericsson K800i. Once I’d received the phone, I also installed the Sony-Ericsson PC Suite, so I could synchronise the phone and my PC (something that’s always a pain in the arse anyway). Ever since then, I’ve had an error come up every time I start the PC, telling me that the CAPI_Worker module has crashed. It’s not a big problem, but it’s an annoying one, because it also meant that while I could connect my phone to the PC for moving files around and the like, I couldn’t actually sync it – I synced OK the first time I installed the PC suite, but then it wouldn’t connect any more.
Anyway, last night I did some furkling (also known as “fucking about on t’internet, and searching Google in particular”) about the problem, and then had a play on the PC. Sony Ericsson themselves insist there’s no problem, and that if the CAPI_Worker module is crashing, you’ve got a dodgy install of Windows. Only that’s not the answer at all – fortunately, I read someone else’s post about that before I tried re-installing Windows. But I did find a fix. After the more link, it gets a bit geeky…
Basically, the CAPI_Worker module expects to find a COM port. But if you don’t use COM ports in general, then the only one that’s in use is the USB one for your phone, which is only “on” when the phone is connected. So if the phone is connected to the PC at start-up, a COM port exists, and CAPI_Worker doesn’t complain.
However, if you start up without the phone connected (as most people do) then CAPI_Worker can’t find any active COM ports, and crashes. It expects to find at least one, and if there are none it crashes, and won’t run again – hence why the phone won’t connect for syncing, but will for file-transfer, which doesn’t use the CAPI_Worker module.
So the fix is to go into your “Add hardware” section of the control panel, go through all the guff, and add a new COM port as hardware. It takes a few minutes to go through and set it up, but then when you’re done, CAPI_Worker will be happy, because there’ll always be a COM port, even though it’s not being used for anything. Then when you connect the phone, it works, and is available for syncing. At last.
The full set of steps is this:
- Start > Control Panel > Add Hardware
- Windows searches for hardware to add, can’t find any.
- When it says “Is the hardware connected?” select “Yes”. Next.
- In the following list, go to the bottom, and “Add a new hardware device”. Next.
- “Install the hardware that I manually select”. Next.
- “Ports (COM & LPT)”. Next.
- On the left, select “(Standard port types)” and on the right “Communications port”. Next.
- Next.
- Finish
And that’s it. 9 steps, and job done. You’ll need (as always with Windows) to do a restart at this point, so that CAPI_Worker can find the COM port and be happy.
After that, it’s all cool. I had to move the COM port to another COM number, as it initially dropped my wireless network connection, but that’s not really a struggle either.
Now it would just be nice if Sony Ericsson acknowledged this as an issue with their buggy software, rewrote the module so that it recognises there might not be an active COM port, and doesn’t crash every time, but there we go. At least there’s a fix now that actually works…
Hi,
Sorry, I applied the procedure, but nothing has changed, CAPI_Worker is still crashing at pc windows XP pro starting.
Anymay thanks for your help.
Marc
Sony Ericsson K810i
Thanks a lot for your help. It works perfectly with Vista Ultimate and my Sony Erricson K610i
Hi. Tried the solution, which is explained very nicely. Worked a treat. Running Vista basic. Same cause as explained above – installing Sony Ericsson software suite. Thanks for the fix. Very much appreciated.
Hi,
Your tips has partially solved my problem wich was a little bit different. In fact, I didn’t receive the error message at startup but the first time I lost the Bluetooth connection, either when I switched off the bluetooth on my mobile (Sony Ericsson S500i) or when I went to frigo to take a beer ;-))
Anyway I don’t have the message anyway, thanks a lot.
But, It remains that when the bluetooth connection is lost, it’s impossible to re-connect it after (with Sony Ericsson PC Suite only, itsill works with Bluetooth Information Exchanger\File Transfer). The only solution is, like often with Windows, to reboot my computer ;-))
This is the current response that SE are giving to this problem:
Thank you for your query regarding the Sony Ericsson PC Suite.
This issue is more down to Windows than the PC Suite, in order for the software to work correctly it requires two COM ports.
In some cases like you have stated it is not working correctly till you create a Virtual Com Port. It is down to Windows Installer to create these ports when installing the Suite. What you are doing when creating the COM port is basicaly finishing off what Windows should have done for you.
Thanks mate- that was really helpful!
thank you so much , your tip work fine
Hi having been given a k800i after my son upgraded his I too found it unable to use the photo suite having carried out a very similar procedure it now works perfectly, I had the disk with the phone but found the downloaded version from the Sony-Ericsson site better, also further info the phone was locked to Vodaphone because the type of contract my son had the local Vodaphone shop unlocked it free of charge therefore worth trying them before paying for an unlock,
Many thanks for the information
Oh, fantastic. It really work. Thx.
F the Sony Erisson
è¬è¬ä½ !
Nice one, worked a treat, thank you very much, as you said it wasn’t too bad but was just very annoying!!
je veux mettre une autre carte SIM (SIM card) sur mon téléphone portable mais la compagnie que j’avais fais acquisition du téléphone portable avais mis un code dessus pour bloquer les carte SIM des autres compagnie téléphonique. Que dois-je faire pour le déblocage?
merçi,
while connecting w850 sony ericsson mobile with pc suite,it ill encountered a problem like usb device not recognized,wt to do?
I tried that for my K750i but the problem remains. If you have anymore solution, please mail me at [email deleted by site owner]
shazan
thanks a lot dude it was realy helpful!!
I have bought sony ericsson K750i, and I am finding it dificult to installed its PC Suite 1.20.173 software attached to it on my vista run computer.It always tells me it is only suitable for windows xp or windows 2000. Can I be helped? Thank you.
‘Capi worker module has stopped working’ displays in my window 7 starter.i try to apply your solution.on control panel,i found/click only add a device.it didn’t find any hardware or give ‘next’ option.pls solve this. How can i configure sony ericsson w810i to browse with mobile phone using opera mini/microemulator on pc.thanks
it actualy worked thanks. Lets hope my pc using window xp will now
work properly with my k770i ericsson
you in put pls…
Start >Control Panel
“Add Hardware” = not shown.
“Add a device” = shown under “Hardware and Sound”.
on Win 7 Ultimate
Thanx!