# Zeiss AxiObserver Main controller2 board -PmcMain.exe, xml exception error **URL:** \ **Category:** Hardware\ **Created:** [July 8, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://forum.microlist.org/t/zeiss-axiobserver-main-controller2-board-pmcmain-exe-xml-exception-error/3391 "2026-07-08T17:44:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GGasp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@GGasp](https://forum.microlist.org/u/GGasp)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://forum.microlist.org/t/zeiss-axiobserver-main-controller2-board-pmcmain-exe-xml-exception-error/3391/1 "2026-07-08T17:44:22Z")
* * * Hi all, Hoping someone here has hit this specific failure before, or has hands-on experience with the MainController2 board internals. ![IMG_2031 2](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/microlist/original/2X/d/ddf7fec9bdf6603968b61ab9b91edee1c17348bc.jpeg) **System:** Zeiss Axio Observer.Z1 **Controller board:** Garz & Fricke MainController2 V1.1, **OS on board:** Windows CE 6.0 **Symptom:** `PmcMain.exe` fails to boot/execute due to a corrupt XML configuration file on the controller. The stand no longer initializes properly and MTB cannot establish a working session with it. **What I’ve tried so far:** 1. **Ethernet (FTP/Telnet)** — can reach the board, but write access appears locked down; can’t push a replacement XML this way. 2. **Serial console** via PuTTY— doesn’t connect. 3. **MTB2004 “Force Write Hardware Configuration”** — there’s a brief moment, microscope is connected to the MTB, confirmed via check connection in MTB but the window isn’t enough to force a rewrite. Has anyone successfully forced a full XML config restore onto this board via an alternate method and I am also looking for a used MainController2 board if anyone has this around. Any pointers, would be genuinely helpful at this point. Thanks in advance. * * *