Windows XP system32 errors - Missing entry

If you are using an NVIDIA video system (either on the motherboard or an add-in card), the installation of the NVIDIA software optionally adds one or more startup items to launch the NVIDIA control panel.  They are set to launch and run every time your system boots.

If it was working before and you have done some system updates lately, something is out of whack with it and/or your system has a malicious software affliction.

To see what the commands look like, click Start, Run and in the box enter:

msconfig

Click OK to launch the System Configuration Utility and click the Startup tab to see the Startup Items.  You may have to slide the columns around to better see things and since msconfig is not a startup manager (it is a troubleshooting tool) you can't' make the display any wider.

Items with a check in the box will be launched automatically every time XP restarts.  Items with no check in the box are still "installed" but not configured to launch automatically every time XP starts.

The NVIDIA related startup line(s) you see in msconfig Startup tab will look something like this:

RunDLL32.exe NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
RunDLL32.exe NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit

If either the NvMcTray.dll or the NvCPL.dll files are somehow missing, corrupted, mismatched, out of date or the wrong versions (maybe from some recent update), when the NVIDIA applications try to launch, you may see messages like this (or similar complaining):

rundll32.exe - Bad Image
The application of DLL c:\windows\system32\nvmctray.dll is not a valid Windows image.   Please check this against your installation diskette.

RUNDLL
Error loading c:\windows\system32\nvmctray.dll
%1 is not a valid Win32 application

If you don't think you are using the NVIDIA control panel, you could just disable the item(s) is msconfig to stop it from launching when you start your computer.  If you are using the NVIDIA control panel, disabling the items will leave your system with no NVIDIA control panel (this may not be a good thing).

You could just go ahead and disable the startup item(s) in msconfig (disabling does not uninstall anything), reboot your system and see how your system works.  If things get worse, you can run msconfig again and reenable the NVIDIA items, but hopefully you will want to fix things the right
way.

Disabling items in msconfig is not really fixing things and you will not have an NVIDIA control panel, but some folks don't even know what the NVIDIA control panel looks like so that may be fine.  You will have stopped the message from popping up on every startup.

If you want to use the NVIDIA control panel features, you need to repair or reinstall your NVIDIA software.  

The best way to reinstall the NVIDIA software is to visit the NVIDIA support web page and either let it check your system and recommend the best software for your system or for you to find the correct version of software yourself on their web page and download the latest video driver software
package for your system and install it yourself.

It is recommended to run the NVIDIA scan with Internet Explorer.

Here is the link to the NVIDIA support page for the scan:

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/PreScan.aspx?lang=en-us

Read the directions, then click the GRAPHICS DRIVERS button to start the scan.

Let their online scanner take a look at your video system and see what it suggests for drivers and consider their analysis if they suggest a new driver.

Download and install the recommended driver and reboot your system and check the installed driver version again.

If following their directions does not straighten things out, then do this:

Describe your current antivirus and anti malware situation:  McAfee, Norton, Spybot, AVG, Avira!, MSE, Defender, ZoneAlarm, PC Tools, Comodo, etc.
 
Click Start, Run and in the box enter:

msinfo32

Click OK, and when the System Summary info appears, click Edit, Select All, Copy and then paste the information back here.

For video driver information, expand the Components, click Display, click Edit, Select All, Copy and then paste the information.

This will minimize back and forth Q&A and eliminate guesswork.

There will be some personal information (like System Name and User Name), and whatever appears to be private information to you, just delete it from the pasted information.

When you have the time, I would do this too:

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

Download, install, update and do a full scan with these free malware detection programs:

Malwarebytes (MBAM):  http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free
SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS):  http://www.superantispyware.com/

They can be uninstalled later if desired.

thank you soooooooooooo much :)

No problemo!