Ask a new question

DLL could not be found

I have an older dell laptop running XP. when I startup I get an small box with the error message DLL could not be found. When I click OK it goes away. Is this something I need to fix because it is affecting my computer. Or should I just continue to ignore it?
I have an older dell laptop running XP. when I startup I get an small box with the error message DLL could not be found. When I click OK it goes away. Is this something I need to fix because it is affecting my computer. Or should I just continue to ignore it?
It is recommended to perform scan using:

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Make sure your system is clean first. use CCleaner to get rid of junk files: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Perform scan for spyware also using superantispyware http://www.superantispyware.com/

You could also use this one http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/eek/

Also scan for viruses using your antivirus program and make sure it is uptodate. if you don't have one then I recommend Avast FREE antivirus.

It is recommended to perform all scans in Safe made with networking so that you can use internet to update your programs.

If above did not fix the problem then:


Go to msconfig (type in search box in startmenu or run in xp then press enter) then prepare your PC for clean boot by disabling all start up items and none windows services then restart your computer. See if it make a difference? if it did then you have to find out which ones caused the problem.


Also make sure your windows is uptodate and drivers are working properly and they are uptodate too.


Uninstall programs you don't use or you have recently installed that might have caused the problem.

Uninstall toolbars, any registry cleaners or any other unused or rarely used third party programs. 



You can also visit my blog here: http://safeworldwidewebsurfing.blogspot.co.uk/ for more tips on how to surf web safely!

1 person found this reply helpful

·

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn't help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

I guess you are not going to tell us exactly what the message says or how it is affecting your computer and we don't know anything about your system except it is an older Dell laptop, so here are some general ideas based on similar sounding issues:


It is sometimes easy to get rid of the error message by doing something like disabling the startup item in msconfig (if you can even find it), but I suggest you fix the problem and not just fix the symptom of the problem by merely eliminating the startup message.

I would also not recommend that you start poking around in the registry to try and find the startup item and remove it unless you have a backup of your system or at least a backup of your registry since there is no "undo" or "quit without saving" option in regedit.  If you make a mistake, that's it.

Those ideas offer "quick" and sometimes risky relief of the symptom if they even work at all, but they may not actually fix the problem.  I would also be wary of ideas that begin with the words "try".  You do not need to try things, you need to fix things.  You don't need to try ideas that might work, you need to do something that is always going to work all the time.

Here are comprehensive instructions that will keep you safe and resolve your issue the "right" way.

A "Cannot find...", "Cannot start..., "Cannot load...". "Could not run..." Cannot run" "Error loading..." or "specific module could not be found" message at startup is usually related to malware that was set to run at startup but the referenced file(s) has been deleted after a malware scan leaving behind a registry entry or startup item pointing to a file that does not exist.  

It could be from a malicious software removal or an uninstalled application.  The entry may have a curious looking name since it was probably generated at random when the malware was installed. If you search your system for the referenced file, you may not even find it.

Windows is trying to load this file but cannot locate it since the file was mostly likely removed during a scan for malicious software. However, an associated orphaned startup parameter or registry entry remains and is telling Windows to load the file when you boot up or login.

You need to remove the referenced entry so Windows stops trying to load or run the file. It may or may not be in the registry but you can find it.  Autoruns (see below) will find the item no matter where it is. 

You need to be sure to fix the problem and not just fix the symptom of the problem by simply relieving your system of the displaying message - that is not a fix (there is a difference).

If you just locate and uncheck the item in msconfig, that disables the item but does not remove the reference to the bogus startup item from your computer.   The msconfig program is not a startup manager, it is a troubleshooting tool.  Disabling things in msconfig to put a stop to the messages and thinking your problem is resolved is short sighted and leaves behind a sloppy XP configuration.  Merely disabling the display of a startup error message should not count as a "solution" to the problem.

If you are comfortable editing the registry you can search for and remove the reference directly from there or remove it using a popular third party tool called Autoruns.  The problem may not always be found in the registry though.

Before making any changes to your registry by hand or with third party tools, be sure to make a backup of the registry first. There is no undo or quit without saving option in regedit.

Here is a link to a popular registry backup tool:


You can also use Autoruns to find the leftover startup item no matter where it is hiding.  Autoruns does not install anything on your computer.  It will display all of the startup locations where the reference might be so you can disable it or delete it completely.  Here is the download link for Autoruns:


Launch Autoruns.exe and wait for it to finish populating the list of entries.

When Autoruns is finished scanning your system, it will say "Ready" at the bottom left corner.  Autoruns can be a little intimidating at first if you have never see it before since it displays a lot of information.  You are really only interested in a couple sections.

The problem item is usually in the system startup or user startup entries so click the Logon tab and see if the startup item is there.

Scroll through the list and look for a startup entry related to the file(s) in the error message.

If you don't find it in the Logon tab, look for it in the Everything tab.

You can also click File, Find to search the Logon or Everything tab for all or part of the name of the item.

Right-click on the offending entry and choose to delete it.  If you are not sure what it is, you can just disable it (uncheck the entry), reboot and if the issue is resolved and things are running normally and everything is working okay, then delete the offending entry.  If you don't see it in Autoruns you may have to edit the registry and remove the item from the Startup folder there.  Autoruns should display the same information though.

Since your system has or has had an infection, follow up with this:

Perform some scans for malicious software, then fix any remaining issues:

No matter what else you are using for malicious software protection, do this:

Download, install, update and do a quick scan (not at the same time) with these free malware detection programs:

SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS):  http://www.superantispyware.com/

SAS will probably just report a bunch of Internet tracking cookies, but you can delete those.  Once you have done at least one full scan, you can do the quick scans in the future to save time and save the full scans for when you have more time or are really suspicious of a system infection.

They can be uninstalled later if desired.

In 1985, there were 11 known computer viruses.  Today, there are more than1,122,311 and new threats are detected every day.  Always update your virus definitions before performing a scan.

Reboot your computer and troubleshoot remaining issues.



Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn't help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

 
 

Question Info

Last updated October 20, 2022 Views 1,838 Applies to: