Electronics & Computers Deals here!
Community Newsletter: Q&A: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe
- 9/8/05 5:37 PM
7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe
by Lee Koo (ADMIN) - 9/8/05 5:37 PM
Question:
My question is both simple and complex. It's simple because I can put it to you simply. My computer has lost--that is, ''cannot find''--something called a rundll32.exe file. What is it, and where did it go? But it's complex because I've had this thing in a repair shop (twice); they installed (or said they did) what supposedly cannot be found. The machine worked well at the shop. But when I got it home and connected it up, it STILL could not find this thing. It keeps telling me it's needed to open certain e-mail attachments friends send me. This doesn't make any sense to me. Can you seculate/explain? I'm pushing 70, and all my kids are out of the nest--no help there. Please answer in jargon-free English. Running Windows
Me.
Submitted by: Allen O.
Please submit your answer for Allen below in this thread. Thank you!
Missing file
by Spockva - 7/22/05 5:24 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Perhaps you have thought of this and maybe even tried it, look on the original Windows ME disk for the file and then copy it into the folder it is supposed to be in. There is also the tried and true method of restoring it, doing a reinstall of ME. My personal favorite method to fix it however is to upgrade to XP and enjoy the stability and improved performance of that new os. Of course not knowing the age of your computer or the particulars of its equipment, you might not be able to upgrade to XP with your present configuration.
regsrv32.exe
by brewnetty - 7/22/05 10:27 AM In reply to: Missing file by SpockvaJust copying the missing file into your Windows\system folder won't show the registry where to access it. You also need to run regsrv32.exe from a command prompt to register it.
start,run,regsrv32.exe /kernel32.dll
CAB Files
by edge_bit - 7/22/05 2:53 PM In reply to: Missing file by SpockvaThe only problem with that is that he probably needs RUNDLL32.EXE to even open the Cab files and look for the file he wants. ;P
Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe
by drycos1 - 7/22/05 5:41 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If you have the operating system disc you might try putting it in the cd rom and then go to command prompt and type in ''sfc /scannow''(be sure and put a space between sfc and/), without the quotation marks..If you can't find the command prompt just click on start, run,,and type it in the run box and click ok. This will scan all your protected system files and hopefully replace them..It does in win 2k...I'm not sure about me but it may help.. Hope this helps
Windows Me and SFC
by littleviking26 - 7/22/05 8:09 AM In reply to: Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by drycos1Sorry guys, but Me doesn't use the system file checker (sfc) command. It uses System File Protection and (supposedly!?!) automatically replaces system files that have been altered. Missing rundll32.exe sounds to me like interference from a program conflict or virus/spyware.
A Standard Diagnostic Routine For 'Missing Component' Errors
by Marc Demarest - 7/22/05 5:42 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
1. Don't assume the error message is accurate. MSFT's
error messages are sometimes bogus, text-wise. (Anyone
remember the Word 6 error messages when you'd exceeded
the max number of OLE objects in a doc?)
2. Make sure the file exists on your hard drive. You have to unset all Explorer's "hide info from dumb user" options (see all files, see their extensions, etc.)
3. Search the boot drive (and other drives on which programs are stored, if you've spread programs around) exhaustively. Sometimes it helps to have a third-party disk management tool to do that. Make sure the file mentioned in the error message is physically present
in some directory.
4. Make sure that directory is in a path likely to be searched by an application. The PATH spec (run 'set' from a DOS command line to see it) is still real, I think -- stuff outside the PATH spec, and also not in an .exe's local directory, $WINDOWS or $SYSTEM directories may not get found even if it's present. To test, copy the supposedly missing file into $WINDOWS and see if that helps.
5. If the file is present and in a likely directory, consult the knowledge base for the application to make sure that there isn't a filing saying "Bogus error message 'can't find XXXX'" with a solution to the problem.
6. If there isn't a known problem, deinstall and reinstall the offending application (which is not likely to be the application that contains the supposed missing file, when that file is a shared DLL or an OS helper like rundll...it's likely to be the application that can't find it....Outlook, Joe's HTML Editor, etc.)
7. If that fails, punt and file bug reports with the OS supplier and the app supplier.
Missing rundll32.exe
by SSS - 7/22/05 5:46 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
have a look at this web link.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=164787
and this patch for your Outlook Express
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS04-013.mspx
hope that helps you
Windows ME missing dll
by judy4net - 7/22/05 5:48 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Try this site:
http://www.dll-files.com/
Easy Answer -- Piece of Cake !!
by JamesMeinken - 7/22/05 5:51 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My nephew's daughter had the same problem last Spring. This file simply ''disappeared'' and she was unable to use her Word and PowerPoint programs amongst others that were also non-functioning.
Since it's a Microsoft OS file, you aren't about to find it anywhere on the Internet. You need a 2nd computer with Windows ME installed. Use your Find command off the Start button to locate the file and copy the file to a floppy disk or a flash drive (it's only a 24KB size file so burning it to a disk seems wasteful of the disk) and then re-copy the file to both the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM and C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 folders in the target ME computer.
The proper place for this file is in the SYSTEM32 folder but also putting it in the SYSTEM folder keeps a spare copy available should this problem happen again. Reboot and you're ready to go!
Rundll32.exe missing.
by shady02 - 7/22/05 5:55 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You may want to check for multiple copies of the file. I encountered the error once using older shareware that moved the current version of the DLL, and replaced it with and older one. If you are using any older software packages (Shareware CD's, Old games, etc) try uninstalling them and putting the correct version of the DLL back where it belongs. Then reinstall your software until the error re-occurs. That will let you know what the offending software is.
-Mitch
Missing Rundll32.exe
by hydrod - 7/22/05 6:49 AM In reply to: Rundll32.exe missing. by shady02No problem, you can find your missing file at the following link
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/winfiles.html
Just copy the above and paste it in your address box.
At the above link you will find windll32.exe all you need to do is download it to your desktop or anywhere else on your computer (that you know where it went) open windows explorer and copy the file to:
c:\windows\system
That's it. You can if you want also put it into
c:\windows\system32
But it really isn't necessary.
Reboot and your done.
NOTE: The above is all well and good but before I'd do all of this, It would be stupied of me not to tell you to run a scan of your computer for Ad-ware and Spy-ware, also run a virus scan, these little critters can and will mess up your system in all sorts of ways. You can download a neat little program called Spybot from www.download.com (it's Free) just take your time and follow the promps and you'll be fine. You do have a Virus program right! If not get one... Update it and run it.
Hope this helps
John
Cajun Computer Upgrades
New Orleans
The simplest solution
by photoguy38 - 7/22/05 6:22 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The file you are describing is part of the operating system; the quickest way to replace it is to re-install Windows. I think Windows ME will allow you to reinstall Windows while saving your settings and programs, but your best bet would be to start out fresh; format and reinstall. If your computer came with a restore disk, that should have Windows on it and you can simply run the disk to install. The only downside to that is having to reinstall all your programs and settings. I had this same problem as a new user with Windows 98 and found this to be the only solution to this problem. I would really suggest an upgrade to XP if your computer is recent enough.....I think so if your are running ME. Windows ME is in my opinion kind of clunky and weird and I was much happier with XP. But this is my opinion.
A format usually takes care of anything, I have eliminated viruses twice in the past with a format; the bonus was that my system ran like new and made it quite an easy solution. When all else fails me I format and re-install; everything else is just too complicated.
Missing rundll32.exe - Bogus Error Message
by johndmes - 7/22/05 7:16 AM In reply to: The simplest solution by photoguy38Firstly, relax a bit. I's not what you think.
First, a bit of information (knowledge = power):
Rundll32.exe is a ESSENTIAL part of Windows Me. Without it, your Outlook program would not run at all, nor would most of Windows. RunDLL's purpose in life is to allow the Windows operating system to use routines contained in what are called Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) as if they were programs. Without it, many Windows functions would not work (Active Desktop would come to a crashing halt, background pictures in anything other than .BMP format wouldn't display, Outlook couldn't access the Internet), so it's probrably up and running without you knowing it.
To make sure yo have it is simple: You need to open My Computer, open C:, open the Windows folder. Click the message that says "Show files", then open the System folder. Go to the Tools menu, select View Options, and make sure that the "Hide system files" option is UNCHECKED, and check the "Show extensions" box. Then select Apply, then OK. In the System window, scroll down to the Rs, and look for rundll32.exe. You should see it. If not, there's a way to recover it from your original Windows installation media (disk or CD), it's not for the faint-hearted though.
Since the specific error you're gettiong is in Outlook, that tells me that an attachment to a message (either a graphic, or something more sinister) is trying to spawn a process (MS's fancy name for a program). If the rest of your system runs OK, I'd get rid of the offending message, as that kind of thing is highly indicative of a virus trying to infect the system and failing, for whatever reason. make sure that that message is coming from a trusted source (i.e. someone you know and trust), or I'd just get rid of it.
Troubleshooting rundll32 can be somewhat arcane, since if rundll32 cannot find the DLL it's supposed to run a routine from, it'll look like rundll32 crashed or didn't exist even when it does - what's meant is that whatever rundll32 tried to run didn't exist, not rundll32.exe itself.
Anyway, hope this helps you a bit.
(For Windows XP peeps out there, rundll32.exe is the earlier, less smart version of the Windows XP svchost.exe)
Missing rundll32
by wesley s - 7/22/05 6:50 AM In reply to: 7/22/05 Windows Me: Need help with Missing rundll32.exe by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Allen,
Go to this site: http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/winfiles.html#rundll32
download the Windows ME version of rundll32 and unzip it into your C:\Windows folder.
wesley s
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
