Causes of Getting Annoying DLL Errors : Virus/Spyware - Registry Cleaners - Daily Operation - Rogue Antivirus
Causes of DLL Errors: Virus/Spyware - Registry Cleaners - Daily Operation - Rogue Antivirus
Note: To help every PC user better understand the causes of DLL errors, here we take the file rundll32.exe as an example.
You may have seen the following error messages when your system or software programs startup:
Getting rundll32.exe errors is signal that the file rundll32.exe is Missing or Corrupt. It is clear that rundll32.exe file is a Dynamic-link library, or a DLL file, as implemented in Microsoft Windows and OS/2. So fixing rundll32.exe error is not that difficult, before we start to repair rundll32.exe problems, we should know why we get rundll32.exe errors, so we can avoid rundll32.exe errors and other DLL errors in the future.
Below is the main reasons we conclude according to the statistics from Kaspersky Lab, Google Search Engine, Microsoft Malware Protection Center and Feedbacks from our customers.
Today, the biggest threat faced by computers is crimeware. This malicious software is written by cybercriminals with the purpose of making money illegally. Crimeware may take the form of viruses, worms, Trojans, Spyware or other malicious programs.
The Virus and Spyware can modify the properties of the system files (E.g. rundll32.exe), and then use it to download crimeware to your system.
So how to know if the file rundll32.exe is modified?
Here is the basic information about rundll32.exe file in Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3:
File Name: rundll32.exe
Developer: Microsoft Corporation
Description: Run a DLL as an App
File Size: 33280 bytes
Version: 5.1.2600.5512
Creation Time: 8/4/2004 8:00:00 PM
File Path: %SYSTEMROOT%:\WINDOWS\system32\
If the Developer, Description, File Size, Version or Creation Time or five of them is changed, the properties of rundll32.exe are different from the ones listed above. So you should use the latest antivirus/antispyware software all the time to protect your system.
The below is the Top 10 threats on the Internet in October 2011:
1. Malicious URL
2. Trojan.Script.Iframer
3. Trojan.Win32.Generic
4. Trojan.Script.Generic
5. Exploit.Script.Generic
6. AdWare.Win32.Shopper.il
7. Trojan-Downloader.Script.Generic
8. AdWare.Win32.Eorezo.heur
9. Trojan.JS.Popupper.aw
10. AdWare.Win32.Shopper.jq
Resource: Monthly Malware Statistics: October 2011 in Kaspersky Lab.
A registry cleaner is a type of software utility designed for the Microsoft Windows operating system, the purpose of which is to remove redundant or unwanted items from the Windows registry.
Registry cleaners have been used as a vehicle by a number of trojan applications to install malware, typically through social engineering attacks that use website popups or free downloads that falsely report problems that can be "rectified" by purchasing or downloading a registry cleaner.
Most of the common PC users still believe that registry cleaners can fix system errors and speed up their PC. But the truth is that these registry cleaners are designed to trick PC users into purchasing to clean false errors. Some publishers even claim that registry cleaners can fix DLL errors. When you search fix rundll32.exe errors on google.com, you can find the Ads on the Top 3 positions and the right side.
Image of Google Ads when you search "fix rundll32.exe errors"
If you click any one of them, you will find that these Google Ads are used to promote registry cleaners.
The below is the Top 3 registry cleaners and all of them have been classified as Potentially Unwanted Programs by Microsoft Malware Protection Center.
RegCure
RegCure is a program that is promoted as a system optimization tool. Some versions of this program may display deceptive or fraudulent claims about files, registry entries and/or other items on the system. These versions are detected by Microsoft security products.
RegistryBooster
Program:Win32/RegistryBooster is a program that is promoted as a system optimization tool. Some versions of this program may display deceptive or fraudulent claims about files, registry entries and/or other items on the system. These versions are detected by Microsoft security products.
PC Optimizer Pro
PC Optimizer Pro is a program that is promoted as a system optimization tool. Some versions of this program may display deceptive or fraudulent claims about files, registry entries and/or other items on the system. These versions are detected by Microsoft security products.
For more Potentially Unwanted Programs, please see the Malware List in the article Don't be fooled by registry cleaners or system optimization tools.
Resource: Microsoft Malware Protection Center
Daily system operation can bring DLL errors to your system. The below is some of the operations:
One of our customers had contacted us on how to fix problem with wuaueng.dll file, he said after installing razer mouse and keyboard driver as well as Avira Internet security, he got the following error messages:
Faulting application name: DLLSuite.exe, version: 1.0.0.443, time stamp: 0x4e94154f
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.1.7601.17651, time stamp: 0x4e211319
Exception code: 0x0eedfade
Fault offset: 0x0000b9bc
Faulting process id: 0x1fc8
Faulting application start time: 0x01cc8a2cb66f3fc0
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\DLLSuite\1.0\DLLSuite.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\syswow64\KERNELBASE.dll
Report Id: fef2d0e0-f61f-11e0-9460-e0cb4ecd9cf5
After further communications, we figured out that the problems were caused by his antivirus Avira Internet Security 2012. After removing this antivirus, the error was fixed. For the whole email content, please see How to fix problem with wuaueng.dll file.
Note: When using antivirus to protect your system, you should choose those antivirus vendors who can be trusted. For the trusted antivirus vendors, please see List of Antivirus Software Vendors.
So if the DLL errors are caused by these operations, you can take the methods below to fix DLL errors.
If none of them works, please try to restore your system to its previous working state. For the details, please see System Restore in the article How to create system restore points in Windows 7, Vista and XP.
Resource: Feedbacks from our customers
Rogue Antivirus, or Rogue security software, also known as "scareware," is software that appears to be beneficial from a security perspective but provides limited or no security, generates erroneous or misleading alerts, or attempts to lure users into participating in fraudulent transactions.
When you install rogue antivirus software programs, they will cause the following damage to your system.
According to the Microsoft antispyware engine, 2 new variant of Win32/FakeScanti is detected.
AV Security 2012
AV Security 2012 is a variant of Win32/FakeScanti - a family of trojans that claim to scan for malware and display fake warnings of "malicious programs and viruses". It then informs the user that they need to pay money to register the software in order to remove these non-existent threats. The malware may also attempt to terminate processes and block access to websites.
Security Guard 2012
Security Guard 2012 is a variant of Win32/FakeScanti - a family of trojans that claim to scan for malware and display fake warnings of "malicious programs and viruses". It then informs the user that they need to pay money to register the software in order to remove these non-existent threats. The malware may also attempt to terminate processes and block access to websites.
To protect your system and avoid downloading rogue antivirus, please see article Don't be fooled by rogue security software.
Resource: Malware Protection Center
Conclusion:
We have analyzed why you got DLL errors from 4 aspects listed above. Now the question is how to fix DLL errors?
To fix DLL errors, here we recommend that you use DLLSuite, it is a DLL supporting software, a DLL fixer and a DLL repair tool.
DLLSuite is an advanced DLL repair tool designed to download missing DLL files, fix DLL errors, fix SYS errors, fix EXE errors and fix corrupt files for Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP, 32/64 Bit.
Designed for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, 32-bit & 64-bit.
To know how to fix DLL errors, please see How to fix DLL errors using DLLSuite.