Rundll32.exe?

[Jack Jones]

Hey all,
I have a very strange problem with a client PC, when any user logs on to
the machine a dialog box appears saying it cannot find a certain program
(can't remember what, but not any system .exe), After you click ok the
system becomes unstable, Practically everything I try to run returns the
error - rundll32.exe cannot find the application you are trying to run -
however if I choose Run As and select Owner all the apps run fine (except
regedit which says the Admin has restricted this??)

BTW this is the Home Edition of XP,

I have tried a system restore which seems to have only 1 checkpoint when the
last service pack was installed, in event viewer I notice that the service
pack did not finish installing. There is no Snap-In on Home edition for
Local Secuiry Policies so I cannot see this being a policy issue.


Has anyone any ideas?

Thanks

[DE]

Jack Jones wrote:
> Hey all,
> I have a very strange problem with a client PC, when any user logs on to
> the machine a dialog box appears saying it cannot find a certain program
> (can't remember what, but not any system .exe), After you click ok the
> system becomes unstable, Practically everything I try to run returns the
> error - rundll32.exe cannot find the application you are trying to run -
> however if I choose Run As and select Owner all the apps run fine (except
> regedit which says the Admin has restricted this??)
>
> BTW this is the Home Edition of XP,
>
> I have tried a system restore which seems to have only 1 checkpoint when the
> last service pack was installed, in event viewer I notice that the service
> pack did not finish installing. There is no Snap-In on Home edition for
> Local Secuiry Policies so I cannot see this being a policy issue.
>
>
> Has anyone any ideas?
>
> Thanks
>
>

Anti-virus software: get it, use it, keep it up to date.

The error you're seeing is usually because a virus has been partially
removed; RUNDLL is trying to load that file & can't find it, but the
symptoms you describe indicate the system is hardly clean.

It could alternatively be adware/spyware or a trojan, but the idea is the
same.

If you run MSCONFIG you will see what program RUNDLL is trying to load,
and that may indicate what the virus was, anyway .. but being more precise
and complete in your tech support posts will help to get you the best and
most-appropriate answers rather than a general one as provided here.

--
DE