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boot critical file C:\CI.dll is corrupt

I have a Toshiba laptop with pre-installed 64-bit Windows 7 operating system. A backup copy of the system is stored on the hard drive. I have a 32-bit Windows 7 DVD-ROM but if I install this I will lose all the data on the hard disk drive including the 64-bit Windows 7 and its backup.
Unfortunately I appear to have a virus which has corrupted the boot critical file C:\CIdll When I turn on the computer it tries to fix the problem, loads files but then says it can't fix it. I've tried booting in safe mode, restoring to last good configuration, but nothing works - I'm just taken back to the Startup Repair attempt. (I'm currently using a borrowed laptop) When I read the diagnosis it has mainly said it cannot determine the cause of the problem, but at one point it said the boot critical file C:\CIdll is corrupt.
I have tried the Windows Seven Forums but nothing works - I can't do a Repair Install without a 64-bit installation disk and although I was able to follow the steps in 'How to recover from an infinitely looping startup repair loop without reinstalling windows' it didn't work.

The only thing I can do is go to Command Prompt in System Recovery Options. can anyoneguide me through a solution from there please?
Maggie

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Hi

Ihad that problem on last Thusrday night, while I was on a big urgent project (have you ever noticed problems always happen at the worst moment?). I spent my night trying to use Windows' repair tool, with no result. I was not able to start either in safe mode or in any other way. The Report was always pointing an absent or corrupted CI.dll.

Finally, I found the solution in a forum. In fact, while Windows' repair tool mentions it as the cause, CI.dll IS NOT THE PROBLEM

The problem is a virus in the HDD Master Boot Record. My yet-excellent antivirus NOD32 was unable to cure the problem when the incident happened. It just reported it, but did not clean it.

The solution, in my case, was a virus remover found at Kapersky's. See :
http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/solutions?qid=208280684

I just took my HDD off my computer and connnected it to another puter through an external USB dock, then applied TDSSKiller from the other computer. It took less than 1 minute. Once the HDD back in its original computer, I booted with no problem, and everything worked and still works fine.

HTH

Good Luck
Philippe

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Hi and thanks for the answers. System restore didn't work from command prompt but following advice on another help forum I was able to download a Linux operating system - Ubuntu - to the borrowed laptop, then burn it to cd and load it from the cd to my laptop. Then I could access all my Windows documents, pictures and music, and copy to a portable hard drive (no I hadn't backed up recently!). Fortunately the borrowed laptop is also a Toshiba running 64-bit Windows 7, so Iwas able to burn recovery DVDs from that, and then restore the whole operating system from the DVDs. I had also tried burning a rescue cd from the borrowed laptop and ran that but it didn't pick up the virus.

 A good lesson learned the hard way!

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Last updated October 19, 2023 Views 79,110 Applies to: