rundll32.exe - I can't change anything on my control panel. I cannot access sytem restore from the accessories tab and this PC doesn't have internet access. How can I fix this so my 5 year old can play games?

rich, July 2007

RunDLL32.exe is in itself harmless - it's a neccesary part of Windows. The problem comes from malware/badly coded programs/etc. These commonly use RunDLL32 to open popups, run keyloggers, etc., but it is also vital to many ligitimate processes. Don't remove it - just try to find out what's running it, then remove that. In the meantime, kill the process using Task Manager. Remember, something legit may be using it too, so use info like the "Mem Usage" & "CPU" to guess at which it is... generally though there'll only be one "rundll32.exe" process running, the bad one, if indeed any.

WebMaster, August 2007

Assuming XP SP2 - you don't say.

1. Put the Windows XP CD ROM disk in the CD ROM drive.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. Type expand X:\i386\rundll32.ex_ c:\windows\system32\rundll32.exe in the Open box, where X is the letter of your CD ROM Drive.
4. Restart the computer.

t, July 2007